Engaged Learning Project

Title of Project: EM and ME

Subject(s): Physical Science
Grade Level(s): 8th, 9th
Abstract:
Students will explore the eight types of electromagnetic waves. Then, students will identify how electromagnetic radiation is
used in the real world. Next, students will research and choose a professional to collaborate with within their chosen field.
Together, with the professional, students will identify a need in the field. Finally, the students will design a product or
improve upon a current product which utilizes electromagnetic radiation and achieves the previously identified need. The
adult/professional role will be product development for a company. The learning will be situated in an authentic task because
the students will have identified a real need/want in society.

Learner Description/Context:
The learners will be ages thirteen to fourteen. They are in classes ranging from support instruction (special education
inclusion), on-level, advanced and high school physical science credit. Creekland Middle School is located in Cherokee
County next to a horse farm. When the school was built, it was considered rural, but has been transitioning since then to
become more suburban. The demographics of Creekland are 88.1% white, 7.1% Hispanic and 1.9% African American. The
total population is 1,459 students with 16.9% free and reduced lunch.

The area that my school is in is made of middle to upper class neighborhoods with parents working in the business sector.
We have many parents involved in the medical fields, airlines, healthcare, small business owners, entrepreneurs, etc. We do,
however, also have a small portion of our district that is still rural farmland with multiple generations living together on land
parcels. Culturally, this project addresses both groups of people. The electromagnetic spectrum is used by people regardless
of demographics.

I think the biggest cultural connection that my project has the potential to reach would be in the cell phone industry. Both the
rural and suburban students in my school have cell phones and cell phones use the electromagnetic spectrum in a variety of
ways. I also suspect that many community members work for cell phone industries. Prior to the project, I would attempt to
gather a list of community professionals that could serve as the students’ professional collaborator. I still prefer for the
students to try to find the professional on their own, but I would have the list as a back up.

Time Frame:
Initial research- 3 days of a 55 minute class period.
Collaborator research- 3 days of a 55 minute class period.
Collaboration- at least 2 days of a 55 minute class period (these will not be consecutive- the first day will be the introduction
between the mentor and the student, subsequent collaborations will be content discussion. Students will be required to have
at least one content discussion with their mentor).
Product Design- 2 days of a 55 minute class period.
Shark tank- 2 days of a 55 minute class period.
Project Reflection- 30 minutes
TOTAL: 11.5 hours

Standards Assessed:
Georgia Standards of Excellence:
S8P4. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to support the claim that electromagnetic (light) waves behave
differently than mechanical (sound) waves.
c. Design a device to illustrate practical applications of the electromagnetic spectrum (e.g., communication, medical,
military).
ISTE:
Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6

Learner Objectives:
Students will know the eight types of electromagnetic radiation, where each type is found (on earth and beyond) and how
each type is used by people. Students will be able to recognize products used daily which depend upon the electromagnetic
spectrum. The learning experience will be measured by assessing the explanation of the student’s final product and how it
uses the electromagnetic spectrum through the Shark Tank presentation. Students will also keep track of their daily activities
in their Office 365 OneNote class notebook.
 Engaged Learning Project

The “hook” or Introduction:

