3D Modeling

Our school recently received grant funding for a 3D printer, and I wanted to find a way to get all of my students using it. We were in the middle of our DNA unit, so I decided to challenge each student to design a 3D model of the DNA molecule.

After a quick introduction to TinkerCad tools, the students were working. The engagement and excitement were high. Students helped one another find, move, and manipulate shapes to create unique models of DNA. Many students continued on in their own time to create nameplates, small toys, and even an entire bunny village in TinkerCad!

                     

First Day of School - Breakout Game Challenge

As a teacher, I have always struggled with what to plan for the first day of school. I want to do something fun, to get the students excited about my class. I want to do something that gets students moving and working together, since they will do that a lot during class this year. And I also want to do something related to the syllabus and classroom expectations. But expectations can be boring and tedious. And unstructured games can be considered a waste of time by administrators.

This year, I created a breakout game for the first day of classes. I was unsure how the students would respond, but they LOVED it. All my students were engaged, excited about the class, and referring to the class syllabus.

After a quick introduction to me and the game, students were put in groups and given this first clue. The students needed to read through the syllabus to fill in each blank. Students then use the highlighted letters to create a short URL.

When typed into the computer, the short URL leads to a cypher, which students can use to decode clue two. Clue two asks them to take one envelope from the grab a lab table.

In the envelope, students will find clue 3. When they unscramble the letters, they find the four materials that must be brought to class every day.

When they find the correct 3 digit code, this opens a box on the front table containing puzzle pieces and clue four. When they assemble the pieces, they see four pictures of my summer adventures.

On the back, they see the shape, matching my favorite color.

Check out my Teachers Pay Teachers page to download this FREE game. It is fully editable, so you can make it work for your own classroom.

Or check out my blog post Using Breakouts in the Science Classroom  to see other ways I use breakouts in my classroom.

Modeling DNA Replication

A few years ago, I decided that I really wanted to focus on ensuring that my students understood the process of DNA replication. While diagrams and videos were available online, I wanted the students to actually interact with the process. I have used this modeling activity with my middle school students for several years with great success, and I hope your students enjoy it too.

Here, you see students working together to apply the base pair rule as they model DNA replication.

After working with the model in a small group, students put what they have learned into their notes, in words and pictures.

I created these manipulatives out of simple craft foam so they last from year to year. Be sure to create helicase and DNA polymerase as well.

The models help students understand that base pair rule and the steps of DNA replication, and can even be extended to teach RNA and transcription. 

Using Breakouts in the Science Classroom

Are your students tired of the same old study guides and review games? Looking for an activity that requires students to apply what they have learned while also building communication skills and perseverance? Need a fun way to introduce a unit and review prior knowledge? Try a breakout!

I often visit escape rooms with my friends. As a teacher, I always thought it would be fun to bring this experience to my students. How fun would it be to watch my students solve puzzles and work together in this way? After trying a few I found online, I began to develop unique breakout experiences, modifying puzzles I saw in real escape rooms, to help my students master the Science concepts we study.

In this image, you see a group of students fully engaged in their Chemistry Breakout. The students must apply their knowledge of the periodic table and the Bohr model of the atom in order to solve the puzzles, find the code, and open the box.

In this image, you see students working together on a word search. First, the students answer questions about DNA, then they find those answers in a word search. When they are done, the word search reveals a number code that helps them open the next lock.

My students love breakout days. One student asked if we could do one every week! While participating in the game, students get so caught up in the competition and puzzles that they forget they are learning.






Interested in trying a breakout game in your classroom? Click the links to find the Atoms and Periodic Table Breakout Game or the DNA Breakout Game on my Teachers Pay Teachers page.

Concept Models - Assessments that dig deeper

At the end of an activity, lesson, unit, or year, teachers want to know what students have learned. Traditionally, students are asked to answer questions in the form of a test or quiz to see what they have learned. As we know, these assessments often ask students to recall or recognize information, rather than show what they truly and deeply understand.

Over the past few years, I have begun asking my students to draw and write out models for the key concepts we are studying. Each unit is broken into modules (which I call Missions) and each mission has an essential question. 

Sometimes, I have students answer this question before we begin the module, and then again after, having them reflect on how their ideas have changed over time. This allows students to see that they are learning, and allows me to see what they understand.

In the concept model to the right, you can see how much more the student understands after the module, both from how she explains and based on her self-drawn diagram.

In other modules, students complete a concept model at the end of a unit as part of an assessment. The examples below show models students completed after a unit on river systems. This line of questioning helps me know that students are doing more than just memorizing the vocabulary terms. 

Genetic Engineering - Where do YOU draw the line?

As preteens, my Middle School students are working hard to establish their identities. Part of this identity development includes understanding the issues they will soon face as adults, and guiding them to informed opinions. To this end, I build a lot of discussion about genetic engineering into my unit on DNA and heredity.

In this activity, students are given a chance to debate and discuss different real uses of genetic technology, working toward an understanding of where THEY draw the line. It is important to emphasize with students that their opinion may differ from the person next to them, and that that is okay. We model how to disagree respectfully and I post sentence starters on the front board that students can refer to as needed during the discussions.

During the activity, each group of students receives 12 cards, each explaining a different real life example of genetic engineering. Students are then tasked with discussing and ranking the cards, on a scale from Never Okay to Always Okay.

For example, one card reads "Dog breeders bred pugs to have short muzzles because owners think this trait is cute. This makes it harder for pugs to breath."

As they discuss, students are analyzing and grappling with the pros and cons of different uses of genetic technology. They begin to realize what they believe is okay and what they believe is not okay. They are becoming informed decision makers.

Feel free to check out the full assignment on my Teachers Pay Teacher page. 

Slope of a River Investigation

This is one of my favorite investigations in the Landforms Unit. It requires the entire classroom to work together, is hands-on, and involves authentic data analysis.


Background Knowledge: Prior to this lesson, students have learned about River Systems. They can identify basic the basic parts of a river, including channels and deltas. They also understand weathering, erosion, and deposition. Students have already completed a basic river system activity with the stream tables, and are applying what they learned in that exploration as they begin the Slope of a River Investigation.


The Investigation



Students are presented with an essential question: How does the slope of a river impact the patterns of erosion and deposition? 

With this question in mind, students work together to create three plateaus in the stream tables. While building, I guide the students in a discussion about constants - factors that need to be the same in each of the three stream tables in order for the test to be valid.

Once the plateaus are built, textbooks are used to very the slope of each river.

Then, we are ready to make it rain!

After the water is done flowing, students measure the channels and deltas formed by the river. This data is recorded in a shared data table, projected onto the front board.

Students then return to their own computers, using the shared data to complete their lab reports in small groups.

Like what you see? Find this lab template or Visit my Store on Teachers pay Teachers.