Suggested approach/ Flow through the module

HOOK & AfL probe; ‘Money to Burn’ demo – challenge students to explain what is happening and why http://goo.gl/OiwBa3

(this is used assess students’ ability to , observe question and create rather than any knowledge of combustion)

• Introduce nature of science through a demo and class discussion - introduce notions of observation, measurement, testing, what is science is and how we use it to answer questions.
• Objectivity vs subjectivity – can we rely on our senses? 3 water tub demo of three different tubs of water-transfer hands
• Lab safety – the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of effective and safe lab work
• Model process of scientific method by teacher led ‘Steps to Inquiry’ e.g. Instant Snow (this will bring out mass volume temp),
• Explore concepts of MASS, VOLUME, TEMPERATURE and provide opportunities practice collecting measurements , units , unit conversions
• (What would you use to measure?. . . .
• Student led Steps to inquiry - with dissolving (can be used a formative to see how they set up tables etc.)
• Provide opportunities for students to handle, graphically represent and interpret data – can use handling data/graphical analysis ;Tuva labs data sets for interpreting data
• Critical thinking analysis of a claim e.g. do ‘Power band bracelets work?’ (examine claim, how could it be tested)

Learning activities General:

• Teacher led Steps to Inquiry-
• Practice measuring volumes of solids and liquids.
• Practice unit conversions and identifying the appropriate unit for a given measurement.
• Smarter Science inquiry-based lab activities- ‘Instant Snow’ modeled,
• Explore Learning Gizmo: Growing Plants (e.g. can be used to model a bad experiment by teachers)

Suggested approach/ Flow through the module

AfL probe; Teacher-led class discussion on themes of ‘what IS technology?’ ‘What technology have you used today? What technology can’t you live without and why? (Opportunity to dispel myth that technology + digital devices only!)

HOOK: Start with video of amazing machines; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_ZmkzIebr0

ALSO 2 great Apollo 13 clips to show nature of design challenge; https://goo.gl/u1MYar and then https://goo.gl/ONsHCH

• Introduce a variety of objects to demonstrate how technology meets needs but also how design is related to function. Introduce notions of material choice and specifications
• Use a design challenge activity to provide overview of tech design process and to reinforce concept of specifications.
• Explain that engineers communicate ideas graphically using specialized diagrams (design plans, construction diagrams) NOTE – this is only an overview not detailed instruction of these methodologies!
• Ask students to design, build and analyze an object, as a way of consolidating concepts that were introduced. This task can also be used formatively to assess what students know about force and motion.

Learning activities General:

• PROTOTYPE CREATION/TWEAKING
• Concept attainment on what is technology
• Assign students an object and ask them to come up with the specifications of the object
• Design challenge: Marshmallow Challenge

Practical Component: -

Suggested approach/ Flow through the module

Hook/AfL probe; The refusing funnel pg 49 Invitations to Inquiry

• Introduce concept of matter (challenge misconceptions e.g. that a beaker can be ‘empty’)
• Overview of states of matter (reinvest and assess prior knowledge from elementary PoL content)
• Demonstrate a phase change to stimulate ideas of matter and that matter can observably change
• Investigate why changes occur, by introducing temperature.
• Explore examples of the effect of temperature changes on matter. Demonstration thermal expansion and relate to engineering
• Students can build a thermometer. This is an opportunity to reinvest ‘Tech world’ concepts (analysis, design, specifications etc.)
• Demonstrate a small number of chemical and physical changes and draw out the observable differences between them practical activity in which they perform/observe changes and have to infer whether these changes are physical or chemical Students predict changes in mass during changes, including one where gas is the product, and to test their hypotheses. Explore further examples of chemical and physical changes including the changes that occur during the water cycle
• Analysis of a technical object as a system that involves a physical or chemical change (e.g. teal kettle, blender, hot-air balloon)

Learning activities General:

Balloon in a Flask http://goo.gl/oL0tEk

Thermal bar breaker demo (highly recommended) https://boreal.com/store/catalog/product.jsp?catalog_number=160592

