One way I’m doing this is by using science riddles. Each riddle refers to a science concept or term. And, students need to look at the clues in the riddle to come up with the term.

Here are a few ways I’m using them in my class:

1. Posting slides on the projector as bellringers, for review or discussion. Have students discuss with each other what they believe the solution to the riddle is and how they know (drawing from their own knowledge and hints in the riddle).
2. Posting slides in my classroom as words students will learn during the unit.
3. Printing riddles onto my tests to assess vocabulary definitions. Instead of just having students provide the solution, I’ll have them explain how they came to their solution (by drawing on what they know and hints in the riddle).

DOWNLOADS

Click the link to download our free REAL SC – Science Riddle Sampler.

OR

Go purchase a full copy of our REAL SC – Science Riddle Glossary.

Logic puzzles are nothing new. Consider math games like sudoku and ken ken – these are just logic puzzles. That is, they are problems that have a set of conditions that participants need to follow when solving the problem. Math has a tonne of puzzles – but what about logic puzzles for science? Where can we find good logic puzzles for our science bell ringers?

Lucky for us, fivethirtyeight.com publishes weekly puzzles under their Riddler section. These puzzles take 5-10 minutes to complete. And, even if students don’t complete them, it generates some fun discussion. I’ve used some of the following puzzles for my science bell ringers – and students enjoy them. Below, I list 5 puzzles that are sure to generate some fun discussion in your science class. Handouts (ie. puzzle solutions) are available for download at the end of the post.

Logic Puzzles for Critical and Creative Thinking

To gets students to exercise their critical and creative thinking muscles, we need to get them to apply their science knowledge in other disciplines. Of course, this is nothing new. And, logic puzzles are nothing new either. The LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) has a whole section on it. However, what’s important is not just throwing any puzzle at our students – but puzzles that have a focus on science (we are, after all, teaching science). Below are our favourite puzzles to date, all available at fivethirtyeight.com.

Puzzle 1: Thanos

With a snap of his fingers, Thanos, the all powerful supervillain, can destroy half of all beings in the universe. But out of 7.5 billion people on Earth, how many would survive if there were 63 Thanoses, each snapping their fingers after each other?

Puzzle 2: Twelve Billiard Balls

Out of 12 billiard balls that look and feel identical, one is either slightly heavier or lighter than the rest. However, you don’t know which it is (heavier or lighter). Using only a balance scale a maximum of three times, how can you determine which ball is different, and whether it is heavier or lighter?

Puzzle 3: Where in the Square?

Given an empty 4-by-4 square and one marker, students can color in individual squares or leave them untouched. Can students design a 4-by-4 square such that they can identify the position of any 2-by-2 square cut from it?

Puzzle 4: A Maze

Consider maze consisting of a 10×10 grid of numbers ranging from 1-7. The number in each box tells you how many spaces up, down, left or right you must move. (No diagonal moves allowed.) Starting in the bottom left corner of the grid, what is the fastest way to make to the end of the maze (ie. to the asterisk on the grid)?

Puzzle 5: Kidnapped and Marooned

You’ve been kidnapped and dropped off on an unknown beach. Given only a satellite phone with enough battery life to sustain a one minute phone call, how would you get someone to rescue you from the beach?

Wrap Up

If we believe that science is a skill that students can apply to situations outside the classroom, then we need to give students ways to do so. This is where logic puzzles come in. Logic puzzles are quick to do and require little set up beyond the question. Logic puzzles require students to practice critical and creative thinking. And, logic puzzles generate student discussion – which is an awesome way for students to learn from each other. We hope you give some of the puzzles above a try in your science class. And, if you have some logic puzzles that you use in your classroom, please let us know. I’m always growing my own list. Click on the link below to download the handouts to this post. And, enter your email address in the bar at the top of this screen to join our email list and receive regular e-newsletters. Finally, share our posts with your colleagues and help us spread the word. Thanks!

Until next time, keep it REAL!

Resources

Handout(s): 55 – Puzzles by 538dotcom

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Really good science movies help teach the scientific method by applying it to everyday questions and situations. These science movies help us realize that the scientific method is not just something we do in science class. Instead, the scientific method is a way of approaching and solving our own questions. In other words, the scientific method is made relevant in everyday circumstances in a good science movie. The science movie “Behind the Curve” does this extremely well. As of July 26, 2019, it’s still on Netflix. Below, we outline how we use it. Free video notes for discussion are available for download at the end of the post.

Why watch a science movie about scientific method?

Some people may ask, “Why not just run an activity where students practice using the scientific method instead of watching a movie?” To which I answer, “Absolutely! Use an activity to practice the scientific method.” I totally believe in getting students to practice science skills.

