Text Set #2: Atomic Theory

1.  History of Atomic Theory Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07yDiELe83Y

Level:  10th grade

This song is good for the introduction of atomic theory, especially the important people involved in the founding of atomic theory.  The history of atomic theory is important and students should be familiar with the names and important experiments involved in its founding, but normally the presentation is dry.  This song offers interest to the material and potential memory aid for students.

2.  Bohr Model of Hydrogen
http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspDetail&ResourceID=506 

Level:  8th grade

This interactive simulation acts as an introduction to Bohr's model of atomic structure.  The simulation allows students to shoot photons through a container of hydrogen gas.  The photons are absorbed based on their energies and cause electrons to move to different orbits.  This introduces the idea of Bohr's model of electrons in specific orbitals (energy levels) around the nucleus.

3.  Where Do Chemical Elements Come From?  -Article
http://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/archive/chemmatters-oct2009.pdf

Level:  9th grade

This article discusses the theory behind the formation of elements in space.  As students learn about atomic make-up and the composition of the nucleus, it would be interesting to speculate on the process of formation rather than just the discovered make-up of atoms.  This article comes from the ChemMatters site, is highly accessible reading, and has figures and photos that add interest to the material.

4.  Atomic Charge cartoon
http://chemteach.heartrockranch.net/cartoons.htm

Level:  3rd grade

This cartoon would be perfect for beginning a class period on ions and charges of atoms.  It is humorous and accurate.  The cartoon could aid in the memory of students as they learn that the gaining and losing of electrons are responsible for the charge of ions.

5.  PhET Build an Atom simulation
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/build-an-atom

Level:  8th grade

The interactive atom building simulation on the PhET site allows students to build atom models using protons, neutrons, and electrons.  Students are able to see how the adding and taking away of protons, neutrons, and electrons affects the identity, charge, and/or mass of the element.

6.  PhET Build an Atom teacher aid/student guide
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/contributions/view/3468

Level:  9th grade

This page is a resource for teachers hoping to use the PhET simulation in their classroom as an inquiry activity for students.  The page provides lesson plans, homework guides, and post-lab guides.  The documents could be easily modified and adapted for any high school chemistry classroom.

7.  Khan Academy presents:  Electron Configuration
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry/orbitals-and-electrons/v/electron-configurations

Level:  10th grade

This video could act as either a supplementary assignment, reteaching tool, or extension piece.  Presentation, although dry, is very clear and could help to further explain the theory behind and execution of electron configuration.  Students will see example problems and could follow along on their own if necessary.

8.  Electron Configuration Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb6kAxwSWgU&feature=player_embedded

Level:  7th grade

Electron Configuration can be difficult for students.  The orbital levels, if not understood conceptually, must be memorized.  For students who choose to memorize the levels, this song could be very helpful.  It is also humorous and quite catchy.  The video not only offers a memory aid, but explanation of the concept as well.

9.  Electron Configuration interactive simulation
http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspDetail&ResourceID=513

Level:  10th grade

ExploreLearning offers an online simulation for electron configuration that allows students to fill in electron orbitals to determine the configuration.  It also offers an explanation for trends in atomic radii in addition to the configuration.  Finally, the site provides a teacher's guide and a student exploration sheet.

10.  Timeline Maker
http://www.softschools.com/teacher_resources/timeline_maker/

Level:  No grade level

This online tool would be ideal for teaching the history of atomic theory.  It would allow students to create their own timeline documenting important findings and experiments in the history of atomic theory.  Students could complete this project in class, as homework, or as an extra credit assignment.

11.  The Periodic Table song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUDDiWtFtEM

Level:  No grade level

The periodic table of elements song is catchy and fun to break up a class session or to introduce the elements.  Students will enjoy the song and many of the elements are put into context so that they will have a better understanding of where the elements come into play in the world/their lives.

12.  The Periodic Table of Comic Books
http://www.uky.edu/Projects/Chemcomics/

Level:  Varies based on the comic

This sight allows students/teachers to choose any element on the periodic table and choose from a list of comics that include the element in some form.  There are many comics to choose from, some educational, some fun.

13.  Create the Periodic Table activity
http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/online-resources/chemistry-in-history/activities/path-to-the-periodic-table.aspx

Level:  7th grade

This sight has a teacher guide and a student guide for an inquiry activity that allows the students to create the periodic table for themselves based on the trends that they see in the element cards provided to them.  Hopefully, students will better understand the organization of the elements on the periodic table and the characteristics that give the table its structure.

