Differentiation through Technology
I tried to incorporate technology as much as possible into this unit, as I know that students need to access information in many different ways. Since the unit was already rich in printed and hands-on materials, I thought it would be good to tap into the electronic realm. A few examples are listed below.
"Guess My Property" with the document camera and Smartboard
The document camera and Smartboard were very useful during this unit. In the photos above and below, students were playing "Guess My Property." In this game, students chose two objects with a common property and asked other students to guess the mystery property. Of course, this game could be done without technology (and it was, after we practiced it as a group), but the use of technology made it more engaging and also helped make it easier for everyone to see and participate.
Demonstrating a science experiment using the document camera--Making Jello!
I was able to use the document camera to zoom in on the tiny particles in the Jello powder mixture to help students understand that sugar, powder, sand, etc. are actually tiny solids, even though substances like this act somewhat like liquids. The document camera also helped students watch as student helpers came up to help make the Jello. The purpose of this experiment was to explore how solids and liquids change state.
Internet Tools and the Smartboard
One of the most powerful uses of the Smartboard is the ability to share any of the internet's wonderful education resources with the whole class in an easy-to-see, interactive format. In the photo above, students learned how to use an interactive activity (Change It! Click here for link) that demonstrates what happens when various solids and liquids are put into a freezer or an oven. This site is one of many that we used. Other resources are listed in the sidebar to the left.
Differentiation by Process and Product
Creating Solid Structures...
A popular lesson during this unit of study was building with solid materials. Students were given a set of specific solid materials and an "engineering challenge." They had to explore the properties of the various solids to create a structure. I differentiated this lesson in at least two ways:
Students could work independently or with a partner. Students could choose what they wanted to build: a bridge, a tower, or a building.
All students had to participate and were required to explain what they were making and what they noticed about the properties of the various solid materials and how it impacted their building. In the past, I've had all students work independently and have told everyone to build a building/house. It was much more valuable to offer the differentiation options--students were talking more about their ideas and were much more engaged in the process.
Exploratory Learning
As a culminating activity in our Solids and Liquids unit, the four teachers on the first grade team decided to do a hands-on collaborative experience with students visiting each classroom for a different activity. Each activity had a common goal--students would engage in a hands-on exploration of changing states of matter. The activities included:
- Shake It!: Making Whipped Cream
- Explorations with Oobleck
- Jello: What is it, anyway?
- Chocolate: Solid to Liquid to Solid
We rotated our classes to each teacher over two days: two 20-minute periods on day one and two 20-minute periods on day two. Each student visited each activity once. After everyone had visited each "station," they had to complete a "Start-Change-End" diagram about the activity of their choice. This diagram was our "Formative Assessment" to see how students were progressing with their understanding of how matter changes state. This diagram was differentiated a bit further--students could choose to draw and write about the process or just write about it. For students well below grade level, scribing was an accommodation.
Students loved visiting other classrooms and learning from other teachers. They also seemed to really gain understanding of one of the unit's essential questions: How does the ability of matter to change state make a difference in our world? These experiments helped make the cooking aspect of solids/liquids take shape for many students.
Differentiation by Interest/Choice
Station Contracts...
I have used Learning Station Contracts in the past with success (for literacy), so I decided to try this approach again during science instruction. Students received two station contracts at different points during the unit. First, students completed a "Solids" station contract, and when they finished work on that, they could begin work on their "Liquids" station contract.
Each contract included several "have-to" activities, which were activities everyone had to complete. There were also several "choice" activities on each contract. Students knew they had about five days to complete their work and that the "have-to" activities had to be done by the end of this time period. All activities were designed to help students better understand the concepts of the unit, but they were based on a wide variety of learning styles/multiple intelligences.
What I noticed...
- High student motivation--students seemed to feel empowered that they could choose when to do which activity.
- Building of time-management skills--this was a valuable way for me to help students learn how to best manage their time in order to get work done. A few needed me to keep them on track.
- Students didn't always choose what I expected them to choose for activities--I learned a lot about my students by watching how they worked.
- Working in groups/independently--it was about an even split between those who tended to go from station to station with others and those who liked to work at their own pace.
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