But, it’s also important to show how a skill or an idea can be outside the controlled environment of the science classroom. How can we use the scientific method in the real world in fields like chemistry, biology, or astronomy? And, how can we use the scientific method in other fields like english, history, or psychology? Showing the scientific method in action outside the classroom not only helps reinforce a student’s understanding of the idea, it also makes the skill dynamic, applicable, and relevant to their daily life. Also, movies lead to discussion, and being able to communicate science ideas is also an important skill to develop. A good science movie helps do this.

How does Behind the Curve help teach scientific method?

“Behind the Curve” is basically about conspiracy theorists who believe that the earth is flat (aka. Flat Earthers). Of course, the earth is not flat – it’s spherical (ie. round).! And while we might expect such a movie to show a bunch of scientists talking about how we know the Earth is spherical, the movie does not use scientists that way at all. Instead, the movie shows how both scientists and flat earthers interpret and use the scientific method.

The most interesting part about “Behind the Curve” is the attempt by Flat Earthers in the movie to use the scientific method and experimentation to try to “prove” their claim that the Earth is flat. In fact, Flat Earthers develop and run a couple of “flat earth” experiments in “Behind the Curve”. But, what do Flat Earthers do when experimental results don’t match with what they believe? This leads to an interesting discussion in the movie with regards to personal perception and identity – both of which may blind us from seeing the truth in our world.

Field Notes (for showing the movie)

• Before the movie: Engage. Try our Flat Earth activity, An Awesome April Fools Day Science Lesson for any day (note: no special equipment needed). The activity has students provide evidence for how they know the earth is spherical. (During the discussion, the teacher pretends to be a member of the Flat Earth Society). To connect to scientific method, ask students to come up with an experiment to prove the earth is spherical. The activity can get the creative and scientific juices flowing, and it’s a good introduction to the premise of the movie.
• Play the movie. And, have students take down their own notes. I have students take out a sheet of paper and draw a T-chart. On the left side of the T-chart, they write the heading “What I Know”. On the right side, they write “What I learned”. During the movie, I have students write down 15 points in total on anything that is mentioned in the film.
• After the movie: Have students share from the notes they took. What was the most interesting thing they learned or already knew? If students don’t have much, discuss some of the interesting quotes I have written down in our handouts.
• Extension Activity: Have students do our pendulum lab, which is found in Post #6 on Null Hypothesis. The pendulum lab tests the effect of the mass held at the end of a pendulum on the period of the pendulum. Students typically hold the false preconception that the mass at the end of the pendulum has an effect on period. In other words, students typically believe pendulums swing faster if a heavier object is at the end of the pendulum. In fact, mass has no effect. But, because students hold on to their false preconception so strongly, many often feel they are doing the lab “wrong” when their data shows little difference between period and mass. If you don’t have time to do our lab, then watch Walter Lewin on youtube demonstrate it in his lecture.

Wrap Up

It’s okay to show a science move on the first week (or two) of school. Movies are good to connect with real world situations. And, if the movie challenges our own preconceptions – like in “Behind the Curve”, where flat earthers question whether the earth is flat – it can open up lots of awesome discussion. Discussion that will invariably lead and connect with the scientific method and how we know what we know in science. Click on the link below to download our free handouts. Enter your email up above and join our e-newsletter – we try to email out helpful resources every week. Lastly, share a link of this post with your colleagues if you find this helpful. Thanks in advance.

Until next time, keep it REAL!

Resources

Handout(s): 53 – Movie Notes (Behind the Curve)

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Two words summarize the science lesson that gets all students thinking (and may even trick a few too): flat earth. A quick disclaimer: I do not believe in flat earth at all. However, for one lesson every year, I pretend to be a card-carrying member of the flat earth society. I tell students the earth is actually flat and round like a frisbee or pizza (and not spherical like a basketball). I know, as science teachers, the idea of flat earth sounds absurd and crazy. The lesson gets students to think they’re science teacher is crazy too and it also generates a lot of debate. One year, I even convinced a handful of kids that the earth was flat (while I made a whole bunch of other students mad because they couldn’t handle “the truth”). The best thing is, teachers can use this science lesson regardless of whether it’s April Fools Day or not. Handouts are available for download at the end of this post as well.

Another disclaimer: I actually got this lesson idea 15 years ago from Bruce Gurney, former UBC Faculty of Education science instructor and retired North Vancouver teacher. And, I’ve used the lesson every year since (it’s definitely stood the test of time).

Flat Earth, April Fools Day Science Lesson 101

Most (if not all) students know the earth is spherical. But, besides a teacher telling them the earth is spherical, how do students know this to be true? What is the evidence and reasoning that supports the fact that the earth is spherical? In other words, how do students know that what they know is actually true? That is the premise behind this lesson. I mean, what if someone else stands up and says the earth is not spherical but flat. How do we know flat earth is wrong? Thus, during the lesson, I ask students to provide evidence to support the fact that the earth is spherical.

