Christine Ingram

After reading the boring paragraph in my Physical Science textbook about how scientists use moles to determine how much of a certain chemical they need for a chemical reaction, I developed this problem-based activity in which students discover this for themselves! Instead of direct instruction about moles, students use their prior knowledge about balancing equations, scientific notation, and the periodic table to discover what moles are and why they are useful.  In the main problem, student

Students converge light from the sun to light a small fire. Edit the file to suit the materials you have available. Dry leaves tend to light more easily than the newspaper in the instructions. Not recommended for regions with a dry or fire-prone climate.

18 graph memes with reflection questions. Could be used for a "Graph Meme of the Week" for an 18-week course, or certain problems could be selected to complete in one day.

Christmas-themed lab for kinetic and static friction.

This requires some assorted springs (which I got from Lowe's for about $5.) It takes about 1.5 of my 45-minute class periods.

You will need: Assorted springs (about $5 from hardware store)

Writing prompts to help students review connective tissue. I chose a RAFT writing format: have students choose one horizontal line as their writing prompt. My students enjoy sharing what they wrote with their peers. I have used these as Exit Slips or as homework. If using as a Collins Writing prompt, the last slide (Grading Checklist) is their FCAs.

Writing prompts to help students review muscular or nervous tissue. I chose a RAFT writing format: have students choose one horizontal line as their writing prompt. My students enjoy sharing what they wrote with their peers. I have used these as Exit Slips or as homework. If using as a Collins Writing prompt, the last slide (Grading Checklist) is their FCAs.

Writing prompts to help students review the urinary system. I chose a RAFT writing format: have students choose one horizontal line as their writing prompt. My students enjoy sharing what they wrote with their peers. I have used these as Exit Slips or as homework. If using as a Collins Writing prompt, the last slide (Grading Checklist) is their FCAs.

Writing prompts for students to independently research a way to use radiation. I used a RAFT writing format. I used this for a Collins Writing assignment; the last slide (Grading Checklist) were their FCAs.

This worksheet uses a graphic organizer to help students organize their thoughts as they learn to balance equations. After a few problems, they transition to problems without the organizer (as would be expected in most chemistry courses). My physical science students found this helpful.