ND RET Molecular Biology Workshop

Ken Andrzejewski- Marian High SchoolLouann Kensinger- Riley High SchoolDeb Semmler- St. Joseph’s High SchoolJim Keating- Washington High School

Our GoalTo evaluate pre-packaged science

kits we might want to use in the classroom– Are they cost effective?– Are they engaging?– Do they work?– How can they be modified?

Our Strategy

To work through the kits as a groupTo evaluate each kitTo determine if it would fit into the

curriculumTo create modifications as neededPost findings for others to use

ND RET Molecular Biology Workshop Resource Wiki

http://retmbw.wikispaces.com

Contains science kit evaluations for 2009/2010/2011 workshops

Has a resource page for additional reference

Kit 1: Understanding the Properties of Matter

Carolina Biological Supply kit #251200 $149.95refill #251250 $59.95

Educational Purpose

Students will Investigate intensive and extensive

properties Explore differences between chemical and

physical changes Develop skills to design and perform

experiments

Students will devise and implement a logical system for organizing matter using materials from the kit.

This included Properties of Matter Study Cards that the students could use to help them.

Activity 1

Activity 2

Students will select 5 materials from activity 1 and explore eight properties of matter:

Mass Reactivity w/ acidVolume DensityMagnetism AppearanceConductivityState at room temperature

Activity 3

Students will conduct eight different experiments and document some of the ways matter can interact. Experiments included reactions between:

Yeast and hyrdrogen peroxideSilver nitrate and copperSodium bicarbonate and acetic acidIron and copper sulfateAnd others

Evaluation

This lab is very engaging- there is plenty to keep students focused.

The worksheets and tables included were of good quality and very usable.

There is also an extension lab that allows students to design and conduct experiments that demonstrate the relationship between the intensive property of density and the extensive properties of matter. A very nice formative assessment addition.

Educational Purpose

Evaluation

.

Kit 3:

Educational Purpose

Students will

Evaluation

Kit 4:

Educational Purpose

Students will

Evaluation

Other Activity Kits full explanations and evaluations can be found on the RET wiki

Balancing Chemical Equations- as a balancing equation lab this one was not as advertised. But it did redeem itself as a types of chemical reactions lab.

Reconstructing Atomic Thoery- the premiss was good- modeling erly atomic theory experiments but the demonstrations were juvenile and required too much work from the instructor.

Sources

http://www.carolina.com http://wardsci.com