Quick History

The idea that the earth was spherical was first proposed in the 6th century BC. In 3rd century BC, Eratosthenes, a greek astronomer, was able to estimate the circumference of the earth by studying the differences in the way the sun casts a shadow at Alexandria and Syrene at the summer solstice. This all took place before ships were able to circumnavigate the globe (during the 1500s) and before the advent of airplanes (1903) or space satellites (1957). Thus, I like to ask students to provide evidence that does not require tech (ie. photos from space, google maps, etc).

Before the lesson

Produce something formal-looking for students to look at or copy down (I usually make a powerpoint presentation). Some flat earth facts to Include in the presentation are:

• The Earth is flat and round like a cookie or pizza.
• The continents on the Earth are laid out like it is on the United Nations Flag.
• The sun and moon revolve around the Earth.
• The “north pole” is actually the centre of the Earth’s surface.
• The Earth is surrounded on all sides by a wall of ice that holds the oceans back. This ice wall is what navigators call the “south pole” or Antarctica.

To start the lesson

Tell the class that today’s lesson is on astronomy. Then, have students copy down their notes from the powerpoint presentation. I generally have one flat earth fact per slide with accompanying photos. I also try to act as normal as possible – like this is just any other lesson I give. Typically, by the third or fourth slide, students will generally raise their hands, ask questions, or bring up objections.

Field Notes

Some tips to help you perform your best in this April Fools Day science lesson:

1. Provide flat earth evidence

According to the Flat Earth Society Page (yes, they exist), “The simplest is by relying on one’s own senses to discern the true nature of the world around us. The world looks flat, the bottoms of clouds are flat, the movement of the Sun; these are all examples of your senses telling you that we do not live on a spherical heliocentric world.” Thus, if students ask why you think the earth is flat, say “Look outside. The world is flat.”

Also, the United Nations Flag is also the same as the map that Flat Earth believers ascribe to. Thus, I tell students that, secretly, there are signs that Flat Earth may be true.

2. Ask what evidence support spherical Earth model

This is a fun part of the lesson. Students will try to refute your flat earth model. They’ll certainly bring up photos from space. Or how they can see the earth’s curvature from the plane. And how a ship’s mast will always appear on the horizon before the hull. I handle these objections by using the following.

• Photos are easily manipulated through things like Photoshop.
• Visual observations from a distance (like the plane or the ship) can be explained using refraction.

Our handouts also provide more details as to how I handle the 7 most common questions from students.

3. Answers to uncommon flat earth questions

Students always ask other questions about the flat earth model. It’s ok to say you don’t know – because just because you don’t know doesn’t mean it can’t be true. It just hasn’t been confirmed yet. For example, students usually ask, “what happens if you drill through the Earth? What’s on the other side?” To which I answer, “the biggest drill in the world has yet to drill through a hundred kilometers in depth – the earth is much thicker than that. And, no one knows what’s on the other side – no one’s flown their. And, if someone has flown their, it’s probably being kept under wraps. Government conspiracy.” And, yes, government conspiracy is a valid answer too.

As a rule, try to move the conversation back to what evidence students can provide that the earth is spherical. In fact, a lot of students cannot provide much evidence beyond photo evidence or seeing the curvature of the Earth from a plane.

Important: Before the End of Class

Make sure you tell students you don’t actually believe in flat earth and that this whole April Fools Day science lesson has been, well, a hoax. How do we know the earth is spherical?

One piece of evidence I give relates to lunar eclipses. Specifically, when the earth casts its shadow on the moon, it is always the same curvature – thus supporting a spherical earth. A cookie-shaped earth would cast a different shadow each time depending on the angle and position of the sun and moon relative to the earth.

Wikipedia’s page on Spherical Earth provides a good list of evidence too. And, it provides a historical account of the discoveries that lead to the acceptance of spherical earth as well

Wrap Up

An April Fools Day science lesson doesn’t have to require special setup or equipment. In fact, instead of observing discrepant events, we can get the same self reflection and questioning by asking students how they know what they know is true. How do students know the earth is not flat when what we see in front of us is flat land? Being a true scientist means we ask questions – and sometimes, it’s good to question our own assumptions too. Click the link below to download the handouts to this post, where I provide more details into how I handle objections. As always, please share our resources with your colleagues. And, if you want to receive weekly updates from us, please sign up for our newsletter too.

Until next time, keep it REAL!

Resources

Handout(s): 52 – Flat Earth _ April Fools Day Lesson Handout

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In short, yes, a first day science activity can combine science review, critical thinking, and the “getting to know you” aspect of all icebreakers. In doing our research in critical thinking strategies, we came across one simple activity that can be used for review and be modified as an icebreaker. We outline the strategy in the post below. Handouts are available for download at the end of the post.

