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Interactive Science: Labs to Master the Scientific Method

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

As imperfect as it may be, the Scientific Method remains humanity’s greatest tool. Some may even see it as the lever to move the world. But a tool for doing what? As Greg Epstein points out, it is the “most reliable tool for determining the nature of the world around us.” In this blog entry, we’ll take a look at some ideas for introducing the scientific method to students. What’s more, I’ll offer some suggestions for engaging young scientists.

The scientific method is an empirical method of acquiring knowledge. It has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century. It involves careful observation, observing then applying rigorous skepticism to those observations. That’s important since one’s cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation. (source)

The process varies in its details from one discipline to another. But generally, the scientific method is often represented in a simple diagram:

interactive science

Source: Brightyellowjeans – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 | See Others

Although the steps appear simple, more work must take place than just completing a science lab. Students must engage in discussion and reflection. As I reviewed some of the fun labs in this blog entry, I realized that I had had little exposure to the problem-solving aspect in my school days. To make sure that’s not happening with your students, be sure to follow the steps included in the diagram below.

interactive science

View online and make a copy – Created by author, adapted from John Almarode’s description in his book

Introducing the Scientific Method

Engaging in scientific reasoning and critical thinking is hard work. How do you introduce it to students in a way that engages them? In the blog entry, How to Design Research-Based Science Lessons, I describe the first step which includes three goals:

  • Get students engaged in learning science
  • Give students ownership of their learning
  • Assess and scaffold student progress from where they are to where they need to be

This means that students must internalize the scientific method and engage in metacognition. They must ask themselves, “What does the evidence say? What do I think about that evidence? What does it imply for next steps?”

Clarifying Vocabulary

Before I share some examples, let’s take a look at some key vocabulary terms to know:

  • Observation. What you see occur or happen
  • Hypothesis. A suggested explanation for the observation
  • Control group. A set of controlled variables that are unchanged. You only adjust the one variable for experimentation. The variable that is adjusted is known as the Independent Variable (IV).
  • Independent Variable (IV). This is the variable that is changed to see how it affects something else.
  • Dependent Variable (DV). The variable that is being measured/observed. It is assumed that the DV is affected by the IV. The DV’s value depends on the IV (source).

Below are some tried and true demonstrations that students can observe, write about, and discuss:

interactive scienceDemo #1: Water Temperature and Effect

Does water temperature affect how fast an Efferdent tablet dissolves? Give this activity a try for middle school students.

Tips for Implementation

Here are some suggestions from Carlos Gomez. I’ve also included some website links I thought might be helpful:

  • Get the tablets at a Dollar store.
  • Get a bag of ice in a cooler for the cold water. You can warm up water in an electric kettle. I pour it for the kids into their beakers so they don’t have to use tongs. Use room temperature water from the sink as your control.
  • Students time from the start (drop tablet) until fully dissolved. Temperature doesn’t need to be recorded because we simply care that one is hot water and the other is cold.
  • You can do a simple graph (bar or line) with independent variable (IV) being water temperature (hot, room, cold). Time can serve as the dependent variable (DV).
  • You can also try this with Alka-Seltzer, but Efferdent tablets are less expensive. View lesson plan.
  • Also use tablets to measure how much carbon dioxide gas is in an Efferdent tablet.
interactive science

Image Source: Newton’s Third Law

Demo #2: Barbie Bungee

Use scientific method as students differentiate between speed, velocity, and acceleration. They will also compare and contrast Newton’s three laws. Try this activity with high school chemistry students.

interactive science

Tips for Implementation

Demo #3: Slug Lab

Students write their own research questions about slug feeding behavior, then gather evidence. The goal is to learn how to design experiments that successfully gather the evidence needed. This activity works well for middle and high school students.

Tips for Implementation

Demo #4: Paper Tower Challenge

See image source, along with other examples

In this experiment, students work to discover the best way to assemble a paper tower. The independent variable is the tower design. The dependent variable is the height of the tower. Provide same materials (type and amount of paper, scissors). The materials will serve as the control.

Tips for Implementation

  • View lesson plan for standard challenge.) or explore an alternative.
  • Give each group two pieces of 8 1/2 x 11 copy paper, scissors, and cellophane tape. Challenge them to make the tallest free-standing paper tower. Some ground rules that Kerry BresMontgomery suggests:
    • Use as much or little tape as you want.
    • Rip/cut/fold paper.
    • Cannot tape tower to floor or desk.
    • Only 20 minutes to design and build.
    • Cannot get extra paper, so make a plan before cutting or ripping the paper.
    • Height is from base to top only counting paper (cannot make a tape spire).

There are many other cool lab ideas that can engage students. Use these to develop their scientific reasoning.

