Bio
Halyna is a middle school science teacher at Mark T. Skinner West Classical, Fine Arts and Technology School. She has been teaching for six years and she's loved every minute of it. In her free time, Halyna enjoys reading fiction, traveling with her fiancé, and exploring new culinary worlds.
Halyna is a middle school science teacher at Mark T. Skinner West Classical, Fine Arts and Technology School. She has been teaching for six years and she's loved every minute of it. In her free time, Halyna enjoys reading fiction, traveling with her fiancé, and exploring new culinary worlds.
Teaching Moment
The Shedding Light on Ions lesson was implemented in an eighth grade classroom. In the days leading up to this lab, students learned about atoms, elements, ions, and ionic bonds. They also constructed conductivity testers and practiced using them in lab. By the time we learn about ions in mid-December, my students have multiple hands-on labs under their belts. We practice good lab habits, safety, working in groups, and so on. However, none of this really prepares them for the Ions lab, a fun and active experience. Active is simply a positive way of saying hectic, since this lab has a time constraint of 45 minutes, with a discussion the following day.
My students have five minutes per lab station to make observations, build a conductivity tester, test their substances, discuss, deconstruct the conductivity tester, and be ready to move. There is no downtime in this experience, and students have to be quick on their feet. The time crunch necessitates that students focus all of their energy on the lab. This leads to quick-fire ideas and discussions. Building conductivity testers is simple but there are specific steps to follow for safety. The light bulb, battery, and electrodes have to be wired correctly for the conductivity tester to work. All of my students have to practice constructing and deconstructing them, with assistance from the group. The group members are fantastic with making sure that everyone is being safe and learning from the experience. And they are able to accomplish this in under five minutes!
The greatest moment comes when the group finally tests an ionic substance and their light bulb lights up. The students' excitement is contagious, they all want to be the ones to put the electrodes in the solution to affect the light bulbs. Most groups will actually deconstruct the conductivity tester several times so that everyone gets a chance with making the "successful" one. My students follow-up with a rich discussion about the different solutions and what it means for a solution to be ionic.
See lesson plan for more details!
The Shedding Light on Ions lesson was implemented in an eighth grade classroom. In the days leading up to this lab, students learned about atoms, elements, ions, and ionic bonds. They also constructed conductivity testers and practiced using them in lab. By the time we learn about ions in mid-December, my students have multiple hands-on labs under their belts. We practice good lab habits, safety, working in groups, and so on. However, none of this really prepares them for the Ions lab, a fun and active experience. Active is simply a positive way of saying hectic, since this lab has a time constraint of 45 minutes, with a discussion the following day.
My students have five minutes per lab station to make observations, build a conductivity tester, test their substances, discuss, deconstruct the conductivity tester, and be ready to move. There is no downtime in this experience, and students have to be quick on their feet. The time crunch necessitates that students focus all of their energy on the lab. This leads to quick-fire ideas and discussions. Building conductivity testers is simple but there are specific steps to follow for safety. The light bulb, battery, and electrodes have to be wired correctly for the conductivity tester to work. All of my students have to practice constructing and deconstructing them, with assistance from the group. The group members are fantastic with making sure that everyone is being safe and learning from the experience. And they are able to accomplish this in under five minutes!
The greatest moment comes when the group finally tests an ionic substance and their light bulb lights up. The students' excitement is contagious, they all want to be the ones to put the electrodes in the solution to affect the light bulbs. Most groups will actually deconstruct the conductivity tester several times so that everyone gets a chance with making the "successful" one. My students follow-up with a rich discussion about the different solutions and what it means for a solution to be ionic.
See lesson plan for more details!
5 Components of a great STEM lesson
As a group, the five of us came together to brainstorm the components of a great STEM lesson. We identified the following components, all of which were evidenced in our teaching moments.
Rigorous, cognitively rich tasks:
Students are involved in thinking deeply and using various strands of knowledge along with prior learning. The activities reinforce fundamental skills for future applications.
Student engagement and choice
Students actively participate in tasks at hand and are allowed to choose how to solve the problem to develop their understandings. Students own their learning outcomes.
Communication with disciplinary vocabulary
Students work collaboratively and success depends upon effective communication. Students develop and apply content vocabulary.
Safe, supportive place for exploration
Students have a comfortable space to explore the range of their abilities. They are encouraged to take risks with support from their peers and teacher.
Structured environment that celebrates diversity
Teacher systematically creates a classroom that optimizes STEM learning. Lessons balance structure and freedom to explore. Diversity is celebrated in divergent outcomes.
As a group, the five of us came together to brainstorm the components of a great STEM lesson. We identified the following components, all of which were evidenced in our teaching moments.
Rigorous, cognitively rich tasks:
Students are involved in thinking deeply and using various strands of knowledge along with prior learning. The activities reinforce fundamental skills for future applications.
Student engagement and choice
Students actively participate in tasks at hand and are allowed to choose how to solve the problem to develop their understandings. Students own their learning outcomes.
Communication with disciplinary vocabulary
Students work collaboratively and success depends upon effective communication. Students develop and apply content vocabulary.
Safe, supportive place for exploration
Students have a comfortable space to explore the range of their abilities. They are encouraged to take risks with support from their peers and teacher.
Structured environment that celebrates diversity
Teacher systematically creates a classroom that optimizes STEM learning. Lessons balance structure and freedom to explore. Diversity is celebrated in divergent outcomes.