This week my students participated in an inquiry lesson that was used to teach them about osmosis and diffusion. The students used the egg as a model of an animal cell. It started by having the students use vinegar to dissolve the egg shell. Then the students put the egg in a variety of liquids including syrup and water (they got to choose the final liquid) in order to see what happened. The egg changes drastically during the experiment. It is awesome as the teacher to get to see how excited and engaged they are in their learning. The students come into class eager to see what has happened. They ask great questions and stay very focused and involved. They do a good job of using the class discussion to figure out what is happening to the egg. They have a harder time applying that to an animal cell. They need guidance in order to figure out what would happen in a real cell. Overall I think that this is a great experience for all of my students!
Below is a link to some samples of student work as well as a copy of the rubric that i use.
http://aloyal.decatur.dms.schoolfusion.us/modules/locker/files/group_files.phtml?parent=11215972&gid=430826&sessionid=73d9be6508fcfbd8e30663b6d07b385a
Great lab! Thanks for posting the student work because you gave me some great ideas...I liked the way you had the students collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Having the students develop graphs to reflect their results is a great way for them to 'see' their results. It was a great idea to have the students write out the experiment summary at the end.
ReplyDeleteAre all your lab reflections this detailed? If so, how many labs do you complete in a given week...I'm wondering how long it takes to grade them. I have 102 students and I'm not sure I would be able to grade it all in an effective amount of time. Thanks again for posting it! Great work!
~Kelly
I was not able to figure out how to link my student work to my blog. Would you be able to give me some pointers? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI had a really hard time linking my work as well. I ended up linking it to my school website and then linking that website. I was very frustrated by the time I was finished.
ReplyDeleteThis is a major assignment that allt he 7th graders have to complete. Not allof our labs are like this although all labs require some kind of write up. As far as grading, the students no that they will have to be patient in getting them back. I try to grade 10 at a time and can usually get them done in about a week and a half. I also structure it so that they do not all come in at the same time. That helps also.
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