Teachers TryScience

Part 1: Introduction to Mapping

1. Ask students to define the term “mapping.” After eliciting responses from 2-3 students, tell the class that the process of mapping can be used to organize data in a way that helps people make sense of the information. This can involve geographical maps but also spreadsheets, databases, drawings, and concept maps.
2. To help students better understand different ways of mapping information, have students explore the Mapping module of the THINK app. Jigsaw this approach by splitting students into smaller groups and assigning each group one of the ten headings in the Mapping module. Each of these headings relates to different ways maps can organize information. Students should find their assigned heading, read the examples, and then present back to the class using both the examples present in the app as well as one additional example that they come up with.
   For example, one role is “Maps depict change”. Students would explain this concept using the two examples given, the submarine control panel and the IBM Tivoli Energy Dashboard. The group should then include an example they’ve generated as an example. This might be word clouds from two different decades that show how the frequency of certain slang terms has changed over time or a type of household meter that depicts changes over time.
3. Tell students that now that they’ve considered different ways of organizing data, they will turn their attention to the concrete problem of seasonal flu in school. They will use the work they did in the Fight the Flu: Seeing lesson to collect and map data related to the spread of illness in their school.
4. If necessary, review the work done in the Seeing lesson. In particular, review the different ways that illness might spread. In the “Patient Zero” activity disease spread from person to person, while in the “fomite” activity students looked at different surfaces where bacteria and viruses could thrive.

1. Again, split students into smaller groups.
2. Instruct groups to work together to brainstorm what type of information they would like to collect to better understand how illness spreads in their school. Tell students that they will use the information collected to create an innovative solution to reducing the spread of illness, so they should be as creative and thorough as possible. This type of critical thinking may be challenging for students, so you may include prompts such as:

• Items that are touched by many people: Are some objects such as doorknobs or light switches used more frequently? How do students and staff interact with these objects?
• Temperature of rooms: Using information from the previous lesson, have students learned anything about how temperature might relate to illness? Are some classrooms too hot or too cold to promote health?
• Water fountain and faucet use: Do fountains and faucets seem clean? Are they used properly?
• Materials of surfaces around the school: Do students notice a high occurrence of surfaces that act as fomites around the school?
• Coughing and sneezing habits: Do most students cough into their elbow? Do most teachers? Do people generally wash their hands after sneezing?

3. Once groups have had the opportunity to consider what type of data may be useful, come back together as a class and share out. After the groups have had an opportunity to share, work as a class to focus in on just a few key points. Ideally, each group should focus on something different to collect information about. If there are multiple groups wishing to study the same factor, groups can combine or split up the work at your discretion.
4. Now students should return to their groups to make a plan for data collection. Will they perform observations, take readings, do interviews? How much information should they collect and where should they collect it? What types of materials will they need?
5. After students have had an opportunity to create a plan, come together as a whole class, and have each group share out their data collection plan. Other groups should provide feedback. Remind students that their data will be used to suggest and actuate change in the school, so it is important that the plans are feasible.
6. Be sure students understand what is appropriate and what is not when making observations and collecting information. For example, they should not be making observations about specific individuals or be in areas, such as restrooms, that could make someone uncomfortable. If they will be collecting information about habits, they should create some sort of information sheet to be distributed or posted so that other students and staff are aware of this class project.

1. After the whole class has determined how data will be collected and you have approved the plans, groups are ready to move on to data collection.
2. Groups should provide you with a list of materials they will need. This might include thermometers, stopwatches, or measuring tape. You can put any parameters you wish on the lists.
3. Students should now be allowed to carry out their data collection plans under your supervision. You can instruct students to move on to the next phase of the lesson after you feel they’ve collected enough information to work with.

1. In order to use the data collected to reduce the spread of illness, students must be able to find a way to organize the information in a way that helps them make sense of the raw data.
2. Tell students that they will be presenting the information they collected to the other groups. They must create visuals to support their presentation. You can assign this as class work or homework. Ask students to use the THINK Mapping module to help them brainstorm different ways of mapping their data. Remind students that they should select a way of visualizing the data that will help elucidate trends and relationships. Examples might include:

• Map of the school indicating location of the most densely crowded areas such as cafeterias, auditoriums, or hallways.
• Spreadsheet showing temperature levels or fluctuations in different classrooms and common areas
• Bubble chart showing scale of traffic or the popularity of certain doors, drinking fountains, or light switches.

3. Have groups present their data and visuals. During the presentation they should be sure to articulate how and why they chose the topic and mapping strategy they selected. They should also mention how the THINK examples informed their choices.
4. After all groups have presented, work as a large class to list some of the conclusions that can be drawn from the data. Tell students that during the next lesson in this unit, they will be using these conclusions to propose and implement changes in the school.