14.  Modern Chemistry
Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.  (2006).  Modern Chemistry.  Orlando; Austin:  Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Level:  8th grade

The textbook that Hardin Valley Academy uses for its chemistry courses could be a useful resource for students as supplementary material.  It may also offer explanation that better suits some students' learning styles.  The textbook gives practice problems that could be useful for repetition as well.

15.  Online Practice:  Electron Configuration
http://preparatorychemistry.com/Bishop_comp_electron_config_Flash1.htm

Level:  No grade level

This sight offers online practice for writing electron configurations for elements on the periodic table.  The lesson gives a 10 question quiz as well as guidance for solving the problems.  This sight would be great for a homework, reteaching, or supplementary assignment for students who are struggling or need more practice with the material.

Reflection #10

This week, there was a c-span recording posted about millennials and the millennial generation.  As a general critique, the presentation was a bit boring, but some of the information was surprising to me.  In our society, as technology and social media continue to improve and increase, there has been talk of a new generation of students who is misunderstanding the value of education and personal knowledge.  Some argue that education should remain teaching without incorporating new technology (deemphasizing the importance of technology and social media), while others argue that education should shift to accommodate the emphasis on technology.  Some also argue that as a general rule, the intelligence of students has decreased as dependence on technology has increased.  The video presentation offered some interesting insight regarding the general IQ of the millennial generation.  The speaker noted that the IQ of the upcoming generation is the highest recorded of any generation.  These results do not only apply to the US, but transfer internationally across many countries around the world.  Now, honestly, I do not know enough about IQ testing to know whether or not the test is out of date or if it is somehow a misrepresentation of the intelligence of people in our current society.  But I do know that in my experience with students, their general intelligence is NOT the issue when trying to teach curriculum.  The issue, it seems, is behavioral/motivational.  So, as we continue to develop plans for educational improvements, we must focus on inspiring motivation, employing technology use, and using the resources that are available to students at virtually any time.

Web Resource #2

http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters.html

ChemMatters Magazine online is a resource for chemistry teachers and students that claims to "demystify chemistry".  There are multiple options for use of the site in a high school classroom.  Teachers have the option of subscribing to the magazine for a fee, but the site also offers a limited number of articles from the issues online for free.  The articles in ChemMatters magazine focus on the chemistry that is present in everyday life.  The writers attempt to connect with students' interests and everyday experience and explain phenomena on a level that is understandable by the layman.  Generally, the articles are kept under a couple of pages and offer many graphics, drawings, and pictures to supplement the reading.  Students would enjoy the option of many of these texts in studying a subject as opposed to studying in the context of a far removed experience or setting.

The online site also offers teachers ideas on how to implement their materials in the classroom (homework assignments, extra credit, supplementary reading, daily reading, review, etc.).  Along with articles and ideas, there are many short videos available for classroom use that take the same approach as the articles to meeting students where they are, but offer the information in a visual and auditory form.

Common Core Standards

Here are my two cents on common core standards and there implementation:  I like the idea of common core.  The emphasis on analysis, critical thinking, and authentic assignments is crucial for student learning and future concept application.  For science, good teaching is common core.  The idea of cross-cutting concepts and/or cross-curricular connections is also an emphasis that is necessary.  To make knowledge fluid and easily adaptable, students have to use it in a number of different settings in school and out of school.  Unfortunately, I think the tactic for implementation is flawed.  The all-in approach that school systems are taking where common core standards are implemented at every grade level right off the bat does not make a lot of sense to me.  It seems that funding, material gathering, teacher training, etc. would be much more easily achieved if the grade levels came in to common core standards one by one.  For example, the first year first grade would implement them.  The next year, second grade, etc.  Then, the students who began in the standards would continue and finish in them and can be better held accountable for their learning.

Text Set: Gases (gas laws)

1) PhET Gas Properties simulation

 http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/gas-properties

10-11 Grade Level

PhET is a website that offers many interactive simulations for use in science classrooms.  The simulation on gases allows students to manipulate the variables of pressure, temperature, and volume, and observe the changes in particle motion.  Students can also postulate on the relationships between the variables through analysis of the simulation.

2)  Railroad Tanker Implosion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz95_VvTxZM

No grade/reading level

This 19 second clip shows the implosion of a tanker car due to a vacuum effect that took place after workers steam cleaned the tanker, sealed it (with heat inside), and the temperature dropped over night. The video can be used as a hook to begin hypothesizing what forces were at work in the phenomena.

