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Making Sense of Models (home page)

This is a landing page for all 6th grade Making Sense of Models (MSM) units.

Getting Unstuck: Karen Brennan's "8 for 8"

This 8:13 minute video gives techniques for facilitating classrooms of students who are working on projects.

Dispositions and Classroom Culture

In this video, GUTS teachers talk about instilling dispositions and classroom culture that supports scientific inquiry and the development of computational thinking.

Using Computer Models in Scientific Inquiry

In this video, a Project GUTS teacher explains how and why we use computer models in science classrooms.

Teaching Tip - How to organize and share student work

Tips on how to set up a folder so students can share their work in an online gallery of sorts.

Crash Course on Design Thinking

A 90-minute "virtual crash course" on Design Thinking, by Stanford University. A resource for teachers. "Using the video, handouts, and facilitation tips below, we will take you step by step through the process of hosting or participating in a 90 minute design challenge. Through this experience we hope you will take away some of the basic principles of Design Thinking and start to adapt them into your personal and professional routines"

Modeling MRSA in Chicago (scientist talk)

This is a talk Dr. Chick Macal gave to GUTS teachers at a Chicago PD workshop in 2015.

Computational Science video

A short video (1:27) on the computational science cycle, used in Project GUTS CS in Science (Modules 2-4).

Teaching Computer Science and Creating Independent Learners

A video (7:54) for teachers and facilitators with helpful techniques on facilitating design-and-build activities in ways then encourage students to become self-sufficient problem solvers.

Interview with Hal Scheintaub

Teachers with GUTS interviewed Hal Scheintaub and demo of StarLogo Nova models created by his students on August 2, 2017.

Project GUTS on Canvas Commons

Canvas Commons courses
- Project GUTS PD course
- Project GUTS Module 1 - Student Edition

Emergence video

A portion of a PBS NOVA video discussing the concept of emergence (or complex adaptive systems) where patterns emerge in nature where agents follow simple rules.

CS in Science videos -Link to Playlists for each Module and CS resources

This link will take you to the playlist for the Project GUTS/CS in Science youtube channel, where videos for each module and for teaching and StarLogo Nova tips are organized.

The Greenhouse Effect

A short video on the basics of the greenhouse effect, used in CS in Science, Module 2 (Greenhouse gas model).

Beaker with silver nitrate solution and copper pipe

Silver Nitrate Production video

A short video showing "Silver Production from Silver Nitrate using a Copper Pipe" - used if wet lab activity not available for CS in Science Module 4 (Chemical Reactions)

Pair Programming video

This short video (2:51 minutes) features two middle school girls describing and practicing pair programming. It is a great introduction to this method of learning programming and creating models.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology video - image of birds flocking

Complex Adaptive Systems Modeling Video

This short video (3:13 minutes) introduces complex adaptive systems and agent-based modeling concepts to middle-school students. It shows beautiful footage of birds flocking as an example of a complex adaptive system.

Skill Building Deck

A slide deck of exercises to build CS and decoding skills

COVID-19 Modelling Challenge

Learn basic StarLogo Nova skills then use those skills to customize your model to reflect how Coronavirus spreads. To that model, you can add different strategies and study the impact of the strategies on containing COVID-19’s spread.

Models in the Classroom

In this video, GUTS teachers talk about using models within science classrooms.

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