WATER’S BOILING POINT LAB Modified Lesson Plan

The following lesson plan has been modified to follow the format of a flipped classroom. This will allow students with different needs to take longer or pause the videos where they think they did not get it. During the lab, only experimentation will take place and students will have some knowledge of what it is expected not only about content, but also about lab procedure. Students will be able to try different pressures and temperatures with the simulator. Finally, we will flatten our classroom by sharing our results with the rest of the world in The International Boiling Point Project, from where we will later have a discussion. 

WATER’S BOILING POINT LAB

Summary:

This lesson allows students to investigate water’s boiling point (physical property) through experimentation. This lesson is modified to help students with special needs have access to other resources to understand the boiling point better. It could also have connections with students around the world through The International Boiling Point Project, a worldwide project where students across the globe measure the boiling point of water at their location and submit the data to The International Boiling Point Project website, where everyone participating in the project has access to the data.This will allow students to understand that the boiling point is modified according to the altitude.

Grade:

Science - 8th Grade

Materials:

●       thermometer in °C (one per group)

●       250 ml beaker (one per group)

●       500 ml graduated cylinder (one per group)

●       Bunsen burner or hot plate (one per group)

●       ring stand and bracket to hold thermometer (one per group)

●       crushed ice (enough to fill one beaker per group)

●       distilled water ^[1](enough to fill one beaker per group, five different time)

●       data notebooks

●       Syringe

●       Clay

Background For Teachers:

What is the boiling point?

The boiling point of pure water is highly dependent on atmospheric pressure. At sea level distilled water boils at 100 °C; as elevation increases, and atmospheric pressure decreases, the boiling point of water decreases. In this lesson students will measure boiling point of water for the elevation of ASF^[2].  Students are engaged in the scientific process, and need to follow specific experimental procedures in order to collect accurate data, and observe the phase change of water from a liquid to a gas. If possible, students can post data for the school on the international website that allows comparison of water boiling point temperatures from around the world.^[3]

Web Sites

●       The International Boiling Point Project (2005).

Student Prior Knowledge:

●       Ability to measure water temperature with a thermometer.

●       Ability to measure a specific water volume with a graduated cylinder.

●       Ability to use a hot plate or Bunsen burner to boil a beaker of water.

●       Understanding that boiling is the process where a liquid is converted to a gas by increasing the energy, making the molecules move faster.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

1. Use Science Process and Thinking Skills

a. Observe objects and events for patterns and record both qualitative and quantitative information.

d. Select the appropriate instrument; measure, calculate, and record in metric units, length, volume, temperature and mass, to the accuracy of instruments used.

e. When given a problem, plan and conduct experiments.

3. Demonstrate Understanding of Science Concepts and Principles

a. Know and explain science information specified for their grade level.

d. Solve problems appropriate to grade level by applying scientific principles and procedures.

Instructional Procedures:

Students should work in small groups (two to four students per group). Before performing the experiment, students should have seen the boiling point video^[4], 'Experiments' - Evaporation, boiling and Bubbles^[5] and Science Help boiling point^[6] to have a flipped classroom.  Students will learn potential variables influencing the boiling point of water: pressure, elevation, amount of water, initial water temperature, room temperature, heating device. During class teacher should start by asking students to write a hypothesis for the variable that has the greatest impact on water boiling point.

Give students the following procedure on a worksheet or lab journal for this experiment:

Experiment

Day 1: Thermometer Calibration

1.     Determine elevation of the school. A GPS or local topographic map can be used to find elevation, or a specific zip code can be entered into the National Weather Service Forecast webpage in order to determine elevation Forecast Error(http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php)^[7]; other websites are also available).

2.     Thoroughly clean beaker with dish soap, rinse well with distilled water.

3.     Fill beaker with crushed ice and distilled water. Smaller pieces of ice work better than larger pieces; The goal is to make slush, similar to the consistency of a snow cone.

4.     Insert thermometer in the slush and record the temperature. The slush temperature can be assumed to be 0 °C.

5.     Derive a correction factor based on the slush temperature measurement and record data. For example, if the thermometer read 0.2 °C in the slush, the correction factor is -0.2 °C, meaning 0.2 °C should be subtracted from all subsequent water temperature measurements; and if the thermometer read -0.2 °C in the slush, the correction factor is 0.2 °C, meaning 0.2 °C should be added to all subsequent water temperature measurements.

