After seeing a concept map created at the Informal Educator-Scientist Collaborative Workshop held at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, NH, science teacher Michele Benoit decided to showcase the COSEE-OS suite of interactive tools in her classroom at Bangor High School in Bangor, Maine.

	Concept map created by a Bangor High School student for use as a study guide

Carrie Armbrecht (COSEE-OS facilitator and University of Maine graduate student in the School of Marine Sciences) met Michele through their work with the Maine Challenger Learning Center on the Mathematics and Science Partnership Grant C's to Shining C: Connecting Climate to Curriculum. At Michele's invitation, Carrie visited four general chemistry classes at Bangor High School. She presented the COSEE-OS Ocean Climate Interactive (OCI) and Concept Map Builder (CMB) to 39 11th and 12th grade students. COSEE-OS usually focuses on providing professional development for educators, so this collaboration marks the first time that staff have interacted directly with high school students in the classroom. The visit was very informative for both Michele and COSEE-OS as valuable insights were made into how Michele's students may be able to use the tools more effectively in their learning.

The 60-minute chemistry classes varied in composition and abilities of the students. They also varied by time of day, with the post-lunch presentations proving more challenging. Nonetheless, students engaged with the tools with relative ease and each developed a concept map on the topic of their choice. Michele Benoit continues to use the COSEE tools in the classroom as a lecture presentation aid; a note-taking tool; as a test reference/study guide (with bonus incentives for the time students put into developing the map; and as a pre- and post-assessment tool for her unit on atoms.

Study guide concept map, above right, courtesy of E.C.