Human+Density+Lab

Kristy Lathrop 8th grade science teacher Mesa Middle School Douglas County School District lathrop.kristy(at)gmail.com
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This summer, I learned simple ways to incorporate 21st Century Skills into my already existing labs. One of the most anticipated first quarter labs that my students conduct is the Human Density lab. I used to distribute a cook-book recipe style lab sheet to my students. You know, the type of lab where the teacher determines the question to investigate, provides a fill-in-the-blank hypothesis, and prescribes an exact procedure to follow.

 Refreshing these labs are not too difficult. I provided the students with materials and some directions, but left it up to them to select a question, create hypotheses, and determine their procedures.

 I used the SMARTboard to brainstorm which independent variable to investigate and [|Poll Everywhere] to allow the students to vote for their favorite.



After we have selected an independent variable, we generate a question and I allow them to create their own hypotheses. Next, the class works together to describe the procedure and generate data tables. After that, I stand back and allow them to conduct their investigations. I record the process using my flip camera and... try not to correct their mistakes! (That's the hardest part, especially because teachers LOVE to help.)

After the lab is complete, we learn how to convert a few units and begin a debrief to prepare to evaluate our learning for conclusions. I show the students the videos I captured:

media type="file" key="Human Density Process.mov" width="300" height="300"

The flip camera is officially my new favorite technology! I discovered that the videos are extremely powerful in the self-assessment. The students pick up on all sorts of details: spilled water, estimation, uncontrolled variables, etc. Of course, they learned how to find the density of irregular objects. More importantly, they are constructing an understanding of how to conduct and evaluate scientific investigations. Here are a couple conclusions that included these reflections: