Conservation of Energy & 21st Century Skills

The topic I chose is the law of the conservation of energy.  Basically, the law states that although energy can change forms, it cannot be created or destroyed.  This law touches all parts of science so it is important for students to have a thorough understanding of it.

Websites

My favorite website to use with my students is called Powering our Future.  It can be accessed at http://www.poweringourfuture.com/students/index.html.  This website provides fifteen energy transformation animations, information about bioenergy, and careers that deal with energy.

Another favorite website is The Physics Classroom.  This address takes to you an example of a rollercoaster http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/energy/ce.cfm.  Students really enjoy the animations on this website.

During my search, I found this website http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/Education/outreach/8thGradeSOL/EnergyBallFrm.htm which was developed by the University of Virginia Physics Department.  It has a variety of experiments to use with students to demonstration the conservation of energy.

Activity

I have used the Powering our Future website with my students.  First, we discuss the different forms of energy.  Students like to give examples.  Sometimes we even play charades to guess which example a group of students is trying to demonstrate.  Next, we list examples of energy transformations in different branches of science.  For example, someone may suggest that in the life science field, we convert chemical potential energy (food), to kinetic energy (running a race).  At this point we go to the computer lab to explore the website.  I have students go to energy transformations link.  Students work independently and go through each of the fifteen animations to see if they can answer the questions.  After they are done, they compare answers with their group.  Next, students explore the bioenergy link.  Finally, we explore the energy conservation careers link.  When they are finished, students share the career that most interested them from the list.  If time permits, students do further research on that career.

Challenges

Probably the biggest challenge I face when using this technology is getting time in the computer lab.  We have two computer labs in our school, but one is primarily used for tech classes.  The other is available for everyone; however, our language arts department seems to sign up for a great deal of time which prevents others from getting to use it.  Our science lab does have some computers but not enough for all students in a class. When I use this lab, I must have two activities going on at the same time.  We usually take two days in the lab.  One day half of the students work on the computer assignment and half work on a lab.  The second day we switch.

Conclusion

I believe it is important for students to have 21^st literacy skills.  Having students learn while using technology is an important part of my classroom curriculum.  I am fortunate enough to have a SmartBoard which allows my students to have access to the Internet on a daily basis; however I really do like them to have a chance to explore with technology on their own.

Heat Transfer Experiment

Material Selected

The materials I used for the heat transfer experiment were aluminum foil, a paper towel, packing foam, and paper insulation.  The reason I chose them was because the directions said chose some materials you think will work well and some you think will not.  I thought the paper towel would not work well, but I thought the others would.  I used a laser thermometer because the thermometer in my science kit was broken.

Results

The following are my results

Insulator	Beginning Temperature	Ending Temperature	Temperature Change
packing foam	67.8°C	49.8°C	-18°C
aluminum foil	66.9°C	50.1°C	-16.8°C
paper towel	62.3°C	44.1°C	-18.2°C
insulation paper	60.6°C	43.4°C	-17.2°C

I found that the foil did the best job and the paper towel performed the worst.  I guess I should have known the foil would do the best since it is used to cover food to keep it warm.  I think the paper insulation would have worked better, but I could not get it to form a tight seal around the mug.

Similar Experiment for Students

To make this experiment more interesting for students, I think I would do two things.  First, I would let students choose the material they want to test.  I find that when students are given a chance to think creatively, they usually do a great job and come up with ideas.  Next, I would make it a contest to see who could come up with the best idea.  My students are very competitive and seem to be more enthusiastic when they are racing against each other.

I might also borrow ideas that I read from our discussion.  We could see which group could devise something to keep an ice cube from melting the longest.  This could be relevant to students’ lives because they bring their lunches, and they could benefit from finding ways to keep cold things cold.

Another way to conduct the experiment would be to ask local contractors to provide samples of insulation material.  We could test them to see which ones would work best with the mug experiment or the ice cube.