Be sure to explore Save Fred, Pringle Ring Challenge, Baking Soda Rockets, and Gummy Bear Osmosis. You may find the Bubble Gum Lab and Elephant Toothpaste of interest as well.

More Labs

You can find many more labs for a variety of age ranges and grade levels online. Here are a few places where you can find those:

In part two of this blog, Interactive Science: Virtual Labs, we will explore virtual labs that can help with the Scientific Method. Stay tuned!

References

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microscope
Science

Virtual Labs for Interactive Science

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

“I need to pick up something at Target,” my wife, a second grade teacher said to me this weekend. I rolled my eyes, knowing that a chunk of our income was going to school supplies. Although I’ve never added it up, classroom spending is up. No doubt, that’s one of the reasons why science demonstrations have fizzled out: no personal money to buy Efferdent tablets or gummy worms named Fred. In this blog entry, we’ll explore a few virtual lab alternatives. You will also get access to an extensive list of curated virtual labs and activities at blog’s end.

Before we do that, take a look and be amazed at how much teachers spend each year on classroom supplies.

virtual labs

The Cost of Classroom Supplies

Shocking, isn’t it, that teachers like my wife spend anywhere from $750 to $1,000 every year? These out-of-pocket purchases on behalf of needy students are classroom supplies. Worse, spending has increased twenty-five percent since 2015. And the need for supplies becomes even more dire when students engage in remote learning.

virtual labs

Some 2021 statistics from Adopt a Classroom, a non-profit group, include:

  • 55% of students had few or no supplies at home.
  • 65% of teachers said students were less likely to take part because they did not have what they needed.
  • 70% of teacher had to change lessons because they did not have needed resources.
  • 95% of teacher said their classroom supply budget is insufficient.

With these statistics in mind, wouldn’t it be incredible to know about virtual tools? It makes one ask, what science-related, virtual labs are available? Here’s a short list.

Virtual Lab #1: Labster

Need a virtual science lab with 200+ immersive, 3D presentations? Want your high school students to work through real-life scenarios and try lab equipment? Then Labster may be a worthwhile investment.

Labster integrates with a wide variety of learning management systems, including:

  • Canvas
  • Google Classroom
  • Schoology

Content is available in a variety of languages, including Spanish. What’s more, it has content covering biology, chemistry, physics, ecology, and more. You can see some of what’s available, for example, on the topic of evolution below.

virtual labs

As you might imagine, virtual labs like what Labster offers are not free. It may be cost-prohibitive since you have to fill out a form to get a quote.

Virtual Lab #2: PhET Interactive Simulations

Cultivate scientists with PhET. It offers 130 award-winning math and science interactive simulations. These work with students in third grade through adult. Since they are open educational resources (OERs), they are free to use and each simulation will work on any device.

Each PhET lesson, including simulations like this one, comes replete with resources. Included are a video primer, lesson ideas, and teacher-submitted activities. Give it a whirl, if you’re not using it already.

Virtual Lab #3: PraxiLabs

Need virtual labs for university biology, chemistry, or physics? Then you might take a look at PraxiLabs. It’s an award-winning solution available to educators, students, or to anyone.

For no cost in the free plan, you get six fixed experiments across all fields of study. In paid plans, you can mix and match from all experiments and select what you need for your curriculum plan. PraxiLabs offers a variety of supplementary content and unlimited repetitions of all simulations.

Virtual Lab #4: The Science Bank

Wish you could dissect a specimen at no cost? The Science Bank offers a free loan program. You can use this online dissection resource (organized by specimen) for free. Paid offerings are also available.

One of the offerings available is Dissection 101 Collection from PBS Learning. You can find educational videos, lesson plans, quizzes, and more. Specimens available include dogfish shark, earthworm, clam, crayfish, sea star, sheep heart, cow eyes, frog, and perch.

Virtual Lab #5: 3M Young Scientist Lab

Want to teach about wind energy, circuits, or other engaging activities? Then 3M Young Scientist Lab may be a source of worthwhile activities for you. It offers lesson plans and interactives.

virtual labs

Some of the lesson plans include:

  • Fun with adhesives
  • Light and shadow
  • Recycling
  • Absorption and reflection of solar energy

These are available for K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. For example, there is one activity where grade 3 students can learn about force using Post-It Notes.

Wait, There’s More to See and Interact With

Looking for something more? In this short blog of interactive science virtual labs, you won’t find everything. You may want to look through this Interactive Science Wakelet Collection. It will share a curated list of more than 35 virtual labs and interactive science activities.

virtual labs

View Interactive Science: Virtual Labs and Activities Wakelet Collection

Feature image. Available online by BCBangkok, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Feature Image Source

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

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interactive periodic table of elements
Science

Five Interactive Tools for Learning the Periodic Table

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

My high school science teachers were comedians. Whether I was learning about physical changes or chemistry, they made the class laugh, even when we were learning that hallmark of high school chemistry, the periodic table of elements. What tools are now available to support learning and understanding of the periodic table? In this blog entry, we will go over a few that you may find useful.

