Tag Archives: HLP 13

Data: LAMP Project

Student teachers at Ball State University are required to complete an in-depth unit long data driven analysis of their student teaching called Learning Assessment Model Project (LAMP).  I chose to run the project during the stoichiometry  unit.  Stoichiometry is a unifying topic of chemistry.  It synthesizes previously taught topics of writing chemical formulas, calculating molar masses, performing molar conversions, and balancing chemical reaction equations so that students may apply prior knowledge to its fullest use.  Stoichiometry is rigorous and challenging for students.  My aim was to make this topic both accessible and useful for my students by relating it to their everyday lives.  We chose the stoichiometry unit to run our LAMP project in as most students, except possibly those who have taken integrated chemistry and physics, have no experience with stoichiometry.  We wanted to see the direct impact that our teaching had upon students.  The following is a summary of the project, its outcome and conclusions drawn from it.

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Preassessment Gallery Walk: Gas Laws

We began the Gas Laws unit with a gallery walk preassessment to see how much, if any, knowledge the students had regarding the Kinetic Molecular Theory.  All eight postulates of the theory were written on the white boards around the room.  Students were grouped into pairs and given dry erase markers and asked whether or not they agreed with the written statements of:

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States of Matter Sort

Chemistry I students last discussed the states of matter in sixth grade, but they are also used as a discussion lead in to thermodynamics in chemistry.  Because students have experience with states of matter, I wanted to find an engaging way to activate previous knowledge and begin our thermochemistry unit.  I generated a list of eight properties of each of the three common states of matter, printed them on colored sheets of paper, cut them into slips and mixed them together in a bucket.  Then I divided the class into three teams and assigned each team a state of matter to represent and asked them to pull eight random slips from the bucket.  The teams were to discuss amongst themselves whether or not each of the eight slips they pulled out matched their state of matter.  If the group found that some of the slips descriptions didn’t define their state, they were to trade with another group until they found descriptions that did, but not to have more than eight slips at once.

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Best Days: Differentiated Instruction

There was an advanced group of students developing in one section of Chemistry I that began to act out in boredom in class during the Gas Laws unit.  I used pregnant pauses, proximal discipline and even stopped my instruction in an attempt to quell their behavior.  Over one weekend I really thought about how best to approach the situation and I came to the conclusion that that particular group of students simply needed to be given work and then set loose to complete their required assignments.  What was really needed was an equitable assignment for all students, but in multiple versions.  My second attempt at differentiated instruction had begun.

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Gas Laws Inquiry Investigation

I began the Gas Laws unit wondering how to present Gas Law equations in a more engaging way.  Mr. Smith suggested that we approach the discussion from an inquiry perspective using the new DataHub instruments at the school.  We had used the DataHub during Gas Laws in Chemistry II, so I modified an activity that had been used with them to present and derive the Gas Laws for Chemistry I.  The following data table was generated for student data collection during the in class demos: Gas Law Investigation

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Using the DataHub to collect real time pressure data to derive the Gas Law equations.

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Stoichiometry Project

A requirement of the LAMP project was to have students complete a project related to the unit of study.  My LAMP project was completed during the stoichiometry unit, so the project I assigned involved students profiling a kind of chemical reaction of interest to them, and then performing a 5 gram mole to mole stoichiometry calculation using a balanced reaction involving that reaction.  The end product students produced was either a  poster or a brochure describing their reaction, with an illustration and the required calculations outlined.  The results were fantastic:

Bulletin board project results.
Bulletin board project results.

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Silvering of Chemis-Tree Ornaments Using Tollen’s Test

Tollen’s Test is a laboratory test used to detect the presence of an aldehyde or keytone functional groups by an oxidation reaction.  The result of a positive test is a precipitation of silver on the inside of the reaction vessel.
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All three of our courses used Tollen’s Test to silver the inside of Christmas tree ornaments during finals week using  this technique.  It was a welcomed break from the rigor of finishing the crunch of assignments for the semester, and a nice memento from our time together.  I do understand that this is a Christian holiday, and that we must be culturally responsive to all religions.  As such,  this may not be an activity appropriate in all settings, or may need to have vessels to silver for students who do not celebrate Christmas.

InTASC standards 5-7-8 were put to work on this task as content was planned for and applied.  HLPs 6 & 13 were also used by the station work and partners that were integral to the success of this lab.  Students really enjoyed completing this lab, and it was a welcomed break from the hectic bustle of Finals Week.  Lots of them decorated the ornaments as gifts, or as mementos from our time together at Alexandria.

Problem-Based Learning: Unit Plan

Students complain that school isn’t relatable.  Employers complain that we don’t generate problem solvers.  Problem Based Learning answers the complexities of both of these issues in one fell swoop, all the while being aligned to state curriculum standards.

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Alexandria received a grant of $335,000 from the state of Indiana as part of the Hardest Hit Fund Blight Elimination Program to help with the demolition of eyesore properties around town.  The question remains: was this a good deal for the city?  A slideshow outlining the entire project may be viewed at: https://www.emaze.com/@AFRWRLTW/razed-and-rising

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