I found a few sites that I thought were resourcful for educators and for students. The topic I chose to research was force and motion. The following sites are great places to find classroom resources and lesson plans to use in the classroom that promote 21st century skills while covering science content.
http://www.tryengineering.org/home.php
http://www.scilinks.org/
http://store.discoveryeducation.com/?di=40588027&ti=9000003&ps=739953
At these three websites, there is a plethora of lesson plans and activities that provide content along with promoting the use of 21st century skills. All of the activities include using technology, problem solving, collaboration, and communication skills. My favorite is a lesson from Try Engineering where students use hand held GPS units do explore the idea of position and motion. In this lesson, students explore the technology that makes GPS possible and use GPS units to find cache. Students work in teams to brainstorm recommendations for applying GPS technology to meet the needs of a global society, and present their proposals to the class (Try Technology, 2010).
The next links are resources I found for students to use and explore concepts, while using inquiry skills to solve problems, predict outcomes, and use technology to further explore ideas.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/galileo/media/experiments.swf?which_exp=1
http://www.learner.org/interactives/parkphysics/coaster/
http://prezi.com/
http://www.wikispaces.com
The last two sites can be used for students to collaborate together inside and outside of school (wikis)along with creating awesome presentations (prezi)that are innovative and allows students to show off their creativity while using technology. Prezi's are a great alternative to Power Point presentations.
One activity that I will be implementing this week is using the GPS units. I am currently teaching motion to my 8th grade class and we have been discussing postition, velocity, vectors, and interpreting graphs of motion. For a follow up lesson before the test, we are going to go Geocaching with the GPS units. I think this will be an excellent way to engage students in the lesson along with giving them a true real world experience to further explore and expand the content.
My only reservation with this investigation is getting it to work (I have had issues in the past with the GPS units) and with getting creative when creating the cache.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
The Heat is On Investigation
The four materials I chose to use for the investigation were aluminum foil, a cotton towel, waxed paper, and plastic wrap. I hypothesized that the aluminum foil would work the best to keep the temperature of the water the warmest. I choose aluminum foil only for the fact that I have always used it during food preparation to keep foods warm. Although, after reading the text this week, I was not sure why aluminum foil is used for that purpose since aluminum is a metal and considered a conductor not an insulator.
Upon completion of the investigation, the results showed that the cotton towel was the best insulator with the highest temperature reading of 104°F. Waxed paper was second at 102°F, then foil at 101°F, and finally plastic wrap at 100°F. Conduction is the transfer of heat energy from one molecule to another. I learned this week that materials such as wood, glass, cotton, and wool contain small air spaces. These air spaces keep molecules farther apart making it more difficult for the heat energy to move by conduction from molecule to molecule. Based on my understanding of the resources this week, I believe, the cotton towel was the best insulator due to the fact that there are small air spaces within the fabric, slowing the flow of heat energy and keeping it contained within the mug. I did not expect the cotton towel to be the best insulator and was surprised when reading the resources for this week’s assignment. Based on my own prior experiences, I thought for sure the aluminum foil would have been the material that worked the best. I am guessing that most students would also believe the same.
The only challenge that I encountered is that I had to do a lot of additional reading on the Internet to understand why aluminum foil keeps substances warm or cold. I knew that metals were good conductors of heat but never really thought about the reason of why a conductor would be a good insulator. I found a few websites that stated that the shiny side of aluminum foil reflects heat. So if you want to keep something cold put the shiny side out to reflect the heat. If you want to keep something warm, keep the shiny side in and the heat from the food reflects back inside. I cannot say for sure that this is a scientific fact because I could not find any reputable sources. However, those ideas make sense to me. I plan on doing some more inquiry investigations along with some research to try and find an explanation. Does anyone have an explanation on this issue?
I thought of an ideas while I was doing this investigation. I wanted to use wool, but did not have a sample to use in my house. However, while searching for materials, I thought of a fun experiment to use in the classroom. I would have students test different types of materials used to make socks. Specifically, socks that are marketed for winter sports to keep your feet warm. I would create a scenario where students worked for a sporting goods store or athletic clothing designer and are required to perform tests to decide which material would keep feet the warmest. Students would then create a sales pitch/poster to sell the socks based on the outcome of the experiment. It may need a little more thought but I thought it would be a fun, real-world application for students to investigate.
Upon completion of the investigation, the results showed that the cotton towel was the best insulator with the highest temperature reading of 104°F. Waxed paper was second at 102°F, then foil at 101°F, and finally plastic wrap at 100°F. Conduction is the transfer of heat energy from one molecule to another. I learned this week that materials such as wood, glass, cotton, and wool contain small air spaces. These air spaces keep molecules farther apart making it more difficult for the heat energy to move by conduction from molecule to molecule. Based on my understanding of the resources this week, I believe, the cotton towel was the best insulator due to the fact that there are small air spaces within the fabric, slowing the flow of heat energy and keeping it contained within the mug. I did not expect the cotton towel to be the best insulator and was surprised when reading the resources for this week’s assignment. Based on my own prior experiences, I thought for sure the aluminum foil would have been the material that worked the best. I am guessing that most students would also believe the same.
