Sunday, February 12, 2012
Scientific Inquiry Lesson
This week my students did an activity to show how viruses travel. They were part of a simulation activity. The students were at a "Party". They were going to interact with other students and share their "soda". I placed the students with an assigned partner. they were to write down the names of two other classmates that they were going to interact with. If another students came up to them they had to share with them also. They had to pick up a container off of the lab table. Some containers had flour and some had baking soda in them. AS they interacted they had to share their powders. One person would pour their contents into the other persons container mix it around and then split it into the two containers evenly. As they were socializing they had to keep up with who they interacted with and in what order. At the end I poured vinegar into each container. If it bubbled then they contracted the virus. They had to work with their partner to figure out who had the virus first and the order to which it could have been passed. This activity was easy to relate to a real world scenario. They kids loved it. I played music in the background so it really felt like they were at a party. It was a little challenging but overall it worked pretty well. It still needs a few kinks worked out but I will do this activity again.


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Great lesson,
ReplyDeleteI loved the visual reaction that students who contracted the virus experienced. Having the chemical reaction occur in this way really helps the students see how viruses are passed easily from one person to another. The analysis and conclusion section really helped the students connect what they were doing and bring the lesson together. Good job!
Shannon, love this!!! I am looking for lessons like this for the end of the year. It looks like we are going to finish up earlier than we did last year and I want to fill up space with little activities like this. Can you send me your materials for this lesson?
ReplyDeleteShannon,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great lesson and a wonderful application to the real world. You sound like me, I would have totally played music in the background to simulate a "party". I love it. Did any of your students say that this encouraged them even more to wash their hands and cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze?