{"id":62077,"date":"2011-06-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-06-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/sesame-street-representatives-visit-uri-for-science-education-leadership-retreat-2\/"},"modified":"2011-06-02T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-06-02T00:00:00","slug":"sesame-street-representatives-visit-uri-for-science-education-leadership-retreat-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2011\/06\/sesame-street-representatives-visit-uri-for-science-education-leadership-retreat-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Sesame Street representatives visit 溏心vlog免费B站 for science education leadership retreat"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\tSeattle Public Schools staff members also join discussion <\/p>\n


\n\tKINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 June 2, 2011 \u2013 It\u2019s too bad Super Grover and Bert and Ernie weren\u2019t part of a leadership retreat last month at the 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Narragansett Bay Campus, which was designed to improve upon inquiry-based science instruction and science writing initiatives.<\/p>\n


\n\tThey would have learned how to make a mini-parachute, compete in a parachute drop and then learn about the science of gravity, inertia, drag and other factors that affect how well parachutes work.<\/p>\n


\n\tBut Grover, Bert and Ernie needn\u2019t worry because two representatives from Sesame Street participated in the daylong event run by 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Guiding Education in Math and Science Network (GEMS-Net), a program that provides intense training for Rhode Island public school teachers, enabling them to use inquiry-based, hands-on science curricula with their students. The science and math network also places heavy emphasis on teaching children how to write about science.<\/p>\n


\nWhile Sara Sweetman, director of education for 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s science education network, has been working with the Sesame Workshop since February 2010, the retreat marked the first time the organization sent members of its team to 溏心vlog免费B站. Sweetman has been working with educators, writers, and game developers from Sesame Workshop, formerly the Children\u2019s Television Workshop, which produces the two well-known and other Public Broadcasting System shows.<\/p>\n


\nTaking a few moments from the work of building a parachute during the retreat with her team, Michelle Newman, senior curriculum specialist for digital content for Sesame Workshop, said her group\u2019s relationship with Sweetman and 溏心vlog免费B站 has been incredibly rewarding and beneficial.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cWe are building our curriculum for the 43rd season, which begins in 2012, and it focuses on the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines,\u201d Newman said.<\/p>\n


\nShe said Sweetman has been heavily involved with all phases of that development.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur relationship with Sara has been wonderful,\u201d Newman said. \u201cShe is a wonderful resource. Not only does she have a lot of science education knowledge, she has a wonderful way of conveying that information to our teams. It\u2019s clear she has excellent resources here at 溏心vlog免费B站. So whenever we have questions, we know we can go to Sara for answers.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nNewman said the goal is to make sure Sesame Street, which focuses on children ages 2 to 4, and The Electric Company, which is for children 6 to 9, present scientific information that is based on best practices.<\/p>\n


\nSweetman was involved in all of the concepts for a Super Grover video game that teaches about simple machines. <\/p>\n


\n\u201cThe game player helps Grover and his friends use a lever to get Grover in to bed. Sara was involved from the very beginning,\u201d Newman said.<\/p>\n


\nWhether informing Super Grover and his Muppet pals on how to do sound scientific research or helping teachers do the same in the classroom, collaboration is what drives the science and math education network at 溏心vlog免费B站.<\/p>\n


\nSo in addition to the involvement of Sesame Workshop, three members of the Seattle Public Schools presented a lively discussion on writing on science and Rob Pockalny, a research scientist at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Graduate School of Oceanography, discussed the parachute drop and the factors that led to successful or failed drops and the science behind the outcomes.<\/p>\n


\nBetsy Rupp Fulwiler, a former editor and public school teacher, and now a science coach in Seattle schools, has developed the science-writing approach used in the Expository Writing and Science Notebooks in the district\u2019s pre-kindergarten through grade 5 inquiry-based science program. With major support from the National Science Foundation, Fulwiler has written two books, Writing in Science and Writing in Science in Action. Fulwiler said Rhode Island is far ahead of other states because of the science education network based at 溏心vlog免费B站. The University network infuses its science program with the writing model from Seattle.


