Science FREEBIES - Round 3!

It's time for some MORE GREAT SCIENCE FREEBIES!
Please enjoy the freebies featured below, both from the Science Teacher Resources store, and donated from some generous TeachersPayTeachers sellers! Visit their stores, download some FREE resources, and show them some support!

Didn't see our prior freebie posts? View them here!

Science FREEBIES!

Science FREEBIES - Round 2!  

 

And now, onto the FREEBIES!

From the STR store:

FREE Science Discourse Writing Prompts Mini-Pack!
Engage your students in meaningful discourse with this free subset of the full Science Discourse Writing Prompts Pack resource. The Science Discourse Writing Prompts Mini-Pack engages students in thinking, discussing, and analyzing/synthesizing different ideas about science process, physical science, life science, and earth science content.

FREE Stomach Model Digestion Lab!
Let students explore the stomach - by creating stomach and using it to digest actual food!

FREE Rock Cycle Simulation Lab!
Make the rock cycle fun! This lab walks students through modeling rock cycle processes, and asks them to make analogies between the activity and the rock cycle.

FREE Heat MiniQuiz
Teaching about heat, heat transfer, conduction, convection, or radiation? This short quiz is designed to assess student understanding of heat transfer and knowledge of heat transfer methods.

FREE Identifying Variable Practice!
This printable, reproducible worksheet (answer key included) can help with independent, dependent, and control variables!

  

From other generous TpT sellers:

FREE! Christmas Sound Bingo from Oddball Science
Topic:  Animals Sounds and Math


FREE! Magnet Experiment on Attraction from Tab Purvis
Topic: Magnetism


FREE! Making Ginger Ale: Yeast Fermentation Lab from Cooking With Science
Topic(s): Cell Respiration, Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Respiration


FREE! The Scientific Method Presentation from Biology Roots
Topic: Scientific Method


FREE! Astronomy Terms Domino Puzzle from Mrs. Brosseau's Binder
Topic: Space Exploration Vocabulary

The Far Side (School and Science!).

Gotta love the Far Side by Gary Larson!

Below, find some of my favorite school and science-related Far Sides.

Enjoy!

 

 

Air Pressure Giveaway and Blog Hop!

Today, I want to take a closer look at air pressure!

Below, you'll find several amazing air pressure demonstrations (and some explanations)  - many of which you can repeat in your classroom!

You'll also find a related product from my TpT store - the Air Pressure Lab Pack. This product includes four experiments students can complete - and one comment on this post will win it FREE! (Comments/giveaway close at the end of the day on Sunday, 12/16/12).
Be sure to stop by on Monday to see if you've won!

Also, we're running a blog hop! Check out the links at the bottom of the post to follow the hop!

Enjoy!

Air Pressure is STRONG!

Wish you could do this in your classroom?

Well, you can! (Sort of).

See the next video!

The Amazing Smooshing Can!

I usually use this demo to introduce air pressure.
As students learn, they are able to explain what happens!



Another great air pressure demo for the classroom!

Low air pressure created by the burning oxygen leaves relatively high pressure outside.
This high pressure pushes the liquid into the cup!



Some engaging labs for students from my TpT store!

One lucky commentor on this post will receive a FREE copy of this lab pack!
Be sure to stop by on Monday to see if you've won,
leave your email in your post,
or send it to me at ScienceTeacherResources@ymail.com.
I promise no spam - I'll just need to contact you if you win!

Another great demo!
(and some more detail on how air pressure works)

 

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Head to the next blog in the hop: Live Teach Create 

Find a broken link?

Want to start at the beginning?  

Click here!

I nevur Make misteaks.

My third year, my tenth year, and my eleventh year.


The third year was by far the worst incident of the three. About 20 minutes before the kids arrived, I turned on all nine sinks and sat down to get some work done. (Science teachers in my school had to do this every couple of weeks to keep some foul smell from making its way out of the drains). The sound of nine running sinks filled the room - loud, although somewhat relaxing. After about 7 or 8 minutes, I got up from my desk to shut them off...

My tenth and eleventh years involved incidents nearly identical to each other. A new project-based curriculum involved 7th grade science students growing basil hydroponically - without soil. (Pretty cool - learn more here). Plants were to be suspended in nutrient solution, which would flow from tank to tank via pumps. Anyway, I helped one of our 7th grade teachers set up her pumps just in time for her first class of the day...

Those were the three times I flooded classrooms.

