CAMP NANO: AN NGSS-ALIGNED MIDDLE SCHOOL SUMMER CAMP FOR A MACRO-TO-NANO SCALE OBSERVATIONAL INVESTIGATION WITH A VIRTUAL FIELD ENVIRONMENT COMMUNICATION

The Science & Engineering Practices (Practices), Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs), Disciplinary Core Ideas of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are integrated in “three-dimensional learning”. While the NGSS provide performance expectations and learning targets for grade band assessment, they do not provide guidance for how an inquiry experience can build towards these with diminished scaffolding or how to incorporate technology to enhance learning. The development and qualitative study of the week-long middle school pilot summer CampNANO (Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Outreach) show how a place-based informal authentic scientific inquiry experience could provide such guidance.

Portland-area middle school students participated in an observational investigation of the health of an urban stream habitat of the Tryon Creek Watershed by asking the phenomena-based question: How do we study diatoms and the habitats in which they live?. Campers conducted a macro-scale observation-based investigation of the stream and a micro-to-nanoscale investigation of water samples and diatoms using light microscopes and desktop scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). They communicated their findings through a Virtual Field Environment (VFE), a web-based virtual environment that incorporates spatially-connected flat photographs, 3D spherical images, and interactive menus to communicate information.

Involvement with the SEM and VFE in association with the observational investigation facilitated expert-like thinking and behaviors toward selected Practices and CCCs. The multiscale nature of the investigation supported the campers understanding of the scale-dependent nature of observations (CCC-Scale, Proportion, & Quantity). The structure of the VFE facilitated campers’ progression towards multi-model communication (Practice-Obtaining, Evaluating, & Communicating Information) because it easily allowed for the integration of media types. Finally, incorporation of the VFE allowed campers to reflect on places where data was missing in their observational investigation (Practice- Planning & Carrying Out Investigations) and provided an inquiry pathway that authentically encouraged a more systematic observational investigation without heavy scaffolding.