This page last modified April 16, 2001 (jca)
Sunflower/Girasol Science Discovery Curriculum for Children is recommended as a Promising science program.
Program Description. The Sunflower/Girasol Science Discovery Curriculum for Children introduces teachers and students to the world of scientific exploration and problem solving. Geared toward students in grades 2-6, the science units on plants, air, water, and the human body, present information and experiments in stimulating graphic formats and pose interesting and relevant questions for children based on current scientific developments. This supplemental curriculum places science learning in context and promotes environmental responsibility. In each Sunflower unit, children are asked to carry out investigations in their schools, homes, and neighborhoods. Whether they are calculating water waste, making a field guide of plant life on the playground, interviewing a parent, or testing the pH of rain water, students are asked to use the data they collect locally to make inferences about the large scale implications of the phenomena. Thus, the curriculum treats science exploration as a vital part of everyday life at the same time it emphasizes academic rigor and deep conceptual understanding.
The materials, available in either English or Spanish, are a rich resource for mainstream, Limited English Proficiency (LEP), English as a Second Language (ESL), and bilingual classrooms. Each unit of the Sunflower curriculum is presented in a full color activity book for children. Activities are introduced by a multicultural cast of characters, most of whom are immigrants or the children of immigrants from Latin America. The complexions and experiences of the characters in the student activity books reflect those of students in many urban school systems and help children in less diverse classrooms recognize and value difference.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs. The Intercultural Center for Research in Education (INCRE) offers one- to three-day training workshops during which participants engage in science as inquiry; learn about topics in the plant, water, human body, and air units; and learn to make curricular links to literacy, math, social studies, and geography. Participants also discuss ways to invite parental involvement and boost student achievement. INCRE provides teachers with research articles, resources, and background information on each topic. Training workshops are optional and cost an average of $500/day, depending on location and number of participants. Local INCRE training representatives are available in Boston, Miami, Washington, DC, and Albuquerque. Curriculum units are sold in classroom sets, at $79 per set, and consist of 30 Student Activity Books and a Teacher's Guide.
Program Quality. Reviewers found the program goals to be challenging and appropriate. Sunflower facilitates the development of inquiry skills and makes science relevant by having students use their home, community, and school environments to make sense of the science around them. Strengths of the program include its instructional design, alignment between lesson goals and experiences, and varied opportunities for students to learn concepts and engage in inquiry. Assessment is appropriate and designed to provide accurate information about student learning. The design of an appendix with rubrics describing the depth of student learning is a valuable program feature. Usefulness to Others. Reviewers noted that materials and resources are inexpensive and do not require a large amount of teacher preparation. Directions on how to plan for a lesson are well-written, and a table is provided to help teachers understand how this program can fit into the academic year.
Educational Significance. Sunflower's learning goals reflect the vision promoted in the national science standards to have all students develop the ability to engage in scientific inquiry. Reviewers noted that this curriculum is excellent in providing relevant experiences for students to learn about concepts while collecting data and manipulating materials. The program's purpose is to respond to the need to improve academic success rates of traditionally under-served Latino students from poor communities. By highlighting contributions and accomplishments of Latino scientists, Sunflower encourages Latino children to identify with others of the same origin and culture and opens the world of science to Latino and/or bilingual students.
Program Effectiveness and Success. Reviewers found the evaluation to be sound in that it used random assignment, a quasi-experimental comparison group design at different sites, and pre-post-tests assessing student understanding of science and environmental education concepts and science process skills for two units. Within the context of a program available in both English and Spanish versions and data that are reliable across the sites involved in the study, the program presented statistically significant gain score evidence that Sunflower students increased their knowledge of plant and water related concepts and science process skills more than comparison students using a commercial curriculum to study the same topic.
Four schools and a total of 268 students participated in the controlled outcome evaluation. In each participating school, one third grade class used the Sunflower plant unit and one fourth grade class used the water unit. The plant unit was evaluated in four schools, and the water unit in three schools. Comparison groups for each grade in the same schools used commercially available curricula to teach the same topics. Treatment classes were randomly assigned, controlling for the possibility that the more experienced or more motivated teachers at each school site had selected the Sunflower/Girasol materials.
The test instruments were prepared in English and Spanish and combined multiple choice questions adapted from the CTBS battery and the TIMSS with performance items consistent with the National Science Education Standards. Test items assessed student understanding of science concepts (e.g., plant germination and growth, sources of food from plants, water use and conservation, sources of water pollution, and the water cycle) and science process skills (e.g., graphical representation and interpretation of data, predicting results of an experiment, and measurement). All test items were validated twice in non-participating schools to ensure the reliability and content validity of the instruments. A multiple regression analysis was used, and the model was specified to predict the gainscore by group, controlling for pretest score and gender. Analysis of variance was utilized to assess if mean gains varied by school. The analyses pooled data for all the treatment and comparison students, with approximately 70 students in each group. For both units evaluated, the effect sizes of the treatment group controlling for pretest differences were statistically significant at the p<.001 level, and analyses of variance demonstrated positive mean gains in favor of the Sunflower/Girasol group that were consistent across all participating schools and statistically significant at the p<.01 level.
For Further Information Contact:
John Zuman
Intercultural Center for Research in Education (INCRE)
366 Massachusetts Avenue
Arlington, MA 02474
Telephone: (781) 643-2142
Fax: (781) 643-1315
E-mail:incre@igc.org
Web site:http://www.incre.org/sunflower.html
This page last modified April 16, 2001 (jca)