TIPC Ratings

Students search for an answer to the question of why percent abundance math works perfectly with carbon but is slightly off for other elements.  Throughout the experiment, students are testing different strategies and comparing their results to determine the most accurate response.

Students are working in groups and collaborating within their group. Additionally, ideas can/will more than likely be shared between groups.  Teacher provides the students with an opportunity to not only work together, but to also share their strategies for determining how many pennies are in their canister.

Students have to created their own procedure and determine what equipment they will need to complete this task.   After being presented with the canister, they have to determine how many of each type of penny are inside.  While materials are available to assist them, students have to determine what they need to solve the problem.  They can use any equipment in the room, but the teacher does not suggest anything.  The teacher creates an environment where the students are pushed to solve the problem themselves through whatever strategies they come up with.

Students will make predictions based on their existing knowledge and then test those predictions using lab equipment of their own choosing.

TIPC Ratings

APPROACHING – Research and Information Fluency:

Students will choose 3 objects that are familiar to them and imagine they have a mole of each object. They will have to demonstrate what having a mole of that object means. Students will need to come up with their own questions to guide their research. They will need to consider what they will need to know to solve each problem and how they will find the information. They will use textbooks and the internet to complete their research. Then they will create a presentation including calculations, a summary of their findings, and an explanation of the process they followed when solving the problem. Additionally, students will turn in a typed bibliography (MLA Style).

APPROACHING – Communication and Collaboration:

Students will work with a partner to research what it means to have a mole of 3 chosen objects. They will have to collaborate in pairs to determine what information they will need to solve the problem and also complete the calculations using dimensional analysis. In the presentations, students will have to explain the process they followed when solving the problem. Students along with their partners will present their findings in a 4-6 minute oral presentation to their classmates.

APPROACHING – Critical Thinking and Problem Solving:

Students will imagine they have a mole of 3 different objects. They will show the hugeness of the mole using dimensional analysis. Students will have to use higher level critical thinking skills to ask questions that will guide their research. They will need to determine what they need to learn to solve each problem and how they will find this information. They will develop a technology savvy presentation that includes calculations and a summary of their findings. Additionally, the students will explain the process they followed to solve this problem.

APPROACHING – Creativity and Innovation:

Students will choose 3 objects that are familiar to them and imagine they have a mole of each object. They will show in a creative way, what having a mole of that object means. Then they will develop a technology savvy presentation (iMovie, a short digital film, Web based, etc.) The presentation will include calculations and a summary of their findings. They will give an oral presentation of their final product to their classmates.

TIPC Ratings

Approaching: This lesson incorporates only a small amount of research and information fluency, but at the approaching level, students assemble and organize information for an authentic task. The task is the formulation of a hypothesis concerning emission spectra trends; the information assembled and organized is collected from the interactive periodic table.

Approaching: This lesson incorporates communication and collaboration at the target level, as students experience the methods professional scientists use to collect and analyze data, and then collaborate with other scientists to propose hypotheses and interpret data. In the process of class discussion, students establish groups and roles to accomplish the task and share their data digitally.

Target: This lesson incorporates critical thinking and problem solving at the target level, as students use individual methods to evaluate each emission spectrum and select the data to record. After their individual data is recorded, students address the challenges of compiling a class set of data that all students believe is accurate and reflects their own data. This directly reflects the experiences of professional scientists as they collaborate and address challenges encountered in data anomalies and differences of interpretation.

Approaching:The lesson incorporates creativity and innovation at the approaching level, as students synthesize their prior knowledge of the characteristics and behavior of electrons and emission spectra in order to propose hypotheses and identify trends they have observed in those areas. It should be noted that I could find no information about identified trends in atomic spectra, so students were not collecting data to support or refute already existing ideas, but were creating original hypotheses and identifying new trends. The final presentation represents a truly authentic task, so authentic that it can only be evaluated based on the student’s own hypothesis and data.

TIPC Ratings

Student used a variety of teacher selected online resources to complete the task. They then had to decide which online medium to use to create their advertisement.

Students were challenged to use an online teacher developed social network to communicate and research the project. The lesson worked as a primer for future online learning in the classroom.

Students collaborated, using information they researched to develop an original commercial to entice someone to buy their element.

Students worked together, to share ideas in an innovative way. They used what they learned to creatively sell their element to other students on the “Science Social Network.”

