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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…

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Ep13 – 1 Easy Way to Teach Lab Equipment & Practice CER | Back Pocket Science

  Big Idea A few years ago, I wanted to find an easy way for students to practice writing conclusions and supporting them with evidence and reasoning – also known as CER – without having to do a complicated lab or a case study. At the time, I was planning to have students learn about…

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Ep12 – Class Experiment! Predict Friends Using Playlists

  Big Idea I had my students submit a playlist of 5 songs that they connect with. I asked students to think of songs that would set them apart from other students – such that when we looked at the songs, we definitely knew it was them. The idea was to see if students could…

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Ep11 – One CER Activity Using 3 Music Playlists

Big Idea This year, as part of a getting to know you exercise and to practice CER, I told students about Youtube, Spotify, and TikTok’s algorithms and how they are able to accurately predict other songs or videos I would like to watch based on what I’ve previously viewed and my personality and interests.  …

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Ep10 – 1 Science Question to Ask at the Start & End of Term | Ed Lab

  Big Idea For assessment, I want to assess students in a way that requires them to apply their conceptual knowledge into their answers. I don’t want students to just regurgitate knowledge or take numbers and plug into formulas. I want students to find connections and applications between classroom science and the real world and…

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Ep9 – What’s the Most Sensitive Part of the Body? | Back Pocket Science

    Big Idea In today’s back pocket science lesson, I try to determine which parts of the body are more sensitive than others. It’s what I’m calling the Simple Nerve test, and you’ll need a ruler, a paper clip and a pencil and paper to record the data.   First, take a paper clip and…

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Ep8 – Electronics Duster Dilemma | Back Pocket Science Lesson

  Big Idea For this Back Pocket Science Lesson, I show my students a can of duster, I tell them that I wonder if it’s all a scam, and I ask: what test could I perform to determine if the gas in this can is different than, let’s say, the breath coming out of my…

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SS 12 – Top 3 Things Parents Say are Missing From Science Education

Video Transcript Hi Science Teachers, Welcome to Science Teacher Summer School, Episode 11.   I’m Kent Lui, and something you may not know about me is that I’m a middle child. And, I’m the worst kind of middle child – where I have an older brother and younger sister. The oldest sibling will always be…

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SS 11 – First Day of School: Chicken Soup and Other Fun Activities

Handouts are available at the bottom of this post.   Video Transcript Hi Science Teachers, Welcome to Science Teacher Summer School, Episode 11.   I’m Kent Lui, and something you may not know about me is I have a sweet tooth and just recently, I had half a box of cereal for dinner. I’m not…

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SS 10 – How I Construct My 4-Column Rubrics (Sample Provided)

Handouts are available for download at the end of this page.   Video Transcript   Hi Science Teachers, Welcome to Science Teacher Summer School, Episode 10.   I’m Kent Lui, and something you may not know about me is that one time, when I was younger, I wanted to trim some extra pounds off my…

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