Lesson 10: Strategy 2 - Experimentation

5. Try to observe the moon at the same spot at the same tim e. You may fin d you have to change location or tim e durin g this long period of observation.

: Record questions that come to your mind. You w ill be given opportunities in class to discuss your fin d in g s and your questions. Distinguish between those questions that can be answered through direct observations and those that cannot.

Classroom Moon Phase Simulation

After the students have collected data for 1 -4 weeks, this classroom activity can be given to them that illustrates moon phase changes.

Learning Competencies

The learners should be able to:

• understand moon phase using the earth as a point of reference;

• observe the positions of the earth, moon, and sun durin g each phase; and

• compare learning moon phases by direct observations and by using a model.

Grade Level:

• Upper grades

Materials:

• Meter stick or yardstick

• Styrofoam ball (2 5 -3 0 cm /10 -12 inches in circumference)

• Popsicle stick

• Masking tape

• Light bulb (1 5 0 -2 5 0 watts) and bulb socket w ith o u t a shade

Instructions:

1. Push one end of the Popsicle stick into the Styrofoam ball. The Styrofoam ball represents the moon.

2. Tape the other end of the Popsicle stick to one end of the meter stick so that the Popsicle stick is perpendicular to the meter stick.

3. After turning off the overhead lights and making the room as dark as possible, the instructor w ill turn on the lig h t bulb and hold it above his or her head. The lig h t bulb represents the sun.

4. Stand up and hold the end of the meter stick with the Styrofoam ball up in the air with the other end poised on the tip of your nose. The angle of the meter stick should be about 45°. You represent the earth.The 45° angle simulate a person's line of sight when looking at the moon.

5. Make sure you can turn around w ith o u t bum ping into someone else's meter stick. Keep your eyes focused on the Styrofoam ball. Slowly rotate and watch what happens.

6. Notice where the sun is in relation to your position and in relation to the moon fo r each phase of the moon.

7. Think about the data you collected from your actual observations of the moon and your questions.

8. Write down an explanation of moon phases using knowledge gained from direct observations and this activity.

9. Compare the explanations you wrote w ith the explanations you previously subm itted to your teacher before the activity.

Discussion Questions

• What did you learn from the actual moon phase observation?

• What did the sim ulation activity confirm about your actual moon phase observations?

• Why is it d ifficu lt to understand moon phase changes from pictures or illustrations?

• What point of view do pictures present? What is your point of view during the sim ulation activity?

• What specific concepts should the learners understand before they can understand changes in moon phases?

• In general, at what age should the learners learn about moon phase formation?

• Should the learners be given opportunities to learn about moon phases at different grade levels? Explain.

• What does this say about revisiting the same concepts at different grade levels?

• If a learner says they already studied this in an earlier grade, how would you respond?

• What are the im plications of learning about moon phases form ation from pictures, diagrams, and illustrations?

The fo llow ing are examples of other long-term observation activities that can be done at various grade

levels.

1. Plant seeds and keep track of the growth of plants.

2. Observe changes in butterfly chrysalises from caterpillars to adu lt butterflies.

3. Raise mealworms to watch the changes in beetles' life cycle.

4. Observe changes in terraria and aquaria with different ecosystems.

Start a mold culture and observe changes over a given length of tim e.

' i Application

Jksaef the fo llo w in g guide questions. r-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \

' What are the benefits of using observation as a strategy in class?

I How does it help the students develop facts, concepts, and scientific knowledge?

3 Given the learning competencies below, develop a sample lesson plan.

Topic: The Surroundings

Grade Level: Grade 3

Learning Competencies

1. Describe the thing s found in the surroundings

2. Relate the importance of surroundings to people and other living things

ENGAGE

EXPLORE

ELABORATE

EVALUATE

What is Experimentation?

Experiments are the teachers' another way of introducing a new idea to the students to stim ulate :neir engagem ent in class. The use of experiments allows the teachers to transform the class into an active learning environm ent that fosters involvem ent of the students and stimulates th e ir mental, affective, and physical activities. The traditional way of using chalk and board can be improved by facilitating experiments in class so they can better understand and appreciate the principles involved in various scientific processes.

The teachers can use experim ent instead of, or in addition to more, traditional approaches fo r the follow ing reasons(SERC, 2 0 1 9 ):

• Experiments can be used to introduce new ideas or to clarify puzzling aspects of topics with which the students typically struggle.

• If the result of an experim ent is surprising yet convincing, the students are in position to build ownership of the new idea and use it to scaffold learning.

• In addition to checking that the conceptual focus of the experiment has been understood correctly, post-experim ent assignments can push the students to describe a follow -up experim ent or to extend the concept to another application.