Student Learning

As with any activity we do in class, I like for my students to see that science touches so many parts of their lives.  Also, I like them to work like real scientists and to do things that have real-world applications.  Without theses applications, it seems more like we are just “killing time” than we are seeing how science is relevant to their lives.

Guided Inquiry - Working with Pendulums

Does the mass of an object affect its momentum?  One way to test this idea is to experiment with pendulums.  The experiment I chose was to find out if a lighter or heavier pendulum comes to rest more quickly.  In order to complete this activity, I engaged the help of my husband and son.  The first thing we had to do was find a place to hang the pendulum.  As a family, we enjoy doing experiments and building things so we utilized two eyehooks that are in our basement ceiling.  We used a spool of string that has a kite hook at the end.  We selected washers with three different masses.  We confirmed the mass of the washers by using a digital scale.  The first challenge we encountered was that we made the string too long.  The pendulum was swinging for a very long time.  We decided to shorten the string to two feet from the ceiling.  The next problem we encountered was deciding what constituted the pendulum stopping.  After a few test runs, we realized that the pendulum could swing for a fairly long time.  We decided to put a box under the pendulum.  On the box we drew a circle with a three inch diameter.  We decided that once the pendulum was swinging within the circle we would consider that the end of the trial.  Each time we did the experiment we pulled the pendulum back to a height of fifty-seven inches.  We did this so that we were sure to test only one variable, the mass of the pendulum.  Here are a few pictures of our set up.

As we put the experiment together, we discussed possible outcomes.  The two ideas we came up with were that the pendulum with greater mass would have more momentum and would therefore swing longer.  The other idea we had was that the washer with a greater mass would be more affected by gravity which would cause it to swing a shorter period of time.  After we tested the three pre-selected washers and then we decided to put all three washers on the hook to see what would happen.  The following is the data we collected.

Weight of Washer(s)	Swing Time
59 grams (three washers)	7:57 minutes
34 grams (one washer)	4:58 minutes
20 grams (one washer)	4:11 minutes
5 grams (one washer)	2:21 minutes

From our data we discovered that the greater the mass of the pendulum the longer the swing time.   We decided that the mass of the pendulum affects its momentum. 

           

If I were going to use this experiment in my class I would set up the pendulum bars, but then I would provide students with lots of different items they could use to answer the question.  If I wanted to make this experiment relevant to my students’ lives, I would not have them use pendulums.  We would discuss how they think mass and momentum are related.  I would then have them design an experiment based on something in their lives to test their ideas.  Of course, safety would be crucial to these experiments.

Allowing my students to experience the satisfaction of finding their own ways to answer a question is important to me.  For some time, I have been considering ways to improve my students’ problem-solving abilities.  I find that many students become easily frustrated when they have to answer questions that are beyond the knowledge level.  I think giving students a question and giving them the freedom to design a way to answer the question will encourage students to be creative and resourceful.  Hopefully, the feeling of pride that comes from designing their own experiment and finding answers to their questions on their own will encourage them to become more tenacious when faced with a problem.  Another goal for using this type of inquiry is that students will see the science concept at work instead of just reading about it in a textbook.

Inquiry Lesson - How are Landforms Created?

For my structured inquiry, students investigated plate boundaries.  Given a specific set of questions, students began by independently researching information about plate boundaries.  Students recorded information in their science journals.  Next, students were placed in groups.  Together they shared their research and corrected misconceptions.  After each group felt they had thorough and accurate data, they electronically completed and submitted a data chart.  The next step of the project was to choose one boundary type and make a model of a landform that occurs at that boundary.  Students completed their models in groups.  Finally, each group presented a model and lead a class discussion about the landform and boundary where it occurred.