This-or-that: a Critical thinking icebreaker

This critical thinking exercise requires students to choose between 2 objects to describe themselves. For example, choose between the following to describe yourself: are you a hammer or a feather? In choosing between the two, you need to think about the characteristics of a hammer and a feather. And, you also need to connect those characteristics to your own personality. Thus, choosing between two options and connecting the choice to one’s personality is a creative and fun way to stretch those critical thinking muscles. In fact, I’ve used this exercise in interviews, and it always throws students off guard (in a good way, of course).

Also, instead of generating a list of random words for students to choose from, why not choose vocabulary we want to highlight? In other words, why not use this activity as a way to review important vocabulary on top of critical thinking and learning names? And, since it’s the first day of class, why not choose words students should already know from the previous year?

Hence, for my grade 8 students, I would give them the following list of words to choose from to describe themselves. For each pair, I would ask students to choose one and explain how it connects with their personality.

• Element or Compound?
• Geothermal or Solar?
• Planet or Star?
• Eye or Ear?
• Stomach or Lung?

After, I would have students share what they’ve chosen. It’s the discussion afterwards that I find most interesting and fun. When given the chance, students can surprise you with what they think.

Tips

Instead of having students choose words to describe themselves, have students choose words to describe each other. Perhaps, have 30 pairs of words for 30 students in the class, and have students choose one word to best describe each classmate. Or, have students select words that describe a friend in class.

Students can also stand up and move to different sides of the room (kind of like a debate – one side is for those who agree, the other side for those who disagree). However, instead of moving to the “Agree” or “Disagree” sides of the room, students move to the “Igneous ” or “Sedimentary” side (depending on which word describes them best).

Wrap up

Getting to know students is part of a teacher’s job description. Since we’re doing it anyways, why not try to make the most of it? Why not use a critical thinking icebreaker – obc scne where students get to know their classmates, stretch their critical thinking muscles, and review important material)? And, such a critical thinking icebreaker doesn’t need to be complicated. It can be as simple as choosing between a lost of words. Click the link below to download the handouts to this post. And, please leave a comment below and share this resource with a friend if you found it useful. Thanks!

Until next time, keep it REAL!

Resources

Handout(s): 43 – Critical Thinking Icebreaker Vocab List

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I looked at the results of the REAL Science Challenge Contest Series to see if I could find the trouble spots. That is, those science skills students struggle with. The contests in the REAL Science Challenge Contest Series do not have content questions that require memorization or regurgitation of science facts. They are contests that require data analysis, interpretation, and reasoning. Thus, the problems students struggle with on these contests closely match the science skills they struggle with too. In the end, we found 3 science skills a lot of students struggle with. We discuss those skills in the post below. Handouts – in the form of solutions to our sample questions – are available for download at the end of this post.

3 Science Skills Students Struggle With

(1) Hypothesis writing

Writing or identifying a testable hypothesis remains one of the top science skills students struggle with. Although a testable hypothesis is often (but not just) a simple “If,  then” statement, I suspect students struggle not with the structure but with the content. Specifically, students often struggle with identifying independent and dependent variables too. Consider the following 2 questions from REAL Science Challenge Vol 2 Contest 4:

Sample Question 1:

Correct answer: D (selected 23% of the time); Other: C (31%), A (26%
taken from REAL Science Challenge Vol 2 Contest 4

Sample Question 2:

Correct Answer: C (selected 23% of the time); Other answers: A (21%), D (18%), B (15%) , E (14%)
Taken from REAL Science Challenge Vol 2 Contest 4

To view solutions, download our resource at the end of this post.

(2) Inferencing and Unit Analysis

Another common struggle for students is inferencing. Inferencing is the act of process of reaching a conclusion about something from known evidence or facts. Inferencing doesn’t just mean coming up with a conclusion at the end of a lab or activity. It can also mean predicting what future results should be based on current known facts or evidence. Also, students struggle with units and identifying and understanding the units for a specific concept. I often like to remind students that numbers need to have units to make sense. If we say a distance measurement is 5, this can mean a lot of different things (ex. Are we talking about 5 metres or 5 light years?). Refer to the 2 questions below taken from the REAL Science Challenge Contest Series.

Sample Question 3:

Correct Answer: A (selected 24% of the time); Other answers: E (39%), D (16%), B (12%), C (5%)
Taken from REAL Science Challenge Vol 2 Contest 4

Sample Question 4:

Correct Answer: B (selected 28% of the time); Other answers: A (50%)
Taken from REAL Science Challenge Vol 2 Contest 4

To view solutions, download our resource at the end of this post.