Introducing the Periodic Table

In case you missed the history of the periodic table, it took almost a century to organize. Several scientists spent their lives working on this table. The periodic table is awe-inspiring for this reason alone. It is also fun to consider because it makes the following possible:

  • Analyzing reactivity among elements
  • Predicting chemical reactions
  • Understanding trends in periodic properties among different elements
  • Speculating on the properties of undiscovered elements (source)

Learning the periodic table may be an obstacle for some, but for others, it represents a gateway to another world. Watch this video for a bit of background on the periodic table of elements:

Let’s take a look at some of the interactive periodic tables you can use with students.

Interactive Tool #1: Google’s 3D Periodic Table

interactive periodic table of elements

Google recently announced the availability of their version of a 3D periodic table. The table offers information about each of the elements, and you get to explore their properties. You also see its Bohr model representation which shows a planetary diagram of the components. In this model, negatively charged electrons orbit a small, positively charged nucleus.

You can see the Bohr model for several elements below. These include two reactive nonmetals. One of the elements shown is the most common element in the universe. The other is clear as gas and pale blue as a liquid. Can you guess which they are?

interactive periodic table of elements

The 3D Periodic Table is one of many Google Arts & Experiments available online. Here are a few other 3D experiments.

Interactive Tool #2: PBS Learning Media

PBS Learning Media offers an interactive periodic table as well. One item that will catch your attention is the mystery elements activity.

interactive periodic table of elements

You must drag mystery elements into their correct positions in the periodic table. Each provides information you can use to decide placement. Also, PBS Learning Media offers a lesson plan for grades 6-8 and 9-12 to introduce the periodic table.

Did You Know?

This comic book, Science Comics: The Periodic Table of Elements: Understanding the Building Blocks of Everything, is coming out in March, 2023 and may be worth sharing with students.

Interactive Tool #3: Elements Wlonk

Wlonk provides one of the easiest, most information-rich interactive periodic tables. It includes wonderful examples of the role each element plays in our lives. For example, titanium (as shown below) is what we rely on for aerospace. You not only find out what elements are useful or used for, but you also learn a bit about the elements themselves.

interactive periodic table of elements

Want to see other clever visuals for the periodic table? Check out the Royal Society of Chemistry’s table.

Interactive Tool #4: Mr. Nussbaum Learning + Fun

Do you need a quick tool to learn more about the periodic table and then want to review with a game to quiz the students after? This interactive resource makes that easy to do. The game has a timer, keeps track of your score, and more.

interactive periodic table of elements

Students can set the game’s difficulty level to novice, beginner, medium, advanced, or expert. Give it a try. For those of you that may want your students to play with the elements, consider this game. It is a periodic table game of battleship. Another game is Atomidoodle, available for Android devices.

Click to Learn with Mr. Nussbaum’s Interactive Table

Interactive Tool #5: Fisher Scientific

The Fisher Scientific Periodic Table of Elements makes it easy to sort elements. You can see which are gases, liquids, solids, or unknowns. You can also see which are metals and nonmetals.

interactive periodic table of elements

But Wait; There’s One More!

A bonus interactive periodic table of elements is Ptable. All the different ways you can interact with the elements using this table are incredible.

interactive periodic table of elements

It’s Element-ary, My Dear

Still wondering what those two Bohr Models were at the start of this blog entry? Hydrogen and oxygen. When I see what digital tools we have now, I often wish they had been available when I was learning science. These interactive periodic tables of elements tools can make learning less tedious!

Update – Periodic Table Games

After I wrote this blog entry, science teachers on Facebook asked, “Any ideas for fun periodic table games?” Here are a few of the ones they came up with:

  • Bingo! “Write names in boxes, call out numbers and symbols. My students love it,” says Jana Blake Chapline.
  • Breakout: “I create a breakout/lockbox with periodic table and a project where they have to write a word or phrase using only chemical symbols.” (Cyndia Larrimore)
  • Chemical formula: “I let my kids pick a food, drink, or product, then Google the chemical formula. Then they make a poster or write the formula on a class poster,” suggests Sheila Libecap.
  • Periodic table battleship: “Use file folders and add the periodic tables to top and bottom. Laminate and use dry erase markers,” says Dani Stone.
  • Quick Six: This free game encourages students to become familiar with the chemical elements. (Susan Waymire)
  • Relay Race: “I use a relay race. Index cards with the symbol (color coded for solid, liquid, gas). The groups have a table. The first student from each team runs down. I give them a card and pick…atomic mass to search. They run back, find the number, then run back and tell me. There are so many things I can choose for them to find out. Since they are using the table, it is a fun way to look around at all the details (e.g. groups, rows, mass, number, state at STP, metal, non-metal, metalloid…woohoo!” (Jill Parliman Kibler)

Feature Image Source

Screenshot by author.

