Matter, Force, Energy, Motion, and the Nature of Science (NOS)

Transcription

1 Matter, Force, Energy, Motion, and the Nature of Science (NOS) Elementary SCIEnCE Dr. Suzanne Donnelly Longwood University

2 Welcome! Introductions What will we be doing this week? What can I expect to leave this week with?

3 Day 1: Morning schedule Pre-assessments Inquiry-based learning and the Scientific Method Break NOS Icebreaker 6 tenets of the NOS Magnetism inquiry Lunch

4 Inquiry-based Learning (IBL) Efforts to coordinate hypothesis, observation and evidence through the study of controlled, cause and effect relationships (Kuhn, 2005) 4 levels of inquiry (Banchi & Bell, 2008) confirmation inquiry (question, procedure, outcome provided) structured inquiry (question, procedure provided) guided inquiry (question provided) open inquiry (all student-generated) The key to IBL: DATA!

5 The scientific method What is it, and how do you teach it? Bubble gum activity

6 The question How do inquiry-based learning, and the scientific method(s) support the NOS?

7 Icebreaker Making observations

8 Process skills and the 6 tenets of NOS (Bell, 2007) Process Skill Observing Inferencing Classifying NOS tenet Scientific conclusions are based on evidence. They can change as new evidence becomes available Scientific conclusions involve observation and inference (not just observations alone) There is often no single right answer in science

9 Process skills and the 6 tenets of NOS (cont d) Process skill Designing experiments NOS tenet There are many ways to do good science. There is no single method that all scientists follow. Predicting/hypothesizing Concluding Scientific theories provide the foundation on which predictions and hypotheses are built. Scientific conclusions can be influenced by scientists background knowledge. Theories provide frameworks for data interpretation.

10 The Learning Cycle (5 Es) State objectives, context, necessary preparations, and time allotments for activities Instruction to address each of the following phase

11 Engage phase Initiates learning Introduces major ideas Connects past and present learning (activation) Student thinking in upcoming inquiry Mental engagement Motivates students

12 Explore phase Provides opportunities for learners to test their ideas against new experiences Provide opportunities for students to compare ideas with each other Provide common experience (context) to actively explore environment

13 Explain phase Provides opportunities for learners to develop explanations of their own (can be collective) Introduces new terminology and content information to ease communication

14 Elaborate phase Applies/extends learning to new contexts Provides opportunities for learners to develop deeper understanding

15 Evaluate phase Encourages students to assess their own understanding in order to solve new problems (metacognition) Gets you the feedback you need to understand what students know

16 A full lesson plan using a 5Es approach Is inquiry-based, providing multiple representations of ideas to students at each phase Because it is inquiry-based, the objectives must be very clear from the beginning, and a realistic time budget is critical Criticisms of inquiry-based approaches Assessments must be level-appropriate, and tell you the information you want to know Are you assigning a grade based on your assessment?

17 Magnetism inquiry Part of science SOLs in Kindergarten and 2 nd grade In small groups work on completing the Kindergarten activity about magnetism in groups of 2 With a critical eye evaluate how the 5Es contribute to the organization of this lesson Discuss how the NOS SOLs are embedded in this lesson and could be more fully emphasized

18 Day 1: Afternoon schedule Science topic: Matter Matter review Modeling and the atom Mystery shapes Teaching the NOS in context: looking at the new SOLs Wrap up

19 Matter We know that matter comes in three states Solids Liquids Gases There are two other phases (plasmas, and Bose- Einstein consensates, but these are very rare) The attributes of each of these states are part of the 2 nd grade SOLs

20 Observation on an ice cube Make a prediction about what will happen

21 The particle nature of matter l A formal discussion of the particles that make up matter begins in 5 th grade l All matter is composed of nanoscopic particles Some of these particles qualify as matter themselves l The nanoscopic properties of the types and arrangements of these particles determines the macroscopic properties of materials Arrangement of particles in ice Arrangement of particles in water

22 Democritus and the atomism l The Greek scientist Democritus was the first person to come up with the idea of atoms in the 5th century BC l To Democritus, an atom was the smallest bit of rock that could not be divided any further l Interesting fact: Aristotle did not agree with the idea of atoms because it went against the concept of the four elements

