HOPE Partnership
Supported by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the
NationalCenter for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health (Grant No. R25 RR018490)
Materials Preparation and Station Set up
Event Format
Participating groups will progress from station to station in order. It is best to start with station #1 and to end with the bingo game. If there is more the one group, especially with school groups; the docentshave the option of starting the tour in station #1, #3, or by playing the game. In such instances, the guides should adjust the information presented accordingly. Each station has a set time, but if the audience shows a keen interest in one particular station, the docent may chose to spend more time atthat station and limit some time from others, or they may choose not to play the game. The public tours will start every other hour or half hour, depending upon how busy the event gets.
Planning and Implementation Schedule
The best events are those planned well in advance. For the Asthma and Allergy Museum Walk you may want to contact the museum or the science center in your area one year to six months in advance. These types of institutions plan their programs and exhibits well in advance, thus it might be difficult to get the required space for this activity.
Emphasize that this event has been designed primarily for middle school students, and ask the hosting center to sign up school groups to attend. If there are school groups attending other exhibits in the center, encourage them to participate in the Asthma and Allergy Museum Walk as well.
Discuss any possibilities of reduced entrance rates for the school groups to visit the hosting center if they are coming to see the Asthma and Allergy Museum Walk.
Discuss the possibility of getting a docent from the hosting center as a guide for the Asthma and Allergy Museum Walk. Let them know that training will be given to any interested docents.
Check whether you can get an Internet connection in the room where the event is going to be held.
See about getting tables and few chairs for the event from the hosting center.
2-6 months before the event / Select COEP staff who will be working on this event; assign them their duties and responsibilities.
Plan the set up for the stations. If this is the first time the Asthma and Allergy Museum Walk is being conducted, purchase all the necessary equipment, materials, design the table-top posters and print all the images.
Contact your interns and/or volunteers from the local Schools of Public Health, Colleges of Pharmacy, and/or Schools of Medicine etc. Recruit those who are interested in acting as docents, and decide upon a date for the training.
Contact the science center or the museum and ask how many school groups have signed up to visit the event. If there are too many groups for a one-day event, discuss the possibility of having theAsthma and Allergy Museum Walk on two consecutive days. If this has to be done, check with all the docents to see if they are available for such an arrangement.
1-2 months before the event / If this activity is being done as an Informal Education Action Mechanism event, reserve the facility, order refreshments, and start advertising.
Follow up with the COEP staff and the hosting center.
Conduct the training for the docents and assign them further reading.
Design evaluations and assessments. Make signup sheets for the general public.
Carryout your own publicity for this event. You may use your own website, newsletters, list serves, brochures, flyers, etc. to publicize this event. Send letters/emails to the list of teachers who participate in any workshops etc. Place flyers at your local libraries, churches, community centers, and clinics.
2-3 weeks before the event / Visit the hosting center; observe the room in which the Asthma and Allergy Museum Walk is going to take place. Make a sketch of how you are going to set up the stations.
Make name tags for the docents/helpers, and create sign in sheets for teachers in charge of the school groups.
Make enough copies of the quizzes, teacher evaluations, and signup sheets.
Organize the materials to be taken to the science center or the museum and purchase/find if anything which may be missing.
2-3 days before the event / Confirm with the hosting center, docents, and helpers.
Notify your local news media of the event.
If possible set up the stations the day before the event.
Day of the event / Set up all the stations.
Plug in the computers and see whether you are connected to the internet.
Set out copies of the evaluations, assessments, pencils and clip boards.
Set out all the complimentary materials such as bookmarks, and CDs.
Provide seating for the docents and helpers.
Provide the docents with drinking water, trash cans, and clean-up materials where necessary.
Make sure that the time keeper has a functioning clock.
Half Hour before the event / Talk to all the docents and see whether they have any final questions and/or concerns. Make sure every one is wearing their name tag.
Conduct a final check of all stations.
Clip several teacher evaluation forms to clipboards.
At the event / Welcome the school groups and remind the students how they should behave while they are in the science center or the museum. Introduce the docents. Divide the students into manageable groups and assign the station from which they are going to start (#1, #3 or game area). The docents will lead them into the event location.
Provide the teachers with event evaluation forms.
If the event is open to public ask people to sign up and let them know when they may view the Asthma and Allergy Museum Walk.
Give each student, teacher, and member of the public the quiz. Encourage the participants to complete the forms; make sure they leave the completed forms in the event room before they leave or collect the forms from the participants.
After the event / Take down all the posters; carefully store all the materials for future use.
Pick up any trash and empty the trash cans. Return the tables and chairs.
Return all the borrowed materials.
1 week after the event / Write thank you notes to the science center or the museum and to all the docents and helpers.
Secure copies of the advertisements, news articles, quizzes, and event evaluation forms, and create an event folder.
Grade the quizzes and see whether any improvements are needed on the information explained at stations.
Compile all the comments/feedback from the teacher evaluation forms. Check what needs to be improved before you organize the next Asthma and Allergy Museum Walk.
Station Setup
The basic setup of the stations has already been presented in a table, and colors are used on cells to highlight different sections. All five stations and the game area have been presented in a similar format. The sample table on this page will explain what contains in each of the cells, and any other materials needed for this Asthma and Allergy Museum Walk.
Make sure you order your supplies well in advance (check Planning and Implementation Schedule). This is a one-time expense for most of the materials and they can be stored until the next event. Most of the materials are inexpensive with the exception of a few (e.g. human miniature torso, microscope, and biology slides set). These items could be borrowed or, if purchased, you may use them for other activities in your program. The other alternative is to use images/posters instead.
Objectives: / There are multiple objectives for each of the stations. The items on display and activities conducted at each station are organized to fulfill the objectives as much as possible. Some viewers may want to have further information or would like to discuss various ideas. Therefore, assign or encourage the docents to learn about regional information on asthma, current research studies, and also to be up-to-date on as muchasthma and allergy-related information as possible.
Standards: / Three sets of national education standards have been incorporated into this activity. Standards that apply to each station have been selected and given in this section of the table.
The National English Education Standards are given in full. Onlybrief sections of the National Health Education Standards and the National Science Education Standardsarepresentedas the actual standards are lengthy and descriptive. Therefore, complete sections of the Health Educationand Science Educationstandards are given at the end of tab 25 “Learning Styles and National Education Standards”.
Things needed: / This section will list all the materials needed for each station. Some of these materials need to purchased, some created, some assembled and others gathered.
* There is a numbering system given to the materials in this section and they will coordinate with the same numbers and information given in the red and orange sections.
Things to purchase: / This important section lists the things needed to be purchased for each station. You may still be able to borrow some the items listed, use alternatives given in the orange section, and/or may already available in your institution; such as amicroscope.
Where to find material: / This section lists places where you can buy or find any of the items. These are the best possible options we found, and you may chose different vendors to purchase items for your Asthma and Allergy Museum Walk.
How to set up: / This section explains how to set up each station or the game area. Setting up is explained step by step for your convenience.
Procedure at the station:
/ This section explains what needs to happen at each station. Some stations have just exhibits and others have hands-on activities. Where there are such activities, the procedure to conduct the activity is explained.
e.g. Breathing through straws activity
Notes for trainers/guides:
/ There are few stations where docents need to pay close attention, such as station #2 where they have to pick viewers to take part in the breathing through straws activity. Here none of the volunteers should have asthma.
Reading materials: / In this section reading materials could be assigned to docents. A collection of current reading materials are available on
Suggested questions: / Docents could use this area to write down the questions/transition questions that they are planning to ask from the viewers.
Assessment: / This section consists of the questions used on the quiz.
Asthma AllergyMuseum Walk1