Play Dough Scale Models

“When students are engaged in scientific modeling, they are able to notice patterns and develop and revise representations that become useful models to predict and explain—making their own scientific knowledge stronger, helping them think critically, helping them to know more about the nature of science” (Kenyon, Schwartz, and Hug 2008 p. 41). I found this statement true, as I watched my students and listened to their conversations while creating their play dough scale models of the layers of the earth. As layers of the earth are not in the 8th grade standards, I sought to make this lesson fit with our measurement unit we are trying to wrap up before fall break. Making a scale model would involve measurement and would give the students a chance to practice the skills of accuracy and precision. Due to missing two days due to sickness and scrambling to finish the measurement unit, I chose to do this lesson with a small group of students during lunch. It was a good thing. I would not have had near enough play dough for a class of 28 Honors students. I also ended up with no sand to use as the crust, so we used pieces of leaves. My students decided that was a better representation of earth’s plates anyway. My students loved this activity. One said, “This is what makes science fun”! As we sliced the models open to see the layers, I was amazed at the comments. They made the connections to accuracy and precise on their own. One classified comments made as quantitative and qualitative—tying in with a previous unit. My students were also very excited about being a part of a college assignment. I think when students create models, they have to apply the science concepts they should have learned, therefore it makes the learning stick better, and the students are more likely to remember the concepts. They not only read it or heard it, but they did it.

Natural Disasters and Students

When natural disasters strike, there is much teachers and students can do to learn about the natural disaster and get involved. This assignment reminds me of the 2004 Sumatra Earthquake and Tsunami. The elementary school I was teaching at had fundraisers to help raise money that was donated to the Red Cross to help with the recovering and clean up effort. Many students gave up their snack money to the cause. They have done this for families in the area who lost their homes to fires as well. When the Sumatra, Haiti, and Japan earthquakes hit, I showed students where these places were on the map. With the Japan earthquake, we skipped to the Earthquake chapter and tied the chapter into what was going on in the news. We learned the science behind the event. We watched video clips of what had happened. I found websites with interactive explanations of what caused the earthquake and tsunami. With the string of tornadoes in the last few years, many have been in nearby counties. Again, money and even food can be donated, but also there were opportunities for families to volunteer and help with the clean up. I could have made these opportunities known to my students.

Ask a Scientist Reply

What are the elements that make up a cell? What elements are essential for a cell to survive? What role does each element play within the cell? were the questions I asked Ask a Scientist. As of Saturday, July 14th, I have not received an answer from Ask a Scientist. As these will require some research, I did not expect a quick reply. When I receive a reply, I will post it on this blog. I did receive some percentage breakdowns from a fellow student . . . hydrogen 59%, oxygen 23%, carbon 11%, nitrogen 4%, and other elements 2% (Qureshi, 2012). I am excited to have these percentage breakdowns. I will add this information in the lessons about the elements and their uses. I am still curious as to what elements make up the 2% of the “other elements”. I hope that I receive an answer this fall In chapter 26 of Integrated Science (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2009), the chemical breakdown of DNA was given. DNA is made up of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, phosphorus, and nitrogen. From this information, I learned that part of the 2% is phosphorous. I could use such websites as askascientist.org as a tool to model for my students one way in which they can find answers to science questions. Knowing where to look and where to find answers is an essential skill students will need in order to be successful. This is one method I can model. I like the questions posed to the website are answered by real scientists who are taking the time to share their knowledge with others. References Qureshi, W. (July 7, 2012). RE: Cell question. Week 3 Discussion. Walden University. Tillery, B.W., Enger, E.D., & Ross, F.C. (2008). Integrated science (4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Web Tool Exploration

