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"The program . . [combines an] interesting use of technology with classroom investigations to let students explore areas that they would not otherwise have a chance to explore." Science Books & Films

Can't manage a field trip to the Gobi Desert or Monterey Bay? How about taking a virtual field trip instead, using the new Science Seekers CD-ROM series — which gives your students the chance to solve a real-world problem the way scientists do. Three innovative kits provide all the resources necessary for teachers and students to embark on a mission like this one:

For a transcript of the audio clip, click here.

Each title begins with a clip like this one in which noted scientists brief students about a fictionalized version of a real-world problem that requires real-world knowledge and skills. In Endangered Species, the mission is to find out why a population of southern sea otters is declining. Are they starving? Getting tangled in fishing gear? Perhaps vulnerable to a water-borne disease? Ultimately, students must draw on their knowledge of ecosystems and food chains to figure out how to protect these engaging marine mammals.

Structured to promote active, collaborative learning
Each of the Science Seekers programs is structured to take the students back and forth between the computer and offline, hands-on activities. After the video introduction, the class receives a set of questions and breaks into teams of four. Each team uses a variety of tools, techniques, and supplemental materials — they gather evidence, conduct lab experiments, and analyze data. In other words, they engage in scientific problem-solving activities. (All groups must work to answer a series of six questions, but each member of the group has a different information sheet. Each student must contribute and explain some unique piece of the research to help the team answer the questions.) When all four members of each group can answer all six questions, the students reconvene at the computer for the next instructional video and set of questions. After working through a series of investigations and exploring several possible answers, students ultimately resolve the problem. A video debriefing by scientists, who discuss the importance of these techniques and tools in successful research, wraps up the project.

Mission #1: How do biologists study endangered populations?
In the first program in the series, Endangered Species, once students have been briefed about the population decline of southern sea otters along the Pacific coast, they investigate five possible causes to the problem. Next, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) conservation biologist Howard Rosenbaum explains how his colleagues use computer modeling to make predictions about a population. Eleanor Sterling, director of the Museum's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, also explains how modeling was used by scientists to protect endangered sea turtles. In the video debriefing, scientists explain why understanding the complexity of ecosystems and the mechanics of population decline is crucial to protecting the Earth's environment.

Dr. Howard Rosenbaum, a conservation biologist at the AMNH, studying humpback whales with a research colleague off the coast of Madagascar in Endangered Species
© AMNH

Brings real scientists into the classroom
Because most of the work takes place away from the computer, the Science Seekers programs are ideal for a one-computer classroom. Because they're designed for small groups, they encourage active learning and collaborative problem-solving. Because these hands-on activities employ tools and techniques used by actual scientists, they link the classroom to real-world exploration and experience. That's the guiding concept behind the series: to turn kids on to science, and to help middle-school science teachers teach the required curriculum, by using real scientists' skills and experiences to solve actual scientific problems.

Designed to fit into your curriculum
Based on the natural sciences, the three CD-ROMs combine the scientific expertise of the AMNH, whose scientists and educators developed the content, with the technological experience of Tom Snyder Productions, a leading developer of multimedia educational software. Each title combines online and offline activities, and is used over three to five 40-minute class periods — short enough to cover in a week. You can go through the program in its entirety, or you can piece together smaller units tailored to your curriculum.

Science Seekers is a co-production of the AMNH and Tom Snyder Productions Inc.
© Tom Snyder Productions Inc.

Mission #2: How can lead pollution be prevented?
In the second CD-ROM, Safe Water, housing developers discover lead pollution while digging a well. Students learn about groundwater — what it is and how it cycles underground — as well as how scientists use models to determine how water flows through rock. They need that skill in order to figure out the source of the contamination and stop it before it spreads to all of the town's wells. In one investigation, students collect data using a cross-section diagram of the town's water system and construct a computer model of groundwater flow in the area.

Dr. Elizabeth Keating, a hydrogeologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, examines a water sample in Safe Water.
© AMNH

Elizabeth Keating, a hydrogeologist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, discusses how she uses computer models in her own research. Important clues also come from museum geologist Margaret Carruthers, who talks about the porosity and permeability of rocks and how they transport water underground.

Mission #3: How do paleontologists decide where to fossil-hunt?

Hidden in Rocks, the third Science Seekers title, tackles a topic that's a perennial favorite at the AMNH: fossil hunting. Students study an uncharted area known as Vastland in order to pick the site where paleontologists are most likely to find fossils. In the process, they learn about basic plate tectonics, the rock cycle, and the three major types of rock. Mike Novacek, a Museum paleontologist, offers some fossil-finding tips based on rock types. John Pickle, a satellite imagery specialist, helps students interpret Landsat images to determine which land forms are likely to contain fossils. Lastly, students investigate how the effects of weathering and erosion can reveal fossils.

A typical Landsat image. This image was taken of the Gobi Desert. What can you see in this satellite image? Can you find the mountain peaks? the lake? the clouds?
© NASA

A comprehensive teaching guide
The software is easy to use, and comes with a 70-page guide that introduces the whole process of combining multimedia, cooperative learning, and hands-on, problem-solving activities. Many reproducible blackline masters accompany the investigations. The teacher's guide also offers help in navigating the program, troubleshooting, content preview, and suggestions for assessment. It also recommends enrichment activities and publications, as well as online resources that further develop real-world learning in the relevant subject area.

"Who wants to be a geologist when they grow up? A paleontologist? A marine biologist?" After trying one of the Science Seekers CD-ROMs, you might see a record number of hands shoot up in the air.