Ocean Zones and Life Styles

My First Prezi

It's The Discussion Afterwards

The Lab Alone Is Not Enough

At Harvard Graduate School of Education (2001), I learned to design lessons using Wiggins and McTighe "backward design" approach, and the Understanding by Design guidelines. Even though our school has had various curriculum mapping structures over the years, I stuck to my own approach of essential questions and "how will I know?"  Currently my school is using a curriculum database called "Atlas" which has the essential components of a UbD template; unfortunately, the time-frame and deadlines for completing this work does not allow for deep reflection and many teachers are "just trying to fill it in." I was thrilled when Grant Wiggins pointed out that 

Never did Jay and I intend for our template to be a mandatory act of pointless drudgery, a required piece of busywork required by thoughtless supervisors. Never did Jay and I intend people to fixate on filling in boxes. Never did Jay and I advocate using the UbD Unit Template as a lesson planner. ("How do you plan? On templates and instructional planning")

Thank goodness, because I was taking a more organic approach to my craft. Each unit I teach requires hours and days of thought and planning on how best to approach it. At least this is my experience. Pulling the textbook unit out and following step-wise does not work for me; I need to "own" my work. The Atlas work has been useful for documenting an outline of the lessons, and helpful for seeing how others teaching same concepts organize their work. 

It Takes Careful Planning and Thoughtful Questioning
Laboratory work is the prominent tool used in chemistry classes to answer the "how will I know they can..." performance assessment. A teacher can see a lot watching a student working. But simply stating that such-and-such "hands on" lab was conducted does not provide evidence that students did anymore than have fun. A teacher may conduct the lab, review expected data the next day, assign a lab report, and consider that the students have learned the concepts. Students can all too easily go through the motions and have no idea how the labwork relates to the content. Labs should be accorded time for a pre-reading homework, adequate time for the laboratory work - including time to repeat the experiment, and a follow-up analysis and self-assessment day. Oftentimes, the rushed curriculum does not allow for enough class time for students to work out the analysis with guidance and critical questioning by the teacher. Gaining time to assist one-on-one is part of the push toward flipped classrooms. 

Photographer Captures Popcorn Kernel Popping at 6200FPS

Next week, my chemistry class will begin the unit on kinetic molecular theory. Section 6 of the Massachusetts state frameworks for chemistry, States of Matter, Kinetic Molecular Theory, and Thermochemistry, has the following central concept and specific requirements:

Central Concepts: Gas particles move independently of each other and are far apart. The behavior of gas particles can be modeled by the kinetic molecular theory. In liquids and solids, unlike gases, particles are close to each other. The driving forces of chemical reactions are energy and entropy. The reorganization of atoms in chemical reactions results in the release or absorption of heat energy.

6.1   Using the kinetic molecular theory, explain the behavior of gases and the relationship between pressure and volume (Boyle’s law), volume and temperature (Charles’s law), pressure and temperature (Gay-Lussac’s law), and the number of particles in a gas sample (Avogadro’s hypothesis). Use the combined gas law to determine changes in pressure, volume, and temperature.

6.2   Perform calculations using the ideal gas law. Understand the molar volume at 273 K and 1 atmosphere (STP).

6.3   Using the kinetic molecular theory, describe and contrast the properties of gases, liquids, and solids. Explain, at the molecular level, the behavior of matter as it undergoes phase transitions.

6.4   Describe the law of conservation of energy. Explain the difference between an endothermic process and an exothermic process.

6.5   Recognize that there is a natural tendency for systems to move in a direction of disorder or randomness (entropy).

As part of my reflection on "how will I know?", I decided to map it all out. I chose Spicynodes mind mapping tool and the Massachusetts kinetic molecular theory concept. I wanted to demonstrate how I can "understand their understanding" during labs and the in-class follow-up. Spicynodes takes more time than I would like to input data and edit details, but I liked the way one could move around the map and create links. Working with the nodes was more time-consuming than creating a map by hand, however entering data by code was workable.




