Rural Teacher Science Training

The VINSE-VSVS Rural Outreach Program aims to provide science materials and resources to 6th-8th grade teachers in rural Tennessee, networking opportunities for teachers, volunteer opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students on campus, and above all to stimulate an interest in science among middle grades students.

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Section Contents

Hands-On Learning Kits for Middle Schoolers

The goal of this program is to get science out of the textbook and give Tennessee teachers the tools to help their students develop a genuine interest and stronger skills in science and math.

  • 47,632

    students impacted
  • 2,481

    kits prepared for schools
  • 34

    participating schools

Program Overview

The VINSE-VSVS rural teacher program provides lesson kits to teachers each semester and offers summer training sessions for participating teachers to learn the lessons each July. Two volunteer dates are offered each summer for VSVS volunteers/board to help prepare kits for the program. Each grade at a school may choose 3 lesson kits per semester, which include all materials for a hands-on lesson and student worksheets that can be copied and modified. These lessons fit the Tennessee Academic Standards for Science and have been used in Davidson County since 1994.

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Participating teachers in each grade will be able to select up to 3 lessons for the fall curriculum and up to 3 lessons for the spring. Kits are returned to Vanderbilt at the end of each semester to be refurbished.

  • 6th Grade

    Chemical Energy Conversions

     

    Conduction, Convection, and Radiation

     

    Deep Ocean Currents

     

    Electrical Circuits

     

    Food Webs

     

    Potential Energy

     

    Saltwater Density

     

    Wall Roller Coasters

     

    Wind Energy

  • 7th Grade

    Chemistry in a Ziplock Bag

     

    Crazy Traits

     

    Diffusion

     

    Elements, Compounds and Mixtures

     

    Evidence of Chemical Reactions

     

    Inheritance and Blood Typing

     

    Investigating How Changes to Genes Affect Us: Lactose Intolerance

     

    Ionic, Covalent and Metallic Bonding

  • 8th Grade

    Comets

     

    Electromagnetism

     

    Fossils and Stratigraphy

     

    Igneous Rocks

     

    Nanotechnology and Magnetism

     

    Newton's 2nd Law: K'nex Cars

     

    Newton's 2nd Law: Rubber Band Projectiles

     

    Property of Waves

     

    Sound and Resonance

     

    Survivor