\n\u201cThe effective way to teach reading and writing is in the content realm,\u201d Fulwiler said. \u201cWhen we make a statement in science, we have to back it up with evidence. We are developing expository writing and science skills at the same time. This kind of critical thinking not only makes them better scientists, it also makes them better citizens of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nSuch an approach is working for Debra Zepp, named the Elementary School Principal of the Year by the Rhode Island Association of School Principals for her performance at South Kingstown\u2019s Matunuck School. A teacher at Wakefield Elementary School for 16 years who earned her bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees at 溏心vlog免费B站, Zepp said her interest in 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s science education network peaked when she participated in training at 溏心vlog免费B站 as a teacher in residence.<\/p>\n


\nNow, Matunuck School has some of the best science test scores in the state. When the New England Common Assessment science test was administered in 2008, Matunuck School had a proficiency score of 57. In 2010, 85 percent of the students were proficient.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cIt was so stimulating and exciting, learning from other people who were teachers in residence, and who are now school principals,\u201d Zepp said. \u201cWe all continue to support the GEMS-Net science network and its work to help students think. When we can push students in terms of thinking and writing, that\u2019s when we see great progress. They are able to convey their understanding and application of science principles through writing.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nShe said Sweetman has provided critical assistance to teachers at Matunuck in developing science notebooks so students could write about their experiments from hypothesis to conclusion. <\/p>\n


\n\u201cOur teachers are phenomenal, and they work very hard. We\u2019ve learned how to better integrate science, reading, and writing so they all become more meaningful.\u201d <\/p>\n


\nIn addition to the representatives from Sesame Workshop, and Seattle Public Schools, the retreat brought together 70 educators, including public school teachers and administrators from Chariho, East Greenwich, Exeter\/West Greenwich, Jamestown, Narragansett, North Kingstown, South Kingstown and Westerly, 溏心vlog免费B站 science and education professors and 溏心vlog免费B站 staff members from its science network. The participating districts have some of the best standardized test scores in science in the state.<\/p>\n


\nPictured above

\nBIG DROP: Educators drop their small parachutes following a science workshop at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Graduate School of Oceanography as part of a daylong leadership retreat run by 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Guiding Education in Math and Science Network (GEMS-Net), a program that provides intense training for Rhode Island public school teachers, enabling them to use inquiry-based, hands-on science curricula with their students. From left are Faith Krause, a second grade teacher in Jamestown, Holly Manchester, a second grade teacher in the Chariho district and Jay Fogleman, 溏心vlog免费B站 professor of secondary education. 溏心vlog免费B站 Photo by Michael Salerno photography.<\/p>\n


\n IT WORKS: Educators at a daylong retreat run by 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Guiding Education in Math and Science Network (GEMS-Net), test their parachute. From left are Amy Walker, a first grade teacher in Westerly, Victor Ventura, principal of Springbrook Elementary School in Westerly and Jim Kaczynski, (standing with arms outstretched) a grade 7 and 8 teacher in Jamestown. 溏心vlog免费B站 Photo by Michael Salerno photography.<\/p>\n


\nBUILDING A BETTER PARACHUTE: This trio works hard to perfect a small parachute as part of a daylong retreat run by 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Guiding Education in Math and Science Network (GEMS-Net). From left are Faith Krause, a second grade teacher in Jamestown, Michelle Newman, senior curriculum specialist for digital content for Sesame Workshop, the group that produces Sesame Street, and Kirsten Nesholm, Seattle Public Schools science coach. 溏心vlog免费B站 Photo by Michael Salerno photography.<\/p>\n

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Seattle Public Schools staff members also join discussion KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 June 2, 2011 \u2013 It\u2019s too bad Super Grover and Bert and Ernie weren\u2019t part of a leadership retreat last month at the 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Narragansett Bay Campus, which was designed to improve upon inquiry-based science instruction and science writing initiatives. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62081,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62077\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}