3)  Connected Chemistry:  Gas Laws

http://ccl.northwestern.edu/curriculum/ConnectedChemistry/CC_GasLawsTeacher.pdf

10+ Grade Level (teacher guide, so irrelevant)

This text outlines 13 activities (7 of which involve online simulation), which connect work with gases and gas laws to everyday objects, experiences of students, and natural phenomena.  This will be especially helpful in the planning of gas law curriculum.

4)  NetLego

10-11 Grade Level

http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/index.shtml

NetLego is another simulation site, which contains a "Modeling Commons" page.  This page is dedicated to simulations created by teachers and students.  There are 7 simulation (mentioned in text #3), which deal with temperature, pressure, and volume relationships, ideal gas laws, and air pressure.

5)  Gas Laws and Scuba Diving

11th Grade Reading Level

This article describes the relationship between Boyle's and Henry's Law to scuba diving survival.  It uses temperature, pressure, and volume and discusses them in the context of divers' gear.  The reading level may be a little high for a standard course, but would be acceptable in a higher level chemistry.

6) Gas Laws Comic Strip

7th grade reading level

http://staff.fcps.net/jswango/unit5/gases/miniproject%20gases.pdf

7) Boyle's Law model

8th grade reading level

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/boyle.html

This page is provided by NASA and offers an explanation along with a simulator of Boyle's Law.  In a chemistry classroom, the engine demonstration placed next to a graph will allow students to visualize what the law explains.

8)  Charles's Law model

8th grade reading level

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/glussac.html

This page is provided by NASA and offers an explanation along with a simulator of Boyle's Law.  In a chemistry classroom, the engine demonstration placed next to a graph allows students to visualize the relationship between volume and temperature.

9)  Kinetic Theory Mind Map

8th grade reading level

https://hwb.wales.gov.uk/cms/hwbcontent/Shared%20Documents/VTC/2010-11/physics/kineticTheory/eng/Videos/Prezi_Mind_Map.mp4

This mind map is a Prezi that offers brainstorming on the kinetic theory and its parts.  It could be useful after students create their own graphic organizer or the class creates the organizer to expand on their knowledge and add to their thoughts.

10)  Boyle's Law Cartoon

6th grade reading level

http://www.teachnlearnchem.com/Boyles%20Law.htm

The cartoon demonstrates the relationship between pressure and volume in the context of an olympic competition.  This would act as a great memory aid following teaching of Boyle's law.

11)  Gas Law Comic

8th grade reading level

http://tie-dye-flag.deviantart.com/art/Chemistry-Comic-of-Gas-Laws-359036813

The comic describes the effects of Boyle's law after a scuba diver returns from a dive.  The diver is suffering from the "bends", which is a phenomena that can be explained by Boyle's law and the effects of volume and pressure on blood oxygen levels.

12)  Charles's Law Intro Comic

6th grade reading level

http://stripgenerator.com/strip/698727/chem-gas-laws-comic-1/

This comic strip uses the example of balloons shrinking with a drop in temperature to demonstrate the phenomena of Charles's Law.  This would be a good hook to have displayed at the beginning of class.

13)  Is Hell Exothermic?

10th grade reading level

http://www.nclark.net/GasLaws

I may not use this with my students, but it is an interesting read.  This reading describes the variables that would alter whether or not hell is exothermic or endothermic.  The answer was submitted by a college student and demonstrates higher order thinking that could inspire much discussion in a chemistry classroom.

14)  Gas Laws powerpoint

8th grade reading level

http://www.slideshare.net/lallen/gas-laws-1232856

The powerpoint details the gas laws and provides many images that would be useful for relating the gas laws to real-life phenomena.  There are example problems embedded within the powerpoint along with other diagrams that would be useful for practice and demonstration.

15)  Can Crushing Experiment

no reading level

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NZmo-qQxIk

The can crushing experiment video can be used as an inquiry demonstration or as an in-class experiment for students.  The demonstration is a small scale demonstration of the tanker crushing and can be used to further students' understanding of the effects of temperature, volume, and pressure.

Reflection #8

The readings for this week were straightforward and "common sense" for the most part.  In school, one of the more consistent learning strategies that I saw was vocabulary teaching.  Now, granted, a majority of the vocabulary learning that I participated in was defining words and placing the piece of paper in a binder.  Despite a lack of appropriate teaching in my experience, I feel like vocabulary is extremely important to students both inside of and outside of the classroom.  The more words that students have access to, the better they can communicate and engage in the world around them.  That being said, I think that it is most beneficial to teach students strategies, which teach them HOW to learn vocabulary, not to always teach the vocab explicitly.  If students know that they can break down a word into its roots to figure out its meaning (as was mentioned in the Bromley article), then they are better prepared to deal with unknown vocabulary on their own.  If they are aware of context clues and the benefit that recognizing content can provide, then they will not be as traumatized by unfamiliar words in text.

