Science Teacher Margo Murphy Does Science From Day One
When most people think “back to school,” it conjures images of students seated at a desk, their heads bent over their computers and papers. In Margo Murphy’s Earth Systems Science classroom, though, “back to school” has a different meaning. Murphy jumps right into doing science. That means the first days back find her students outside in their Rockport, Maine schoolyard collecting data.
At first, the content of the investigation doesn’t matter; what matters is if observational data can be gathered to answer the question. Each group picks a question that sparks their interest. For logistical purposes, Murphy limits them questions they can answer on campus. For example, one group of students might be measuring the length of white pine needles to see how variable they are while another is documenting the brands, models and colors of vehicles in the school parking lot. The purpose?
“It gives kids the idea that you can have highly variable data but still see trends,” Murphy explained. This is fundamental in her Earth Systems course, she elaborated. “You are going to have messy data if you are going to work in the earth sciences.” Murphy and her Earth Systems colleagues at Camden Hills Regional High School consider data literacy so essential to the earth sciences that they devote a significant portion of the first quarter helping their students master it.
“They don’t have to focus on getting it ‘right’ the first time, so they can iterate.”
Once students have collected data, they upload their data on Tuva and begin to explore it. Murphy’s students always enjoy the “playground aspect” of Tuva, being able to bring data in and look at it in a variety of ways. To capitalize on this engagement, Murphy builds in time for her students to “play”.
“[With Tuva] they don’t have to focus on getting it ‘right’ the first time, so they can iterate,” Murphy said.
Murphy scaffolds learning using Tuva’s graph choice chart.
As students are becoming conversant with analyzing complex data, Murphy scaffolds the learning process using Tuva resources like the graph choice chart.
The time and energy devoted to data literacy pays dividends later in her course as students grapple with complex earth systems core ideas such as weather and climate, topics which Murphy considers vitally important.
Murphy introduces data skills early, preparing students to apply them to projects like this one later in the course.
“I want kids to understand that there is change on the planet, that this change is rapid, and how they can find evidence and understand that evidence to understand these changes and ask good questions.”
We are excited to unveil a brand new look to the Tuva Datasets Library!
As the number of datasets, activities, and lessons continues to increase on the Tuva platform, we are striving to make it easy for you to filter and find the right curriculum resource that meets your needs.
Screenshot of the new Tuva Datasets Library
The new Tuva Datasets Library page is arranged as follows:
Find all the Filter categories and sub-categories on the left sidebar.
Filter by Subject / Topic, Grade Level, Science (NGSS Core Ideas), Math topic, Dataset Size, Place / Region, and Language.
Easily switch between 15 free datasets (Tuva Basic) and All datasets (Tuva Premium) in the library.
Easily toggle between Block View and List View for all resources.
Quickly find all the archived datasets and activities.
Stay tuned for additional updates and enhancements to the new Tuva Datasets Library!
The Tuva Datasets Librarycontinues to grow, with new datasets, activities, and lessons added on a regular basis.
Thousands of educators around the world use the Tuva Datasets, the interactive graphing and data tools, and inquiry-based activities to effectively address math and science standards, concepts, and practices in their classrooms.
As we curate and add new datasets and activities to the Tuva Datasets Library, it it becoming essential that the library is kept fresh.
What can we do to preserve many of the older datasets that are no longer be relevant? Today, we are introducing the Archives section within the Tuva Datasets Library.
Archives Section on the Tuva Datasets page
Once a free or aTuva Premium dataset is archived, it will be placed in the Archives section of the library.
Once the dataset is archived, all the activities and lessons related to that dataset are archived as well.
Screenshot of an archived dataset.
The archived datasets and activities will appear in the Search results, but they will be clearly marked as ARCHIVED.
The Archives section will ensure that the Tuva Datasets Library remains fresh, and that you are able to find the datasets, activities, and lessons that meet your needs.
What are the underlying foundations of the United States government? What are the functions of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our government and how do they work with each other? Who are the 8 chief justices currently in the United States Supreme Court? What are the demographics of our Senate and the House of Representatives?
Today, we are excited to announce the latest Tuva Collection on the US Governmentfor Tuva Premium subscribers. The US Government collection enables students to learn and critically think about the different aspects of the federal government through the lens of data.
United States Capital
Some of the current datasets and activities in the US Government collection include:
The demographics of the Senate and House of Representatives
Past presidents of the United States
Executive orders and vetoes by past presidents
The Electoral College and past election results
These datasets and activities are just a start. Over the coming months, we will continue to curate and publish new datasets and activities that you can use in your math, social studies, english, and other classes to explore various aspects of the US government with your students.
We are just over a month into the new administration in the White House. The US Government collection is a fantastic way to meaningfully engage our students in important civics issues through the lens of data.