TIPC Ratings

Ideal/Target – Students are responsible for selecting and prioritizing research sources based on accuracy, relevance and variety. Students are expected to maintain a comprehensive list of all resources and to filter for content.

Ideal/Target – it allows students to collaborate with peers throughout five chemistry classes and any individuals who access the interactive periodic table through the internet. Students must communicate ethically at all times with all individuals as well as monitor the comments that are posted on their individual sites. As a part of the process students must seek out the work of other students that have similar characteristics (properties) and those that have opposing characteristics (highly reactive).

Approaching – Students must use critical thinking skills to correctly comment on their reactions with the other elements in the periodic table. They have to generate and respond to purposeful questions, justify their decision making and apply digital tools to think critically while solving open-ended authentic tasks.

Approaching – Students must be creative in their creation of their Facebook templates for their periodic elements, take on their personalities and interact and react to the other elements in their Voicethreads.They have to analyze trends and make predictions that inspire new solutions to authentic tasks, while creating meaningful work within their assigned parameters.

Student Artifact

See the whole Interactive Periodic Table

Download Files

Contents:

• LESSON PLAN
• See the whole Interactive Periodic Table

TIPC Ratings

IDEAL/TARGET – The teacher creates a structure for the students to follow. This form is clear and allows the students to know EXACTLY what the teacher expects.

This lesson also provides the students with varied research opportunities. Students collaboratively researched a research topic, using the library, school and county resources. All research collected was cited.

A variety of scientific equipment and digital equipment is provided and used by the students to conduct their investigation. Some of these tools included the Vernier Labquests and probes (these devices can read and record data for carbon dioxide and oxygen emissions, pH, temperature, heart rate, etc..), dissecting microscopes, digital graphing devices, beakers, graduated cylinders, etc… (See the resources section for an entire list of items available for student use.) All of this equipment is available, but the students have to choose the appropriate digital tools and equipment to collect the data and evaluate the information.

The teacher then uses a rubric to assess the final product, which is a written lab report. The students must also work collaboratively to form a scientific investigation procedure. The information that they acquire is used to formulate additional questions for Metro Richmond Science Fair, which will accomplish real-world tasks relating to the community. For example, one hypothesis included, “Pillbugs prefer a moist environment over a dry environment”. Students create a habitat and observe the pillbugs behavior, monitoring and collecting data. After the data table is complete, the students use excel to graph or they choose a graphing website to organize their data. From this, questions such as, “Are pillbugs involved in composting?” and “Are they beneficial for the environment?” are answered. The result of this included a student completing his science fair project on composting. He completed his project, wrote a 7 page paper and plans to attend the Metro Richmond Science Fair, where he will defend his paper and results.

DEVELOPING – A very diverse group of students were randomly selected to work with a team to select a topic, research the topic, form a hypothesis, design a controlled experiment, conduct the experiment, and collect the data. My classes are extremely diverse with students who are first generation students from India, Russia, China, Africa, and South America. As the students arrived to class, each drew a number to determine their team. The students knew in advance that they would be conducting a controlled experiment, but they did not know the topic or their team members. After the students were placed with their team, the teacher announces the topic. The topic is on common pillbugs (Armadillidium vulgare), a common terrestrial isopod. The teacher provides the pillbugs and a variety of equipment for the students. Students, after observations are made, must decide on a problem/question that the team can solve. Students then conduct research, using the laptop or selected books, and form a hypothesis. Students will develop a procedure which must be approved by the instructor. Once approved, the students conduct the experiment and collect the data. A formal lab write-up, completed in Microsoft Word is due the following class period, which must include all steps of the investigation, a data table, a graph, and all citations. Students will be required to reflect not only the project but also reflect on the group work that was done.

While groups of students work together, the teacher monitors and guides students, assisting students where necessary. Students also work closely to determine their project and then students must write the paper, communicating in a formal scientific manner. When students participate in the Metro Richmond Science Fair and the Virginia Junior Academy of Sciences, they will be communicating their project and project results to other students throughout the Metro Richmond area. The student will also have to defend their paper while speaking to judges at the science fair. The judges normally include engineers, college professors, scientists, etc…

IDEAL/TARGET – Students must choose from multiple resources to plan, design, and execute how to solve a problem. As they form a conclusion on one investigation, they must formulate new, open-ended questions, and design a new experiment for the Metro Richmond Science Fair or the Virginia Junior Academy of Sciences.

