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Carbon ChemistryCC, an 8th grade Physical Science unit
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This two-week lesson was the final unit in the chemistry curriculum in 8th grade ... to slow computers, so I had to reconfigure the groups and use the 4 faster IMACs. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation
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Title: Carbon ChemistryCC, an 8th grade Physical Science unit
1
Carbon Chemistry(CC), an 8th grade Physical
Science unit
- Sharon Stevens Sinclair
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School
- 1290 Ivey Ranch Road
- Oceanside, Ca 92057
2
Carbon Chemistry Background Info
- Web sitehttp//ctap295.ctaponline.org/ssinclai/
- This two-week lesson was the final unit in the
chemistry curriculum in 8th grade physical
science. It was implemented in Spring 2001.
Over 160 students participated in all activities.
Results were analyzed for 36 students from 2
periods. - Sharon Stevens Sinclair
- teacher_sinclair_at_yahoo.com
- Martin Luther King, Jr. MS
- (760) 967-1122
3
CC Student Expectations
- This internet based lesson addresses the
uniqueness - of the element carbon. Students worked in small
- groups, pairs and individually while completing
the - different activities. It was expected by the end
of the - unit all students would know
- Carbon with its four valence electrons has the
ability to form 4 bonds. - All living things are based on carbon.
- Carbon bonds most frequently with hydrogen and
oxygen. - The study of carbon is known as organic
chemistry.
4
CC Actual Learning
- The internet activity, Carbon is 4 ever, took
twice as long, due to slow computers, so I had
to reconfigure the groups and use the 4 faster
IMACs. It took 2 days to complete this activity. - The carbon model activity went very well, since
students had built molecular models twice in
previous chemistry lessons. - Most students were motivated to complete the
different and varied activities. - Many types of learning modalities and styles were
addressed through the variety of activities.
5
CC Successes Shortcomings
- This was the second web-based lesson I had
developed, consequently the implementation was
much easier. - The different activities (note-taking, model
building, interactive web lesson, polymer
investigation, information poster) blended well
to meet the science content standards. - Most students appeared to be engaged throughout
the two week lesson implementation. - I encountered no instructional or content related
problems. The only issues were technical ones,
which were addressed immediately, and added one
day to the lesson sequence.
6
CC Data Analysis
- 18 multiple choice pre and post tests taken by
approximately 160 students. - All students participated in six activities
during carbon chemistry unit. - Not all students completed the six activities.
- Data for approximately 24 or 36 students was
analyzed.
7
CC Data Analysis
- Students showed an average increase of 4.3 points
- The Pre-test range was 2 15. Average score 7.1
- Post-test range was 6 16. Average score 11.3
8
CC Data Analysis
- A positive correlation appears between the number
of completed activities and post-test scores.
There was only 1 outlier or inconsistency. - The more activities a student finished, the
higher their achievement.
9
CC Data Analysis
- Pretest scores for girls were lower than boys by
almost 1 point, 6.79 Vs. 7.64. - Post test scores were equal, 11.33 Vs. 11.36.
10
CC Reflections
- Most difficulties were technical in nature,
related to the computer lab and old, archaic
equipment. These should improve over time as
computer equipment is upgraded. - Student engagement was high, since there was a
wide range of activities (lab, models, internet
web sites, note-taking, poster). - Motivation is still a factor with middle school
students, especially in low achievers. They did
not complete the activities, and subsequently had
low scores on pre post tests.
11
CC Revisions
- No changes to activities.
- Anticipate technical problems, checkout
equipment. - Possibly build in incentives to encourage low
achievers to finish activities.
12
CC Conclusion
- I had very few problems implementing this
internet-based lesson, since I have had prior
experience with similar projects in Astronomy and
Matter. - Multi-dimensional web-based lessons are both
engaging and motivating to most students. - I plan to create more lessons like these to
complement the middle school science curriculum. - Unfortunately, this is extremely time-consuming
project, and must be developed during summer
workshops or curriculum writing sessions.
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