6.     Remove thermometer from slush and empty slush from beaker.

Day 2: Water Boiling Point Measurement – Practice Run

1.     Select a volume of water to boil and record data; volume must be between 250 and 750 ml in order to post data to The International Boiling Point Project website and each group should use the same water volume each time the experiment is conducted.

2.     Evaluate current weather conditions (clear, partly cloudy, overcast) and record data.

3.     Use graduated cylinder to measure selected volume of distilled water and pour it into beaker.

4.     Place beaker on hot plate or over Bunsen burner.

5.     Measure laboratory air temperature with thermometer and record data.

6.     Insert thermometer into the bracket connected to the ring stand; submerge thermometer in water. Thermometer should be suspended in the water at least 1 cm above the bottom of the beaker; it should not touch the bottom or sides of the beaker.

7.     Measure initial water temperature with thermometer and record data.

8.     Turn on hot plate or Bunsen burner to begin heating water. If hot plates or burners have adjustable heat settings, 400-500 °C is a reasonable temperature.

9.     Record temperature every minute; boiling point is reached when the temperature reaches a constant value. It is a good idea to have students plot data as it is collected; this allows them to visually determine the boiling point from a graph of their data.

10.   Once boiling point is reached (defined as the point where the water temperature no longer increases, but remains constant for 5 minutes), remove thermometer from water and turn off hot plate or Bunsen burner. Allow time for water to cool before dumping it out of the beaker.

Days 3-5: Water Boiling Point Measurement

1.     Repeat steps 2-10 from day 2. Students should not need to graph data following the practice run, as they should now have an understanding of the boiling point.

2.     After data have been collected on days 3-5, each group should average the water boiling point for the three days. If data are to be submitted The International Boiling Point Project website, a class average boiling point, initial water temperature, and room temperature should be calculated.

Extensions:

Students should make the connection between air pressure and boiling point. At sea level, there are more molecules in a given volume of air (higher air density) than at higher elevations. At higher air density, more energy (more heat – higher temperature) is required for water to change phase from a liquid to a gas, meaning more energy is required for water molecules to evaporate. Have them practice with the simulator: Melting and Boiling [8]

Assessment Plan:

Students should create a data graph (x-axis: time since the hot plate or Bunsen burner was turned on, y-axis: water temperature) that clearly presents the results of their experiment from day 2. The graph clearly illustrates when the boiling point is reached, as the temperature will increase until the boiling point is reached, at which temperature will remain constant (within approximately 0.2 °C). Students should create a data table that clearly presents the results of their experiment from days 3-5, including boiling point temperature, initial water temperature, air temperature, weather conditions, and average measurements for each variable (calculated from data collected by the entire class). Each individual student should use the average measurements to test their own hypothesis. Students should write a brief “lab report” that provides interpretation of the results and discussion of results in relation to their hypothesis.

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^[1] Anne Helmenstine. "Boiling Point of Water - What Temperature Does Water Boil?." 2010. 16 Jan. 2014 <http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingswork/f/boiling-point-of-water.htm>

^[2] (2009). Boiling and Freezing points of pure and salty water - Physics Van. Retrieved January 16, 2014, from http://van.physics.illinois.edu/qa/listing.php?id=1457.

^[3] (2005). The International Boiling Point Project - The Center for Innovation in ... Retrieved January 16, 2014, from http://www.ciese.org/curriculum/boilproj/.

^[4] "Determination of Boiling Point of Water - OLabs - Amrita ... - YouTube." 2012. 16 Jan. 2014 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsoNJFv6i9E>

^[5] "'Experiments' - Evaporation, boiling and Bubbles - YouTube." 2011. 16 Jan. 2014 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnXjQW1LVLQ>

^[6] (2010). Boiling Point - YouTube. Retrieved January 16, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx4XOYpj1_k.

^[7] "Forecast Error - National Weather Service." 2007. 16 Jan. 2014 <http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php>

[8] "Melting and Boiling - Harcourt School." 16 Jan. 2014 <http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/hotplate/>

Web 2.0 - Adora Vittey on How Adults Should Learn From Kids

Have you ever felt so motivated by a video that you just want to stat doing what that person is? Furthermore, have your students be as motivated as well?