23 About atoms l As time went on, scientists learned more and more about atoms, and the particles that make up our world l First, atoms exist in HUGE numbers in everyday objects l A thimble full of water contains about 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 atoms

24 Atoms are perpetually moving l Even when we perceive objects to be still macroscopically, atoms in all phases of matter are in constant motion Atoms in solids vibrate in place Atoms in liquids translate, migrating from one place to another by sliding around each other Atoms in gases move around in quick, random motion in all directions l Atoms in the atmosphere travel at speeds up to ten times the speed of sound

25 Atoms are ageless l Many atoms in your body are as old as the Universe itself l Since matter cannot be created or destroyed, the lighter atoms around at the start of the Universe still exist they re even part of your body! l Atoms from heavier elements are a little less ancient, but they re still older than the Sun and the Earth

26 Pictures/representations of atoms Atoms in a crystal Bohr model of the atom Electron cloud model of the atom S. Donnelly, Longwood Iron atoms in a circular ringuniversity taken with a scanning tunneling microscope

27 Elements l Different atoms have different numbers of protons in the nucleus l The number of protons in the nucleus identifies an atom as a particular element a substance containing only one kind of atom l For example, all gold atoms (Au) contain exactly 79 protons in their nuclei l There are many different elements with different chemical and physical properties organized by the Periodic Table of Elements

28 Particles larger than atoms: Molecules l Atoms from different elements can combine chemically to form molecules l Molecules consist of two or more atoms that are bonded together by sharing electrons l Examples of molecules: the oxygen we breath (O 2 ), water (H 2 O), ammonia (NH 3 ) Oxygen molecule Water molecule

29 Particles smaller than atoms l There are many particles that exist are smaller than atoms l Some of these particles make up particles that make up subatomic particles For example, protons and neutrons are made of quarks Electrons are fundamental or elementary particles, meaning that they can t be divided into smaller particles Quarks are also elementary particles

30 The Standard Model l Just like we have a Periodic Table to organize elements, we have a Standard Model of Particle Physics to organize elementary particles (particles that can t be divided into smaller particles)

31 How we discover new particles l Using mathematical models, we can predict the existence of more complex particles composed of elementary particles l We then build machines, called particle accelerators, to make particles collide together in search of these exotic particles that we don t always see on their own in nature Above: Atlas detector at CERN Right: CDF detector at Fermilab

32 Using accelerators to find particles l A brief history of the development of particle accelerators and how they are being used to detect particles of-15 l What is this Higgs business? Simulated Funded through 2013 proton Mathematics and collision Science Partnership Grant, in Elementary SCIEnCE the ATLAS detector Simulated model of the particle emerging from a single Au-Au ion collision from S. Donnelly, the Longwood end University of the detector

33 But how do we know about the properties of atoms when we can t see them? Making observations, inferences, and drawing conclusions on models of atoms Interpreting data: science is tentative

34 What is modeling? Representing concepts to students in varied ways Types of models Conceptual Graphical Mathematical

35 Why should we use models? Give light to something you cannot directly observe Helpful for identifying trends in data Identify connections between objects within a system

36 Conceptual models Asking students to think of the atom as a mini solar system Food webs Having students thing about the movement of charge when lightning strikes

37 Graphical models Making a silica tetrahedron with pretzels and marshmallows Having students make model cells out of household materials Having students read a word problem and construct a diagram to help them make sense of it Showing a diagram of the water cycle

38 Mathematical models Asking students to find the slope of the best fit line on a plot A geographical map projection of a small area into a 2D plane Calculating a vehicle s position given its velocity and the amount of time it took to travel v = d/t

39 Modeling things we can t see We rely on models to help students understand things they can t directly observe

40 Two models of particle physics Clay atoms (think-pair-share) Which tool was most useful to you? Did your neighbor choose the same one? Did you ultimately draw the correct conclusion? If not, what other information would have helped? Mystery shapes game (groups of 2-3)

41 The right answers

42 NOS in context (groups of 3-4) In small groups look over the SOLs on NOS and discuss them Starter prompts Why is it valuable to teach kids NOS? How confident do you feel in teaching your students NOS? What challenges have you encountered over the past year in incorporating NOS into your science lessons? Successes? Which do you think are the hardest to incorporate into your existing lesson plans? Which of these ideas are you already very comfortable with? What are some strategies you can develop to teach NOS in context rather than in isolation?