The hook for this project will actually start at the end of the class the day before the project begins. I will challenge the
students to see who can go the longest without using their cell phone. Part of the challenge will include that the students need
to keep a running list recording every time they reach for their phone and what they were intending to use it for. For the
students who want to win a prize, parents can sign off on the students list.
Process:
The process will be broken down into different parts.
Day 1-3: What products use the electromagnetic spectrum and how? Students will research the 8 types of electromagnetic
radiation and at least one product that depends on each type of wave. I will create a module on Canvas (our school’s LMS)
that includes notes, video tutorials, online simulations and links for the content. Students will take notes in their Office 365
Onenotebook. Students may collaborate with each other for this part of the project. While the students are working, I will
facilitate them as well as monitor their progress. These days will be a formative assessment. I will log in to their
onenotebooks as they work and monitor their progress/content acquisition.
Days 4-5: Students will begin to research careers that work with the electromagnetic spectrum. Students can research all 8
types of waves, but will need to choose between: medical, military or communication. On these days, I will identify students
who need differentiation (SPED, ELL, RTI). For these students, I will provide a list of careers for them to research. For the
other students, I will monitor their progress and facilitate their research.
Day 6: Students will share what they have learned about careers on FlipGrid. The goal for this will be to collaborate to help
each other find a professional in the area. For example, if one student explains that they discovered that a Radiologist is a
career that uses the electromagnetic spectrum, another student may say “my dad works with a radiologist”. My goal is for the
students to collaborate with one another to hopefully find their professional within our community. I will monitor the
FlipGrid as well as take the participation as a graded assignment. Once a student has identified which professional they will
reach out to, then the student will need to make contact. I will facilitate here for safety. Again, I will have a list of people
already willing to participate in the event that a student cannot reach their chosen professional.
Day 7: Once the initial contact is made, students will set up a time to Skype. The Skype will take place in the classroom
with headphones. Students will develop a list of questions that they will want their professional to answer. The focus will be
on a product that the professional uses which depends on the electromagnetic spectrum. I will co-learn with my students from
their professionals about what they do in their job and what products they use.
Day 8: Students will Skype with their professional again. This time, the students and professional will identify a weakness
in the profession. Together, the student and professional will brainstorm ideas to solve the problem. I will monitor for safety
and co-learn with my students.
Days 9-10: Students will draft a design of the product that they are going to develop. Most of the products are going to be
adding to or modifying existing products. Students will need to follow the steps of the design cycle. Students will use a
drafting software (possibly AutoCAD) to build a virtual model of their product. Students will also write an explanation of
what their product is, how it uses the electromagnetic spectrum and why it is important. This will be done in Microsoft Word
on Office 365. The teacher role on this day will mostly focus on teaching the students how to use the drafting tool.
Days 11-12: Students will pitch their product to the class in a Shark Tank type of game. While students are presenting in
Shark Tank, I will run a backchannel for comments. Students will type their opinions and questions as presentations go on,
then at the end, we can go back together as a class and read the comments/questions. Finally, The teacher role today will be
to listen and create a dotstorm. The dotstorm is a website where everyone can submit their product and then the class can
vote on the winner!
Day 13: Students will submit a written project reflection.

Product:
The end product that the students will produce is their virtual product design. The users of the design will be their
classmates, community members and consumers of the initial product. The product will be meaningful to the students
because they created it so they will have ownership and authenticity. Technology is implemented because the students
created their design on a drafting productivity tool. I will asses the product while the students present in the Shark Tank. I
will use a rubric which will include the electromagnetic spectrum content.

Technology Use:
Canvas- LMS for information
Office 365- To record their information
FlipGrid- Share ideas and collaborate with classmates
Skype- To communicate with professional
AutoCAD- Product draft design
Dotstorming- Final product vote
 Engaged Learning Project
EL Indicators:

Content and Learning Goals:

Standards based- Georgia Standards of Excellence and ISTE student learner standards
Challenging- Student move beyond the knowledge component and comprehend electromagnetic waves by
understanding what they are used for and how.

Learning Tasks:
Authentic/meaningful- Students assume an adult/professional role by troubleshooting a problem and developing a
solution.
Student-directed- It is student directed because the students are choosing which type of radiation to focus on and
who they will collaborate with.
Multi-disciplinary- The project is multi-disciplinary because students will be working with engineering as well as
language arts when they are required to write.
Culturally responsive- The project is culturally responsive because students are using their community funds of
knowledge to identify a professional to collaborate with.

Student Roles:
Explorer- Students are researching new ideas to solve an existing problem.
Teacher- Students are demonstrating to their classmates in Shark Tank their solutions.
Producer- Students are designing products that they could actually use (medical, communicative)

Teacher Roles:
Facilitator- Teacher is facilitating research for content and professionals
Guide- Teacher is helping students when needed.
Co-learner- Teacher is learning about how professionals implement the electromagnetic spectrum

Social Interactions:
Collaborative- Students are collaborating with each other and community members.

Assessments:
Performance-based: Students are voting on each other’s products.
Seemless/ongoing: Students will be given feedback throughout the project.
Generative: Students reflect on their product.

References and Supporting Material:

Students would need access to computers with internet connection.
Instructor would need to load the content on the school’s LMS. This could include power point notes, links to tutorials,
simulations and other resources.
Two rubrics would need to be made, a FlipGrid page, a backchannel link and a Dotstorming page.

I modified my assignment by adding more time to research collaborators and utilize classmates to help find professionals. I
also added assessment pieces throughout the course of the project. I redid the section about learner description completely
because I did it wrong on my idea assignment. I also included the learner indicators and websites used.

I think the highest indicators will be learning tasks authentic/meaningful because the students are choosing what they are
doing and who they are working with and it is a product of high interest. I think the content and learning goals are standards
based and challenging. And, student roles producer is high because the students are designing a product.

I would like to strengthen the culturally responsive indicator.

I think this would be a LoTi Level 5 because it is student centered, authentic, higher order thinking, students are taking on a
professional role and they are collaborating with others outside of the classroom.

Do you have any ideas as to how I could have the students make an impact on people outside of the school and community?