(3) Scientific Reasoning (ie. Connecting to Prior Knowledge)

How many times has a student finished a lab, gotten a result, but have no idea what the result means or how it fits in with prior knowledge? Students struggle with connecting new evidence to prior knowledge. If students struggle with this, then students will also struggle with applying prior knowledge in different contexts and situations. For example, the following 2 REAL Science Challenge Contest Series questions – taken from a passage where students are required to compare and contrast 3 different hypotheses – show how students can struggle with connecting prior knowledge to new evidence for a given phenomena.

Sample Question 5:

Correct Answer: E (selected 28% of the time); Other answers: C (39%), B (13%)
Taken from REAL Science Challenge Vol 2 Contest 4

Sample Question 6:

Correct Answer: A (selected 31% of the time); Other answers: D (24%), B (14%), C (14%), E (11%)
Taken from REAL Science Challenge Vol 2 Contest 4

Wrap Up

Teaching science skills is really what we are teaching as science teachers. Students can always google the information or content they need to complete a list of homework questions. However, science skills cannot be googled. And, it is what we want students to remember at the end of their schooling. Thus, wouldn’t it be nice to know where students struggle with first? Wouldn’t it be nice to know where we need to start? Click on the link below to download the resources to this post (ie. the REAL Science Challenge Contest from which the sample questions came from, the sample questions, the answers, and the solutions). Please let your colleagues know about us too!

Until next time, keep it REAL.

Resources

Handout(s): 42 – Solutions to Science Skills Sample Questions

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This past year, I tried two stage testing in my Physics 11 and Junior science classes (gr 8s and 9s). And, the two stage test format was an awesome success. It was collaborative. It made students analyze how they were approaching difficult questions. And, it helped strengthen the concepts being tested even after the writing of the test itself. Below, I go over what two stage testing is and some tips on how to run your own. A tip sheet is available for download at the end of this post.

What is two stage testing?

Two tier testing can be seen as a test with two components. First, there’s the individual component, where students perform a test by themselves. Then, there’s a group component, where students perform an identical or similar test in small groups. The purpose of this test format is to have students support each other’s learning. The format is similar to students doing an assignment by themselves and then checking their results with a classmate. The individual component will have students develop their own answers and responses while the group component will have students discuss and debate their answers. Thus, there are two ways in which the test format supports student learning. First, by having students develop their own responses by accessing their own knowledge on the subject. Then, by reflecting on the validity their responses by comparing those responses with those of other students.

According to a paper published by the University of British Columbia (UBC), which uses two-stage testing in their Earth and Ocean Science course, “when students were tested in groups, they showed significantly greater improvement on subsequent individual testing than when tested only as individuals.” In other words, group testing helps students retain more of what was taught in class. I observed a similar trend in my own classes too. If you want to see how two stage testing is done, check out the video below of how two-stage testing is done in a Earth and Ocean Science course at UBC.

Some Tips

The biggest concern regarding two stage testing is: if students work on a test in groups, won’t weaker students just sit back while stronger students do all the work? The short answer is, yes, this is certainly a possibility. Some students will just sit back while stronger students take the helm and do a lot of the work. However, if group work is part of the norm for a science test, then there will be fewer students who take advantage of the situation and do nothing. All students will learn how to contribute in a group testing environment. And, there are some things that teachers can do to ensure students – weak or strong – get the most out of two stage testing too.

1. Stress that it’s about learning

I tell my students that the purpose of two stage testing is to support student learning. More specifically, it’s meant to help students reinforce what they’ve learned through small group discussion and reflection. Therefore, students need to be an active participant during the group test. This can be as simple as filling in the answers to some of the easier questions to figuring out the answer to a complicated one. The point is, students need to talk and bounce ideas off each other so that they get a stronger understanding of the current concepts before moving on. And, this is done through group discussions while writing a group quiz/test.

2. Use for smaller quizzes

I use two stage testing for my smaller quizzes as opposed to larger tests. For a science period that is 60 minutes, students write the individual quiz for 35 minutes and then the group quiz for the remaining 25. Giving students ample time to complete the group quiz allows for greater time for discussion. If not enough time is given for the group component, students will feel rushed and groups will just end up having their smartest student do the questions without discussion.

3. Use a weighted average when calculating the overall test mark

For any two tier test, I tell my students that roughly 75-80% of their mark is based on the individual component while 20-25% is based on the group component. Because most of their mark is based on the individual component, students are ultimately still responsible for the bulk of their overall test mark.

4. Add a few more challenging questions to the group test

Providing students with the same test to write for both individual and group tests will lead to students asking, “what did you get for this (question)?”. However, provide some extra challenging questions to the group test, and students are more likely to ask “how do we do this (question)?”

In other words, new questions not only give students more to discuss but also leads to a deeper discussion. More specifically, a “what” question probes for the result, while a “how” question asks for the process. By providing challenging extension questions to a group test, students will also be forced to participate with group members to answer the new questions (or else, they may not finish the longer group test).

