Author: Kent

I've been happily teaching high school science for over 13 years. This website serves as a way for me to reflect on my practice, give back to the science educators' community, help other science teachers who may need a place to start, and build a strong community of science learners and educators.
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Ep23 – Rapid Fire CER Practice [Holiday Edition]

Handouts are available at the bottom of this post in the Resources section.

 

Big Idea

Analyzing graphs and coming up with cer statements is an important skill. But, it’s hard to get practice that involves interesting and relevant data. But, for the holidays, there’s a lot of fun holiday data for students.

 

For example, I found some interesting statistics from a survey conducted on behalf of the National Retail Federation. One fun thing they discovered: as one gets older, individuals prefer gift cards more and more as a gift and clothing less and less.

 

 

Instructions

  1. Place a graph on a large, brown envelope. Prepare multiple envelopes with a different graph on each one.
  2. Hand out envelopes to groups.
  3. Give groups 5 minutes to come up with a CER statement for the graph. After 5 minutes, have students place their statements into the envelopes.
  4. Have students switch envelopes with another group and repeat.
  5. After a few rounds, have students open up envelopes and read the CER statements. Have students pick the best one to share with the class.

 

Graphs are available for download below.

 

Resources

 

Handout(s): Ep23 – Rapid Fire CER Practice Handouts

 

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

 

 

 

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Ep22 – DIY Snow Globe Science

Handouts are available at the bottom of this post in the Resources section.

 

Big Idea

The snow globe is a traditional artifact for the holidays. A DIY snow globe can easily be constructed using the following items:

  • a Mason Jar,
  • Water,
  • little ornaments,
  • glitter, and
  • a glue gun (to glue ornaments to the inside of the mason jar lid)

 

But, besides making a homemade snow globe, how can you incorporate some science into it?

 

 

Instructions

One thing students can explore is the density of the materials that will be going into the snow globe: specifically, the glitter and other particles that will be suspended when the snow globe is shaken.

 

For example, besides glitter, plastic or Styrofoam pieces may be added to the snow globe to make the scene look snowy when shaken up. But, wouldn’t the white pieces float? What about the glitter, will it float?

 

Thus, in this activity, have students find the density of glitter, artificial snow, and anything else that will be suspended in the snow globe. Students can then compare what densities float and which sink. And, they might even find good materials that have the right density that sink or suspend well in the snow globe and also create a nice winter wonderland.

 

Watch the video for more details. And, good luck with this activity.

 

 

Resources

 

Handout(s): Handout – DIY Snow Globe Science

 

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

 

 

 

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Ep21 – A Fun Science Quiz for Any Holiday

Handouts are available at the bottom of this post in the Resources section.

 

Big Idea

It’s almost time for the holidays, which means some well deserved time off. However, what do we do with our students in the days leading up to the final days?

 

I do a group competition that has students practice their scientific thinking in a fun Pre-Holiday Science Quiz where they predict the outcome of the stories in our advertisements – like this awesome one from days of old.

 

Because here at REAL Science challenge, we’re all about science, stories, and design thinking. Best of all, you can do this any time, not just before holidays.

 

 

Instructions

I tell students we use science skills in our daily lives all the time. For example, when watching ads, we actively process and analyze the symbols we see in the ads so that we can predict what the ad is about before the end.

 

My students have fun trying to figure out the story in an ad using some scientific thinking. Thus, the lesson before a big holiday break – like Christmas – after we’ve finished writing all our tests and wrapped up our last lesson – I have students compete in a fun, Pre-Holiday Kahoot Science Quiz where they do just that. And, some of these ads are pretty difficult (refer to the ads in the handout).

 

I used Kahoot to make an online quiz. I found 10 commercials and created questions related to these commercials – questions like “What is this commercial selling?” or “What do you believe is the tagline at the end of this commercial?” or “Which celebrity is not in the commercial?”. And, everything gets put into Kahoot – and for videos, all you have to do is provide the Youtube link. Now, I’m ready to go. And, because it’s hosted on Kahoot, I can host a game virtually or in my classroom – so long as my students have a smartphone or tablet. Now, go forth and create a fun one yourself.

 

I just tried this with a class of my students and it took roughly 20 minutes. Best of all, you can run this before any big break – like spring break or Thanksgiving.

 

 

Resources

 

Handout(s): Handout – A Fun Science Quiz for Any Holiday

 

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

 

 

 

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Ep20 – Make Your Oobleck Lesson Even Better

 

Handouts are available at the bottom of this post in the Resources section.

