Using Skits in the Classroom

I love using SKITS in the classroom! They bring a concept home to roost.

Here are a few examples of skits I've used in my classroom. They all worked extremely well.

1. Volcano Skits - Assign groups one of the three main types of volcanoes: composite, cinder cone, or shield. Require each group to illustrate the following in their skit: the slope of their volcano, the type of eruption, and the type of lava. They cannot talk, but can makes noises, especially to make the eruption noises. Everyone has to participate for full points. Let the rest of the class guess which one is being presented instead of having a group announce it. I've seen some great stuff with this assignment. They especially LOVE making the sounds associated with each type of volcano. One group ripped paper up to make the cinders and ash exploding out of a cinder cone. They cleaned up the mess, so it was worth it to me.


2. Patterns of the Periodic Table Skits - Assign groups one of the main Patterns of the Periodic Table. They must keep their topic a secret because other groups will guess what their pattern is during their skit. I've seen some wonderful skits! One year a group used music to illustrate metallic, metalloid, and nonmetallic. Obviously, the metallic group was a hard rock band! They even mimicked plugging in their guitar.


3. Geologic Eras Skits - Assign each team of students an Era and give them 5 minutes to come up with a pantomime illustrating at least two geological and two biological events from the Era. No words or sound effects this time! Have the other students guess which Era is being dramatized. Good way to review the main geological and biological characteristics of the Eras.


4. Half Life Skit - Not really a skit, but it's got kids up and moving. Have the entire class stand up in the center of the room, all huddled together. Then touch the shoulders of students and have them step out of the "huddle" and stand around the outside of the room. Eliminate half at a time. As each "half-life" is completed, pause and ask them what just happened. You can either tell them what you are doing, or continue on, taking half out each time, and pausing for them to figure it out. How many half-lives to completely "decay" our class? If one half-life takes about 1 minute, how "old" is the class?

Teaching Moon Phases

Teaching Moon Phases can be lots of fun!

At one time, I didn't think so. Our state (Missouri) required that not only could a ninth grader identify each phase AND tell you why it was called by its name, they ALSO had to know the position of the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon for EACH phase.

Yikes!

Then we hit on a couple of good techniques that could get the point across. Smooth sailing, ever since!

Here is a list of activities, sort of in the correct order, that you could pick and choose from, depending on what your state objectives are:

1. Moon Phases Booklets. Introduce the phases and the definitions of waxing and waning, crescent, gibbous, etc. Usually, I would use a transparency of some sort, and the Moon Phases Booklet pages. I would have the students prepare all the pages, leaving blank the explanations. Then they would fill them in as I explained them all in order referring to the transparency. Because they have pages to fill out, they really listen. Make the explanations short and sweet. Use page two of the Flashcards and have the opposing page contain an explanation of each phases, including how they know it's crescent, etc. and how they know it's waxing or waning.
2. Moon Phases PowerPoint. Use the Moon Phases PowerPoint immediately after the booklets are made. They go through their Booklets and double-check. I love giving kids many chances to get it totally correct! Boosts confidence before turning them in for points.
3. Cut and Paste Moon Phases Activity. This is an active lesson where they are having to THINK about each phase and the position it possesses in the Earth/Sun/Moon system. Good thinking questions, too! Click here.
4. Moon Phases Model Activity. Because our state requires them to know the positions during each phase, we added a great Models activity. These are the Models we purchased from Science Kit. They were expensive, but we had the money one year and purchased two kits, which gave us plenty to work with for small groups.
5. Moon Phases Animation. Project at least one Internet animation. Click here for one from Harcourt.
6. SmartBoard Activities. I haven't previewed this one because my SmartBoard App has expired on my home computer. Looks like it would be a decent one on Moon Phases. Email me if you like it or not!
7. Moon Phases Worksheet. Use several over a week's time. Click here for one of mine. Click here for one from Enchanted Learning. Click here for another version.
8. Moon Phases Flashcard Games. Can be a good pairs game by using their leftover unlabeled flashcards. (Only the labeled ones are used in the Booklet.) Have pairs mix up both their sets on the table top, pictures up. Call a phase out. They get to "grab" with pointing fingers only. Hold your card up after they "grab" and let them collect each one they get correct. Count cards at the end and shake hands with the winner! Great fun!
9. Moon Charting Activity. Parents are especially impressed with this one. It's sometimes hard to get full participation for this one. But worth trying at least once. Click here.
10. The US Naval Observatory is a gold mine of great moon data. Click here for the current moon.
11. The Moon Connection also has some nice things about the Moon, including good calendars for each month. Click here.
12. EarthSky website. Be sure to wander around this great website. They're the ones who do the wonderful one minute capsule on different radio stations. You can hear their podcasts in your classroom!
13. YouTube Moon Phases Videos. Of course, you're gonna want to show a good YouTube video, especially when they are making their Moon Phases Booklet. This one is kewl!

