The SMILE Program @ OSU

During the Saturday session of the Winter Teacher’s Workshop, teachers learned more about the Next Generations Science Standards (NGSS) with a specific focus on modeling. Matt Nyman, an instructor in the College of Education at Oregon State University, gave an overview presentation that addressed what modeling looked like in k12 education.  Teachers then took part in two sessions that focused on mathematical and scientific modeling.  Andy Olstad, a School of Business instructor, shared several online tools as part of his presentation to help students understand mathematical modeling. Randy Bell, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the College of Education, presented on scientific modeling. These links as well as all presentations at the workshop can be found below.

Mathematical Modeling

Online Simulations

• Earth Impact Simulator
• Agentsheets
• Phet
• Kerbal Space Program
• 4th Down Bot

Summer Reading List

• “What If?” by Randall Munroe as well as here
• “The Signal and the Noise” by Nate Silver and here
• The Psychology of Fear by Daniel Gardner

Additional Links

• Biases and Heuristics
• The Mathematical Competition in Modeling
• Grace Murray Hopper

Scientific Modeling

Presentations

• Scientific Models and Model-Based Inquiry

We enjoyed your company at the Winter Teacher’s Workshop! We hope everyone had a blast. If you are a middle school or high school SMILE teacher you should have received the following materials (pictured below): cornstarch, agar agar, gelatin powder, a bottle of glycerin, Styrofoam, cornstarch, and green biodegradable Styrofoam packing peanuts. With these materials we showcased several lesson plans including Fork it Over and Packing for the Future along with the bonus activity: Composting- Out of Sight Not Out of Mind. All of the lesson plans and presentations for these activities can be seen here.  We would love to see pictures of your SMILE students performing these activities. Always feel free to e-mail us at smile.program.osu@gmail.com.

Once again our IME team has created amazing activities for our SMILE Teacher’s Workshop. They have created a great example of what an Industrial Manufacturing Engineer does on their job including optimizing manufacturing processes. Check out their activity below:

• Optimization Activity Lesson Plan
• Student Handout
• Teacher Handout
• PowerPoint Presentation 

This Friday, January 30th we will be presenting bioenergy activities at our annual teacher’s workshop. This year we focused on biodegradation and are excited to share with you three different activities. First, in the Packing for the Future activity students will get to compare cornstarch and Styrofoam packing peanuts and decide which is more suitable for their shipping company. Next, in the activity Fork it Over (along with this worksheet), students will get to make their own biodegradable forks while still trying to maintain utensil strength. Last, in our bonus activity Composting–Out of Sight Out of Mind students will get to bury their newly made utensils and other utensils to compare the degradability of each product. If you are able to make it to the workshop you will see this awesome presentation from our bioenergy expert, Brian Hartman. We hope to see you Friday!

We love seeing updates and pictures from the activities SMILE has created. Forest Grove High School was nice enough to share with us the progress of their poplar trees that they received during the 2014 Winter Teacher’s Workshop. Students in this club are taking measurements every week. See for yourself their growing trees:

We had a great time hosting our teacher’s workshop where we got to showcase fun, new activities to use in the club or classroom setting. For the middle school and high school students we shifted our focus toward engineering by showing the teachers an algal lab where the students can design what they think is an optimal place for algae to grow.  For the elementary school students the focus was on ecology and geology, which lead to some awesome hands on activities. All of these activities and those showcased in the workshop can be found below.  Thanks again for joining us this year and please feel free to share your comments on the activities we provided.

Elementary School:

• Lesson 1: All About Owls
• Lesson 2: Owl Pellets Part 1
• Lesson 3: Owl Pellets Part 2
• Lesson 4: Specialists vs. Generalists
• Lesson 5: I’m in Danger
• Habitat Activity
• Mice and Munchies
• Owl Pellet Bone Sheet

Middle School:

• BrainSTEM Game 
• Growing Algae for Fuel
• Saving White City’s Air Part I
• Saving White City’s Air Part II
• Fueling the Future: Exploring Sustainable Energy Use

High School:

• Great Lakes Bioenergy Farm Game
• Growing Algae for Fuel
• Saving White City’s Air Part III
• Saving White City’s Air Part IV
• Fueling the Future: Exploring Sustainable Energy Use

At our recent Teacher’s Workshop, the high school teachers had a conversation about better preparing SMILE students to enter college.  The SMILE Program recognizes that the process of preparing to attend college to pursue a rewarding career can be very daunting, and there is no one perfect resource for each teacher, student, or family member to assist with the process. In order to address the many needs of teachers, students, and parents, we have compiled some information and resources on the SMILE website about the college preparation and application processes. We hope that you find these resources very helpful in talking and connecting with your students and their families. We not only want students to be academically qualified for college, but we want them to be financially, emotionally, and socially prepared. Follow this link to view our “On the Road to College” page: http://smile.oregonstate.edu/road-college

Additionally, the Office of Federal Student Aid has released a comprehensive College Preparation Checklist to help students and families in the college preparation process. This checklist starts at ages as young as elementary school, and includes information for both parents and students about financial aid, admissions, and other important factors that contribute to the preparation process. Click here to access a PDF copy of the checklist.

During this winter and summer teacher’s workshop, our industrial engineering team made several fun LEGO activities for your students. They have created even more activities that they  wanted to share.  All of the activities from the other team is posted below:

1. Just-in-Time Manufacturing

• Presentation
• Paper Airplane Activity

2. Facility Design Activity

• Activity
• Presentation
• LEGO Zoo Rules and Guidelines
• LEGO Zoo Grid
• Student Solutions Presentation

3. Design for Manufacturability Lesson

• Activity
• Presentation
• Activity Sheet
• Redesign Example #1
• Redesign Example #2

4. Culminating Activity

• Background Story
• Activity
• Activity Worksheet-1
• Activity Worksheet -2
• Activity Worksheet -2 Key
• Boat Instructions -1
• Boat Instructions -2
• Boat Instructions -3
• Boat Instructions -4
• Helicopter Instructions -1
• Helicopter Instructions -2
• Helicopter Instructions -3
• Helicopter Instructions -4