Need help? Have a question or comment?
Contact Carolyn (carolyn@concord.org), our resident TEEMSS guide. Please be as detailed as possible. Don't forget to include your name and email address! If you are not affiliated with the TEEMSS Program, read this note.
How to Use This Web Site:
The TEEMSS investigations cover fourth through eighth
grade concepts covered by two NSES middle school standards. There are ten investigations to choose from relating to Motions and Forces and Transfer of Energy.
A student investigation has these main parts, the investigation contents:
- Introduction - states the discovery question and outlines objectives
- Thinking About the Question - provides information about the science/math addressed
- Materials - lists the probes and supplies needed
- Safety- lists warnings and cautions concerning the investigation
- Investigations - provides general guidelines that indicate how to carry out the investigation
- Technical Hints - specifies helpful hints while using the technology
- Analysis- provides possible graphs and calculations that can help you interpret data
- Further Investigation - provides suggestions for additional, deeper investigations
At the bottom of each investigation page, there are three buttons:
- back or next - use these to page through the investigation
- investigation contents - return to the investigation's main parts
Along with the student activity, teachers have access to the investigation's teacher notes which consist of:
- Introduction - lists grade-appropriate goals and objectives
- Discussion Guide - introduces steps and leading questions to help students with concept development
- Additional Teacher Background - provides in-depth explanations of selected concepts contained within the investigation
- Suggested Timeline - outlines possible schedule for discussion, investigations, and data analysis
Printing Out Files Easily
Investigations and teacher notes have links to printer-friendly versions in "Portable Document Format" (PDF) which you can
download to your computer and print out. PDF files require a free application called Adobe Acrobat Reader to open, view and print them.
If you would prefer not to see teacher notes with the student investigations, return to the home page by clicking on the home button located at the top of all pages. Then follow the student link. The investigations are exactly the same.
Printer-friendly versions are only available by following the teacher link from the home page.
To choose a new student investigation, click on the green investigations button located at the top of all pages.
Compressed Files
Some investigations have materials which are linked from the Web site in a compressed or "stuffed" format. These files, available for Macintosh operating system only, may have an filename extension of "sit.hqx" which require a program like StuffIt Expander to decompress them once you have downloaded the file to your computer.
Web Browser Recommendation
To take most advantage of this site's offerings, it is recommended that you use at least Netscape Navigator 3.0+ or Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0+.
For Educators Not Affiliated with the TEEMSS Program
The TEEMSS investigations are based on a Concord Consortium WABA
software Lab Book package and five types of probes (SmartWheel, Force, Fast Response Temperature, Current/Voltage, and Light). Each classroom has
thirteen handheld computers to be shared by student groups and one handheld
computer for the teacher. You can contact these companies
for details, software, or equipment by contacting:
