Article
Publication Date
January 2009
Journal/Book Title/Conference
The south eastern teacher education journal
Volume
2
Issue
1
Abstract
The main objective of this article is to describe an example of unique and creative classroom materials that are built around a real world interest of Middle School students. Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science is a curriculum supplement that integrates both skateboarding and BMX. As an example of transformative education, it is built around student interests with a direct link to specific science knowledge and skills that need to be learned. It incorporates a four part video series and twenty classroom activities for students and teachers to use in the classroom. The video and classroom materials focus on the physical science concepts found in the areas of motion, forces, Newton’s Laws of Motion, and simple machines. These materials also provide the classroom teacher with an instructional series rich with science content information. The Activities include topics such as momentum, center of gravity, inertia, centrifugal and centripetal forces. The purpose of the activities is to engage students in meaningful science topics set in the context of something they enjoy doing, namely skateboarding and BMX. The main emphasis is to link the concepts of science to action sports and to engage students in the exploration of science in a real world context. In this manner, Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science explores scientific concepts in a curriculum that is designed to address both physical science content and process skills. The main purpose is to provide an interesting method of engaging students in the exploration of science in a real world context.
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons, Secondary Education and Teaching Commons