ATOMS TO ASTERIODS

Keri SantosRET II Project

Inspiration from RET I

RET 1 inspired my lessons for RET 2 through the following experiences:

Ability to work in the Materials Research Lab Synthesizing a high temperature superconductor Creating a magnetic track in which the

superconductor can levitate and move with stability

Developing a vehicle (styrofoam car!) that housed the superconductor allowing it to travel along the track

Being able to share the final project with my class!

Real Science!!

Lessons Learned

It was this Real Science Experience from RET I that inspired the creation of these lessons

I created lessons that will hopefully let my students feel like they are part of a Real Science Experience along with adding activities that were fun!

Project Goal My Ret II project focuses on chemistry for 8th

grade students.

I plan to start with the smallest particle and build until we are focusing on some of the largest known bodies in the universe. (Atoms to Asteroids)

These lessons are aligned with the California State Standards and are to be used along with my current curriculum.

Lesson Goals

Divide interactive lessons evenly between computer and classroom activities

Include at least one lab, game, and hands-on activity for each chapter.

Incorporate lessons and games into my curriculum that will excite even the most unmotivated student.

Applications

Labs•Stimulates higher level thinking•Students practice the scientific method•They feel like they are doing “real” science

Hands-on Activities

•ELL Students•Kinesthetic Learners•Tactile Students

Games•Competition leads to motivated students•Stimulates learning•Fun!!

Assessment of Project

This project will cover approximately the first half of the school year

Assess the project by using: Student performance on each individual

lesson (worksheets, models they developed, game scores, project grades, etc)

Comparing student test scores from previous years

Student’s excitement about the new activities Feedback from students

Overview of Lessons

Each lesson has a Teacher Guide which includes:

CA State Standards Content that students should know before lesson (vocab, concepts, etc.)

Approximate time for the lesson Materials needed Answers to student worksheet Possible extensions, troubleshooting help I will be adding more to the TG as I try them in my class this

year Larger lessons (projects) include a rubric RET II Overview of Lessons

Demos/labs/hands-on Activities in Classroom

Atomic Theory Timeline :students research and create a timeline for the development of the atomic theory

What’s your state?: students model the motion of atoms in different states of matter with balloons

Mystery Bag: students try to guess the mystery objects in a bag based on their physical characteristics

Penny Activity: students separate copper from zinc using physical and chemical means

Solid + Liquid =Gas: demonstration involving the combination of a solid and liquid to produce a gas

Adopt –an-Element: students choose an element to research and then build a model out of various materials

Messing with Mixtures: students work with edible materials to learn about solutions, colloids, and calculating percentages of mixtures

Demos/labs/Hands-on Activities cont.

Covalent Marshmallows: students build models of covalent molecules using marshmallows and toothpicks

Reaction in Action: students take the mass of materials before and after a reaction and apply it the Law of Conservation of Mass

Fireworks Lab: students research elements involved in fireworks, they then hypothesize which elements are present in samples that you burn in class

Fireworks Lab TG Firework Lab Salt vs. Sugar: students try to deduce which contains ionic

and covalent bonds by observing and heating the materials Scale Model of our Solar System: students choose

appropriate sized objects to represent our sun, moon and the different planets, then distance them from the sun on an open field using a scale reference

Demos, labs, and Activities in the Computer Lab

Atomic Structure Webquest: students visit a few sites and find answers to

questions

Matterville Webquest: students visit websites to find answers to questions

about the different states of matter

Adopt –an- Element: (research of adopted element)

Fireworks Lab: (research of elements for classroom act)

Solar System Webquest: students search for answers about our solar system

Material Science Smackdown: students learn about the different properties of elements, what they can be transformed into, and uses

-Strange Matter

Games in Computer Lab

Alien Juice Bar-students learn the pH’s of certain materials while opening their own juice bar for aliens

Chemical Mix-up-students have to separate elements, compounds, and mixtures into their correct categories

To Bond or not to Bond-students must make a “chem” connection with elements that are capable of bonding with each other

Periodic Puzzler-students are contestants on a game show trying to guess

Games in the Classroom

Matter Card Game: similar to go fish, students turn over cards to find matches to their state of matter

Connect 4: students have different game sheets, they will turn-over clues and try to connect 4 on their sheet

Element Bingo: students fill out bingo sheets with element symbols, teacher gives clues about element

Space Rocks Game: students answer questions about space rocks in order to advance on a game sheet in hopes of becoming a discovered meteorite

Thank You!

Martina Michenfelder Frank Kinnaman NSF UCSB and all of the MRL staff