These questions are primarily for educators:

Q. How do the visits to the Duke research laboratories (Science Adventure field trips) tie in with the four new units that are taught in fifth grade?
A. Under the North Carolina Standard Course of Study guidelines, inquiry teaching goes beyond hands-on experiences to include activities that encourage students to think like scientists. Visiting the labs and meeting Duke scientists will help students develop these important skills.

The new four units scheduled for approval by the State Board of Education in December are Ecosystems, Force and Motion, Weather and Climate, and Land Forms. (Detailed notes for these units are found at www.learnnc.org.) Research in many Duke laboratories tie into these areas. For instance, visiting the prosthetic lab and seeing how limbs are designed can clearly demonstrate very real applications for force and motion concepts. On the end of grade tests, fifth graders will be asked questions from the entire K-5 science exposure, so just about every topic is appropriate for teaching and support.

Q. What is the role of a school's Science Coordinator in BOOST? Is the Science Coordinator eligible to attend the Summer Science Immersion program?
A. Science Coordinators are invited to attend all BOOST activities, just like classroom teachers.

Q. How will the Summer Science Immersion program balance the diverse needs of experienced science teachers with brand new teachers?
A. Every teacher brings areas of strength to a workshop. While younger teachers may lack some curriculum knowledge, they are often much more comfortable with technology than more experienced teachers. School of Science and Math instructors have considerable experience training the entire science teaching faculty at many schools, and are able to make the coursework relevant and interesting to teachers with a broad range of experiences and backgrounds - so every participant should be able to take his or her knowledge and skills to a higher level.

Q. How frequently would Duke mentors be able to come into the fifth grade classroom to support science instruction? Could they come in three times a week, when science is offered, to help break up the classes into small groups?
A. Because Duke mentors are students themselves, they are not available to help in the classroom as frequently as several times a week. Teachers and mentors can meet at the beginning of the program to determine a realistic schedule. While the mentors are not available on such a regular basis, they would be available to help with a science club (as similar mentors have done at Hillandale Elementary), and they can support the introduction of the new Motion and Design topic in the 2005-06 school year.

Q. If I am unable to attend the Summer Science Immersion Program, can I still get teaching support during the school year?
A. Yes. If you are a fifth or sixth grade science teacher at one of our four pilot schools, you will still get to benefit from the BOOST program, even if you can't join us this summer.

Q. If I attend the Summer Science Immersion program, how can I best share what I learn with my teaching colleagues?
A. Grade level meetings are probably the best vehicle for this. The quarterly Science Summit teacher professional development sessions at Duke will provide ample opportunities for sharing.