I tried out several of the web tool links in our resources this week. I found most of them were similar to powerpoint presentations, just with some added tricks and features. I did sign up for a ZOHO account and will experiment with this presentation tool. It is a powerpoint type program that included many features and cool animations, but it definitely will take quite a bit of figuring out. Not much seemed obvious. Has anybody used this program before? And can share any secrets? I also experimented with Museum Boxes. I loved the idea, and enjoyed looking at ones that others created. This is a program where you choose information to be included on the six sides of a cube. You can include text, pictures, graphs, charts, videos, music, etc. You click on a cube, it is enlarged and you rotate through the six sides. I think this would be a good tool to have my students use to show what they have learned. As a presentation tool, I think it might be cumbersome to switch between cubes. Since it takes up to fourteen days to receive authentication, I was unable to try and make my own museum box yet. I will definitely try this tool out, either for the course project or for school projects. I will create one to introduce my students to and then include this as a choice in the element project that they will be doing. Even though, I have used Prezi before, it is what I am leaning towards for the course project. I was introduced to Prezi last summer in a one-day technology workshop. Of all the web resources introduced that day, Prezi was the one that became a part of my teaching. I found it easy to figure out and was more appealing to my students than a typical powerpoint. I included creating a Prezi as a choice for the element project and a few students choose this medium. Other than having seen my first Prezi and a quick introduction, they ran away with the project and had excellent presentations. I stole some of their ideas in my next Prezis. Last week (before this course began) I introduced my nephew to Prezi and he was impressed and is planning to use it when he has to present his research for his PhD in chemical engineering. Even though I have used Prezi, there is more I can learn to better utilize this tool. Every time I have used it, I have figured out some new feature. Periodically, I get an email that introduces some new feature the company has added. Some Prezis that I made this past school year: (Hope the links work. Let me know if they do not and I will try including them in a different way. You may have to copy and paste the link into your browser). http://prezi.com/moclz2-q8pr1/levels-of-classification/?auth_key=d598d42a545e3156ec54a434b32dc2ae55eb51b5 http://prezi.com/5wf8rinthhi3/periodic-table-familes/?auth_key=6e5b2869affd9603dbd46b52e2f35010427b2622 My first one: http://prezi.com/be3pw-ppaefo/history-of-the-atom/?auth_key=4924ed18fb3f8ce36269a686715980583f05bedc Some that my students created: http://prezi.com/qrawogflmmye/zirconium/ http://prezi.com/hjdpjjnjmefb/p7nitrogenmakayla/

After much debate as to what topic to research and find resources for, I have finally decided on measurement. Our book has a whole chapter devoted to measurement. The last two years we have read parts of the chapter about each type of measurement and completed a chart that includes definition, examples, unit of measurement, abbreviation, instrument used to measure. As we learn about each one, we also practice. For example we learn about length and we measure the book, the table, etc. We learn about mass and practice finding the mass of items using the triple beam balances. Because it is not all “normal” school work, the students find this chapter kind of fun, except that this chapter also includes the Metric System. On the hands-on assessment, some do not do well. More practice and some more instruction is required by some. I have found some websites that we could put on the Smart Board and do as a class or we can go to the computer lab and get some individual practice. Websites are listed below with a brief description as to what is included.
Reading a Triple Beam Balance Tutorial http://www.wisc-online.com/Objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=GCH202 or http://www.ohaus.com/input/tutorials/tbb/tbbentry.swf. Both websites have tutorials and walk the students through how to care for, measure, and read, with practice sessions.
Metric System http://www.think-metric.com/ has history, games, posters, links to other sites.
Graduated cylinder http://www.jabe.com/#F. this site has more than just graduated cylinders, but I used this one to create my practice sheets. You can create pictures of graduated cylinders with the liquid levels. This site was not super user friendly, but it worked. There are probably better ones out there.
Since this chapter deals with weight and mass. Students often have the misconception that they are the same thing. We talk about that weight changes; mass does not—no matter where you go. I found a website that you can put in your weight on Earth and it calculates your weight on the different planets and other celestial bodies. The students love this site. http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/
Hope these websites help you add some 21st Century skills to your measurement lessons. Happy measuring!