As teachers, as much as we can prepare our students to succeed apart from us, the better off they will be.  Although there is a place for explicit vocabulary instruction, modeling strategies for independent meaning-making is worth far more in my book.

Reflection #7

My reflection today will focus on the vocabulary strategies from Chapter 8 of Tierney and Readance.  In general, I was not a huge fan of the strategies mentioned in the text.  Most of them were lacking in intrigue and a fluidity with content.  Vocabulary, in my opinion, is of little use if focused on as a separate entity from the text.  A few of the strategies, though, could be easily adapted to add to students' comprehension of text.  The most useful strategy from the text was the Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy.  This strategy not only allowed for post-reading assessment of comprehension, but also allowed students implicit motivation by the ability to choose the words they felt were most important in the text.  The strategy, then, improves comprehension by clarification of vocabulary AND will likely assess students' selection of the main ideas in the text.  I also think that they Word Map concept will be useful in a science classroom because hierarchy understanding is crucial for expanding on science terms and concepts.  Unfortunately, the description was a bit muddy for my understanding and I think that it would be of better use, if created in a whole-class setting by students from the ground-up and used also as a tool for identifying student misconceptions and/or gaps in knowledge.

Reflection #6

D&Z Chapter 11

This chapter deals a lot with the psychology and mental processes involved in reading and the struggles that students face in these areas when reading.  The end of the chapter also gives some practical tools for overcoming these barriers with students and increasing their reading success.  D & Z talk about the struggle for students to "picture" what is happening in problems or stories.  This could be due to difficult vocabulary, unfamiliar themes, or an inability to relate to the scenario.  As a teacher, it is helpful to our students to either provide context through discussion or choose topics that is largely familiar to students.  It may even be useful to teach students how to pick out key information from problems or paragraphs.  If students feel confident in their ability to search the text for meaningful information, they will likely have better success when faced with more difficult problems and texts.  One of the techniques that I hope to grow in and use often is the think aloud.  Showing students your thought processes as a teacher is crucial for their understanding.  Many times we make assumptions that we do not realize that we are making when problem solving and consciously thinking aloud will likely decrease or call those assumptions to our attention.

Reflection #5

Tovani Chp. 5&6

Chapters 5 and 6 in Tovani's book seemed to all come back to the idea of purpose and/or the value of being explicit.  The chapters talk about how important it is for students to be aware of the purpose for any reading that they do in the classroom.  Purpose allows students to zone in on what is important and ensures their preparation for any after-reading expectations that the teacher may have.  I think that the importance of purpose extends way beyond reading and into any assignment.  I have seen over and over again this year during my internship, students who are unmotivated because they are not given purpose and do not see the benefit of engagement in assignments.  I have also seen, though, the difference in their willingness to participate when they are given explicit instruction and guidance before and during assignments and begin to understand how their participation will benefit them.

Finally, these chapters give many different strategies for engaging in text through annotation.  Whether it be a guided reading worksheet, highlighters, sticky notes, or margin writing, students benefit from being required to interact with the text.  They have to turn off their "reciting voice" and turn on their "conversation voice".  I laughed when reading the part of the chapters that described these two voices because I knew immediately what those voices sounded like in my own reading experience.  Never had I thought to recognize those voices as important or to mention them to my students.

Reflection #4

Harvey

In "Nonfiction Inquiry:  Using Real Reading and Writing to Explore the World", Harvey talks about the importance of questioning and curiosity in students' classroom lives.  She says that one of the best ways to encourage students' curiosity is to incorporate non-fiction reading into the classroom.  The real world is an interesting place that can include infinite possibilities for topics and interests.  A majority of the reading that people do outside of the classroom is non-fiction (magazines, newspapers, etc.), so there is a large disconnect between classroom and real life when non-fiction reading is not a part of curriculum and discussion.  Non-fiction in her eyes leads to passionate curiosity and, in turn, engagement in material.  In science, most of the reading that we do is non-fiction.  I am a huge advocate for providing my students with connections and context for material and non-fiction reading is a great way to do that.

Reflection #3

D&Z chapters 5 and 6 focuses on classroom ideas for building the tools and skills necessary to read successfully.  They advocate for both individual, small group, and whole class activities as reading tools including:  discussion, writing, drawing, and other activities that will improve students' engagement in reading.

