1. Select standard
a. Students know how to relate the position of an element in the periodic table to its
atomic number and atomic mass.
i. Students know how to find the number of protons, neutrons, and
electrons in a neutral atom and of an ion.
2. Design assessment
a. Formative assessment- Jeopardy
i. Students create and design questions in groups and upload them to the
power point with the given template.
b. Test
i. Identify protons, neutrons, electrons in atoms
ii. Identify protons, neutrons, electrons in ions
3. Identify the criteria for assessing quality
a. Advanced
b. Proficient
c. Basic
d. Below Basic
e. Far Below Basic
4. Plan learning experiences
a. Notes
i. Vocabulary
ii. Actual notes
iii. Webbing activity
b. Phet Simulation
c. worksheet
d. Bingo
Introduction:
Chemistry is typically considered an upper division science course and is often only
taken by students who want to meet the A-G State University standards. Chemistry is
composed of 90% juniors and 10% seniors and sophomores. Students who are enrolled in
chemistry have completed biology with at least a B and are enrolled in Algebra 2 or higher.
Frontier High school has a general population with very few English learners, and a small
percentage of economically disadvantaged students.
Chemistry teachers at Frontier high school, follow pacing guides that place emphasis on
standards that are heavily weighted on the CST. Teachers are given freedom to teach topics
and additional standards they feel will supplement and benefit the overall learning of students.
Chemistry cannot just be taught as a group of standards that are unrelated to each other but
must be taught as a cohesive course that builds upon each pervious topic. Chemistry not only
requires students to learn new vocabulary and new concepts they have never learned before
but also requires students to think abstractly and on a molecular level. In chemistry there is a
significant amount of scaffolding needed for complete comprehension of the state standards.
Students must be able to understand first and foremost what atoms are and what atoms are
composed of. While there is not standard that specifically states students know the number of
protons, neutrons, and electrons in an atom it is the basis for all understanding in chemistry and
one of the most important building blocks. To fully understand California Chemistry Content
Standards, 1e, students know the nucleus of the atom is much smaller than the atom yet
contains most of its mass, students must understand the basic design of an atom, and
understand subatomic particles. Building a strong foundation in chemistry is imperative, without
it they cannot succeeded and will struggle during the course.
Students need to be able to think abstractly and fully understand the fundamentals of
chemistry they need to be able to “see” atoms. Thinking abstractly and “seeing” subatomic
particles is a challenge for most adults, let alone high school students who are taking five other
classes at the same time. Technology can help bridge the achievement gap and help out
students to fully understand concepts and see connections between classes and concepts.
Students are used to drawing flat models of the atoms, and looking at a 2-dimensional drawing,
but those can do little to help students fully comprehend the material. Computer based
simulations and activities can help students to see the abstract and bring some relevance to
chemistry and atoms. By bringing atoms to life students can make connections to what they see
in their daily lives and gain a deeper understanding of chemical principles.
Body of project:
All chemistry is based on the interactions of electrons but why do the electrons behave
the way they do? For chemistry students the basis for understanding the electron and all
chemical reactions is the understanding the atom itself. Students’ must be able to determine
protons, neutrons, and electrons but must also be able to see how they interact with each other.
Technology is making it easier to bring the abstract concept of the atom into something tangible.
Simulations, power point, and the internet have supplemented the traditional chemistry
curriculum of laboratory activities and pen and paper diagrams. Laboratory activities and models
are very helpful in making atoms tangible and making chemistry relevant and interesting, but in
the technology age students benefit from simulations as much as they would from creating
diagrams of the same atoms. When learning about atoms teachers need to incorporate different
activities for the many learning styles, these activities can include, notes, demonstrations, atom
simulations, traditions pen and paper worksheets, and games.
In teaching my students’ atoms, I use many different strategies including vocabulary
development, notes and webbing activities, computer simulations on creating atoms, traditional
pen and paper worksheets, power point projects and games. (I will discuss each method further
in the paper.) Each one of these methods is aimed at reaching all students and improving their
understanding of the atom and its development. At the end of any unit students are assessed on
their learning however during the learning process there should be multiple formative
assessments, which should be used to guide instruction and re-teach as needed. The teaching
throughout the unit should accurately reflect the learning objectives assessed on the summative
assessment. Students must be aware of what is expected of them through rubrics and class
discussions. (High school students need repetition if you simply give them a rubric of the
standards there will be little meaning to them until you make it meaningful.
Before each unit students receive a rubric that explains each standard and exactly what
is expected of them to earn the desired grade they want. I base my grading scales on the CST
proficiencies and use advanced, proficient, basic, below basic, and far below basic as grading
scales since students are accustom to this on the standards test. (I also feel that far below basic
carries less stigma than receiving an F.) For the atomic theory unit (all about atoms) students
receive their rubric the first day which also has a study guide similar to the summative
assessment on it. (Please see attached rubric labeled standards rubric.) Students also receive
an assignment tracking sheet where they will track their progress on assignments and see
where they are relative to their goal. (Please see attached rubric labeled standards rubric.)
Students are required to track their progress in order to guide them to the desired proficiency
they want. By requiring my students to keep track of their assignment grades they have to take
responsibility for their own learning. As students complete assignments, the assignment it
looked at and graded then given back to the student with specific comments on improvement or
success on it.
Before any in-depth learning can occur students have to understand the vocabulary and
the new terms they need to understand what the new vocabulary is. Students create “flash
cards” of the new vocabulary on their flash card students take a strip of paper and fold it in half
to create a book. On the front of the card students write the word, on the inside in one section
students write the definition and in the other section students then find or draw an image that
represents the term, finally on the back students write an example of the term. By developing
students’ vocabulary it ensures that my students will have the background knowledge to be
successful and understand the content they will encounter in class; vocabulary development
shows an effect size of 0.97 with students. (Marzano, 2004) Once students have an
understanding of the academic vocabulary students can begin to learn the new material.