The team of students must not only choose a hypothesis but design a controlled experiment that is “scientifically sound”. For example, one group of students chose the hypothesis, “If the temperature increases, pillbug respiration will increase”. Their experimental design included placing a group of pillbugs in the “bio-chamber” in room temperature. They then monitored the carbon dioxide emissions. Students then increased the temperature and monitored the carbon dioxide rates again. What a great hypothesis for a group of 13 and 14 year olds to come up with! Not only that, but they designed an appropriate procedure to collect valid data, organize the data, and display these data. Could this be applied to the world outside of the biology classroom? As students started thinking of ideas for the science fair project, questions were posed such as, “do you think if a lake temperature increases too much that the fish will die?” “Does temperature affect the respiration rates of humans?” Questions such as this resulted in one science fair project where students are testing the water quality of the James River and another student is measuring respiration rates of humans. Other hypothesis included, “Pillbugs prefer a moist environment over a dry environment”. Students created a habitat and observed the pillbugs behavior, monitoring and collecting data. After the data table was completed, the students chose a graphing website to organize their data. From this, questions such as, “are pillbugs involved in composting?” and “are they beneficial for the environment?” The result of this included a student completing his science fair project on composting. Other students worked with mentors at VCU or engineering companies to complete their projects.

These students used multiple resources to plan, design and investigate real-world and community based problems. They chose the appropriate technology in a collaborative environment, and developed new open-ended questions to start another scientific investigation!

APPROACHING -I was amazed at the originality and innovation of the students. For example, one group of students chose the hypothesis, “If the temperature increases, pillbug respiration will increase”. Their experimental design included placing a group of pillbugs in the “bio-chamber” (part of the digital equipment provided) in room temperature. They then monitored the carbon dioxide emissions. Students then increased the temperature and monitored the carbon dioxide rates again. What a great hypothesis for a group of 13 and 14 year olds to come up with! Not only that, but they designed an appropriate procedure to collect valid data, organize the data, and display these data. Could this be applied to the world outside of the biology classroom? As students started thinking of ideas for the science fair project, questions were posed such as, “do you think if a lake temperature increases too much that the fish will die?” “Does temperature affect the respiration rates of human?” Questions such as this resulted in one science fair project where students are testing the water quality of the James River and another student is measuring respiration rates of humans. Other hypothesis included, “Pillbugs prefer a moist environment over a dry environment”. Students created a habitat and observed the pillbugs behavior, monitoring and collecting data. After the data table was completed, the students chose a graphing website to organize their data. From this, questions such as, “are pillbugs involved in composting?” and “are they beneficial for the environment?” The result of this included a student completing his science fair project on composting.

The students applied their critical thinking skills, their research skills, and communication tools to create a project and then expand on that project. The students, by participating in the Metro Richmond Science Fair and the Virginia Junior Academy of Sciences, will find themselves working with other students or collaborating with medical professionals or engineers to create an original work.

TIPC Ratings

Ideal/Target: Students used the opportunity and basic structure of the cartoon to illustrate their knowledge and understanding of the types of chemical reactions

Ideal/Target: Students used the opportunity and basic structure of the cartoon to illustrate their knowledge and understanding of the types of chemical reactions

Approaching: Students used technology to solve the problem of how to communicate their ideas in a cartoon that accurately illustrated the reaction type. Construction of the cartoon required understanding the concept, communicating that understanding to the groups, building consensus in how best to illustrate the concept, and using various computer programs to accomplish the task.

Ideal/Target: Students use their critical thinking skills and knowledge to create an original cartoon to illustrate a type of chemical reaction.

Student Artifact

Download Files

LESSON PLAN
Contents:

• LESSON PLAN
• LESSON HANDOUT WITH RUBRIC
• STUDENT ARTIFACT

TIPC Ratings

Approaching: This project allows students the opportunity to do research using the Internet, for which the students must be very alert to choosing appropriate sources and information within these sources. Students will evaluate their findings and utilize important, relevant information for his/her project.

Approaching: This project allows students to share knowledge with the community and with each other, while being partially teacher directed. The end project here is a collaborative and interactive periodic table that anyone with access to the Internet can view and explore.

Developing: This project requires students to select information from a variety of resources; however, they use their findings to solve problems with only one correct answer.

Developing: This project provides an opportunity for students to work collaboratively to create a project for a specific audience (each other), as well as using research methods to create elements of originality as well as teacher requirements. They could format their Glog in any creative way they choose and add personal touches to make the pages more appealing to their peers.