To see the mindmap unhindered by the constraints of this blog, click here.

Why Balance Chemical Equations?

A Thinking Exercise For My Students

It's one thing to explain and lecture and teach an idea, it is another for the student to create meaning of the idea. The post herein is an activity I am about to give to my students. We have practiced balancing equations and dabbled in stoichiometry, but now are going to delve into the stoichiometry world more deeply. To do this, students must understand the relationships of the balanced equation ratios. Students have passed the "spit it back to me" test of worksheets and exams; now it is time for them to construct an analysis of why balance chemical equations. I have chosen a creative application so that students do not regurgitate from readings. I will analyze results and report back after the students have completed their entries.

Roald Hoffman, poet and Nobel chemist, has said that his creative process works not by "pursuit of great ideas but small ones that begin to connect to each other."  He further stated:

I just love solving little problems—I don't work on big problems like the mechanism of memory or the cure for cancer—but I believe that if you solve many problems and keep your mind's eye open for connections, you will understand the world. It's like seeing the world in a drop of dew. ~ Roald Hoffman

Dalton’s atomic theory helped explain the law of conservation of matter by stating that atoms could not be created or destroyed. In class we are working on balancing chemical equations, which apply this law. Basically, you must have the same number of elemental atoms when a chemical reaction completes as were in the reactants at the beginning. We will then use balanced equations for predicting the outcome of chemical reactions. You see, when elements are combined and react chemically something known and specific will happen, and the outcome of the reaction can be predicted based on what the elements are and the quantities involved. This is what stoichiometry is about: the mathematics of chemistry.

Task 1: Warm-up

Begin this exercise by reading  The Irony of Prose: Chemistry and Poets, by Julie Niklas.  Note how she uses chemistry vocabulary to give you a visual image of the tension of writing poetry.  What emotions does this writing evoke? Why do you suppose she used chemistry terms? After you have read it at least once, leave her a constructive comment.

Task 2: Creating Meaning

The second thing you are to do today is relay your understanding of why we balance equations, and perhaps how, using a creative medium or expression.  A “creative medium” could be a poem, story, cartoon, graphic illustration, song lyrics, recipe, etcetera.  Use analogies or metaphors as you desire. Mala Radhakrishnan, author of Atomic Romances, Molecular Dances and a biophysical chemist, has said that "...at the molecular level chemistry is just a soap opera going on".  In addition to the warm-up reading above, there are several other links below to help you find inspiration.Use these ideas to spark your own creativity. 

• The Tense Middle (if you can, listen to the entire NPR article instead of reading it) – a story
• The Radioactive Dating Game - a poem 
• Chemical Reaction of Our Love – a poem
• Stoichiometry – a poem
• Ten-minute long youtube video titled "Will We Ever Run Out Of New Music?” - a thoughtful video
• Poetic Table Of Elements The periodic table of poems about different elements. Warning - some of these poems are better than others!

Assessment Points For Task 2, Portfolio Post

• You publish a creative though accurate expression of the balancing of equations in your portfolio that is “suitable for world-wide publication”.  It is self-directed work that you are expected to complete on your own.
• Your post is clear and compelling and shows complex interactions. Apply your language arts skills to this work and use the assigned vocabulary words.
• You communicate your idea with language choices that are vivid and precise. Again, you are applying your language arts skills.
• Reminder: make sure you include “tags” when publishing.

Teaching Character and Citizenship

One Actionable Item to Help Protect Oceans

Ocean sample from plankton trawler collects plastic
Image from Allianz Knowledge site

Oceanography students have been studying "The Motion of the Ocean" which consists of air-sea interactions, sea currents, and waves. Some of the vocabulary words from this unit include coriolis effect, Ekman transport, ocean gyres, pressure gradient force, thermohaline circulation, upwellings and downwellings, with the essential question of "How do patterns of physical changes in aquatic systems affect our lives?"

Students read and analyzed article on "the tale of bathtub toys" to assess the reliability of science news reports, to encourage media and science literacy. By the way, a book has now been written about the world journey of the bathtub floatees.