PS Anyone interested in my Measurement Chart, I can email it to you. I do not know how to link documents yet. :)

Heat Transfer Experiment

Every fall, my husband tries varying layers of clothing trying to find the right combination to stay warm on those cold, frosty mornings of hunting. Therefore, for this week’s experiment, I chose to test the various fabrics used to make thermal underwear. I tried a pair of those old fashioned, typical thermals that has been around for years. I tried a pair of fleece-type thermals, and a pair that the threads are hollow, mimicking polar bear fur. I also tested denim and camouflage pants, both worn to hunt and work outside in the winter.
I thought that the denim would be the worst, while the thicker fleece-type thermals would be the best insulator, just because it was thicker. The results were within a couple of degrees of each other. The fleece-type thermals were the best, but by just one degree; denim was the worst but only by two degrees.
Therefore, I redid the experiment trying a few other materials, I kept the fleece-type thermals, added a terrycloth dishtowel, a fleece baby blanket, a double layered flannel blanket, and Saran Wrap. This time I thought that the much thicker fleece blanket would be the best, because good insulators have air pockets that would slow the conduction of heat (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2008). I thought that the plastic wrap would be the worst.
I was right in that the fleece baby blanket was the best, but by only one degree. All the others, including the plastic wrap were the same temperature.
I think that all three types of heat transfer are at work in this experiment. Radiation because all things that have heat radiate (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2008). Conduction, because the molecules of water “bump” into the molecules in the air in the mug transferring energy, and then the air molecules transfer energy to the molecules in the material covering the mug, and they onto the air above the mug. In addition, heat is conducted out through the sides and bottom of the mug. The plastic wrapped mug that kept the heat as well as most of the other materials makes me think that convection is at work too. Warm water and air rises, as it hits the plastic wrap, it condensed and fell back in, and getting warmed back up by the hotter water and the hot mug.
If I were to do this with my students, I think I would have them try different materials that they brought in, as well as some I would provide, and let them compare their results. I would then give them a challenge to take what they learned and what they know about heat transfer to combine materials to design the best insulators that would keep them roasty, toasty warm on those cold frosty mornings of hunting. I have many students that hunt; I think that they would find this challenge intriguing and relevant to their lives.
I wonder which material would keep things cold as well as hot. Would it be the same materials?

Guided Inquiry and Momentum

I chose the question: How does steepness of a slope and mass affect a collision outcome? My plan was to let a Hot Wheel car roll down a ramp and collide with a marble at the bottom, and then measure the distance the marble rolled. The experiment would be repeated with the three marbles of different masses--a small, medium, and large. I would then make my ramp steeper and repeat the experiment. My hypothesis was that the steeper the ramp the more velocity and the further the marble would roll. The more mass the marble had the less distance it would roll.
With two toddlers in the house and cars involved, it became a family experiment. It took some trial and error before we found the right combination of ramp material and Hot Wheel car that would go down the ramp in a straight enough line to hit the marble at the bottom. We rolled the car down the ramp three times for each size marble and measured the distance it rolled. We then raised the ramp height and repeated the experiment. (My kids had a grand time and were very involved--showing that such projects can be engaging and even exciting).
Our experiment proved my hypothesis correct. I was surprised at the difference traveled by the marbles. The smallest marble went way further than the large one, by about 100 cm.
I wonder if we should have used a different object than marbles--something that would not have rolled. If I were to use this in the classroom, I would use something other than marbles as they rolled quite far and would be a challenge to follow and measure the distance traveled without crossing the paths of others, or running out of room for several groups to be working.
To make it more engaging, there could be a competition as to which group could get the object to go the farthest. They could also add mass to the cars going down the ramp.
To connect to student lives, we could make the connection to playing football--it takes more force to move a larger player and stop a larger player.
We could also talk about car crashes--the faster one is traveling; the more damage done to the car, the object hit, and the people involved.
If I did this experiment with students I would hope they would learn more about how velocity and mass are related to momentum--that it takes more velocity and mass to move larger objects. The slower the velocity the less of an impact and the less momentum.
Did I achieve this goal? With me, it solidified these concepts. I believe it would help students as well.

