Byram Hills Central School District

This information has been taken directly from the Accelerate U - Standards and Resource Guides (with approval) from the K-12 Education, NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT site. No information in this document has been changed.

Learning Standards for Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Three Levels

Standard 7 - Interdisciplinary Problem Solving - Elementary

Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.

Strategies

2. Solving interdisciplinary problems involves a variety of skills and strategies, including effective work habits; gathering and processing information; generating and analyzing ideas; realizing ideas; making connections among the common themes of mathematics, science, and technology; and presenting results.

Students participate in an extended, culminating mathematics, science, and technology project.
The project would require students to:

     work effectively
     gather and process information
     generate and analyze ideas
     observe common themes
     realize ideas
     present results

This is evident, for example, when students, addressing the issue of solid waste at the school in an interdisciplinary science/technology/society project:

     use the newspaper index to find out about how solid waste is handled in their community, and interview the custodial staff to collect data about how much solid waste is generated in the school, and they make and use tables and graphs to look for patterns of change.
     Students work together to reach consensus on the need for recycling and on choosing a material to recycle- in this case, paper.
     investigate the types of paper that could be recycled, measure the amount (weight, volume) of this type of paper in their school during a one-week period, and calculate the cost.
     Students investigate the processes involved in changing used paper into a useable product and how and why those changes work as they do.
     using simple mixers, wire screens, and lint, leaves, rags, etc., students recycle used paper into useable sheets and evaluate the quality of the product. They present their results using charts, graphs, illustrations, and photographs to the principal and custodial staff.