Clark University 03/24/2017

Learning Activity Plan

Chemistry, Mrs. Phillips

  1. Content: Chemical Bonding

Today, students will share the lab reports they created for the “Covalent or Ionic Compound?” lab with their peers, aiming to have at least three students looks over their papers by the end of the period. These students with act as peer editors, commenting on and suggesting improvements to the papers they are reading just as we did in our lab report writing workshop on Friday. Once students have had at least three other students review their work (students must sign the bottom of the lab reports they review), they will also have the option of giving it to me for a quick check over before completing final revisions and turning it in the following Monday.

  1. Learning Goals:
  2. SWBAT analyze the written lab reports, data, andresults of their peers scientifically and respectfully, collaborating as scientists do in real laboratory situations to improve the written work of one another.
  3. SWBAT work independently or collaboratively with their group mates to revise their data and analysis in a full, written lab report.
  4. SWBAT use all resources at their disposal (sample lab reports, rubrics, and a provided check list) to determine whether they are viewing a professional and well-rounded lab report.
  1. Rationale:

This full-class lab report review day will help students to hone their writing skills and understand exactly what is expected of them in the final lab write up and whether they met the expectations or not with their first draft. Because we have already done a similar activity in our lab report writing workshop, students already know how to present professional feedback to one another and this is their chance to test those skills. This lab report is the culmination of aweek-long activitydesigned to make sure students have a thorough understanding of the two types of chemical bonds and the ways these different bonds affect the properties of compoundsbefore we move on to the next topic –chemical reactions. The use of compounds that students use in everyday life also provided students with an aspect of relevancy to keep them engaged, and the analysis of these compounds through their lab reports will help students to better understand the world around them. The “known” data will also give students something to compare their “unknown” results to, which should help them in their interpretation of their data.

  1. Assessment:

The final assessment for the lab activity will be in the form of a formal, written lab report that will show what students have learned in terms of lab techniques and data collection, and in terms of covalent and ionic compound properties. Students will know they have reached the learning goals for this activity when they are able to identify their unknowns as covalent or ionic compounds and explain their conclusions scientifically.

  1. Personalization and Equity:

Students will begin by collecting a lab report rubric and worksheet for their peers to give them a grade and feedback on – this will help all students to better organize their thoughts and provide constructive feedback to one another. Students will get to choose who they share their lab reports with, as this will help students to choose someone they feel comfortable with and optimize their feedback. Any students who have not completed the lab report will spend the period working on this independently and will be asked to remain after school tomorrow to work on this as well so that all students have something completed by the deadline and I can provide one on one support as needed. In this class, Kennedy, Dan, Clay, and Brandon will be checked on frequently to ensure they are not struggling and remain engagedthe activity, and will be offered one-on-one support as needed. I will also check in on Kassandra, as she has been disengaged from the class lately and may need extra support. Brandon has received a separate “lab report” assignment with directed questions and broken down chunks to help them better access this assignment, which I will review with him as his peers peer-edit.

  1. Activity Description and Agenda:
  2. Agenda

Time / Teacher: / Students: / Rationale:
0:00 – 0:05 / Teacher will begin the lesson by asking students to take out their completed lab reports, but not to turn them in yet. Students believe the lab report is due today, and so will not be expecting a peer review editing session. Teacher will explain to students the goal for the day – students must have at least three people complete and sign their review worksheets, which they will then use to make revisions to their lab report before turning it in the following Monday. Teacher will tell students that after they have their feedback sheet complete with three signatures and comments, then they can request that the teacher review the lab report as well. Students who do not have a lab report will be asked to sit at the front of the room and work on this independently for the period. / Students will enter,take out their lab reports, and listen to instructions. Students will obtain a feedback form and begin pairing up. / This will serve to inform students of the goals of the day while at the same time getting students on task right from the start of the lesson.
0:05 – 0:55 / Teacher will work with students with the altered form while the rest of the class completes peer edits at the start of the period. Teacher will then circulate the room and assist students as needed and hold “open office hours” for students who have the required feedback sheet filled out. Teacher will check these feedback forms as students leave to ensure students were working productively and mark these as the participation grade for the day. / Students will share their lab reports with one another and myself as needed and check in with me before leaving. / This will give students a much needed chance to peer edit their lab write ups with one another before turning them in.
0:55 – 0:60 / Teacher will inform students that the period is over, so they should ask any remaining questions before they leave and be sure to check in with their peer editing forms before they go to receive credit for this activity. Teacher will inform students that the lab report is due on Monday, and they are welcome to email any drafts over the weekend. / Students will finish up their last thoughts, check in with the teacher, and head out to their next classes. / This will give students a chance to wrap up their thoughts.

Homework:Lab Report – due Monday.

  1. Challenges:

For this activity, I anticipate there may be some problems with students not fully in the peer editing session and have allowed students to choose their own partners for this activity to help students feel more comfortable sharing and have created a required feedback form for students to use while peer editing that will also serve as their participation grade for the day. I will also be walking around the room and assisting students and ensuring they remain on task throughout the activity.Finally, I anticipate some students may need more help than others with the lab write up and so will be offering students the opportunity to check in with me one on one after three students have read their labs to ensure they have optimal feedback to succeed.

  1. Frameworks:

SIS1. Make observations, raise questions, and formulate hypotheses.

SIS3. Analyze and interpret results of scientific investigations.

SIS4. Communicate and apply the results of scientific investigations.

4.1 Explain how atoms combine to form compounds through both ionic and covalent bonding.

4.5 Name and write the chemical formulas for simple ionic and molecular compounds.

  1. Reflection:

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