How has The Uglies helped to reinforce the biotechnology curriculum?
Mr. Koch's 7th Grade Science class completed their final project for Unit 1: Technological Innovations by designing several of the technologies available to the characters in The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. Students were graded on several different aspects of the project, including the amount of detail, the quality, the color, and the labels they used in order to describe their technology and how it worked. Please be sure to check out the sample of projects!
This is a list of items and the page numbers where they were described in the book:
Unit 1 of the Biotechnology Curriculum at Milwood Magnet School focuses on Technological Innovations. Each core area has essential questions to help guide lesson plans to focus on curriculum content.
Questions for Unit 1 include:
Grade 6 Math: How do technological innovations affect the efficient use of our resources? Social Studies: How do we understand our place in the world? ELA: How does our changing world affect your life? Science: How does research and technology improve society?
Grade 7 Math: How have technological innovations affected the society in which you live? Social Studies: How do we understand other cultures' place in the world? ELA: How does interacting with others help construct meaning and promote innovation? Science: How does research and technology improve our quality of life?
Grade 8 Math: How has technology changed the movement of people? Social Studies: How do we understand our country's place in the world? ELA: How do interactions with others help you contribute to society? Science: How does research and technology improve our understanding of the world?
Students complete assignments and projects based on the curriculum. One example is in seventh grade science, students experimented with calcium chloride (CaCl) to see if it could have been what was used to heat "Spagbol" in The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, which Milwood Magnet is using as the all-school read this school year to reinforce the Biotechnology theme. Students used different amounts in water (H2O) and measured the temperature change. Their response: "The more chemical we added, the hotter the water got. So it could have been used to heat the 'Spagbol'."
As we begin to wrap up the first unit, more completed projects will be featured from Unit 1.
Every Wednesday we will try to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about Milwood and Kalamazoo Public Schools in detail. This week, we will focus on the three most important questions that encompass the Milwood Magnet experience for those who are interested in knowing more about the school.
What is a Magnet School and what are the advantages of sending my student to a magnet school?
A magnet school is a school which offers specialized curriculum and offers a school of choice for the district in which it resides. Historically, magnet schools began as a way for the government to aide in the desegregation of school districts. Today, magnet schools provide students an opportunity to succeed academically while learning in a diverse environment.
Your student would benefit in attending a magnet school for many reasons, including improved academic achievement, diversity in enrollment, higher attendance rates, higher graduation rates, and lower drop-out rates. Magnet schools obtain a higher level of parental involvement, more personalization through theme-based education, and specialized programs that provide a safer environment for learning. Teachers are better prepared to teach students through a focused curriculum and are more developed professionally than in a traditional school.
What is the Kalamazoo Promise?
The Kalamazoo Promise is a pledge by a group of anonymous doners to pay up to 100 percent of tuition at 4-year college programs for any high school graduates of Kalamazoo Public Schools. In order to qualify, students must be a student within the Kalamazoo Public Schools district lines and have attended a Kalamazoo Public Schools school from at least the 9th grade. Students who enroll at Milwood Magnet School in the 6th grade, not having previously attended a Kalamazoo Public School, are eligible to receive 80 percent of their tuition expenses covered by the Promise when they graduate from a Kalamazoo Public Schools high school. For more information, visit http://www.kalamazoopromise.com/.
What is Biotechnology and why is it the focus of curriculum at Milwood Magnet School?
Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science and medicine. It encompasses everything from genetic engineering to alternative fuels and many other avenues of science. Milwood Magnet School chose this theme because of the emerging biotechnology-based companies emerging in the southwest-Michigan region, who Milwood Magnet School is currently working with to develop a relationship with as a Biotechnology Partner.
The Biotechnology Curriculum is taught in six different units that include biofuel energy, environmental protection, global foodchain, medical technology, sustainable industries, and technological innovations. Milwood Magnet School is trying to further the understanding of the theme through an all-school read of The Uglies by Scott Westerfield.
Here are a few examples of how well our students are embracing the understanding of Biotechnology in our world and in our school:
