For immediate release                                                                                                                                        Contact: Karen Ahearn

January 7, 2004                                                                                                                                                  Communications Manager

                                                                                                                                                                         412-481-7320

                                                                                                                                                                         kahearn@assetinc.org

Upper St. Clair students donate life-size dinosaur to ASSET

PITTSBURGH — (January 7, 2005) — Upper St. Clair students recently donated a model of a life-size dinosaur to ASSET (Achieving Student Success through Excellence in Teaching) Inc., where it is on display for science teachers across the region to view. The 6' by 12' Velociraptor was constructed by 58 sixth graders from Boyce Middle School in 1999.

Middle School Science Curriculum Leader and 6 th grade teacher Jim Smoyer had purchased a model of a small Velociraptor that year to use in his International Baccalaureate classes. He thought the model would be helpful in their studies about prehistoric life in science and ratio and proportions in math class

“We came up with the idea of having the students build the same dinosaur to life-size scale,” Smoyer said. “The project taught the students the importance of preciseness, ratio and scale. It was a great lesson in science to be as precise as you can with the tools and materials you have available.”

First students were taught how to do scale drawings and given lots of practice. After their skills were developed, students were assigned one or two of the 61 pieces to construct. Using a 1:4 ratio, each student drew a piece of the dinosaur skeleton on large sheets of graph paper. During the meticulous process, students made revisions to their drawings, cut out the patterns, glued them on plywood and then learned how to use and cut the wood with a jigsaw. The assembled dinosaur was on display during the 1999-2000 school year, but has been hiding in storage ever since.

When Smoyer attended ASSET's 10 th Anniversary Open House and saw the organization's new Materials Showcase area, he decided to donate the dinosaur so it can be on permanent display. He hopes the dinosaur project will serve as an example to teachers across the region of incorporating innovative ways for students to explore, design and apply math and science concepts.

PHOTO CUTLINE : Students from Upper St. Clair recently donated a full-size Velociraptor they constructed in 1999 to ASSET Inc. Among the 58 students who worked on the 6 th grade project and are currently juniors at Upper St. Clair High School are (L-R): Michael Spina, John Paul Zelik, Josh Betz, Ben Burns, Ashley Young and Boyce Middle School teacher Jim Smoyer.

About ASSET:

Established by Bayer Corporation and other community partners in 1994, ASSET currently provides K-8 standards-based science materials and teacher professional development programs that directly impact 3,000 teachers and 63,000 students in 45 school districts, charter and private schools. Students in more than 180 ASSET member schools across Western Pennsylvania experience standards-based learning materials using an inquiry approach and are taught by teachers who receive professional development directly linked to the curriculum.

The largest program of its kind in the state, ASSET is the only one of 22 educational reform programs originally funded by the National Science Foundation that has achieved operational self-sustaining status. ASSET Inc. is an independent, nonprofit education reform initiative dedicated to continuously improve the abilities of teachers with initial efforts in K-8 science and technology education.