Adora Vittey, is a 12 year old girl who inspires people by sharing her thoughts related to educational topics through her blogs and videos. Adora shows us that teaching has become a both way activity, from teacher to student and student to teacher. Schools are not the only place where you go to learn anymore. Students learn better by collaborating, developing web skills, creating, and personalized inquiry. She even says that students are asking for more freedom. The role of teachers is to be mentors and the role of students is to develop their learning and application of it. Adora presents us with the format of allowing students also to teach us, breaking the model that traditionally has been ruling the way we learn. She has taken a great advantage of Web 2.0 by creating an engaging teaching platform and the resources she uses such as blogs, the cloud, videos, and intelligent boards. Her video “What Adults Can Learn From Kids from her Ted talk ion February 2013 she shows us how the thought of irresponsibility and irrational thinking should not be thought as only related to age, because adults have clearly shown those traits as well with wars, imperialism, colonization among others. Another aspect to be taken into account is that when you normally become an adult you disregard your dreams because you find them too difficult to achieve.

In my class I would like to do 2 things that Adora has inspired on me. Firstly I would like my students to develop as much as they can, pursuit accomplishments in different areas as Adora has shown it is possible. She has taken a great advantage of Web 2.0 by creating an engaging teaching platform. I will encourage my students to create projects, social bookmarking, sharing and consuming. Although we already have many of these in class, it is important to continue evolving and giving students the support they actually need, rather than just having them sit through a lecture where their understanding might be scarce and the knowledge will be lost eventually with no application. The role of teachers is to be mentors and the role of students is to develop their learning and application of it. Secondly, I would like all of my class including myself to think about our dream, about different ways to approach problems and allow ourselves to go through our ideas despite of how impossible they may sound.

TED. (2010, April 2). Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids. Retrieved January 12, 2014 from http://www.ted.com/talks/adora_svitak.html.

NMC Horizon Report: 2013 K-12 Edition

The NMC Horizon Report: 2013 K-12 Edition was created by the New Media Consortium, a recognized worldwide community of technology experts in charge of researching the emerging technology to be used in the classroom and their impact on teaching. According to the 2013 report there will be six technologies divided into adoption horizons or timeframes that it will take them to create a change on teaching, learning, creativity and become mainstream. The first horizon assumes a time to adoption of 1 year or less. The second horizon assumes a time of adoption of 2 to 3 years and the last horizon assumes a time of adoption of 4 to 5 years.

Horizon 1 technologies include: cloud computing and mobile learning. Cloud computing is a solution to store information without using any memory space in your devices. It promotes and allows having conferences and collaboration. Mobile learning is done by the use of BYOD and the use of apps to support students learning inside and outside the class. It is common to see that the publishing houses have included sites to interactive learning online. Most schools are in this horizon and they are the basic steps to innovate education.

Horizon 2 includes: Learning Analytics and Open Content. During this horizon there will be an analysis of the behavior of users online to observe the repetitive patterns in order to make predictions on how students spend their time online. With this, we will be able to determine the way to better approach students. Open Content provides open sources to enrich lesson plans and teaching. This allows us to also work collaboratively with people from all around the world. Always seeking for best practices. One of the options that are already online are by having a flipped classroom using the videos posted by other teachers and also creating your own to share.

Horizon 3 includes: 3D Printers and Virtual Remote Laboratories. The first allows students to create and design. It will be very useful for programming, engineering and science models. Currently it is being used in the revolution of prosthetics in medicine. Remote laboratories will give access to make scientific experiments that are not normally done in class because it could be dangerous to students or because of time, lab resources or space restrictions. It also promotes inquiry learning and allows students to work at their own pace.

With these tools, every student will have the opportunity to collaborate, create, and share. As teachers we need to be in constant evolution, embrace the change.

