The COOL Classroom is a series of Internet-based
instructional modules that link middle and high school classrooms
with active research investigations at the Rutgers Marine &
Coastal Sciences (RMCS) COOLroom, a collaboration of oceanographers
studying the coastal ocean off the coast of New Jersey. Here
you will find information about how to use the COOL projects
and printable teachers guides.
Why create the COOL Classroom?
The COOL Classroom is designed to capitalize on students’
natural fascination with the marine environment to improve basic
skills training, problem solving, and critical thinking skills.
Using the COOL Projects in Your Classroom
Each interdisciplinary project uses real-time or near real
time data (current and continuous data from the coastal ocean)
to support learning of important science concept:
Discrete
Versus Continuous Data (Recommended!!!)
Students learn about data collection and the difference between
discrete (snapshots), continuous, and real-time data. (15-25
minute interactive activity).
Oceanography
Through Time
Students use an interactive time line to learn about the history
of the exploration and study of the ocean. (30-45 minute interactive
activity).
What
is the COOL room anyway? (part 1)
Students explore how and why oceanographers collect data at
the COOL room. (30-45 minute interactive activity).
Using
COOL Technology (part 2)
Students use the COOL tutorials to learn about the instrumentation
used to collect data in the COOL room (30-45 minute activity).
Careers
in Oceanography
Students explore the COOL cards to learn about the real people
who make the COOL room work (30 minute activity).
Biology Project:“Gone Fishing”
Students explore the role of phytoplankton in a marine food
web and how physical factors in the environment affect living
communities. (Approximately (4) 45-50 minute classroom periods).
Physics: Follow that Bloom
Students use vectors to graphically calculate Sea Surface Currents.
Using real-time oceanographic data, students predict the eventual
location of a plankton bloom adrift at sea. (Approximately (3-4)
45-50 minute classroom periods).
Physics: Adrift
Students graphically add vectors to determine the displacement
of a boat adrift at sea. Real-time data for sea surface currents
is used to determine the drift rate of a ship in the ocean and
predict its eventual location. (Approximately (3-4) 45-50 minute
classroom periods).
Earth Science: Create an Ocean Weather
Forecast
Students predict a “bad” beach day or a “good”
fishing day along the New Jersey coast by analyzing real-time
meteorological data and satellite maps. (Approximately (3-4)
45-50 minute classroom periods)
How do I integrate COOL Classroom in
MY classroom?
COOL Classroom is designed to be flexibly
integrated into your existing curriculum. We welcome you to
use just one or all the COOL Classroom projects to enrich science
learning in your classroom. Click here to see a suggested suggested
scope & sequence and thematic
instructional sequence.
Visit About
this Site to get information about system requirements and
running COOL Classroom in your classroom!
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