5. Limit group sizes to no more than 3 students.

Smaller groups tend to have more discussion while larger ones tend to have one or two members not participate. With larger groups, it’s easier for students to sit back and let other students to do the work.

Wrap Up

If science curriculum is regularly evolving, then how we test students needs to evolve regularly as well. Group testing isn’t a new concept. However, employing group testing in the two stage testing format does help students practice all those science skills we want them to practice. And, students tend to retain more information too. Sounds like a win-win to me. Click the link below to receive a copy of our tip sheet. Also, please share our resources with your colleagues and/or leave a comment. Thanks!

Until next time, keep it REAL.

Resources

Handout(s): 41 – Two Stage Testing Tip Sheet

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In reality, using interactive notebooks is a lot of work. Yes, it sounds simple (just have students write notes, activities, and reflections all in one place, right? Er…not quite.). But, interactive notebooks need to be more than just a glorified way of helping students stay organized. Done correctly, yes, interactive notebooks do have the potential to make learning engaging and fun. However, That’s not as easy as it seems. I tried using interactive notebooks this past year in my Science 10 classes, and I found it difficult to maintain. Below are some pros and cons of what I learned from using interactive notebooks (and some pointers for what I would do for next time). A cheat sheet is available for download at the end of this post.

Interactive Notebooks Pros

Students do take ownership

Students like having their own notebook. For example, whenever I collect notebooks for marking, students always seem to ask for them right back (way before I’m ready to give them back). Perhaps, it is because students need a place to write down their ideas and they prefer their notebook. Perhaps, they like all the work that has gone into personalizing their notebooks. Perhaps, students like to have a record of all the learning that took place over the year. Or, maybe it’s all of it. Whatever the reason, students feel connected and take ownership of their notebooks. And, as a result, students take ownership of their learning too.

Keeps things organized

No longer do students shuffle through a binder in search of their assignment or notes from last class or last month. Everything is easier to find when using interactive notebooks because that’s where everything is supposed to be written down. Also, within their notebooks, students learn to organize their items – separating notes, labs, journal entries, and assignments. It’s certainly a life skill that students need to learn and is done through the use of INBs.

Provides a structure for students and teachers

One simple way of organizing an interactive notebook is having students write notes on the one side of each page and assignments, reflections, labs, etc. on the other side. Inherent in this structure is that there are parts of learning that are student driven and parts that are teacher driven. For example, students need to record class notes in their INBs – notes that come from the teacher. However, students also need to record personal reflections as well as lab activities and assignments in their interactive notebooks – items that come from themselves. This structure is a good reminder to teachers using interactive notebooks that lessons need to be multimodal in order to best reach all learners. If teachers find that students are writing too much on one side of the page, it’s time to change things up and not just stand-and-deliver for a majority of the class.

Filters out less essential parts of a lesson

There was a time where I gave copious notes or handouts upon handouts to students. However, with INBs, I need to be more thoughtful with what I want students to write down. Students can’t possibly write notes for an entire hour. Nor can students staple in handout after handout into their notebooks. When using INBs, teachers need to minimize what the big ideas they want students to focus on. And, I think that’s great.

Interactive Notebook Cons

It shifts your teaching practice

An interactive notebook is supposed to show student process, creativity, reflection, and learning in multimodal ways. Students fill their pages with organizers, labs, assignments, notes, written works, foldables, and probably many other things too in order to show their learning. And, if you haven’t been doing some of this stuff – if you’ve only been giving out handouts and assigning questions from the textbook for you to check for completion next day, then interactive notebooks represents a major shift in how you teach.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with giving out handouts and assigning questions from the textbook. But, using interactive notebooks will mean going beyond just writing answers and notes into the notebook. Using interactive notebooks means finding new and better ways to reach and teach all students – and it will require a shift in how you approach your teaching practice (and a lot of time to adjust too).

Finding good activities for students to do

What are good activities for students to do for an interactive notebook? The short answer is, activities that help students learn better. And, in terms of interactive notebooks, activities that allow students to use and demonstrate their science knowledge creatively and reflectively. One problem with interactive notebooks is the need to find a variety of activities that do just that. Unfortunately, that is no easy task. We need to find activities that are meaningful and not just busy work. Activities that stretch students’ minds instead of just having them check off boxes. Again, teachers may end up using lots of time exploring this aspect – time that is not always freely available.

Finding a fair way to assess notebooks

What does student work in an interactive notebook tell us? How can teachers assess this work and connect it to learning outcomes? Should we be assessing notebooks differently than common assignments? To get the most out of interactive notebooks, we do need to mark them differently than our previous assignments. If not, we run the risk of just doing what we’ve always done – but in a notebook instead of binder. In other words, if creativity, process, and critical thinking is what we are hoping to foster through the use of interactive notebooks, then that is what we need to assess. Again, finding a fair way to assess this in notebooks takes time to develop or, at the very least, to learn. Rubrics and student assessment still require the development of or modification to evaluation criteria. How do we mark individual assignments that we are now trying out because of INBs? How do we assess the quality of the notebook as a whole, and how does that tie to current curricular standards? These are just a few questions that we need to address before or while working with INBS.

