Crime may not pay but incorporating crime scene-inspired lessons into chemistry STEM classes does, say Kemily Patillo and Nusret Hisim. 

Hisim is a chemistry educational technology specialist of Vernier Science Education who helped develop Vernier’s new lab science book Forensic Chemistry Experiments. 

Patillo is a science teacher at Newton College & Career Academy who has used crime scene-inspired teaching with her students. Both share tips for using crime scene scenarios to teach STEM students. These techniques can be so inspiring for students that not using them is almost, well, a crime. 

Crime Scene STEM Scenarios 

For decades procedural TV shows such as Forensic Files, CSI, NCIS, and many others have been fueling an interest in crime scene investigation. “Some of it is real, some of it’s not so real,” says Hisim of TV-show depictions of crime scene investigation. 

Accurate or not, these shows have sparked an inherent interest in crime scene science for many students. Hisim first learned he could harness that appeal as a classroom educator in Maryland when he began building chemistry lessons around various crime scene scenarios. For example, in one lesson students investigated the case of an exploded bottle rocket and were tasked with determining whether someone ignored instructions not to over-pump the bottle.

“The actual concept behind that is you're adding equal volumes of gas, in this case air, to a container, and equal volumes of different gases with the same temperature and pressure contain an equal number of particles. That's Avogadro's Law,” Hisim says. “But you say it that way, there’s no interest from students. But if, you say, ‘Hey, if you pump up a bottle it can explode….’” 

Teaching STEM Without Students Realizing It

Hisim’s teaching experience inspired Forensic Chemistry Experiments, which features 15 experiments designed for high school and college-level chemistry students. 

“I took concepts that chemistry teachers teach,” Hisim says, including spectroscopy, atomic theory, and more. Then he worked with other educators at Vernier to shape TV crime-style investigations based on these. Cases/lab experiments featured in the book include Unusually Cool Beverage, Cold Case for Carbon Dioxide, Secret Message, Mystery Powder, and Arson Analysis. 

“The idea behind the experiments is to make them interesting and enticing. Have a little scenario so that students feel like they're helping to solve a crime and in the background without really realizing it, they learned some chemistry,” Hisim says. 

This type of inquiry-based process can also expand the lesson beyond chemistry alone. “They’re not only getting those science skills, they're building their critical thinking skills,” Patillo says. 

Customizing Scenarios 

While Forensic Chemistry Experiments provides educators with everything they might need, the labs are also designed to be customizable for educators who want to add their own twists. 

The concept of using crime scene investigations to inspire chemistry lessons isn’t limited to the ideas in this book. Patillo was drawn to it because she has already incorporated similar techniques into her teaching. One lesson she teaches is "The Case of the Curious Pill." “It’s a murder mystery,” she says. “We start off with a scenario of a young lady complaining about a headache and her mom gives her an aspirin.” Soon after the young woman dies. 

“Immediately the kids all think, it’s the mom – she gave her the wrong medicine, and so they’re using their critical thinking skills,” Patillo says. Students don’t learn the answer to the mystery until they’ve covered many different aspects of the unit, which takes about three weeks. During that time they learn a lot more than just the science at the heart of the case. 

“They're learning to argue their case with their neighbors, how to present an argument properly. How to change your mind as you get new data. There's a lot of a lot of extra skills they’re learning on top of chemistry,” she says. 

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Today at the Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC), zSpace Inc., Silicon Valley-based edtech provider, and MEL Science, London-based VR and hands-on learning science education specialists, announced a partnership to bring MEL Science’s curriculum-based chemistry courses to zSpace’s augmented and virtual (AR/VR) education platform.

This partnership delivers the MEL Chemistry application and lesson plans to millions of students around the world, expanding content available to zSpace users. As of today, 10 activities for middle school and 39 for high school are available through MEL Chemistry, including lessons and makerspace labs that provide open-ended creation opportunities and hands-on learning activities.

