28 Full Option Science System
Science Notebooks in Middle School
DERIVATIVE PRODUCTS
On occasion, you might ask students to produce science projects of
various kinds: summary reports, detailed explanations, end-of-course
projects, oral reports, or posters. Students should use their notebooks as
a reference when developing their reports. You could ask them to make
a checklist of science concepts and pieces of evidence, with specifi c
page references, extracted from their notebooks. They can then use this
checklist to ensure that all important points have been included in the
derivative work.
The process of developing a project has feedback benefi ts, too. While
students are developing projects using their notebooks, they have
the opportunity to self-monitor the organization and content of the
notebook. This off ers valuable feedback on locating and extracting
useful information. You might want to discuss possible changes students
would make next time they start a new science notebook.
Homework is another form of derivative product, as it is an extension
of the experimentation started in class. Carefully selected homework
assignments enhance students’ science learning. Homework suggestions
and/or extension activities are included at the end of each investigation.
For example, in the Human Brain and Senses Course, after being
introduced to the properties of lenses and how these properties aff ect
the function of their eyes, students can write about the role of light
in vision, considering radiant, transmitted, and refl ected light. In the
Electronics Course, students can calculate the fl ow of current in
home appliances, using the information they have learned in class.
Homework should be done on a separate paper, graded, and then
inserted into the science notebook.