Wrap Up: Should you use interactive notebooks?

Using interactive notebooks is sort of like upgrading to the newest iPhone. If you have no smartphone (or an old smartphone with no features whatsoever) and need one that offers some current features, then yes, upgrade to the iPhone. Also, if just want to get the latest and greatest, then yes, upgrade to the iPhone. But, if the latest iPhone only offers incremental changes to your existing phone, then it may not be worth it. Save your money (and time).

Similarly, if you’re a new teacher looking for an interesting instructional model to learn and follow, then, yes, give interactive notebooks a try. The organizational structure provides an excellent outline to teachers wondering how to reach students in different ways. Or, if you’ve already been teaching for some time but want to try something new that does offer some “new features” in approaching student work and learning (and you have the time to invest in it), then yes, give interactive notebooks a try. But, if you’ve already been teaching and have already developed a system that meets the needs of your learners in a variety of ways, then using interactive notebooks may not be necessary. A better use of your time may be to modify existing assignments instead of starting a whole new structure.

Click on the link below to download our handout (a quick start list of links to get started). Please feel free to share our resources with your colleagues.

Until next time, keep it REAL.

Resources

Handout(s): 40 – Science INBs Quick Start Links

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In our previous post, we wrote how we can use more critical thinking skills in multiple choice questions by changing how we write the answers and prompts for our questions. Unfortunately, this has its limits. That is, if teachers continue to ask the same old multiple choice questions that rely on recall and memorization, then simply changing the answer choices isn’t going to make a big difference. What teachers need is to start asking better multiple choice questions. Therefore, what are examples of good multiple choice questions we can ask that require critical and scientific thinking?

We suggest using more case studies in multiple choice tests. Case studies provide students with real data and contexts to apply their knowledge. Thus, they are great opportunity to test critical thinking. For example, questions for our REAL Science Challenge Contests are always based on case studies. And, students find them challenging because students aren’t used to questions that require them to apply their knowledge in a given situation.  Unfortunately, case studies are not always easy to find or readily available. Thus, teachers need to create their own. In this post, we aim to help teachers create their own case studies for multiple choice exams. We present 3 types of case studies teachers can use and the types of questions that teachers can use for each type. A case studies outline is available for download at the end of this post.

Easy Case Studies for the scientific thinking

Want to make multiple choice test questions that use case studies to engage critical and scientific thinking? We suggest writing case studies that focus on one of three themes: (1) experimental design analysis, (2) experimental results analysis, and (3) multiple hypotheses analysis. We outline the three case study themes below.

1. Experimental Design Analysis

In these case studies, students are responsible for analyzing how an experiment is setup and how changes to the experimental setup can change the results. Students are typically given:

• Some background information regarding what the experiment is about.
• The experimental procedure, which includes the independent and dependent variables as well as some important controlled variables.
• Two or three different variations to the same experiment.
• Results in the form of tables or graphs for all variations to the experiment.

Questions for experimental design analysis case studies include:

• Identifying independent, dependent, and controlled variables.
• Predicting what can potentially occur if there are changes to any variables.
• Identifying or developing testable hypotheses
• Predicting hypothetical conditions that may provide similar experimental results
• Predicting future results under certain conditions.

Sample Case Study: Passage 1 in REAL Science Challenge Vol 2 Contest 4 (available for download at the end of the post).

2. Experimental Results Analysis

In these case studies, students are responsible for analyzing experimental results and applying such results in other scenarios. Students are typically given:

• Some background information regarding what the experiment is about.
• Multiple graphs and tables showing different relationships between variables in the experiment.

Questions for experimental results analysis case studies may include:

• Interpolation and extrapolation of lab results
• Determining the conditions that produce a given or range of results.
• Identifying conditions that may produce a given results
• Drawing claims or conclusions from experimental results.

Sample Case Study: Passages 2 and 4 in REAL Science Challenge Vol 2 Contest 4 (available for download at the end of the post).

3. Multiple Hypotheses Analysis

In these case studies, students are responsible for comparing and contrasting the many hypotheses that may exist that explain the same scientific phenomenon. Students are typically given:

• A scientific phenomenon where there may be multiple hypotheses that explain the phenomenon.
• Details regarding two or three of the most popular hypotheses.

Questions for multiple hypotheses analysis case studies may include:

• Determining which hypothesis is supported or refuted if given new evidence.
• Predicting future experimental results if one of the hypotheses was deemed correct.