With MEL Chemistry on zSpace, students use AR and VR to experience being inside pure substances, mixtures, and even atoms. MEL Chemistry provides  visualization and explanation of chemistry concepts - from atoms to molecules, including the periodic table, gas laws, and isomerism. 

zSpace will be at FETC in Miami, January 15 - 17, 2020, demonstrating MEL Chemistry in booth 1002.

About three months ago I did something I often do but I am embarrassed to admit:

I assigned a "sub lesson" when absent, asked students to submit evidence of completion, and then...

...wait for it...

DIDN'T EVER LOOK at the document!

Yes, I suppose it's a combination of my confidence in the accountability created by having students submit images via a collaborative google doc, and the pure hecticness during the school year. More of the later. 

Anyhow, here I am, sitting at some random cafe enjoying my summer and cleaning up my Google Drive, and I stumbled upon a Google Doc that contained a sub assignment I had asked my students to do when learning about balancing ionic compounds.

I have been striving to incorporate more inquiry into my sub assignments, and this was my first stab at it.

A little bit about the lesson: 

My 4-year-old twin boys were gifted a set of HUGE, generic legos, and I had a thought! See image right:  

While my kids quickly realized that they were not "real" Legos and went on to doing whatever 4-year-old twin boys do, I saw a potential sub lesson! 

In my chemistry class we had just got done learning about the Periodic Table of Elements and how positive and negative ions form. I had yet to introduce the idea of ions transferring electrons to form balanced ionic compounds. Hence, the entry point for inquiry! 

I was to be gone the next day of class, and I decided to cut all the legos into blocks of 1, 2, or 3, bumps (not sure what the correct term is?), that, in my mind, represented the +1/-1, +2/-2, and +3/-3 ions. It is a common activity to have students form ionic compounds by fitting them together correctly.

But, my students did not know this. Hence, the entry point for inquiry! 

After placing all the pieces in the center of the room, I emailed my sub the following prompt: 

Ask students to model the formation of Ionic Compounds using this document. Ask them to insert images of their models into the document. 

To be honest, I had know idea what they would produce, as the prompt was very open-ended in general, let alone for a sub assignment. 

Back to the point of this post. When I looked at their responses...today...I was blown away. They completely nailed the activity. Shame on me for not even following up with them the next day in class...It is so easy to lose track of the most important things as a teacher at times.. Embarrassing, but true.


Below is screenshot from the shared google doc where they uploaded their responses: 

cross posted at www.cyclesoflearning.com

Ramsey Musallam teaches science and robotics at Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa, California, with the aim of fostering inquiry-based learning environments fueled by student curiosity. He presents widely on sparking student curiosity and teaching with technology. Musallam is a Google Certified Teacher, a YouTube Star Teacher, and a Leading Edge Certified Teacher. Watch his TED talk here and read his blog at www.cyclesoflearning.com.

HoloLAB Champions

Immerse students in a fantastic VR chemistry lab

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Bottom Line: Students can safely experiment, play, fail, succeed, and learn in this engrossing virtual chemistry lab.

Read more 

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education

Pennies made after 1982 are ~ 95% zinc with a plated copper exterior. Thus, a penny contains two metals and can, if manipulated properly, be converted into a battery. See video below:  

 This video is LEGIT, and upon seeing it, my gut was to provide students with this video, the materials, and let them go at it as an introduction to our unit on energy in Biology class. (Mitochondria metaphor, etc.). 

Then I remembered the research on curiosity! The goal is to intentionally withhold the IDEAL amount of information.

Pique interest, but create suspense. Provide enough information as to not demotivate, but leave enough out as to keep the learner guessing.

The below "inverted U" graph of Curiosity vs. Knowledge (knowledge confidence), provides a great visual.

Inspect it carefully.

Have all the info. Not curious. Have no info. Not curious. Withhold the ideal amount. Curious.  

