COURSE TITLE:
MAKING SCIENCE FUN: K-8 Hands-on Science Experiments
NO OF CREDITS:
3 QUARTER CREDITS
[semester equivalent = 2.00 credits]
WA CLOCK HRS:
OREGON PDUs:
INSTRUCTOR:
LAWRENCE RZEZNIK M.S.
ldrez1@optonline.net
845/226-8462
30
30
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:
This course requires assignment responses to be posted in a password-secured ONLINE website hosted
by The Heritage Institute.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Open your studentsʼ minds to the amazing wonders of science in the world about them. This
practical applied science course focuses on using fun and interesting activities to teach students about
themselves, their environment, and how the two relate. Some of the activities included in the course
include: making rock salt ice cream (changes of state, observation, freezing points), effects of the
environment on plant growth, and using Legos to demonstrate survival of the most fit. All activities
included in this course can be done with minimal materials found around a typical home or school, are
fun, and can be taught at different levels from K-8. Although simple to perform, these activities will
challenge and reinvigorate your studentsʼ love for science while teaching them important life lessons. The
activities addressed in this course are aligned with the national teaching standards. Participants in this
course will be required to perform selected lab activities, research alternate activities on the internet,
create useful labs of their own, and write papers about their information acquisition. A science activities
textbook is also recommended ($25-$35).
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of this course, participants will:
1. Have identified and modified hands-on activities that will support their science curriculum.
2. Understand and be able to communicate to students how these activities relate to various scientific
principles (i.e. the scientific method, graph creating and analysis, force,
transport, the
relationship of organisms with their environment)
3. Have gained additional knowledge on scientific topics which they can incorporate into their teaching.
4. Have created usable lesson plans that include the activities in this course.
5. Have researched scientific concepts and activities on the internet to share with classmates through
demonstration and lesson plans.
6. Be able to identify activities that can be used across curriculum.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Participants will complete assignments and post responses online to specific questions outlined for each
assignment. Completion of all specified assignments is required for issuance of hours or credit. The
Heritage Institute does not award partial credit.
HOURS EARNED:
Completing the basic assignments (Section A. Information Acquisition) for this course automatically earns
participants their choice of 30 Washington State Clock Hours or 30 Oregon PDUs. The Heritage Institute
is an approved provider of Washington State Clock Hours and Oregon PDUs.
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UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT INFORMATION
REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
Continuing Education Quarter credits are awarded by Antioch University Seattle (AUS). AUS requires
75% or better for credit at the 400 level (Upper Division) and 85% or better to issue credit at the 500 level
(Post-Baccalaureate). These criteria refer both to the amount and quality of work submitted.
1. Completion of Information Acquisition assignments
30%
2. Completion of Learning Application assignments
40%
3. Completion of Integration Paper assignment
30%
CREDIT/NO CREDIT
Antioch University Seattle (AUS) Continuing Education (CE) Quarter credit is offered on a Credit/No
Credit basis; neither letter grades nor numeric equivalents are on a transcript. 400 level credit is equal to
a “C” or better, 500 level credit is equal to a “B” or better. This information is on the back of the transcript.
AUS CE quarter credits may or may not be accepted into degree programs. Prior to registering determine
with your district personnel, department head or state education office the acceptability of these credits.
ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION
COURSE MATERIAL and/or TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:
You will need high-speed (DSL) Internet access in order to easily view online resources. Some of the
reading materials may be provided in the online course environment as PDF documents, a format
readable by computers with Adobe Acrobat Reader. You may download a free copy of Acrobat Reader
from our website, www.hol.edu, if it is not already on your computer.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
See Assignment #3 for the list of text book choices.
GETTING STARTED
• After registering for the course, you will be sent an email with the website address, password and
course key you need to access your online course, along with log in instructions.
• Access each assignment listed here in the online course environment and enter your responses.
• Write your responses in a WORD document and then ʻcopy/pasteʼ them into the Responses box.
• When all assignments are completed, CLICK the 'ALL ASSIGNMENTS COMPLETED'. The instructor
will be notified that you have completed all assignments.
• After the instructor reviews your work and enters his responses you will be notified by email. You will
be instructed to log in and view those responses. SAVE a copy of assignments and responses.
NOTES TO ALL PARTICIPANTS
• You are not required to be present (i.e. online) specific days or times. You will work at your own pace.
• All responses will be posted online. Large documents, files, photographs or PowerPoint presentations
may be attached as part of your response by using the “Share A File” option.
• You may work collaboratively and submit similar responses on all assignments except the Integration
Paper, which must be individually authored.
• To maintain privacy, please do not refer to students in your papers by their actual names, but rather
use an alias or designation such as “Student A.”