Sample Case Study: Passages 3 in REAL Science Challenge Vol 2 Contest 4 (available for download at the end of the post).

Wrap Up

If teachers want students to apply their critical and scientific thinking skills on a test, case studies are a great resource. And, case studies work for multiple choice too (so long as the answers options are written well too – refer to post #36 for details). Unfortunately, case studies take time to create from scratch. Hopefully, by following the suggestions above, the learning curve for writing good case studies will not be as great. Of course, there is also the question of where to find good sources of information for case studies, which we will leave for a future post. Join our newsletter if you want to stay up to date with our posts or if you want to know when our follow up post to this resource will happen. And, click the link below to download the handouts (case studies outline and sample passages) for this resource. Lastly, leave a comment below or share our post with your friends or colleagues.

Until next time, keep it REAL.

Resources

Handout(s): 37 – Case Studies Outline

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One change teachers can make is by changing the types of multiple choice answers in our tests. A common argument against multiple choice is that one can get to the answer by eliminating obviously wrong options.  Thus, as detractors will argue, a multiple choice test is no longer a test on knowledge but instead an exercise in test writing. I agree with this argument. A multiple choice test should not be a test about testing but rather a test about content knowledge and understanding. To integrate multiple choice into the current curriculum, we need to make students think about each option in a question by writing better responses. We outline a few strategies below to help write better multiple choice responses that promote more critical thinking. Handouts – which will include a sample passage and critical thinking multiple choice examples – are available for download at the end of this post.

Multiple Choice is Critical Thinking

Here’s the big idea: answering good multiple choice question is critical thinking. Why?  Because, for a student to read each multiple choice answer to assess whether one option is THE answer among all the options requires critical thinking. However, this is the ideal. Unfortunately, a lot of multiple choice answers are written so that students rely merely on recall or never require critical thinking at all.

This problem is not impossible to solve. But, it takes time and practice. Personally, I’ve written multiple choice questions for all our REAL Science Challenge contests – and I am only starting to be comfortable writing good multiple choice questions that require students to think critically. Below are some of the strategies I’ve researched and adopted in writing the multiple choice options to our problems. I hope you find them useful too.

7 Tips to writing Critical Thinking Multiple Choice 

Strategy 1: Answers must all sound plausible.

If each option sounds plausible, then students will take time to think about and distinguish the differences between each option.  Obviously phony answers may be fun to include as a multiple choice option, but those options can also be easily eliminated (without thinking critically) as not the answer.

Strategy 2: Have more than 1 right answer.

This strategy is used on Advanced Placement (AP) exams. And, on REAL Science Challenge contest questions, questions with more than 1 correct multiple choice answer are extremely challenging for students. This is no surprise. Most students look for 1 correct answer and then stop. But what if there were more than 1 answer? Then, students would need to check all options to see if any other option would also correctly answer the multiple choice question.

Strategy 3: Instead of restating the textbook, provide alternate examples.

By providing the right option as an exact copy of what’s stated in the textbook, students can identify the answer strictly by recall. To challenge the mind a little more, provide options that are new or analogous examples. This way, students need to at least analyze to see if the new examples fit with what was stated in the textbook.

Strategy 4: Have answers that include a justification

Students can choose what appears to be a correct answer. But, can they then justify their answer?  By adding justifications, students will need to choose the correct response and understand why the option is correct too.

Strategy 5: “All of the above” or “None of the above” cannot be an answer

Similar to the problem with including fun and phony multiple choice options, both “All of the above” and “None of the above” can easily be eliminated without using critical thinking. For example, so long as one of the options is not correct, this automatically eliminates “All of the above”.

Strategy 6: Answers should not have words like “never” or “always”.

As the old mantra goes, “never say never”. Words like “always” and “never” represent extremes, which are clues for students to eliminate the multiple choice option.

Strategy 7: Keep the lengths of each multiple choice answer the same.

Unfortunately, students are able to pick the right answer (or eliminate wrong ones) simply because they are overly wordy. Thus, this becomes an exercise in test writing instead of knowledge assessment. By keeping the length of all answers the same, we close this loophole.

Wrap Up

Multiple choice questions get a bad wrap from new curriculum for not being able to assess critical thinking. This is not without reason: lots of multiple choice questions rely on simple recall or knowing some test writing strategies. This is unfortunate because multiple choice questions can assess a greater breadth of content than written response. And, done correctly, multiple choice can assess critical thinking skills too. Perhaps, with a few improvements, critical thinking multiple choice questions can help return multiple choice tests to being a good assessment option. Click the link below to download the handouts to this post. Our handouts include a quick checklist of the strategies above as well as a sample passage and multiple choice examples. Please help us share our resource and website with your peers too!

Until next time, keep it REAL!

Resources

Handout(s): 36 – Critical Thinking Multiple Choice Handouts

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