The only challenge that I encountered is that I had to do a lot of additional reading on the Internet to understand why aluminum foil keeps substances warm or cold. I knew that metals were good conductors of heat but never really thought about the reason of why a conductor would be a good insulator. I found a few websites that stated that the shiny side of aluminum foil reflects heat. So if you want to keep something cold put the shiny side out to reflect the heat. If you want to keep something warm, keep the shiny side in and the heat from the food reflects back inside. I cannot say for sure that this is a scientific fact because I could not find any reputable sources. However, those ideas make sense to me. I plan on doing some more inquiry investigations along with some research to try and find an explanation. Does anyone have an explanation on this issue?
I thought of an ideas while I was doing this investigation. I wanted to use wool, but did not have a sample to use in my house. However, while searching for materials, I thought of a fun experiment to use in the classroom. I would have students test different types of materials used to make socks. Specifically, socks that are marketed for winter sports to keep your feet warm. I would create a scenario where students worked for a sporting goods store or athletic clothing designer and are required to perform tests to decide which material would keep feet the warmest. Students would then create a sales pitch/poster to sell the socks based on the outcome of the experiment. It may need a little more thought but I thought it would be a fun, real-world application for students to investigate.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Week 2 Guided Inquiry Investigation
I was excited for this weeks investigation and being able to put myself in my students shoes and create an inquiry investigation about a provided research question. Even though I do this quite often as an educator that designs labs and investigations for my students, I do not have a lot of experience with physical science investigations so I found it interesting to do this assignment.
I chose the question - Which pendulum will come to rest more quickly - a lighter pendulum or heavier pendulum? I chose to use a pendulum apparatus that I have in my classroom and washers to conduct the investigation. I used 10 washers for the first part of the experiment. I released the pendulum and started a timer and observed the amount of time it took to come to a complete rest. I did three trials and then repeated the same experiment using 5 washers.
The results turned out as I had suspected. The heavier pendulum took much longer to come to a stop then the lighter one. I expected these results because it was common sense to me that the more mass the longer it takes to stop an object. I wasn't expecting the object to take such a long time to come to a rest. It took an average of over 10 minutes for the heavy object and just over 6 minutes for the lighter object.
I thought that the experiment went pretty well and was a pretty easy experiment to come up with. However, that is because I have some background knowledge on the subject and as an educator, I have experience designing investigations. I wonder if my 8th grade students would be able to design an experiment just as easily? I think they would be able to come up with a pretty decent experiment, with enough time to really think about it and maybe have some equipment out already that they can pick from to start the design process in their minds.
What did not work well during the experiment was the time it took to get through the trials. I think it is essential at the very, very least for students to gather data from 3 trials. If students will be required to first design a valid experiment (without having any background knowledge on the topic) and then do the trials, this lesson could take one whole class period to design, a second to collect data, and one more day to come up with a conclusion and theory. Then another day would be required to actually discuss the experiment and clarify any misconceptions. I do not think that 4 days is feasible for one lesson on momentum. I wanted to try do this in a shorter time period so I decided to change the length of the string on the pendulum. I wasn't sure what to expect. Well, it drastically changed to time for the pendulum to come to rest. I will be sure to have the pendulum lengths short when I have students do this experiment in the classroom.
I would like to use this guided inquiry investigation in my classroom with my students. I would use the 5E's model to create a more engaging, real-world investigation. For example, I would engage students with a discussion about momentum and to find out what they know already. Students can then explore by using this guided inquiry investigation. Students could present and explain their ideas and any misconceptions could be discussed here. Students can then elaborate by applying this concept to what they know about sports, cars, or any other real-world application. I would also extend the inquiry investigation and have students investigate changing the length of the pendulum and the angle release of the pendulum.
I essentially want students to investigate momentum and be able to actually define and explain what momentum is and its relationship to mass and velocity. I want students to discover this without having any definitions or lessons beforehand to see if they can discover the relationship on their own. Then I would like to have a lesson and note taking session about momentum followed by a possible extension activity. I think by using the guided inquiry investigation that I designed, students will be able to explore on their own and discover the above relationships.
I chose the question - Which pendulum will come to rest more quickly - a lighter pendulum or heavier pendulum? I chose to use a pendulum apparatus that I have in my classroom and washers to conduct the investigation. I used 10 washers for the first part of the experiment. I released the pendulum and started a timer and observed the amount of time it took to come to a complete rest. I did three trials and then repeated the same experiment using 5 washers.
The results turned out as I had suspected. The heavier pendulum took much longer to come to a stop then the lighter one. I expected these results because it was common sense to me that the more mass the longer it takes to stop an object. I wasn't expecting the object to take such a long time to come to a rest. It took an average of over 10 minutes for the heavy object and just over 6 minutes for the lighter object.
I thought that the experiment went pretty well and was a pretty easy experiment to come up with. However, that is because I have some background knowledge on the subject and as an educator, I have experience designing investigations. I wonder if my 8th grade students would be able to design an experiment just as easily? I think they would be able to come up with a pretty decent experiment, with enough time to really think about it and maybe have some equipment out already that they can pick from to start the design process in their minds.