Meeting the needs of the 21st Century Learners

The past century has undergone through many changes, being technology one of the most important. Today, our students are saturated with media, they normally listen to music, record it, take pictures, create internet content, play video games, talk by mobile phone and instant message through out the day. The information comes to them easily, and the amount they receive is overwhelming. According to Dr. William Ranking of the Abilene Christian University, the information you just look up before class may be outdated by the time you take the class. Therefore, if students are capable of getting information at the moment and that it is the latest in any area, why do we continue trying to tech them information that they are supposed to retain?

Throughout history changes in the way students learn have been made and they have been shaped according to the technology to access information. During ancient times, before books were available, students used to learn from their teachers, having a relationship with them. It was common to live together and learn the trait by repetition of the skills being taught by the master. When the book became available, then the information could be read and learned from there. Despite this, it was extremely difficult and time consuming to get the information. Hence, teachers would “feed” the information to students because they were the easiest, fast and reliable source of information. Students would have to memorize what the teacher said, because having the facts and information made you competitive. However, students now have loads of information and do not need teachers to give it to them. Students take seconds to double check what their teacher is saying in class, they will come forward and say things like: “Have you seen this video/ app that shows you what you are talking about and see you can do this… and this…and this”. Clearly they are ready to share, discuss, and learn how to apply what they read. These changes and the new needs of students make us reflect on the role we have as teachers. It is necessary to shift from lecturing in class, to working together with students, collaborate, being a mentor and focus on them practicing.

Some of the options to start changing is by flipping the classroom. Students get the information at home, at their own pace, they research, watch video and read online with the use of apps, Khan Academy,TedEdTalks, ebooks, open content, among others. At school there are personalized discussions, application of the knowledge gained at home, solving problems, discovering, creating and sharing ideas and information. As educators we have a great responsibility on motivating the creativity  and imagination, creation and sharing of our students. So allow students to take control and to really shape their learning experience.

The Puzzle of Motivation

According to the video “The Puzzle of Motivation” by Dan Pink there is a mismatch between what science knows and what education does. Our model of education and business centers on rewards, these however, have not worked in real life because they kill creativity. Therefore, the outcome is poor or it takes too long. People gets used to only doing what they are expected to do, or even less. However, if they are allowed a little more freedom to be engaged on something that is interesting to them, then the productivity grows and new ideas get developed. There are several companies who have already taken the idea and they have found themselves having new ideas and being more productive. This also happens with students. They are used to follow and do what they are expected. But, what if we as teachers allow them to work on something they are interested on, let them research, discover problems and specially find ways out and solutions to them. This would necessarily help students not only be more creative but also more productive, with a higher understanding of something they were interested in to start with. We should move from the grading system we have, because getting a good grade is a reward. We should have students focusing in achieving a goal and learning. It will also likely have to do with something connected to their real life. Teachers should always be concerned about creativity, learning and connections to real issues.

Introduction to Project Based learning PBL

Project Based Learning was not new to me because while teaching at another school in Mexico we had to work through the Project Based Learning and although I only taught science as a special class, it helped me provide the students with a more meaningful and interesting way to learn and apply scientific contents. I like working this way because students are very engaged and see how what we are learning can be applied to everyday life, students learn all throughout the process and from experience, therefore, I like it being hands-on. It also helps bring out students’ strengths when working collaboratively. It is also a very rewarding way for students to learn, since they work on it from beginning to end and are very proud of their work and research when it is finished. Specially because they have to present their work to real audiences. My idea of PBL did not change after watching the video but it was interesting to see how students in that school were focused on aviation. Currently at ASF we are working with PBL in different grade levels, from the Operas and Exhibitions in Elementary to the Green House Project in Middle School and currently in my class we are working with the Energy Project. This project has to do with an island that is going to be researched and the students are hired to make a plan on how to create energy using the islands resources and environment.

Differences between projects and PBL

The differences between PBL and “just doing projects “are numerous. The most significant in my opinion are those that are core to projects. PBL is a student led inquiry where students use open-ended questions to guide their research and apply what they learn in every step. The teacher is a facilitator and a guide but is not who decides what is learned. In PBL assessment is done throughout the process and not only grading the end product commonly assessed through rubrics, which are usually created by the students themselves. The development of diverse skills when doing PBL is great and collaboration along with critical thinking are top of the list contrary to memorizing which happens with regular projects. PBL also allows students to work at their own rhythm and interest contrary to projects where the teachers decides the content and how students will learn.