Students were very enthusiastic about this project.  Students really seemed to like the idea of gathering their own information which translated into them taking control of their own learning.  Students also liked the idea of being able to verify their information by working cooperatively with other students.  Of course, students were very excited about making their clay models!  They did such a great job.  The assessments I used included an observation checklist, questioning, journals and grading rubrics.  These assessments allowed me to see student learning and provide feedback.  I felt student learning was evident throughout the project, especially when I listened to groups using new words they had learned from their research.

The following are examples of student work.  The first sample is a completed boundary chart.  This sample shows student learning as all information is provided and all directions have been followed.

The following are pictures of students' models.  These models are an example of student learning because students had to create models of land forms created a specific boundary types.

                                           Volcano formed at convergent boundary.

                                           Sea-floor spreading at a divergent boundary.

I really like that students include convection currents in their models!  They really enjoyed this part of the lesson.  Overall, I am very pleased with how the lesson was carried out, and I am very proud of my students!

Melting Icebergs

Melting Icebergs Experiment

The experiment we did in the lab “Melting Icebergs,” shows what would happen if the ice at the North Pole melted.  The ice at the North Pole is floating on water so it has already displaced the volume of the ice in the ocean.  If the ice melted, the oceans would not rise. 

On the other hand, the ice at the South Pole covers Antarctica.  If that ice melts it will cause ocean levels to rise.  Scientists believe that Antarctica is covered with about 90% of Earth’s ice which, if melted, could cause the oceans to rise about 200 feet.  Since the average temperature in Antarctica is -37°, most scientists believe that this meltdown will not occur.

If I were doing this experiment with my students I would certainly expect them to spend time researching both sides of the global warming issue.  Although most scientists agree that the atmosphere is warming, they do not all agree on the cause.  A look at ancient climates might be valuable to determine how shifts in climate have occurred in the past.

The other question I would ask my students is, how can we perform a second experiment to model what would happen if the South Pole ice cap melted.

I have had a bad health week so I am signing off for now!  Have a good week!

STEM Lesson Plan Reflection

This blog was created to allow me to reflect on my experiences as a science teacher and as a graduate student at Walden University.  I welcome your comments and questions.

This reflection is regarding my STEM strategies lesson plan created for my Nature of Science course at Walden University.  The 5 E’s strategy that is:  engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation is helpful in planning lessons because I helps create a lesson that is complete and considers all parts of the lesson from beginning to end.  It is very similar to the methods I used when I was an undergraduate education major.

Currently, I teach three subject, 7^th grade math, 7^th grade science, and 8^th grade science.  In the past I have also taught 8^th grade math.  I am fortunate to have a SmartBoard, so all my lessons are prepared in advance.  Of course, after teaching a lesson, I often go back to change any area where I find student misconceptions.  It is not very realistic to think that a teacher could utilize a template such as the one we were required to use for this lesson plan for every lesson. However, as you get to know your students and as you become a more experienced teacher, you begin to be more successful with engaging students in a new lessons or making sure that you are extending student thinking.  It is never a bad thing to go through the process of completing some formalized lesson plans to ensure that you are not taking short cuts in your classroom presentations.

The lesson plan I created primarily deals with students evaluating Earth’s four systems and how those systems interact with each other.  Students will use the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to help them use a real-world problem for their exploration.  On a secondary level, the lesson deals with how human activity impacts the environment and finally, how we weigh the benefits/costs of things like oil drilling.  The biggest logistical issue I may face in presenting the lesson is getting time in the computer lab for the elaboration activity.  We have two computer labs in our school, but they are heavily used by our language arts department.

Finally, I would like to share two websites that I used to obtain information to use in the engagement and elaboration parts of my lesson.  The websites are:

Smithsonian Education - http://smithsonianeducation.org

Teachers’ Domain - http://www.teachersdomain.org

Smithsonian Education has a variety of interesting lesson plans that meet national content standards.  Teacher’s Domain has a wonderful array of digital media, movies, slideshows, and animations that I often include in my daily lessons.

Thanks for reading my first blog.  As I mentioned before, I welcome your comments!