Students take notes on different parts of the unit over the course of the unit. Student
notes are taken and then students are involved in an activity that helps them synthesize the
information and create connections to prior knowledge. Notes are given via a power point
presentation that students can interact with and see examples of the topics described. (Please
see attached power point.) In addition to notes students use the information in from the class to
create different types of diagrams and tables that visually represent the material. Diagrams and
tables help students to see relationships between concepts and help them to sort through the
material. (Please see attached diagram to see an example of one of the diagrams students
would create.) Note taking when done correctly can be one of the most effective methods for
students to learn the material. During notes there should be constant questioning to check for
student understanding and learning. Using quick formative assessments such as questioning
learning can easily be monitored and instruction can be modified to reflect the understanding.
Notes help students to begin to remember and understand atoms; however notes cannot reach
higher levels of understanding. Using diagrams and tables that students create such as the
example diagram from above, students can reach higher levels of thinking and understanding
including analyzing and creating. By helping students to reach each level of Blooms taxonomy
they have a better understanding of the material.
Once students have ‘learned’ the material they need to put it into practice to be able to
apply and analyze what they have learned. Using computer simulations helps to make the atom
tangible and helps students to better see the atom. Using computer simulations over the
traditional pen and paper assignment gives students a chance to incorporate technology into
their learning and provide immediate feedback on the concepts students are learning. Even
though students are using a computer simulation to demonstrate knowledge and understanding,
they will have to use different strategies to show me their learning. One method would be having
students use the print screen to take a screen shot of their computer and print that out. Students
can also use word to answer questions about what they are doing in the simulation. By having
students describe what they are doing and why students can gain a greater understanding and
engage in evaluating their understanding of the material. The computer simulation contains both
an activity to increase students understanding of how atoms are created and a quiz that can be
used as a formative assessment to see if students have achieved mastery of atoms, and
protons, neutrons, and electrons. Please see attached document
Homework is often an argued topic in education; however it can be very important in
reinforcing concepts learned in class and helping students to synthesize material and commit it
to memory. During the atoms unit homework is often assigned in the form of pen and paper
worksheets. By reinforcing the learning using the worksheet students gain a better
understanding of the material. Worksheets can involve vocabulary, diagrams, comparing and
contrasting concepts, and problem solving. Each homework assignment is given with a specific
learning goal in mind and should accurately reflect the material being assessed on the
worksheet. Examples of homework work sheets can be found in the attached excel document,
atomic symbol. By using homework in tables students begin to see patterns in elements and
hopefully can draw conclusions from these observed patters about the nature of the atom.
Games have always been a fun way to make material interesting for students and are a
great formative assessment. Games can be used to reinforce vocabulary development,
problems solving and concepts. Students will create their own Bingo card using given terms,
answers to questions, and numbers. Once students have created their bingo card questions will
be presented to them via power point and read aloud, this way visual and auditory students’
have the same advantage. The first student to get Bingo gets a prize, typically candy. Please
see the attached power point and excel document. By using games students are actively
engaged in their learning, and by using both problems and vocabulary students have to use
prior knowledge and recall pertinent information.
Using technology is an asset in science classrooms. Laboratory activities help students
to visualize concepts; technology can help bridge the generation gap with students. Students
are spending more and more time with computers and cell phones, and are spending time using
technology. Including activities that allow students to show how computer savvy they are
emphasizes shared learning on the part of the student and teacher. Students will create a
portion of a Jeopardy game to help them review for a summative assessment and help students
to be actively engaged in their own learning. Students will get into groups of 5 and create a
section of a jeopardy power point presentation given a template. Students will create 5
questions in increasing difficulty for their assigned topic. I will then compile the student’s power
points into a single power point to use as a review for a summative assessment. Students will
receive a rubric for the power point that describes exactly what is expected of them. Once the
project is completed students will complete the rubric with what they think their individual scores
for the assignment are and what they thing their group members deserve. (See attached rubric
assessment rubric, tab 2-Jeopardy) This assignment is a pseudo-formative assessment, since
students will receive a grade for it, but the process of them coming up with their questions and
answers for jeopardy is a formative assessment. (Students will be allowed time in the library to
work on the computers to complete their power point.) Within each group of 5 students a group
leader will be chosen and that person will be responsible for bringing in a flash drive to save the
template they are to use on. When students compile their portion of the game I will save each
portion on my flash drive. We will then use their Jeopardy game as a review for the summative
assessment. (Please see attached power point named Jeopardy for the blank template.)
After students have participated in all the learning activities during the time which they
keep track of their learning and assignments, students take the summative assessment. The
summative assessment will encompass learning goals not exclusive to the atom but also to
protons, neutrons, and electrons, and the structure of the atom. Students will be asked a variety
of questions in multiple forms such as multiple choice, short answer, and fill in the blank. By
providing a variety of questions students can show their learning and knowledge accurately.
Multiple choice questions are good for lower order thinking questions, while short answer can
more accurately assess higher thinking questions. (Please see the attached word document
assessment for the summative assessment. Students will be evaluated on the assessment with
a simple rubric that provides both the point value for each question and the correct answers. For
students to have mastered the atom they must score at least 40 out of the 45 possible points.
There is a description of the scores needed for each proficiency level on the assessment rubric
under tab 3. Students then receive immediate feedback on their summative assessment and if
needed the class or individual can go over topics that they did not fully comprehend.
Resources
Marzano, R. J., (2004). Building background knowledge for academic achievement: Research
that works in schools. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.