Build and calibrate a thermometer:

Predicting the final mass when a known mass of solute is added to a known mass of solute - teacher lead discussion followed by demonstration using electronic balance to test hypotheses

STEPS TO INQUIRY; ‘water-cycle in a box’

Suggested approach/ Flow through the module

HOOK: GALLIUM SPOON video

AfL probe; Use a demonstration to introduce students to the particulate nature of matter.(e.g. predicting final volume of mixing water alcohol, water and sand)

• Explain the Dalton model of the atom. Discuss how technology has changed what we can find out about the atom.
• Demonstrate separation of molecules using the electrolysis of water (Hoffman apparatus) and use this to introduce the idea of a molecule.
• Use molecule building kits to represent this reaction and go on to use these kits to illustrate other reactions involving molecules. This is an opportunity to reinvest notions of physical and chemical change
• Students perform a simple chemical reaction (e.g. oxidation or salt formation) to produce a molecule (also represent with model kits)
• Ask students to observe different elements and use their observations to classify the elements.
• Introduce students to elements and the periodic table, emphasizing that classification is a recurrent ‘big idea’ in science.
• Explain basis of the structure of the periodic table

Learning activities General:

• Students construct their own periodic table and explain their choices for groups. (e.g. periodic table of hockey players, musicartists, foods etc.)
• Assign students an element to represent as a cartoon character. Create mock Facebook style profile for chosen element. Use photo apps to create molecule/element safari of home.
• Use molecular models to build some interesting, engaging molecules (see ‘compound interest’ website)
• electrolysis of water (Hoffman apparatus) demo molecule building kits activities
• Class experiment of simple chemical reaction (e.g. oxidation or salt formation)
• Circus of different elements in stations for identification and classification

Suggested approach/ Flow through the module

AfL probe; Brainstorm what students know about the ‘structure of the Earth’

HOOK; Show ‘the deepest hole in the world’ (the Kola Superdeep Borehole is 12 km deep, took 24 years to drill, only penetrated one 7th of the Earth’s crust and is only 0.002% of the radius of the Earth).

• Q&A session: So if we haven’t even left the crust, how DO we know about the structure of the Earth? Use this as an opportunity to show how collected data can be used to construct a working model and introduce the internal structure of the Earth.
• Students reinvest this knowledge using an activity in which they represent the Earth’s structure.
• Introduce concept of a ‘Rock’. Using observations of different types of rocks, students develop their own classification, leading to the introduction of the 3 types of rocks and the process by which they were formed.
• Use demos to illustrate rock type formation processes e.g. insoluble compound shaken in jar of water and left to sediment.
• Use a practical activity as an opportunity for students to use observable characteristics as a way of identifying minerals. Opportunity for a complex task during which students identify an unknown mineral.
• Explore how we use different rocks and minerals, through examples, including the analysis of an appropriate technical object (What is it made of? Where did the materials come from?) http://goo.gl/kqYxHu http://goo.gl/4uxcIF

Learning activities:

• Scale model of Earth http://goo.gl/jipRIJ
• Use string and layers of the Earth project (Mining Matters)
• How do we know what the structure of the Earth is? Inquiry, hypothesis generating activity
• Foldable for layers of the Earth
• Rocks and minerals identification lab
• Identification of an unknown mineral
• Challenge to find ANY object whose materials have not originated from the lithosphere (impossible!)
• Students create an infographic to show origins all of the materials of a chosen technical object

Suggested approach/ Flow through the module

HOOK/AfL probe; show students video of Rube Goldberg machine (e.g. ‘OK Go’ or ‘Honda Cog’ and ask them to explain what is going on at each stage

