Process

In the first step, you are going to lose the websites below to research a country and pick a scientist from that country. Try to pick a scientist from a country other than the US, possibly one from your own cultural heritage. Look through the websites maybe for a scientist that worked in a field that you have an interest in, like astronomy or physics.

General

http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/history/people/pioneers.html

http://www.phy.hr/~dpaar/fizicari/index.html

http://www.adherents.com/people/100_scientists.html

Italy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Italian_scientists

http://library.thinkquest.org/2838/scimus.htm

Philippines

http://inventors.about.com/od/filipinoscientists/Filipino_Inventors_and_Filipino_Scientists.htm

http://www.geocities.com/scientists_phil/

Puerto Rico

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famous_Puerto_Ricans#Educators_and_scientists

http://topuertorico.org/culture/famousprR-Z.shtml

Germany

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERscientists.htm

European

http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/scienceandtechnology/Science_and_Technology.htm

France

http://www.ambafrance-ca.org/HYPERLAB/PEOPLE/_index.html

 

 

Ok, now that you've chosen a country and narrowed down what scientist you are going to research, it's time to do the researching. Use some of the following websites to look up when and where your scientist lived, and what discovery or theory he or she is famous for. In your groups, brainstorm what kinds of things you can put in your journal entries. Did the scientist have to go through a lot of trials to get the discovery? Did he/she discover more than one thing that you could do a few entries on? Here's an outline on how the brainstorming should go.

  1. In a small or large group select a leader and a recorder (they may be the same person).
  2. Define the problem or idea to be brainstormed. Make sure everyone is clear on the topic being explored.
  3. Set up the rules for the session. They should include
    • letting the leader have control.
    • allowing everyone to contribute.
    • ensuring that no one will insult, demean, or evaluate another participant or his/her response.
    • stating that no answer is wrong.
    • recording each answer unless it is a repeat.
    • setting a time limit and stopping when that time is up.
  4. Start the brainstorming. Have the leader select members of the group to share their answers. The recorder should write down all responses, if possible so everyone can see them. Make sure not to evaluate or criticize any answers until done brainstorming.
  5. Once you have finished brainstorming, go through the results and begin evaluating the responses. Some initial qualities to look for when examining the responses include
    • looking for any answers that are repeated or similar.
    • grouping like concepts together.
    • eliminating responses that definitely do not fit.
    • Now that you have narrowed your list down some, discuss the remaining responses as a group.

Here are some websites to research your scientist.

www.google.com/advnced_search

http://scientists.incredible-people.com/

http://inventors.about.com/

http://www.eleceng.adelaide.edu.au/people/profiles/famous.html

Now that you've researched, brainstormed, and researched again, it's time to show what you've learned. Construct a diary of no less than 5 entries. The entries should be written in the perspective of the scientist, describing any feelings, events, places, etc. going on when the discovery was made. Also, the entries should be at different times to capture different topics or feelings. For example, if your scientist had more than one discovery that you're writing about, don't only write entries about when the discovery was made. Write some entries dealing with getting to the discovery. Each entry should have a date on the upper left corner for whatever year the scientist worked in. Spelling and grammar do count, so be sure to proof read your journal before handing it in.

The cover should be creative and made to look like an actual journal. Include your name, the scientist's name, and a title ("My Journal"). Be sure to check the Evaluation page to see what exactly it will be graded on, so you can get as many points as possible.

Divide the responsibility between everyone in the group. A few can do rough drafts of the entries, while someone else works on the cover. One person should not be doing a majority of the work.