What did not work well during the experiment was the time it took to get through the trials. I think it is essential at the very, very least for students to gather data from 3 trials. If students will be required to first design a valid experiment (without having any background knowledge on the topic) and then do the trials, this lesson could take one whole class period to design, a second to collect data, and one more day to come up with a conclusion and theory. Then another day would be required to actually discuss the experiment and clarify any misconceptions. I do not think that 4 days is feasible for one lesson on momentum. I wanted to try do this in a shorter time period so I decided to change the length of the string on the pendulum. I wasn't sure what to expect. Well, it drastically changed to time for the pendulum to come to rest. I will be sure to have the pendulum lengths short when I have students do this experiment in the classroom.
I would like to use this guided inquiry investigation in my classroom with my students. I would use the 5E's model to create a more engaging, real-world investigation. For example, I would engage students with a discussion about momentum and to find out what they know already. Students can then explore by using this guided inquiry investigation. Students could present and explain their ideas and any misconceptions could be discussed here. Students can then elaborate by applying this concept to what they know about sports, cars, or any other real-world application. I would also extend the inquiry investigation and have students investigate changing the length of the pendulum and the angle release of the pendulum.
I essentially want students to investigate momentum and be able to actually define and explain what momentum is and its relationship to mass and velocity. I want students to discover this without having any definitions or lessons beforehand to see if they can discover the relationship on their own. Then I would like to have a lesson and note taking session about momentum followed by a possible extension activity. I think by using the guided inquiry investigation that I designed, students will be able to explore on their own and discover the above relationships.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Iceberg Activity
In response to this weeks iceberg activity, if the polar ice caps melted, there could be many ramifications on the environment. According to the activity, there would not be a rise in water levels because the floating icebergs have already displaced the water. However, where we will run into problems is if the ice caps over land melt. Here, we do not already have displacement taking place. So, glaciers over land that are melting into the oceans will drastically effect the water levels around the world. Not to mention, global weather patterns, ocean currents, and animal and plant life in the areas.
Additional questions that I have about this activity would be how to make this experiment work in a 40 minute science class, or as an activity that is done independently at home. Any ideas?
Additional questions that I have about this activity would be how to make this experiment work in a 40 minute science class, or as an activity that is done independently at home. Any ideas?
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Lesson Plan
This week has been enlightening and bit overwhelming in lesson planning. The resources for this week really sparked my creativity in planning new opening activities for my science class for this upcoming school year. Creating experiences for my students that expand their perceptions of scientists and engineers, opens their minds to new possibilities and ideas about science.
Creating the lesson plan was a bit more challenging. Although I love to create new and engaging lessons for my students, the lesson plan template that we used was a bit overwhelming. One thing that I noticed was that I already do incorporate many of the components from the template into my lessons already. However, I couldn't imagine planning down to every detail like the template outlines, on a daily basis. Are we expected to have every component from the template in our lessons every day? Maybe someone can give me their opinion on that? I would love to know others thoughts.
I liked the 5 E's lesson plan model. I was taught to use that in my undergrad studies and follow that model when planning my lessons for the week, especially in science. It works well in all subjects really. I usually have a discovery question that students can relate to their lives or previous experiences, followed by an investigation to explore and continue to motivate. Then we talk about it and take notes from the text or from me, then we do a lab or hands on activity to delve deeper into the concepts. I then either have a small project or performance assessment that incorporates several lessons, and finally an assessment. Sometimes the extend project or performance assessment is my final assessment and sometimes the concepts are tested on a unit test later on. I find that my students do well using this model, and it just seems to make so much sense to plan lessons in this format. You can't go wrong!
Creating the lesson plan was a bit more challenging. Although I love to create new and engaging lessons for my students, the lesson plan template that we used was a bit overwhelming. One thing that I noticed was that I already do incorporate many of the components from the template into my lessons already. However, I couldn't imagine planning down to every detail like the template outlines, on a daily basis. Are we expected to have every component from the template in our lessons every day? Maybe someone can give me their opinion on that? I would love to know others thoughts.
I liked the 5 E's lesson plan model. I was taught to use that in my undergrad studies and follow that model when planning my lessons for the week, especially in science. It works well in all subjects really. I usually have a discovery question that students can relate to their lives or previous experiences, followed by an investigation to explore and continue to motivate. Then we talk about it and take notes from the text or from me, then we do a lab or hands on activity to delve deeper into the concepts. I then either have a small project or performance assessment that incorporates several lessons, and finally an assessment. Sometimes the extend project or performance assessment is my final assessment and sometimes the concepts are tested on a unit test later on. I find that my students do well using this model, and it just seems to make so much sense to plan lessons in this format. You can't go wrong!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Science Blog: New Blogger
Science Blog: New Blogger: "Hi, I am new to blogging and am setting up my account for school. Just sending out a test to make sure everything is working. Looking fowa..."
New Blogger
Hi,
I am new to blogging and am setting up my account for school. Just sending out a test to make sure everything is working. Looking foward to discussions with everyone.
I am new to blogging and am setting up my account for school. Just sending out a test to make sure everything is working. Looking foward to discussions with everyone.
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