In addition to the textbook lessons and labs, we watched some TED Talks. One was Captain Charles Moore on Seas of Plastic. I was struck by the comment by Captain Moore that "no fishmonger on Earth can sell you a certified organic wild caught fish" because they have all consumed plastic, thinking it food.  Students reflected on this individually and in writing. At the end of the unit, students watched Beth Terry on Living Plastic Free.

Image from The Plastic-Free Chef

Students were asked to commit to one action item, that they will actually do, to protect the ocean from plastics pollution, and to blog about it. Because of wifi issues in my classroom, none of the laptops would connect to the internet so students handwrote during class and posted later. Their thoughts are here.

There were many students who giggled and did not take the assignment seriously. I racked it up to immaturity, but it still bothered me. When they were disruptive during the TED Talk, I stopped the video and interjected my own thoughts on that point in the video. Over the course of the day/multiple classes, I refined the blog criteria. If I were to assign this blogging assignment again, I would spend more time on the criteria of the reflections and writings.

You may be interested in learning more about Captain Charles Moore's oceanography work or reading Beth Terry's blog on "My Plastic Free Life".

Using A Blog As Portfolio

Students are required to keep a portfolio in my class. Over the years, the binders and loose papers have presented a messy nuisance in the back of the classroom, so I decided to have students post their work online. This is my third attempt at online student portfolios and the blogging forum seems to be the best tool for creating and maintaining a portfolio. 

• Posts can be continually rethought, reworked, added to, updated. The work being done does not have to be retyped or converted from one program to another. The teacher or another student can comment, thereby triggering the author to reassess or edit the work.
• It's paperless!
• A blog can be continually updated from any computer, without special programs or downloads. It doesn't matter what type of device you are working on, the product can be accessed and modified. Improvements are immediately available.
• Content can be organized around concepts. Our school has incorporated into its curriculum five "habits of learning": Thinking; Collaboration; Communication; Independence; and Creative Exploration. On a blog, a page could be developed for each of these. Alternatively, posts could be tagged with these keywords.
• It can be personalized to reflect the author's particular style and uniqueness, but the readers experience is still a familiar one and easily navigable.
• It doesn't have to be perfect all at once. It doesn't even have to be finished, which contributes to the user continuing with learning, reflecting, thinking, and communicating. 

The point is, the blog-as-portfolio format allows the content to be quickly and easily presented without the user having to worry about the tool, without the tool becoming the focus. A blog isn't about being a blog, instead it renders itself as a tool for communicating results.

My students receive post instruction and prompts through their regular assignment delivery process. They each have their own individualized blog and have given me the url address for it. I can follow each student's individual learning and understanding, and see his or her growth over time. Come check them out and leave a comment. 

Rethink, Revise, Repeat

How Teachers Improve Lessons

Yesterday yielded a frustrating day with students not following directions, not completing the task, and generally disappointing me in my lesson preparation. And it was a rework of last year's lesson. Ouch. Should've gone better.

In sharing my frustration with a fellow teacher -- in the hall, between classes -- he noted how teachers revise their lessons continuously yet do not record their revisions. His concern was coming from being on a subcommittee for NEASC recertification where evidence of just this sort of thing is  lacking. I pointed out that I revised the lesson from the first period of the day to the last period of the day, based on the class before, and that there was no way I would have the TIME needed to record what I changed.

Old School Clock

Almost every teacher rethinks and revises his or her lessons based on how well they worked. Of course there are exceptions, but for the most part teachers work on their craft continually. But only those willing to spend inordinate hours on weekends (hand raised) would go through the trouble of writing down every edit and modification and reason for. We already spend our nights and weekends grading and lesson planning, shopping for materials; where would the TIME for reflective writing come in?  Commonsense says that this reflection should come during the school day, when the work is fresh; reality, however, is that the teacher's day does not accommodate this pause in the ticking of the clock. Personally, I frequently do not get a bathroom break from 7 am to 2:30 pm - there are always students and meetings and work to be done.