The tenth and eleventh years were minor, as far as floods are concerned. They were cleaned up in a matter of minutes, although there were kids in the room both times. My third year was a very different story. Unbeknownst to me, a couple of the sinks had paper towels left in them, which clogged the drains. That year, I didn't flood one classroom - I flooded two. Mine was cleaned up and ready to use that day. The one below me was out of commission for about a week. (Did you know that ceiling tiles fall down, one by one, when soaked with water?).

I like to tell stories like these at the start of the school year.
"Hey kids, don't worry if you make a mistake in here. Listen to this."

Planning for Learning: A How-To

Middle school teachers have a special job.

I've discussed some of this in earlier posts. We have to wade through all of the middle school stuff and somehow facilitate 30 twelve year-olds in learning a new and specific concept or idea every day. In my 12 years teaching and observing (formally and informally) middle school teachers, here are four things I've learned.



1. Start with an OBJECTIVE!

I can't stress this one enough. While I like to allow for differences in style, objective-based planning is the only way to plan. You start with an objective - a measurable learning outcome that students need to know or be able to do by the end of the class. For newer teachers, this changes what can sometimes feel like the need to fill time into the need to have students learn within a limited time. 

Let's take as an example:

Students will be able to describe motion of particles in three phases of matter.

   -Specific? Yes.

   -Kid friendly? Yup.

   -Measureable? Sure.

Ok, we're ready to get to work.

2. Plan for Mastery
Now, the challenge is set. You, the teacher, have 45 (or 47, 50, 60, etc.) minutes to have every student meet your objective. In our example, this means you have 45 minutes for your students to learn and demonstrate a mastery of particle motion in three phases of matter. 

How in the world will you do it? If you're asking yourself this question, you're off to a great start. You've successfully changed your focus from filling time to using time. Answering this question is the reason you get a paycheck - this is your job. You are an expert in getting kids to learn. Not only that, but you need to continue to get better at it.

This step involves...

• Planning Activities
• Preparing Materials
• Preplanning Questions (yes, preplanning) 
  
  
  and synthesizing everything into a smooth, focused lesson!

This is not to say that you need to do it alone! Hopefully, you have a strong, collaborative staff to help you. Discussing lessons with peers, asking others for feedback, and reflection (alone and in groups) are powerful tools that will foster improved teaching and learning.



3. Frame the Learning
The importance of framing is never better demonstrated than when seen from the student perspective. (Newer teachers, I urge you to seek out peers who excel at this and watch them in action)! This is an extremely powerful learning tool. Framing of learning involves explicitly communicating to students what they need to know or be able to do by the end of class.
In addition, it may involve...
-Explaining how you're going to help them get there. 
-Activating prior knowledge.
-Asking a question to help students begin to explore the topic.

In our example, this could be as simple as saying, "Please take a look at your objective. Today, by the end of class, you need to be able to describe how particles move in three different phases of matter. Are there any questions of what is expected of you by the end of class today?"

To me, this is so important that I use anywhere from 1-5 of my 45 minutes covering it each day. It may not sound like much, but 5 minutes is 11% of the time students have in class.
It's worth it - every day.



4. Summarize the Learning
Ok, you've set an objective, framed learning for students, and planned and implemented a lesson for mastery. 
DO NOT let the lesson simply end with the bell - end the lesson purposefully by summarizing the learning with which students should be walking away!

Like framing, the power and importance of a good summary is most easily visible from the student perspective. Opening and closing the learning both work to focus students on the objective, and are well worth the time they require.

_______________________________________

This blog post is by no means  meant to be comprehensive. The art of teaching takes years to develop, but I am a strong believer in the four ideas presented above. After observing them in action and consistently utilizing them myself, I feel safe telling you that they  

improve student learning.

Seven Years.

"Would anyone like more time on the quiz?"

Silence.
"Ok. Please circle the first letter of your first name and pass up your quiz."
"Why do you always make us circle the first letter of our first name?"
"To make sure there's a name."

Seven years.

That little gem took me seven years to figure out.

Once in a while, just to keep things fresh, I'll switch to the second letter. Or the last letter. When I'm feeling really zany, I'll switch the circle to a box. Or even an underline.
That's right - an underline. 

Watch out, kids. Today's a crazy day.

Now, every class has asked me (multiple times) why I have them do that. I always give the same response, word for word: 

"To make sure there's a name."

The class then gives me the sterotypical, "Oooooooohhhhhhh."
Then one student raises his or her hand, and in a concerned voice says, "I accidentally circled the second letter. Is that ok?"

I love middle school.

 Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Correct Horse Battery Staple (awesome science websites)

My brother showed this one to me. Awesome.

It's from

 xkcd.com 

A very cool (and addictive) math/science web-comic.

I especially like the What If section, self described as "Answering Your Hypothetical Questions With Physics, Every Tuesday." 
Disclaimer: I've browsed the site, but can't vouch for 100% kid-friendliness.

Planet-Science.com

Cool and amazing videos, experiments, and a special section for parents and teachers!

HowStuffWorks.com

Ok, so you may have heard of this one, but I had to include it.

It's too awesome not to.Wonder how anything (real or imagined) works?

You can probably find out here.

 

Popular Science Image Galleries 

Some of the most amazing pictures on the web. 

For a longer chain of cool images, check out their Year's Most Amazing Scientific Images.

I am a Sucker

I took a note the other day.

It doesn't happen often.
I don't know if that means that there aren't many kids passing notes, or if it means that they're way better at passing them than I am at spotting them. Either way, it doesn't happen often. Maybe four or five times a year.

But this note was a special one. The receiver REALLY didn't want to give it up. And this was a good kid. A rule-following kid. As I walked towards her, she quickly stuck both hands under her desk, confirming that she had the note. I stuck my hand out.

"Give it to me, please."
"What?"
"Give it to me, please."
"Give what?"

We were off to a great start. Normally (which I guess means the three or four other times per year), after the second, "Give it to me, please," the student presents a defeated face and hands the note over. I then stick it in my back pocket and forget about it until I'm emptying my pockets when I get home. But this time, she didn't.

"The note that's in your hand. Give it to me, please."
"What note?"
"The one that's in your hand." 
(Blank stare).

By now, my interest is piqued. This is a special note. Something she really feels she can't give to me.

"This will be much worse if you don't give it to me. Please give me the note."
"She gave it to me," pointing to her friend. So much for loyalty. 
"Give me the note, please."

Finally, it ends. I get the defeated face, and I'm presented with the note. 
I put it in my back pocket, as usual. And, as usual, by the time class ends, I forget about it.

Until I get home and empty my pockets.
I reach into my back pocket for a pad of sticky notes I had also forgotten about, and I feel the note. 

It is time.

I de-crumple the note. It's really small, written in pencil, and a little smudged after its day in my pocket. I can barely read it, but I hold it close to my face and decipher:

I will bring Just Dance and Just Dance 2 for Wii. It will be a great party! 

I am a sucker.

Like Brainteasers?

So do middle school kids.

Sometimes, when we finish a couple of minutes early, I like to do a couple with the class.

I've been using the same ones for several years, and it's interesting to see how quickly (if at all) the kids can figure them out. A few of my favorites follow. Now, I know that the Google search bar is just a few inches up, but no cheating!

(Don't worry - answers included below)! 

Feel free to post your favorites!

________________________________________________________________________

Truth-Tellers and Lie-Tellers
You're walking through the woods, and you come to a fork in the path. You know that one direction leads to the Truth-Teller Village (where everyone always tells the truth), and the other leads to the Lie-Teller Village (where everyone always lies). At the fork in the road is an old man. You don't know whether he is a Truth-Teller or a Lie-Teller, but you are allowed to ask him one question. Your goal is to reach the Truth-Teller Village.
What question do you ask? 

________________________________________________________________________

 
The Pattern

Take a look at the pattern to the left.
What comes next?

I love the "Ooooohhhhhhhhh," I get from kids on this one.





________________________________________________________________________

 
 Pennies
 
Given the arrangement of pennies to the right,
move exactly one penny and create one row
and one column each containing exactly four pennies.



 _________________________________________________________________________

And, the mother of them all...

1 11 21 1211

Given the following pattern, what is the next line?

1

11

21

1211

After a couple of minutes, I usually tell the kids that...
1. The math involved isn't anything a kindergartner couldn't do.
2. I never figured it out. Someone had to tell me (although I tried it for two weeks).
3. Just for fun, I usually tell them the next line - 111221 - and ask for the one after that.
    (It goes on forever) 

_________________________________________________________________________

Brainteaser Answers

Truth-Tellers and Lie-Tellers

You ask, "Which way to your village?"

A Truth-Teller tells the truth and points toward the Truth-Teller village.

A Lie-Teller tells a lie and points toward the Truth-Teller village.   

 

The Pattern

Given the image
to the left, I think
we can declare
this one solved!

Pennies

 

Place the uppermost
penny directly on top
of the center penny.

Four across, four down!   

1 11 21 1211

This is a "say what you see pattern.

Each line, when read out loud, describes the line immediately above it:

                             1 

                            11             "One 1"

                            21             "Two 1's"

                        1211          "One 2, One 1"

                      111221       "One 1, One 2, Two 1's" 

So, the next line would be...312211

That's, "Three 1's, Two 2's, One 1"