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ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR HOURS OR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
A.
INFORMATION ACQUISITION
Assignment #1:
Visit and read the required web sites. In the online response box, write 500-750 words in which you:
a. Describe several kinesthetic learners you have taught, explaining what you did that worked for these
students.
b. Describe how you have used hands-on learning in your professional situation. Compare and contrast
when your hands-on learning activities did and did not go well, and why.
c. Discuss how hands-on learning can help children with disabilities.
Perspectives of Hands-On ScienceTeaching
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/science/eric/eric-1.htm
Make School Break Learning Fun for Your LD Child - Hands-on Learning Activities
http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/instructionalmaterials/a/mksblrngfun.htm
Theory behind bodily/kinesthetic intelligence
http://www.longleaf.net/ggrow/7In/Bodily.html
Tactile-Kinesthetic Learners
http://www.studyingstyle.com/tactile-kinesthetic-learners.html
Assignment # 2:
a. Watch all of the required videos listed below to get an idea of the activities.
b. Perform 15 of the activities that would be appropriate for your grade level, keeping a journal of your
experiments and noting what went right or wrong.
c.
In the online response space, write the equivalent of a 3-4 (750-1000 words) page paper summarizing
how your experiments went. Include any problems or modifications that could be made to improve
the activity.
Required Videos:
1. Egg in bottle: http://youtube.com/watch?v=773Rv8pZeOs
2. Phototropism: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ze8NV7cvW8k
3. Phototropism and geotropism: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zctM_TWg5Ik&NR=1
4. Liquid nitrogen Ice cream: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKY0orWnYfQ&feature=related
5. Egg and Vinegar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSLGPl2qU4o
6. Milk and food coloring: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_Qdv8xC_f0
7. Gas from soda: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-o54wEn2BQ
8. Ocean in a bottle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAZtIL9mzvQ
9. Rock Salt Ice Cream: http://youtube.com/watch?v=l9c5rmDQ9DE&feature=related
10. Chicken Bone experiment: http://youtube.com/watch?v=UK6PzUzHLuU
11. Corn starch and water:
• http://youtube.com/watch?v=fazPiaHvFcg
• http://youtube.com/watch?v=VxnDDsmRnNc
12. Mentos and diet coke:
• http://youtube.com/watch?v=hKoB0MHVBvM
• http://youtube.com/watch?v=9vk4_2xboOE&feature=related
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13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
Crushing can with air: http://youtube.com/watch?v=rX52TsJCuKA
Simple Motor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LuQ59vaDPo&feature=related
Density lab coke vs. diet coke: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEsrqJdPYRc
Ocean in a bottle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ-YCofc0Ik
Homemade Lava Lamp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeZU1yJlZO0
Breaking a ruler under a newspaper: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcZM4GaiBD8
Flubber: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfAETH0IUuk
Carnation color change: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkaXnqUltd0
Pepper and soap activity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66yAVJ3OQ6k
Using gas in soda to fill a balloon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So54wEn2BQ&feature=related
Assignment # 3:
Read one of the Tolman texts listed below. Select and try out another eight (8) experiments which meet
your science needs and grade level. In the online response space, describe in 2-3 pages (500-750
words), which experiments you performed and how they went.
•
•
Tolman, M. 2006. M. Hands-on Life Science activities for grades K-6. J-B Ed.Jossey-Bass. San
Francisco. Available from Amazon.com, approx. $25.
Tolman, M. 2006. Hands-on Physical science activities for Grades K-8. 2nd Ed. Jossey-Bass. San
Francisco. Available from Amazon.com, approx. $35.
This completes the assignments required for Hours.
Continue to the next section for additional assignments required for University Quarter Credit.
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ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOT UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
B.
LEARNING APPLICATION
(Required for 400 and 500 Level)
In this section you will apply your learning to your professional situation. This course assumes that most
participants are classroom teachers who have access to students. If you are not teaching in a classroom,
please contact the instructor for course modifications. If you are a classroom teacher and start or need to
complete this course during the summer, please try to apply your ideas when possible with youth from
your neighborhood, at a local public library or parks department facility, (they will often be glad to sponsor
community-based learning), or with students in another teacherʼs summer classroom in session.
Assignment #4:
Conduct two (2) of your lessons with your students and provide in the online response space the
equivalent of a 2-page written summary of how the lesson went. Include in your paper any student
feedback on the lesson. If permissible, take digital photos of several student experiments and upload.