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science lesson
Educational ResearchScience

Interactive Science: How to Design Research-based Science Lessons

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Recently, a school district administrator emailed me and asked, “If you were going to blend strategies that work into a science lesson, how would you do it?” That question really piqued my interest. Mixing instructional strategies that are proven to work with best practices in science teaching and learning sounds like a win/win. After much thinking, here’s how I would accomplish this, based on the research.

Step #1: Set Goals for the Science Lesson

Dr. John Almarode, who wrote Visible Learning for Science, suggests setting the following goals for science lessons. The goals are straightforward and represent a wonderful response to the question asked.

  • Get students interested in lifelong learning and science that works.
  • Give students more control over their own learning.
  • Build in ways to assess students to discover where they are, and then match strategies to what they need to learn.

The first goal is practical and makes learning relevant to the learner. The second ties into John Hattie’s strong belief in the need for students to be self-regulated learners, individuals who must have agency and ownership over their learning and are able to track their progress. In tracking their own growth towards learning targets, they can make decisions, which gives them voice and choice.

Step #2: Pre-Assess Student Learning

When determining what students already know about a topic or skill, you have to ask, “How do we pre-assess students where they are at?” This leads to the question, “What are some formative assessments we could use?” These assessments provide insights into where students may fall on the SOLO Taxonomy. SOLO stands for “Structure of Observed Learning Outcome.” This isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned SOLO, as have many others.

Let’s revisit what SOLO Taxonomy offers:

SOLO illustrates the qualitative differences. It indicates the differences between student responses and their levels of understanding. It classifies outcomes, relying on complexity and understanding.

SOLO does this so that you can make a judgement on the quality of student responses to assessment tasks. It relies on five levels of understanding:

Prestructural: at this level the learner is missing the point

Unistructural: a response based on a single point.

Multistructural: a response with multiple unrelated points.

Relational: points presented in a logically related answer.

Extended abstract: demonstrating an abstract and deep understanding through unexpected extension.

This FutureLearn chart clarifies the levels:

science lesson

The Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy (Adapted from Biggs & Tang, 2011) as cited in source

The main benefit of the SOLO Taxonomy is that it gives you, as the teacher, a set of specific terms (e.g., Unistructural, Multistructural, Relational) that can describe a student’s level of understanding. This level of understanding pinpoints what strategies may work best for them as they more through the learning process.

For students who are unistructural, they are in the surface phase of learning. This means that you might rely on those types of strategies, which could include vocabulary programs, direct instruction, and/or flipped classroom.

For learners who are relational, in the deep learning phase, different strategies work best. These may include concept mapping, metacognition, and reflection.

Knowing where a child falls on the taxonomy helps identify their level of understanding. It also assists you in knowing what to do next and to set success criteria.

What Is Success Criteria?

This phrase involves students knowing and understanding the answer to a simple question. That is, “How will I know I have learned it?” It is sometimes expressed as a statement, “I’ll know I’ve got it if….” You may want to revisit COLOSO in this blog entry.

Step #3: Build Learning into the Science Lesson

Ready to start on lesson design? Let’s take a look at the process Dr. John Almarode elaborates on. I’ve included a few resources for each area. What would you add?

“Science education needs a mix of demonstrations, labs, and experiments. It also needs reading, writing, and discussing with other scientists,” says Almarode. To that end, the lesson process he describes looks like this:

a) Paired Demonstration and Writing Down Observations

  • Demonstration
  • Encourage students to write about what they observed

b) Clarifying Terms and Vocabulary

  • Discussion about vocabulary terms
  • Have students revise their writing using correct terms

c) Wrap-Up

  • Final wrap-up

One key point that jumped out at me?

Every lesson (surface, deep, transfer) needs to have a clearly articulated learning intention. That learning intention must connect to success criteria. Remember, that is “What am I learning?” (learning intention) and “How will I know I have learned it?” (success criteria).

That’s quite a jump. To help the process make more sense, I put this diagram together that captures my understanding. Don’t be afraid to share your version.

Get a copy of this image via Google Slides or via Diagrams.net (requires you to authorize Diagrams.net in Google Drive account).

As you can see from this diagram, there’s a lot going on. To complicate matters, I’ve included some additional tools and strategy suggestions. How would you approach lesson design in your classroom with these three steps?

Matching Process to Resources

To provide some support, please find some relevant resources organized by the step in the process. I’ve organized them into a meta-collection in Wakelet. Explore and have fun.

science lesson design
Access this Wakelet Meta-Collections online at https://tinyurl.com/stwscience

Feature Image Source

Photo by author.

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