[O My Alchemy] Rxn Rate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaction_rate

[Middle School] Demo Lesson Plan Note 3

Useful Demo Websites:

General Science Demos
http://nerds.unl.edu/pages/sciencedemos/

http://scied.unl.edu/pages/mamres/pages/demos/demo.html


Biology
http://scied.unl.edu/pages/mamres/pages/demos/biology/biology.htm

http://chem.lapeer.org/Bio1Docs/Index.php

http://www.darylscience.com/DemoBio.html

http://www.cellsalive.com/howbig.htm


Chemistry
http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/JCESoft/CCA/pirelli/index.html

http://alex.edfac.usyd.edu.au/Methods/Science/Chemistry%20Demonstrations (Can’t use in FireFox)

http://elmhurst.edu/~chm/demos/demoh.html

http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/demos/index.html

http://chem.lapeer.org/Chem1Docs/

http://www.science-house.org/learn/CountertopChem/


Earth Science
http://formontana.net/demos.html

http://www.earthscienceeducation.com/taster/copyright.htm

http://bingweb.binghamton.edu/~jbarker/demos.html


Physics
http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/demobook/intro.htm

http://nerds.unl.edu/pages/mamres/pages/demos/denver/denver.html

http://amasci.com/scied.html

[Middle School] Art. Excrpt._Demo Lesson Plan Note 2

How can it be converted from simply a dramatic event into an opportunity
for scientific reasoning?

Students should gain an understanding of and abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry.

Instead of providing answers, I invited questions and asked for rationales.

I was prepared to respond with additional experiments to answer those questions with evidence.

The audience consisted of students of middle school age through adults.

“What could possibly be happening?” and “Explain your reasons for thinking that”—trying to get audience members to express their underlying hypotheses about mechanisms or fundamental understandings.

It was important to allow explanations to be tentative—to go unacknowledged regarding correctness or completeness.

With successive experiments, the suggestions and ideas began to converge
toward stronger explanations without my intervention.

In the classroom,
teachers can leave the activity unresolved and return to it the next day after students have had time to think about their ideas overnight.

To be prepared for questions, teachers
need to learn from prior reports and to have personal experience with variations on the basic experiment.

- Authorship

Christopher Bauer (cfb@cisunix.unh.edu) is a professor of chemistry at the University
of New Hamsphire, Department of Chemistry, UNH Durham, NH 03824

[Middle School] Art. Excrpt._Demo Lesson Plan Note 1

1. Preparing for the demonstration
2. The demonstration
3. Guided inquiry

Engage students by casually performing the demonstration a few times without comment. Often students will initiate discussion by asking what is in the flask or why the color changes are taking place. At this point ask them to formally state what they have observed as you record their observations on the board or overhead.

You may wish to have students record observations on a worksheet or in a class notebook to help develop writing skills and produce a permanent record of their thoughts. This is done before any mention of scientific inquiry.

Next ask students, “Why does shaking the flask cause the observed color changes?” Students are challenged to give possible answers. As their suggestions are stated, write them on the board or overhead.

4. Common student hypotheses and testing as a class
5. Mics. Excrpt

The blue bottle reaction: For middle school students it is sufficient to describe the chemistry in more general terms.

The flask originally contained air above the liquid and shaking the flask dissolved a small amount of oxygen from the air, which reacted with another chemical in the liquid to produce the blue product. The blue product then was slowly consumed or used up during a second reaction, which resulted in the liquid becoming colorless once again.

6. Conclusion

The abilities to propose experiments, make observations, and use data to justify conclusions are critical to the scientific process.

Investigation of the reaction can be adequately discussed in middle school using general terms such as blue substance and colorless gas.

The demonstration process allows the teacher to maintain control while guiding an inquiry into the chemical system.

This involves students in an investigation early, even on the first day of class if the teacher chooses, before they have any experience in hands-on group activities.*****

The demonstration format also minimizes material needs and safety issues.*****

Teachers help students use evidence to accept, eliminate, or modify hypotheses.

Students build ownership as later in the year they propose and design experiments, make observations, draw conclusions, and propose alternative hypotheses.

- Authorships

William C. Deese (wcdeese@latech.edu) is the
T.W. Ray Johnson professor of chemistry and Linda

Ramsey (lramsey@latech.edu) is director of CATALyST
and an assistant professor of biological sciences
at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana.

Cathi Cox (ccox@lincolnschools.org) is the Project
ACHIEVE coordinator for Lincoln Parish Schools in
Ruston, Louisiana.