The structured lesson taught as a part of Week 5 and 6 assignments were a learning experience for my students and for me. My lesson involved students measuring the temperature of melting ice to discover that the temperature remains constant during the melting process. Many have the misconception that the temperature goes up as the ice melts. Once we had established that the temperature remains constant, we added salt to the ice to discover what happens to the temperature. Again, this dispelled a misconception that the temperature will rise, because salt melts the ice. Instead, it lowers the freezing point of water and the temperature actually goes down. We got to about -24 degrees Celsius.
I liked the step-by-step process. It kept the students more engaged. There were no earlier finishers, or students goofing off and letting others do the work. It allowed me to wonder and monitor behavior, answers, learning, and be more available to answer questions.
I am including three samples of student work (hopefully, I figure out how to do that. If I don't tonight, I will add the links as I figure out how). One comment about the measurements. We used brand new, fresh-out-of-the-box thermometers, and discovered that they are not very accurate. We had temperatures anywhere from 0 degrees to -5 degrees. That led to a discussion about accuracy and precision. Two of my samples are among the better ones. I did this lesson with my remedial science class--a class of 19 struggling readers and learners, including 7 with IEPs. I say that, but this class often does just as well on tests and assignments as my other classes. One shows that this student has some gaps in his knowledge and needs more support and guidance. But, he had one of the better answers for the last question, so I included his as well.

Melting Ice Experiment

What will happen when the ice caps melt?
According to the experiment, it seems that nothing would happen, but that goes against everything I have heard. Upon more research and thought, I would say that oceans will rise. Not all the ice that is and will melt is in the ocean, so as that water melts it will eventually drain into the oceans. If ice or water was added to the full bowl of water, it too would have "flooded". Also, the experiment was in a bowl; the Earth is not bowl-shaped. And wouldn't surface tension play a role in the water staying in the bowl? The bowl was also left unjostled. If jostled, water "flooded" out. The Earth is not still; plates are constantly moving.
Animals and plants that do live in those icy habitats will have to adapt. THe amount of fresh water will change, less of ot will be stored in glaciers and ice. The density of the ocean water will be altered, thus changing currents, which will further effect the climate.
Other questions:
Does surface tension play a role in the experiment?
Anybody used this with their students?
Anybody have any other experiments that deal with melting ice caps or global warming taht they would like to share?

Also, This American Life on January 13th, (A program on NPR and PRI)there was a global warming debate story. A teenager taht completely believes global warming is a myth and a scientist that studies global warming shared their views, including back up evidence. It was an interesting show. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/424/kid-politics?act=2

The 5 E's Lesson Plan Reflection

This week for a graduate course, I had to write a lesson plan using the 5 E's Strategy. The 5 E's for those who happen upon this blog who are not in the same course, are:
Engage – hook
Explore – experiment
Explain – introduce new material
Elaborate – real world connections
Evaluate – assessment
I thought that taking the lesson apart and looking at them with these 5 E's in mind was helpful in making sure that I planned a more engaging lesson that provided opportunities for my students to explore and make connections to the real world.
We are required to turn in lesson plans on a weekly basis to our assistant principal. On them, we are required to include strategies for: Instruction, Guided Practice, Independent Practice, and Assessment. These are similar to the 5 E's.
At first I was going to say that this procedure took much longer than my normal lesson planning does, but if I just look at the 5 E's part of the lesson plan template, it did not take any more time. The entire process required to complete the entire template took a long time. This is still a new format, and I am sure it would go faster as I used it more.
One note I found while researching the standards addressed in this lesson was on the Benchmarks Online (Project 2061) website, it said that students in grades 6-8 “cannot be expected to become knowledgeable about details of atomic structure or bonding” (www.project2061.org). This is at odds with what the Indiana State Standards say that I am supposed to teach. We spent weeks on atoms and the periodic table and are currently struggling through chemical reactions, including bonding. Who is right?

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