 

Big Idea

Oobleck is an awesome activity that can take multiple lessons to do and discuss. Besides being fun for students to get their hands dirty and squeeze and hold and play with Oobleck, it also raises some interesting questions: under what conditions does it feel like a solid? Under what conditions does it feel like a liquid? Thus, should Oobleck be considered a solid or liquid?

 

But, what do you do after playing with Oobleck, after taking observations and answering questions?

 

 

Instructions

I connect it to a real science experiment – actually, the longest running science laboratory experiment in the world. It’s called the Pitch Drop Experiment and for the experiment, pitch was put in a glass funnel and allowed to slowly drip out. Since the pitch was allowed to start dripping in 1930, only nine drops have fallen. The eighth drop fell on 28 November 2000, and the ninth drop fell on 17 April 2014.

 

Have your students answer the following questions:

  1. Pitch appears solid at room temperature and it can be shattered when struck – but is it a solid if it can flow? But,…
  2. If only 9 drops have formed since 1930, can it still be considered a liquid – especially since it flows so slowly?
  3. Thus, what’s considered a solid or liquid? Can it change? And, what’s happening at the molecular level to produce this change?

 

 

Resources

 

Handout(s): Handout – Make Your Oobleck Lesson Even Better

 

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

 

 

 

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Ep19 – Science Class Bingo That’s Actually Fun

 

Handouts are available on the bottom of this post in the Resources section.

 

Big Idea

There are 3 things we value at REAL Science Challenge: Science, Stories, and Design Thinking.

 

One thing I like to do at the beginning of the year or semester is learn something awesome about each of my students. It helps them bring that confidence into class.

 

Therefore, I have students share a story about themselves – perhaps a story about something they’ve accomplished, something they want to achieve one day, or something else important to them.

 

But, what do I do with this treasure trove of information next?

 

 

Instructions

I type these out on a bingo grid and have students walk around and find students that match the stories on the bingo card.

 

Some teachers probably do bingo already but most bingo getting-to-know you exercises suck because they are generic and therefore, students end up filling in any statement just to get bingo. Therefore, you might not learn anything note worthy about a student or classmate.

 

But, doing it my way ensures students correspond to a single answer only and, more importantly, students learn something awesome about each other and also showcase something awesome about themselves.

 

 

Resources

 

Handout(s): Handout – Science Class Bingo That’s Actually Fun

 

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

 

 

 

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Ep18 – A Spin on the Mystery Box Challenge to Practice Model Making

 

Handouts are available on the bottom of this post in the Resources section.

 

Big Idea

Take an empty film canister and fill it up with a few cents worth of materials (ex. A cotton ball, penny, paper clip, toothpick, marble, etc). If you don’t have a film canister, use a PlayDoh container. Seal it with some tape. Now, you have a mystery box. The challenge for students is to figure out what’s inside without opening the box.

 

Most students will shake it, bang it, toss it gently, and roll it in their hands to feel the weight and hear the contents of the mystery box. But, what if there’s another way we can have students figure out what’s on the inside?

 

In our spin of the mystery box challenge, we have students find out what’s inside the mystery boxes by making and testing models.

 

 

Instructions

Step 1: Hand out mystery boxes (or film canisters) to students. My film canisters are filled with a penny, a paper clip, and a cotton ball. However, feel free to fill them with whatever you like.

 

Step 2: Provide students with empty boxes (or film canisters) and materials that can go inside the film canisters – including the items that are in the canisters. Have students fill the empty canisters with materials and test them against the mystery film canisters. Repeat.

 

Step 3: When students feel that they have the right combination of materials in their models, have them write a CER statement regarding what they believe is in their mystery film canisters.

 

Step 4: Open up the mystery film canisters for the reveal!

 

NOTE: do not tell students how many items are in the mystery film canisters. This allows more variation (ie. some models will have 2 or 3 items, while others may have more). This makes for better discussion.

 

 

Resources

 

Handout(s): Handout – A Spin on the Mystery Box Challenge

 

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

 

 

 

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Ep17 – Decision Trees: 1 Easy Way to Make a Model in Science Class

 

Handouts are available on the bottom of this post in the Resources section.

 

Big Idea

Not all models need to be physical – food webs and nutrient/water cycles are conceptual, pen-and-paper models of what’s happening. But, all good models have the same qualities I call RPMs: they’re representative, predictive, and modifiable. For example, in a food wool, which represents relationships between plants and animals, predator and prey, if we were to remove one, we could predict what would happen to the others.

