The concept of physical science that I chose to research this week is States of Matter. The concept of what is matter is often a vague and complex topic for students. Although there are several ways that States of Matter can be introduced to students and various labs that can be done, finding technology to coordinate with this concept is sometimes difficult. My goal in research was to find a good interactive learning game for students of all academic abilities that is engaging and meaningful. A powerful website I found for this is: http://www.scienceunleashed.ie/Games/States%20of%20Matter.swf
In terms of 21st century topics and readiness, I wanted to research gasoline alternatives since we are currently having extremely high gas prices and environmental issues. There are several technology resources for this topic; however, I came across a great website that has several activities and resources for both teachers and students for energy topics: http://www.nef1.org/educators.html.
These sites use academic vocabulary and provide in-depth resources and activities for students to engage in which helps transform students into scientifically literate citizens.
I would center a lesson around the first website for teaching states of matter as part of an introductory lesson. It is a fun and engaging game where students place different facts about gasses, liquids, and solids in a coordinated bin as fast as they can. Then move to having students use the National Energy Foundation website to conduct research on alternative fuels and pick one to design a “mock” proposal for an effective alternative fuel source. A challenge in integrating this type of tool is that some students do not engage well with research and may become bored or frustrated.
