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Project Descriptions

Museum Activities Coordinated with 3-2-1 CONTACT

March 1, 1986 - August 31, 1988 | Public Programs, Exhibitions, Informal/Formal Connections
The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (MMNS) will develop a program over the next two years aimed at teachers and students in grades 3-7. The project will develop teacher kits and "hands-on" exhibits tied to the new state curriculum and to the science television series "3-2-1 Contact". The MMNS is a division of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Conservation and is designated as the official natural science museum by the State Legislature. The Museum has been in operation for 50 years and, since its inception, has served as a resource for classroom teachers. Mississippi has approximately 500,000 public school students attending about 1,000 schools. One third of these children are considered to live below the poverty level and 50 percent are from minority groups--a priority for the NSF. The MMNS has had success with a small pilot project which coordinates science concepts taught in the television series "3-2-1 Contact" with exhibit programs at the Museum. Over the next two years MMNS will expand their "hands-on" exhibits and develop science kits for use in the classroom in coordination with the new state curriculum and the television series. The kits will include museum objects, suggested activities and a teacher's guide. During the first year a series of "Contact Days" will be held with teachers and students across the state to develop and test the effectiveness of the project along with a lecture program by minority and women scientists. During the second year the exhibits will travel to schools across the state.

Funders

NSF
Funding Program: ISE/AISL
Award Number: 8550940
Funding Amount: 89330

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Elizabeth Hartfield
    Principal Investigator
    Mississippi Museum of Natural Science
  • Discipline: General STEM
    Audience: Elementary School Children (6-10) | Middle School Children (11-13) | Educators/Teachers | Museum/ISE Professionals
    Environment Type: Public Programs | Museum and Science Center Programs | Exhibitions | Museum and Science Center Exhibits | Informal/Formal Connections | K-12 Programs
    Access and Inclusion: Women and Girls | Low Socioeconomic Status

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