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Project Descriptions

FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman Season Four

September 15, 2008 - August 31, 2011 | Media and Technology, Public Programs, Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks
FETCH with Ruff Ruffman is a daily half-hour PBS television series with accompanying Web and outreach activities targeted to 6- to 10-year olds. The program brings science learning to young children by uniquely blending live-action with animation, game show convention with reality programming, and humor with academics. The intended impacts are to 1) help the target audience develop interest, knowledge and skills necessary to do science; 2) train afterschool leaders to better facilitate science activities with kids; and 3) demonstrate how media can be used to teach substantive science and share the results of project evaluation with others in the field. The requested funds will allow the project to expand the science curriculum with 20 new half-hour episodes and expand the Web site, focusing on three new science themes that highlight topics of interest to this age group. The Web site will include four new science-based Web games that will allow kids to create and post content of their own design and contribute to nationwide data collection. A new FETCH Online Training resource will be created to help afterschool leaders to effectively engage in FETCH's hands-on science activities. American Institutes for Research (AIR) will conduct summative evaluation of the Online Training program.

Funders

NSF
Funding Program: ISE/AISL
Award Number: 0813513
Funding Amount: 2799998

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Kate Taylor
    Principal Investigator
    WGBH
  • Discipline: Art, music, and theater | General STEM | Life science
    Audience: Elementary School Children (6-10) | Museum/ISE Professionals
    Environment Type: Media and Technology | Broadcast Media | Websites, Mobile Apps, and Online Media | Games, Simulations, and Interactives | Public Programs | Afterschool Programs | Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks | Professional Development and Workshops

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