 

A decision tree is a simple way to create a conceptual model. What makes it so simple is that it uses yes and no questions to come to an answer to a larger question. I’m using decision trees to teach and practice model making.

 

 

Instructions

Step 1: Give students an overarching question to answer.

 

Step 2: Have students develop Yes or No questions that will lead to an answer.

 

NOTE: there can be more than 2 answers. Also, one response may lead to more questions which, eventually, will get to the answer.

 

 

Resources

 

Handout(s): Handout – Decision Trees 1 Model For Any Science Lesson

 

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

 

 

 

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Ep16 – Intro Scientific Models Using 5 Movies and Kurt Vonnegut

 

Handouts are available on the bottom of this post in the Resources section.

 

Big Idea

Teaching students to develop and evaluate scientific models is in the curriculum, but how can teachers get started? I start by what a good scientific model is. Then, my students and I study and test some fun models that apply scientific thinking to everyday things – specifically, we use the shapes of stories developed by Kurt Vonnegut.

 

In 1965, Kurt Vonnegut proposed that all stories followed the same 8 shapes or, scientifically speaking, models. Fast forwarding 50 years, researchers had a computer analyze over 1700 stories and determined that Vonnegut was right – but instead of 8 shapes, the computer determined there are 6 emotional arcs to every story.

 

 

Instructions

 

Step 1: Define what a good scientific model is.

Good scientific models…

  • are representative of real life observations,
  • are predictive and testable, and
  • can be modified when new information arises

 

Step 2: Go Kurt Vonnegut’s Models or Shapes of Stories

Refer to the handout for the 6 models you can use to classify all stories. First, go over the general graph that Vonnegut proposed. Then, go over the curves and provide examples for each.

 

Step 3: Have students analyze 5 movies of your choosing

When analyzing the movies, have students answer the following questions:

  • Which model proposed by Kurt Vonnegut could this movie be classified under?
  • What is the most common model or arc for movies?

 

Suggestion: instead of choosing 5 random movies, try to choose movies from the same category (ex. Disney movies, Oscar winners, Summer Blockbusters, Michael Bay movies, etc.)

 

 

Resources

 

Handout(s): Handout – Intro Scientific Models Using Movies and Kurt Vonnegut

 

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

 

 

 

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Ep15 – Analyze Science Concepts Better By Speaking This Language | Ed Lab

 

Big Idea

I want students to practice analyzing and processing information – specifically, science vocabulary, which can be packed with abstract meaning and be a real challenge to remember.

 

Recently, I’m using American Sign Language to accomplish this goal. Like all languages, ASL has its own rules and conventions. And, like the words we use to convey complex ideas, ASL needs to do the same through gestures, which is amazing to me because a few gestures can potentially represent many levels of complexity in an idea.

 

With my students, I’m starting to introduce science concepts along with the ASL signs. Students will…

  1. first, hear and read the definition
  2. then, see and do the actions in ASL
  3. then, process and analyze the word’s meaning and whether its representation in ASL makes sense.

 

I find my ASL signs for science terms at:
https://wiki.rit.edu/display/sciencelexicon/Science+Signs+Lexicon

 

Terms are categorized by topics, like Astronomy and Space Science, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Physical Science, Electricity and Magnetism, and more.

 

 

Resources

Handout(s): Handout – Analyze Science Concepts Better By Speaking This Language

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!

 

 

 

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Ep14 – First 4 Point Proficiency Scale | Ed Lab

 

Big Idea

Science teachers are now reporting on the science skills students can do – like planning and conducting, analyzing and processing data, evaluating methods, communicating scientific knowledge and conclusions. In BC, when we report on skills, we use a 4-level proficiency scale known as Emerging, Developing, Proficient, and Extending.

 

The problem for teachers is, what do these proficiency levels – Emerging, Developing, Proficient, and Extending look like and how can we use it in the science classroom?

 

In general, I tell my students I use the proficiency scales to mark for sophistication, depth, and complexity of thought.

 

When answering a question, I assess student proficiency with these general ideas at each level:

  • Emerging = response is very vague or simplistic.
  • Developing = response contains some partial details but lacks some scientific understanding.
  • Proficient = response is complete
  • Extending = response is sophisticated and draws in details and connections from outside the defined context.

 

 

Resources

Handout(s): Handout – First 4 Point Proficiency Scale

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!