Mi-STAR is designing a middle school curriculum that supports both the NGSS and the Michigan State Standards while empowering students to use science and engineering practices to address real-world issues. We provide professional learning for teachers implementing the curriculum.
Vist our site to read more about our curriculum, professional learning, and see our list of publications.
Students explore the water cycle (hydrologic cycle) and how human activity can alter this cycle but not stop it. Students work to describe why a local community is having flooding problems and evaluate proposed solutions to address this problem.
Students confront the problem of invasive species by learning about various Michigan ecosystems, making predictions about how an invasive species may affect organisms and ecosystems within Michigan, and identifying appropriate management strategies for the invasive species.
Students try to remain on “the grid” by exploring energy and electricity generation. Through a series of hands-on investigations, students are able to apply what they have learned to create an electricity generation plan for an isolated piece of land utilizing wind and/or water.
Students use product life cycle models to explore the relationships between the things we manufacture and use to meet society's needs and the natural resources utilized to make these things. Throughout the unit students are challenged to discover and use scientific evidence to select the best wall insulation material for a community building.
In this unit, students take on the role of scientists who conduct a Hazard Assessment for one U.S. state. They use historical data to support a long-term forecast about which natural hazard is likely to most threaten the state. They investigate what causes the hazard and the damages associated with it. Based on this information, they identify technologies that the state could invest in to reduce the hazard’s negative effects on people and property.
Students take on the challenge to educate the community about Earth’s climate system. Students learn about Earth’s greenhouse atmosphere, causes and impacts of natural climate changes in the past, identify human activities that are responsible for causing current climate change, and what actions communities can take to mitigate the effects of global climate change.