What am I going to do over the next week on my PLC topic?

My next student-led activity will be an individual project on orders of magnitude, scientific notation, and unit conversions.  Students will decide a unit of measurement (length, time, dollars, energy, etc.), use classroom resources to find examples of things measured with that unit, convert all measurements to the same terms, then find a way of displaying the different orders of magnitude present.

How does this contribute to student learning?

Students will get a feel for orders of magnitude in the universe, practice their scientific notation and unit conversion skills, research topics that interest them, and get practice displaying information in new and creative ways.

How will the impact of this week's work be measured?

The deliverable at the end of the project is a creative visualization of some unit of measure.  Students will also turn in the mathematical conversions that they performed.  Hopefully the students will show their skills with scientific math.