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BACKGROUND INFORMATION Motivations Behind the Website Broad Perspective Elementary school outreach programs can make a huge difference for young children. Remember when you were in elementary school, and reading buddies from your local high school inspired your still-present bookworm tendencies, or the time your classmate’s dad did a demo on Christmas lights and got you hooked on electronics? Even if you haven’t had these particular experiences, you probably remember times when older kids or adults visited your elementary school and made a lasting impact on you. Math and science outreach programs have garnered particular interest and support from communities in recent years because of recognition of technology’s pervasive influence in our lives today and its importance for the future. In the US, state and federal governments have also placed special emphasis on improving math and science education and encouraging student interest in these areas, starting from the elementary school level, in the hopes of boosting the US’s lagging numbers of scientists. What can high school students do? As a high school student, you can have a particularly strong impact on elementary school students. You’re old enough to give them guidance from a more experienced perspective, but at the same time you’re young enough to connect with them and serve as a role model, or an older brother or sister. Whether you’re an individual or a group of friends, or affiliated with a community service club or a math honor society, starting and running an elementary school math or science club can be a rewarding way for you to give back to your community and help inspire a future generation of mathematicians and scientists. Why this website? The two sections above describe the importance of elementary school math and science outreach programs, and the powerful role high school students can play in these. But even for high school students with a desire to start a math or science club, it can be difficult to figure out where and how to start, and what is involved. And for students who have already established a club, the challenge is always to come up with new curriculum and activities that will keep the club fresh, fun, and educational. Through the features listed below, this website aims to provide a central and comprehensive site for high school students to obtain the information, educational resources, and peer networking to create and maintain successful elementary school math and science clubs. The rapid growth of the internet has resulted in a huge store of math and science resources online, but they are often scattered about and difficult to find and tailor for focused curricula. By bringing some of these resources together, and especially by pooling and sharing the combined resources of its users, this website hopes to create a focused environment that will facilitate and encourage the growth of high school-run math and science clubs in elementary schools. Features of the Website Tips for Starting a Club For those who are interested in starting an elementary school math or science club for the first time, this section offers a guide to the fundamentals: how to find a school, how to actually “start” the club, how to attract students, and suggestions for club operation. Club Matching Science Club Commons's Club Matching service was created to connect high school students with elementary school teachers and educators, to encourage the founding of more math and science clubs in elementary schools. On this page teachers and educators can post their interest in hosting a club, and students can indicate their desire to start one in their local area. Once either party sees a suitable match listed, the club development process can begin. Resource Share One of the most important parts of sustaining a successful elementary school club is developing a curriculum that is coherent, level-appropriate, and most of all, engaging. This share feature invites you to post worksheets, activities, and other club-related materials that you have developed, and to use or get ideas from those posted by others. The greater the user participation, the more valuable the resource pool will be! Forum The best way to get questions answered or obtain useful advice is to talk with others who have been in your shoes, or who have had similar experiences. This forum will connect you with high school students from all over the country who are pursuing similar projects, and enable you to discuss and exchange ideas. Club Highlight Seeing how your peers run similar clubs can be a good source of inspiration, and is often quite interesting as well! Every month, this section will highlight a different elementary school math or science club run by high school students. If you are currently involved in such a club, more information on how to get your club featured can be found on the Club Highlight page.
Page last updated 06.06.08 by Serena Yeung
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