To be honest, I could totally share my experience and face up to the embarrassment of the class. In doing so I would hope that other teachers would provide positive feedback and give productive suggestions for improvement. Some teachers may feel that sharing their failures will show them in a bad light, that they would be deemed a poor teacher, and would be unwilling to put it out there. I have those concerns, but my desire for improvement outweighs my fear of humiliation. Since I like to keep my blog posts short, to stay focused and so you can read  them quickly, and perhaps have time to comment, the shame of the lesson is posted separately.

Lessons in Bathymetry Mapping

Why Would Anyone Give High School Seniors Playdough?

Bathymetric Map of the Area Around the Canary Islands

It should have been interesting, educational, and fun. It felt like a disaster. I will be looking forward to the student reflections on this activity to give me further guidance on the value of the lesson.

Yesterday's lesson was actually a two-day activity on bathymetric mapping and involved playdough. It was three classes of high school juniors and seniors making 3-D maps of the ocean floor with playdough. Day one, after a lecture, students were given salt and flour, and a recipe for self-hardening clay. Day two, students were given bathymetric maps and instructions on gridding the map, gridding a shoebox lid, and transferring the map into a 3-D form on the shoebox. It didn't quite go that way.

Modeling the Seafloor in 3-D - Procedure

1.       To begin, you will need a shoebox lid, some material to form your "seafloor" (clay, sand, play-dough, or a mix of sand and plaster), toothpicks with labels, a pencil, and ruler.  You will construct a model of a seafloor. It is recommended that you work in teams of two.

2.       Note ocean floor features on your assigned bathymetric map. Refer to textbook figures, your notes, and/or the accompanying figures as necessary.  You should identify the following:

a.                   A coastal ocean zone - the coastal ocean bottom should contain a minimum of the following items:

·         A flat abyssal plain.

·         An underwater seamount or guyot.

·         A continental shelf, break, slope, and rise.

·         A submarine canyon on the continental shelf.

b.                  An open water zone - the deep-water bottom should contain a minimum of the following items:

·                     A flat abyssal plain.

·                     An underwater seamount or guyot.

·                     A section of the mid-ocean ridge.

·                     A trench and island arc system.

c.                   You may also see features such as:

·                     ridge

·                     trench

·                     submarine volcano

·                     accretionary wedge

·                     subduction zone

·                     collision zone

·                     transform fault

·                     spreading plate boundary

3.       Classify and label these features and plate boundaries on the paper map first.You will label these on your 3-D map after it is constructed.

4.       Using a ruler and pencil, draw a grid over your paper copy of the bathymetric map.  Transfer the grid dimensions, scaling if necessary, to the inside of your shoe box lid.

5.       Construct your ocean floor model, to scale, using your grids as a guide.  Make it as close to the map as you can. Label the floor features on the toothpicks and stand them in the appropriate locations. Your 3-D map will need to dry for a couple of days.

Lessons Learned

• Problem: Few took the time to grid the map or box lid. Modification: Do not have materials to make the clay available until after preliminary mapping and gridding is checked.
• Problem: Huge mess of playdough; too much material used; clay not to specifications for molding and shaping. Modification: Pre-measure flour and salt, if possible. Have clay mixed at assigned stations. If students are to measure ingredients, emphasize the need for precision in measurements, otherwise the clay is sticky, goopy, or gummy and won't shape well.
• Problem: Sloppy and hasty construction. Modification: Illustrate how to mold the clay into the various forms. Encourage the use of tools for shaping.Turn the "criteria list" into a full rubric.Have students peer assess.
• Problem: Difficult to see depths on black & white maps. Solution: Have laminated color maps; use erasable marker for the grid; Alternatively, provide color maps if possible (wasn't able to due to no color printer); alternatively, provide a map that shows elevations.

Student Bathymetry 3-D Maps,
materials: self-hardening clay, shoe box lid,  toothpicks, labels

In case you are interested, the recipe for the self-hardening clay is: