Reflection: Developing a Conceptual Understanding Using Theatrics and Songwriting to Bring Molecular Models to Life (2 of 2) - Section 3: Group Creation Time


Your classroom will "buzz" as kids begin representing their learning in creative and interactive ways.  The key factor in these types of activities is ensuring that students are deepening understanding by challenging their prior conceptions.  There will be many times during this lesson, or ones similar to it, for teachers to interact with their students and challenge their decisions.  Having students justify specific parts of their performances will lead to deeper understanding.  Subsequently, you will be able to formatively assess student understanding as you listen to their conversations and interject when you identify a misconception brewing.

Take the time to have kids act as molecules and ask them how they should act, based on their present understanding of matter.

Some key factors that I look for:

1) Regardless of state, molecules should be moving.

2) Gas molecules should be found in balloons, bottles, empty space (I don't expect them to know that they can be found in other states simultaneously).

3) Even the molecules not found directly in the bottle, under the paper, etc. will be affected when the other molecules come rushing towards them.

  Deepening Conceptual Understanding Through Theater
  Developing a Conceptual Understanding: Deepening Conceptual Understanding Through Theater
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Unit 3: Matter
Lesson 7 of 8

Objective: SWBAT write a theatrical musical performance that depicts how molecules move in one of the station activities done in a prior lesson.

Big Idea: Drawing models is a great way for students to explain what they think is happening in science, but acting like molecules is so much more fun! Additionally, teachers can assess student understanding of how molecules act.

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1 teacher likes this lesson
Science, solids, mass, matter, molecule
  50 minutes
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