Target Science Process Skills

After attending the Kick-Off Meeting in January 2007 and reviewing the recent Taking Science to School Report from the National Research Council, the Program Evaluator and the PI have began to more clearly define the particular science process skills that will be targeted by COMETS.

The following points outline our proposed investigation:

   1) the power of these middle-age students to set up "controlled experiments"
The report suggests that students in the middle-grades (grades 3-5) do possess the power (with competent instruction) to set up "controlled experiments". This may be contested since even the Science Benchmarks state that "the limit of design of carefully controlled experiments is still beyond most students in middle grades." However the Benchmarks also pose a caveat. "These studies say more about what students do learn in today’s schools than about what they might possibly learn if instruction were more effective." We believe this is a unique window for research with COMETS.

   2) the middle-age child's ability to differentiate theory (or explanation) with evidence for it
The report points out that most science curricula avoid the consideration of theory and evidence. This report points out that recent studies suggest that with effective instruction -- young children (even pre-schoolers) can make the distinction "and reason accordingly". We believe that COMETS can adequately address the need for effective instruction, and COMETS students will be able to differentiate theory vs. evidence.