 So, back to the initial activity. I fear that if I give students the above video, as awesome as it is, the activity will transition from science to "arts and crafts".

I fear that by providing the video, I will provide too much information, push students to the far right of the "inverted U" and minimize curiosity.

DESPITE how engaging the activity is! 

The engagement lies not in the video quality, or the task, but the anticipation of what will happen. 
The frustration in not knowing exactly what will happen, or how to do it. 
The tension that is built when the instructor perfectly provides and withholds.
The cognitive reward the learner receives when that tension is revealed.
We all love solving riddles. 

This is the true "Call to Adventure". 

So here is what I'm going to do instead. 

Step 1: Tell students that electrons can flow spontaneously through a material when two different metals are connected through a conductive solution. 

Step 2: Tell students that pennies after 1982 are plated with copper. 

Step 3: Provide students with the exact materials shown in the screenshot from the video above. Include the video title "How to Make a Penny Battery from Start to Finish" in the below image as a strategy for pushing students directly under the "inverted U" shown above.  

Step 4: Challenge students to light the LED using only the materials provided in the above image. Remove internet privileges to ensure that information is strategically withheld and students do not look up the above video. 

Step 5: Play the above video. 

Step 6: Treat this as the first  two"Es" (Engage and Explore) in the 5E Learning cycle. Continue on with lesson. Etc., etc.

cross posted at www.cyclesoflearning.com

Ramsey Musallam teaches science and robotics at Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa, California, with the aim of fostering inquiry-based learning environments   fueled by student curiosity. He presents widely on sparking student curiosity and teaching with technology. Musallam is a Google Certified Teacher, a YouTube Star Teacher, and a Leading Edge Certified Teacher. Watch his   TED talk here and read his blog at www.cyclesoflearning.com.

February 4th is Periodic Table Day, and this website is the perfect way to celebrate. The table can be color coded by orbitals, element types, electronegativity, melting points, boiling points, and percent of the Earth’s crust. You can also click on each element to learn even more.

 Courtesy of Knovation   

As a science teacher I struggle with the tension between being "innovative" and the benefits of practical, simple, efficient system. This dichotomy is amplified when, for me, choosing between more advanced sensors (temperature, conductivity, etc.) such as those provided companies like Vernier and Pasco.

Anecdotally have found that, rather than leveraging the types of interfaces described above, when I have students design and built their own interfaces they learn more about not only the data they are measuring, but in building the equipment, they develop an appreciate and knowledge of the intricacies involved in capturing the data. This became clear to me when I had students create their own Titration Drop Counter last school year.

[Robotics Showcase 2017!]

Albeit not as specific nor aesthetic, the mere act of going this process, I argue, is more meaningful for high school students where the risks associated with inaccurate data collection is low, but the risks of information gaps or underdeveloped conceptual understanding of content, is high. To this end, I have chosen one piece of equipment for each of the 6 units in my 10th grade chemistry class, for students to build and leverage in their laboratory investigations. Below is a list of each piece of equipment, and an associated link that students will use for construction information and hints.

cross posted at www.cyclesoflearning.com

Ramsey Musallam teaches science and robotics at Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa, California, with the aim of fostering inquiry-based learning environments fueled by student curiosity. He presents widely on sparking student curiosity and teaching with technology. Musallam is a Google Certified Teacher, a YouTube Star Teacher, and a Leading Edge Certified Teacher. Watch his TED talk here and read his blog at www.cyclesoflearning.com.

Celebrate a staple in all chemistry labs~ the Bunsen burner! Bunsen burner day celebrates the inventor of this laboratory equipment, Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen. This standard tool in chemistry can create a hazard if lab safety is not practiced. This site includes an interactive lab safety tutorial. Here students can explore what to wear, safe practices, emergency scenarios, and take a quiz on their knowledge.

[Discover different types of gems that must be cut and polished for their beauty to be visible]

courtesy of Knovation