NOTE: Main concept to be sure to teach: Moon Phases are NOT caused by the Earth's shadow moving across the face of the Moon! (Common misconception!) They are caused by the changing position of the Moon around the Earth.

THE TRICK: To teach relative positions: The Quarters are at 90 degrees. The crescents are each an acute angle near the new moon. The Gibbouses are each an obtuse angle near the full moon. The new and full moons are lined up on the 180 degree line. Simple for most kids, especially if you do a Models Activity!

Teaching about the Ozone Hole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's a good way to teach the Ozone Hole?

Part of a good of Science Teacher's Bag of Tricks is leading your students to the joy of making their own discoveries.

A lecture about the Ozone Hole is not near as engaging as an activity that lets you discover by yourself.

Here is the order of the Ozone Hole Lesson as I have taught it:

(1) Show a PowerPoint about the Ozone Hole along with a FollowSheet.

(2) Have your students color the Ozone Hole as it has changed over time with the Ozone Hole Activity.

(3) Here's a larger picture of the changes for you to project on your SmartBoard. Makes it easier to see while they are coloring.

(4) The most important part is to have them predict future changes in the Ozone Hole. Be sure to have them share their drawings and their reasoning behind their predictions. NOTE: They may make it smaller, making the assumption that we are making headway on reducing pollutants.



CONSIDER THIS: Add an Ozone Hole Activity to your bag of tricks!

FUN LINKS: Click here for a good tutorial on the Ozone Hole. Don't forget to explore YouTube! It's full of great educational clips, many from NASA and other sound educational institutions!

Teaching about Ocean Salinity

One of the first lessons for an Oceanography Unit should probably be the Salinity of the Ocean.



I loved to introduce this with the classic Egg Demonstration. It catches their interest! And gets the point across.

This can be done in many ways. Depends on how dramatic you are by nature. Do what makes you happy.

I would brag about how I could make an egg float and get all dramatic about it. Lots of razzle-dazzle while putting the egg in the (plain) water.

It would sink. I would look disappointed.

Then I would try another glass or beaker of water. More razzle-dazzle.

The egg would float!

Why? This starts a good guessing game - play Twenty Questions! - they will usually figure out there's something different about the second glass of water that makes it denser.

Once the idea of Salinity has been introduced, talk briefly about salty oceans and then do the Salinity Lab. This lab makes layers of color in test tubes. I would make a big deal about how if they did this lab CAREFULLY, they would get clear layers of color. If they had sloppy technique, they would get MUDDY colors. The room would be full of careful kids, which is always a abeautiful sight to see!

CONSIDER THIS: Introduce the concept of Salinity with the Egg Float Demo. Then move on to the Ranibow Salinity Lab.

FUN LINKS:
Click here for the Egg Float Lab.
Click here for the Egg Float FollowSheet for your students.
Click here for the Rainbow Salinity Lab.

Live Volcano WebCams

(Not a Live Cam shot, obviously!)

Bring live shots of Volcanoes into your classroom!

I've shown you some Flash Movies of Volcanoes from YouTube.

Now, check out LiveCams of Volcanoes! You might get lucky!

Click here for John Seach's list of Live WebCams. (John is a 20 year veteran volcanologist.)

CONSIDER THIS: Visit Live Volcano WebCams while teaching volcanoes. Even if you don't get lucky and see an eruption, it's still a thrill to see Mt. St. Helens LIVE!