Classroom experiments keep the learners active in a num ber of ways depending on the nature of the particular experiment. During experiments:

• The students are active in generating data or behavioral observations.

• The students analyze data, examples, or models.

• The students answer leading questions posed by the instructor and compare th e ir answers with those of other students.

• The students predict how changing the experiment w ill change the outcomes.

• The students compare experimental results to classroom theories and use them to confirm or critique the theories.

II. How to Use Experimentation as a Teaching Strategy?

The experimental approach requires the teacher to explain the fo llow ing steps and guide the students during the entire experiment. The goal is for the students to be able to understand the steps and develop th e ir own experiment. The fo llow ing steps are adapted from SERC (2019):

a. Identify/select a problem

To be worthy of investigation, the problem must be a problem for the students as well. It is a product of th e ir observation from the classroom, the environm ent, th e ir homes, or the community.

b. Formulate a hypothesis

Hypothesis is an educated guess; a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of lim ited evidence as a starting point fo rfu rth e r investigation.

c. Test the hypothesis

d. Control variables

e. Make operational definitions

f. Perform the experiment

g. Record and interpret data

h. Draw a conclusion

Conducting a classroom experiment entails several s ignificant steps. Among these is the preparation of the teacher and the students before the experiment, the roles of both parties during the experiment, and the post-experiment tasks (SERC, 2019).

1) BEFORETHE EXPERIMENT

a. Teacher's preparation

The teacher should be m in d fu l of the fo llow ing before conducting the experim ent in class:

• Decide how to best incorporate experiments into class content

• Designate an appropriate am ount of tim e fo r the experiment. Some experiments may require more than one m eeting w hile others take only a few minutes

• Use appropriate strategy when dealing w ith the classroom environm ent: room layout, num ber of students, groupings, etc.

b. Students' preparation

It's a great help for the students if they w ill in itia lly prepare for and get acquainted w ith the flow of the experim ent so they w ill have a successful learning experience. Let the students do the follow ing before starting the experiment:

• Carefully read and study instructions that explain the experiment and the role of the students

• Prepare all the materials, apparatus, glass wares, chemicals, and equ ipm ent needed for the experiment

• Think of the possible outcomes of the experiment

2) DURINGTHE EXPERIMENT

W hile doing the experiment, take note of the fo llo w in g :

a. Teacher's role

• M onitor the whole class. Check if all the students are participating or doing their assigned tasks. • Assess the students' performance. Correct those who may not be doing the instructions properly and recognize those who are follow ing instructions strictly. • Check the tim e or duration of the experiment. Sometimes, the students are too busy that they aren't m in d fu l of the tim e left for them to finish the experiment.

• Observe if the materials and e q u ipm ent used are still properly working or are properly used by the students

b. Students' role

• Make sure the students follow the instructions properly. Ask them to approach the teacher if there are concerns/questions.

• Ask the students to be a keen observer and take note of all observations and results of the experiment. Document the experim ent by taking pictures of the results and of the students w hile perform ing the procedures.

3) AFTERTHE EXPERIMENT

The experience during the actual experiment isn't ju st about that m om ent in class. It can be used as a shared experience that emphasizes material that is covered later in the course. Moreover, it can help the students to start th in k in g beyond the course material.

• Assess the students' achievement in learning goals by using standard tests, quizzes about the experim ent itself and open-ended questions that allow the students to reflect on what they did and did not get from the experiment. This is useful for clarifying facts and concepts that the students m ig h t not have understood before and durin g the experiment.

b. Students' role

• Analyze and interpret the data collected

• Identify scientific principles that can be learned from the experiment

• Think of ways on how to apply the learned scientific principles practically in life

4) STRATEGIES FOR UNEXPECTED OUTCOMES

Teachers often have fears of conducting experiments especially if things go wrong, the materials are not available, the machine isn't functioning well, the students aren't follow ing instructions, the class may be canceled due to weather conditions, etc. It is always necessary to have a backup plan so that the class can proceed w ith the experiment. Here are some suggestions:

• Improvize if you can. Discuss the outcome if the expected materials are used as well as the alternative materials.

• Bring yourset of lecture notes w ith you in class. You can always conduct a normal class if there is no remedy for the unavailability of materials or some other uncontrollable circumstances.

• Bring results from a related or sim ilar experiment from a published research experim ent or data from a previously conducted classroom experim ent w ith you to class. You can have a discussion about what the students expect to happen from the experiment.

III. Sample Lesson Plan

Topic: Gravitation and Frictional Forces

Learning Competency

The learners should be able to infer how friction and gravity affect movements of different objects.

Grade Level: Grade 6