500 LEVEL ASSIGNMENT
Assignment #5:
(500 Level only)
In addition to the 400 level assignments, complete one of the following:
Option A) In order to better appreciate the traditions of thought behind experiential education, read the
following articles and writing:
What is Empiricism?
http://personal.ecu.edu/mccartyr/american/leap/empirici.htm
John Deweyʼs Pedagogic Creed
http://dewey.pragmatism.org/creed.htm
James Neillʼs Outdoor Education article
http://wilderdom.com/vignettes/MyPhilosophy.htm
Design Principles of the Expeditionary Learning, Outward Bound schools
http://m.ascd.org/EL/Article/706eda6d74eaff00VgnVCM1000003d01a8c0RCRD
Write your own 2-page philosophy of education which also justifies the use of experiential learning in its
many forms (outdoor education, project-based learning, service learning, hands-on learning). Your paper
should account for why learning through experience is both a moral and pedagogic necessity. Post your
paper in the online response box provided or upload the WORD document.
OR
Option B) Another assignment of your choice with the instructorʼs prior approval.
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ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENT REQUIRED FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
C.
INTEGRATION PAPER
(Required for 400 and 500 Level)
Assignment #6:
Complete the requirements for university quarter credit by submitting a 2-3 page Integration Paper.
A heading is required. Please use the following format:
Your Name:
Date:
Course Name:
Course Number:
Number of Credits:
Level (400 or 500):
Advisorʼs Name:
Respond online to each of the 5 questions below. (First list the question and then write your answer)
1. What did you learn vs. what you expected to learn from this course?
2. What aspects of the course were most helpful and why?
3. What further knowledge and skills in this general area do you feel you need?
4. How, when and where will you use what you have learned?
5. How and with what other school or community members might you share what you learned?
INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS ON YOUR WORK:
Be sure to mark the “All Assignments Completed” section in the online course environment to
notify the instructor that you have completed the course.
Upon receiving notification of your completion of all course assignments, your instructor will provide final
written comments in the HOL online environment.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING:
Lawrence Rzeznik M.S. majored in Biology/Education at State University of New York, Geneseo; and
has a B.S. in Biology/Education from S.U.N.Y., Geneseo. Larry has been a high school science teacher
for 15 years and an adjunct biology and chemistry instructor for nursing colleges for the past year. He has
created curriculum for animal behavior, environmental biology, general biology, and forensics science
courses. Larry is currently involved in creating various professional development courses, as well, as
participating in graduate courses to stay up to date on current topics.
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MAKING SCIENCE FUN: K-8 Hands-On Science Experiments
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Angliss, S., Challoner, J., Graham, J. (2001). Hands – On- Science. New York: Kingfisher.
Beard, Colin. & Wilson, John. (2006). Experiential Learning: A Handbook of Best Practices for Educators
and Trainers. Philadelphia: Kogan Page Ltd.
Brandolini, A. (2003). Fizz, Bubble, and Flash. Charlotte, Vermont: Williamson Publishing
Sullo, B. (2007). Activating the Desire to Learn. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development
Tobias, C. (1994). The Way We Learn. Colorado Springs, CO: Focus On The Family Publishing
Making Science Fun K-8
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THE HERITAGE INSTITUTE
ONLINE COURSE
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE
Grade Level:
____________
Subject:
______________________________________________________________________
Theme/Topic: ______________________________________________________________________
Student Outcomes: (with Connection to State Standards)
Required Materials and Equipment:
Agenda: (The major events of the day posted for public viewing. Schedule warm-up, bathroom breaks,
surprises (pop quiz), guest speakers, specials, assemblies, movie clips, outside assignments etc. so
students can manage their time with you.)
Warm Up: (A one to two sentence task, written or drawn on the board, to be completed alone or in
groups prior to the beginning of the lesson. At the elementary level it would be used for classroom
transitions, and in grades 7-12 to define one content area from another. The warm-up is designed to
access learning from the previous lesson and settle students into the flow for the present lesson on
hand.)
Anticipatory Set: (Attention Getter to kindle student interest)
Direct Instruction (10-20 mins): (Input, Modeling/demo, giving directions, check for understanding)
Guided Practice (x mins): (Under teacherʼs direct supervision, students individually apply or practice
what they have just learned and receive immediate feedback)
Closure (x mins): (Actions designed to cue in students that they have arrived at an important point in the
lesson or at the end of the lesson; often closure consists of review and clarifying key points)
Independent Practice: (Student directed, may be incorporated before closure or as outside assignment.
The aim is repetition in enough different contexts so that the learning may be applied to any relevant
situation, not only the context in which it was originally learned.)
Assessment and Follow-Up: (Self-reflection, collaborative rubric, other rubric, anecdotal evidence,
teacher created quiz/test etc., peer review, standardized test, exhibition, portfolio piece(s))
Making Science Fun K-8
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