Probably the statement I found the most compelling in the chapters came in describing the need for modeling mental reading processes to students.  D&Z point out that, "many students are unaware of the mental activity that takes place during effective reading."  I think this is true for students, but is also true for many teachers.  It is extremely difficult to teach students the skill sets required for reading if the teachers are unaware of their own cognitive processes.  As teachers it is important that we understand the action of our minds during reading and the reasoning, critical thinking, connection making, etc. that is involved.  To model effective thinking and reading to students, it is crucial to be intentional about understanding your own reading skills.

Reflection #2: Text Structure and Text Sets

Bakken and Whedon

This article focuses on the difficulty of reading for students because of the organization and structure of texts.  Textbooks and other academic texts tend to have layouts that are unfamiliar for students who are used to the structure of narrative prose (clear beginning, middle, and end).  The article argues that students need explicit instruction on differentiating texts and deriving meaning within the different formats.  Frankly, I think that modeling strategies from texts as I introduce them into my classroom would be more effective than a compare and contrast-type unit of different text types.  It seems confusing and removed from reality to approach it as a general unit.

Tovani

I really enjoyed the practicality and probable application of these chapters into my classroom.  My favorite idea from the chapters was that of including text sets in curriculum.  In science, I could collect texts for each unit that range from poems and illustrations, to magazine and journal articles.  Then, I could have students choose a text to delve into and give an accompanying assignment for the text of choice.  Grouping students by the texts that they have chosen, they would work together to complete their assignments and analyze their texts, while I monitored the class.

Web Resource Review

www.explorelearning.com

For my web resource review, I chose www.explorelearning.com.  This site boasts “online simulations that power inquiry and learning”.  In science, it is useful for students to see demonstrations and concepts in action to take them out of the abstract and into visual reality.  For many chemical and biological processes, visualizing the concepts would be out of reach in a classroom without simulation sites like this one.  ExploreLearning offers simulations, worksheets, quizzes, and other materials for math and science classes in grades 3-12.  Simulations or “Gizmos” on the site could be used in individual, small group, and whole class settings.  The site is highly interactive and allows students to “test” scenarios, construct experiments, and practice concepts with the click of a mouse. 

            There are many positive aspects to using ExploreLearning.  One of the greatest, in my opinion, is their alignment of the videos, simulations, and worksheets to state standards and Common Core.  Upon registration for access to the site, teachers choose their state, school system, and school, so that the site can assign standards accordingly.  Also, the site allows teachers to create “classrooms” and give online quizzes and/or graded simulations through the site.  For students, the site is safe and requires no adult supervision other than to monitor understanding.

            Unfortunately, for extended use, the site requires payment.  You can, however, subscribe to a 30-day free trial using only an e-mail address.  The free trial gives access to all of the Gizmos on the site for both teachers and students.  It would be unrealistic for individual teachers to subscribe to the site, but as a school or system-wide purchase, the benefits much outweigh the cost.

Culture and Classroom

Hart and Risley

This article focuses on the language development of children from birth to age 3 and the implications for future vocabulary development and learning.  I am really intrigued by an article that focuses on the development of 'students' before they enter the school system.  I am a firm believer in home life and early childhood experiences as indicators for future educational progress. BUT I am also interested in figuring out ways to effectively 'retrain' students' minds to function beyond what was natural for them at an early age.  Studies like this one cause me to consider more closely the language that I use in my classroom and the drastic effects that it could have on my students.  If part of students' inability to acquire new vocabulary and literacy skills is an aversion developed from an association of vocabulary and speech to negative and/or demeaning talk, then I have to be exceedingly careful with my presentation of language and negativity in the classroom.

Fitzgerald and Graves

Following the first article, this focuses on using a scaffolded approach to improving literacy (especially of English language learners).  This article was much more practical and applied and suggested the use of pre-, during, and post-reading activities to scaffold literacy development in both main language and ELL students.  I will likely use these strategies in my classroom to break up difficult material into manageable parts, especially when working through scientific journals and other texts.  Some of the mentioned strategies that will be most important in a science classroom are:  Pre-teaching vocabulary, read aloud as well as silent reading, background information, group/classroom discussion of texts, and main idea delineation.

Daniels and Zemelman

Finally, this chapter gives a lot of practical and applicable classroom practices for forming a beneficial classroom environment.  Chapter 7 advocates for a classroom defined by shared responsibility, safety to take risks, connection to students' lives and larger contexts, collaboration, and reading.  My favorite idea from the chapter is to use the Book Club environment to review and analyze scientific texts based on students' interests.  This will give students opportunity to take some ownership of the reading and hopefully engage them in meaningful analysis.