• Develop definition of force, and through a variety of examples, identify forces acting on the objects, and the effects of the forces. Include examples in which no motion is observed (e.g. sitting on a chair).
• Explore gravity as a force of mutual attraction between ALL objects which have mass in the universe.
• Use a variety of technological objects to reinforce the concept of motion, identifying examples of motion transmission and transformation. Students can design simple systems for desired motion inputs and outputs, reinvesting design plans.
• Introduce types of simple machines through a demonstration/activity during which students can identify mechanical advantage, e.g. binder clip activity. Use this a means of introducing the main categories of simple machines.
• Students analyze technical objects, identifying simple machines and the types of motion changes taking place.
• Culminating challenge; students engage in a tech design challenge and use graphical language to communicate ideas

Learning activities

• Having the students build Bottle Rockets can help the students apply their knowledge and engage their learning.
• Binder Clip activity (handles are interchanged to in order to change effort required to open clip.
• practical sessions with simple machines ‘stations’ around the classroom; students interact with each and try to think of real-world applications
• Simple Punch – Analysis of a technical object
• CDP activities for tech analysis
• Culminating tech design activity; ‘Rescue Rover’ http://goo.gl/deR37d

Suggested approach/ Flow through the module

HOOK/AfL probe; Develop characteristics/definition of a ‘Living Thing’ by using Socratic questioning, e.g. challenge students to defend why an object such as a cup is NOT a living thing (7 characteristics derived)

• Explore limitations of the 7 characteristics model e.g. are flames alive? (they demonstrate all 7!) are viruses alive (they do not demonstrate any of the 7 alone) use this to explore ‘big picture’ idea of modelling and it’s limits
• Observe plant and animal cells through the microscope have students learn to recognize cellular components and become aware of their functions
• Apply knowledge of the cell model to analogous context e.g. school building to reinforce/evaluate understanding
• Review idea of ‘system’ with inputs and outputs and explore processes of and cellular respiration and photosynthesis
• Conduct an inquiry activity on photosynthesis and/or respiration
• Explore how substances enter and leave cells through osmosis, diffusion
• Conduct PEOE demonstrations and/or experiments to illustrate osmosis and diffusion

Learning activities

• Steps to Inquiry activity: Is yeast alive (respiration)? Or Bubbling Cabomba (photosynthesis).
• Microscopic observation - prepared animal slides (squamous epithelial cheek cell) vs onion with iodine stain
• “Cell cities”-ask students to develop an analogy of the cell by comparing it to a school, a city etc.
• Demonstrate cellular respiration and diffusion is germinating pea seeds, measuring the amount of oxygen being used in germinating pea seeds by monitor temperature, display it in the form of a graph (respirometer). Temperature indicating that cellular respiration is taking place.
• Diffusion demo; ammonia tube http://goo.gl/1UdGPe
• Osmosis lab e.g. dialysis tubing, Ziploc bag/starch, potato slice - length change, celery lab
• Science-art interface activity - NSTA idea Making art with microscopes

Suggested approach/ Flow through the module

HOOK; Use images or video examples of remarkable organisms to introduce students to the diversity of life on Earth e.g. bioluminescent sea creatures, Chamaeleon, Venus fly trap, tardigrades, t4 bacteriophages etc.

AfL probe; ask students to place labware in groups or classes and explain criteria

• Introduce the idea that scientists have used the natural tendency to classify to in order to taxonomize the living world
• Introduce the concepts of species and population
• Provide students with an activity during which they can use a taxonomic key to classify organisms
• Introduce definitions of habitat and ecological niche and explore different examples IDEALLY students should leave the confines of the classroom and get outside and explore an ecosystem
• Habitat investigation should include soil types, distribution of water
• Explore the concept of erosion and it’ environmental impact (link with soil erosion)
• Use a field study of a habitat as a culminating activity to reinforce all of the concepts of this module

Learning activities

• Dichotomous key of household items, science labware, sports
• Classroom vivarium/terrarium
• Creating compost
• Soil labs soil composition and drainage/filtration
• Culminating Activity: Morgan Arboretum visit (LBPSB), Arundel Nature & Science Centre (SWLSB)
• Pond study, pootering