Category: Videos

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

Big Idea

A REAL Science Challenge Question is a quick and fun way to have students practice problem solving and apply science and engineering practices (SEPs) and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs). I like REAL Science Challenge Questions because they…

1. are not based on any discrete knowledge,
2. force students to think like a scientist and develop their own experiment
3. do not have googleable answers
4. are relevant, and
5. are open ended – thus, there isn’t just one answer out there

This activity is centered around 5G and LTE signals and airplane interference. Specifically, if 5G signals are able to interfere with airplane equipment, would LTE or 4G signals do the same? Use the CER format to write a response.

Instructions

1. Post the REAL Sc Challenge Question prompt up for students (refer to the next few handouts).
2. Give students 5-10 minutes to discuss in pairs and write a response using the CER format.
3. Have students share their responses.

NOTE: Stress the need for students to provide evidence and an explanation. Evidence is any data or observable trends that support the claim. An explanation serves to explain the evidence and the claim. I usually say that an explanation is the part of the response that has “because” in it.

Resources

Handout(s): Handout – 5G vs LTE and Airplane Interference | 2016 – Spectrum (wall chart)

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

Big Idea

Can we do something with coffee grounds besides composting it?

When I first started brewing everyday at school, I dumped the coffee grounds into a beaker. I didn’t think much of it.

But then, as the beaker filled up, I began seeing this: differences in color in the grinds. This is due to the differences in roasting for the beans I use. Some beans had a lighter roast; some had a darker roast.

But, when you pour them over each other, you see layers – and this, is an awesome way to show students what sedimentary layers of rock looks like.

And, it’s the same story in the beaker as it is in the earth: layers of coffee grounds are poured over each other (just like layers of rock form over each other). The newer layers of coffee grounds are closer to the top (just like new layers of earth are closer to the top). Also, the thickness of the layer is directly proportional to how long I drank this type of bean for – similarly, the thickness of rock layers also correspond to time.

Instructions

1. Find a large glass jar or beaker.
2. Drink dark coffee for a couple of weeks and dump grounds into beaker each time. Try to build up a layer that is a couple of centimeters thick.To figure out what coffee is dark, refer to the chart in the handouts.
3. Drink a lighter roast coffee for a couple of weeks and dump grounds into beaker each time. Build a thick layer of grounds.
4. Switch back to darker roast. This way, you’ll see different layers over time.

Resources

Handout(s): Handout – Seeing Under the Ground Using Coffee Grounds

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!

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

Big Idea

A REAL Science Challenge Question is a quick and fun way to have students practice problem solving and apply science and engineering practices (SEPs) and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs). I like REAL Science Challenge Questions because they…

1. are not based on any discrete knowledge,
2. force students to think like a scientist and develop their own experiment
3. do not have googleable answers
4. are relevant, and
5. are open ended – thus, there isn’t just one answer out there

This activity is centered around helping an ice cream parlor increase their business. How can students help an ice cream parlor do better by thinking like a scientist?

Instructions

1. Post the REAL Sc Challenge Question prompt up for students (refer handouts)
2. Give students 5-10 minutes to discuss in pairs.
3. Have students share their responses.

NOTE: Stress the need for students to determine what their independent variable and dependent variable are. In other words, what condition are students testing (the independent variable) and how do they know it’s working (the dependent variable).

Resources

Handout(s): Handout – Science And The Ice Cream Biz

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!

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

Big Idea

The perihelion is the point at which earth is closest to the sun. This is due to the fact that the Earth’s orbit is elliptical (ie. oval).

At the perihelion:

• The earth is 2% closer to the sun than average.
• The sun appears 3% bigger in the sky than average.
• The light we receive is 7% stronger.

But, what can we do to illustrate how slight these differences are?

Instructions

1. Provide students with a copy of the two circles (Circles A and B) on the following page. One of the circles is approximately 3% bigger than the other.
2. Have students tape the circles to the wall and stand 1 metre from the wall. If students are doing this on the computer, then have students make the image “Full Screen” and stand 1 metre from the screen.
3. Challenge students to determine which circle is larger. They can use any method they choose. However, they need to stay 1 metre away, they cannot touch the screen or document, and they must write down what they did in coming up with their answer.

NOTE: Circle A is approximately 3% bigger by area. Could your students tell?

Resources

Handout(s): Handout – Can You Tell Which Circle is Bigger

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

Big Idea

The holidays is the time of gift cards. According to a retail survey, the gift card is the 2nd most popular gift. But, what do we do with them afterwards? Save your gift cards because today we discuss how to use them in a science lesson about matter and upcycling.

Gift cards are convenient but an awful thing to give because of the waste. If you think recycling is the answer, think again. According to a 2017 study, only 9% of plastics get recycled and 79% end up in landfills. So, what do we do with the plastic card after we’re done with it?

One thing I’ve taught students to do with gift cards is create a smartphone stand.

You’ll need any gift card – so long as it’s plastic. And, you’ll need a candle and a lighter or matches to light it.

Instructions

1. Get a plastic gift card
2. Mark up gift card (template is available for download below).
3. Use scissors to cut along the marked lines.
4. Light a candle. Hold areas that are to be bent over the flame. When the plastic feels fluid and moldable, remove from flame and bend.
5. Allow time for the card to cool and set.
6. Repeat with the other areas of the card that need to be bent.

Aside: have a contest with your students to see who can create the funnest gift card smartphone stand using the most interesting gift card.

Resources

Handout(s): Handout – Gift Card Smartphone Stand Template

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!

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

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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

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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

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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

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