Redesigned Group Activity
ORIGINAL ACTIVITY:
Directions: Sometimes it is hard to understand gasses because most of them are invisible (we can't see them). In this activity, you and your group members will work with baking soda, vinegar, and a balloon to help you better understand the properties of a gas. While you are completing this activity, think about these important questions:
To complete this investigation, use the worksheet "Fizz, Pop, Boom" (click link) (one printed and completed per group). Once you are done with the investigation and worksheet, bring the worksheet and your "Action Plan" to your teacher to obtain a signature.
If you chose to complete this activity, then choose and complete one more optional group activity.
Directions: Sometimes it is hard to understand gasses because most of them are invisible (we can't see them). In this activity, you and your group members will work with baking soda, vinegar, and a balloon to help you better understand the properties of a gas. While you are completing this activity, think about these important questions:
- If we can't see the gas, how do you know it's there?
- Does gas take the shape of its container?
- Does the drink you are packing for your lunch contain any gases? How do you know?
To complete this investigation, use the worksheet "Fizz, Pop, Boom" (click link) (one printed and completed per group). Once you are done with the investigation and worksheet, bring the worksheet and your "Action Plan" to your teacher to obtain a signature.
If you chose to complete this activity, then choose and complete one more optional group activity.
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION:
Instructional Grouping: Since this activity is more hands-on than some of the others, students could potentially benefit from combining groups to complete the activity. For example, instead of one group working to complete this activity, groups 1 and 2 could work together to do the investigation and fill out the corresponding worksheet. In that way, students would be working with 5-7 others. This might help them stay organized. Also, if two groups combine then together they could complete the investigation twice. Repeating this investigation could be beneficial incase students incorrectly measured or another error occurred during the first investigation.
Learning Assignments: Some students may find it difficult to conceptualize how the steps of the investigation produce the final result (filled balloon). For students who may have difficulty following step-by-step directions, provide students with the link to this video of a child completing the same investigation:
Video: Balloon Blow Up
Inform students that they may choose to watch this video before they complete the investigation in order to decrease the complexity of the task.
Student Differences: The "Fizz, Pop, Boom!" worksheet requires students to draw three different pictures at three times during the investigation. Rather than draw three pictures, some students may prefer to describe what they see (via writing) or take pictures of what they see. Some students get anxiety when they are asked to draw specific pictures. Rather than requiring that every student draw, provide students with a camera to use in case they would rather take pictures of the investigation. Tell students that if they choose to take a picture instead of draw their pictures, then they must print the three pictures, cut them out, label them, and glue them to the worksheets. I chose to differentiate this aspect because often times teachers get caught up in requiring students to do the same exact thing regardless of its significance to the content of the lesson. For example, the purpose of the above activity is to better understand the state of matter of gas. Because I am not assessing student's drawing skills, it should make no difference how students choose to record different stages of their investigation. If students want to write, draw a picture, or take a picture using a camera, then that is their preference!
Instructional Grouping: Since this activity is more hands-on than some of the others, students could potentially benefit from combining groups to complete the activity. For example, instead of one group working to complete this activity, groups 1 and 2 could work together to do the investigation and fill out the corresponding worksheet. In that way, students would be working with 5-7 others. This might help them stay organized. Also, if two groups combine then together they could complete the investigation twice. Repeating this investigation could be beneficial incase students incorrectly measured or another error occurred during the first investigation.
Learning Assignments: Some students may find it difficult to conceptualize how the steps of the investigation produce the final result (filled balloon). For students who may have difficulty following step-by-step directions, provide students with the link to this video of a child completing the same investigation:
Video: Balloon Blow Up
Inform students that they may choose to watch this video before they complete the investigation in order to decrease the complexity of the task.
Student Differences: The "Fizz, Pop, Boom!" worksheet requires students to draw three different pictures at three times during the investigation. Rather than draw three pictures, some students may prefer to describe what they see (via writing) or take pictures of what they see. Some students get anxiety when they are asked to draw specific pictures. Rather than requiring that every student draw, provide students with a camera to use in case they would rather take pictures of the investigation. Tell students that if they choose to take a picture instead of draw their pictures, then they must print the three pictures, cut them out, label them, and glue them to the worksheets. I chose to differentiate this aspect because often times teachers get caught up in requiring students to do the same exact thing regardless of its significance to the content of the lesson. For example, the purpose of the above activity is to better understand the state of matter of gas. Because I am not assessing student's drawing skills, it should make no difference how students choose to record different stages of their investigation. If students want to write, draw a picture, or take a picture using a camera, then that is their preference!