Flashcards: Scientific Instruction
Safety Practices
- Never put chemicals back into the container.
- Properly dispose excess chemicals in liquid waste bottles.
- Always wear safety goggles and closed-toe shoes when working with glass, chemicals, fire, or projectiles.
- Tie back hair and loose clothing when working with fire and machines.
- Wash hands before and after experiments
- Direct the openings of containers away from faces
- Never use/touch chipped or broken glass directly
- Do not eat or drink in the lab
- Never directly smell chemicals; instead, waft the air toward the face
- Do not taste chemicals
- Keep water and objects away from electrical outlets
- Always notify the teacher in the case of a spill or accident. Teachers should address spills immediately and minimize spread.
- Turn off all gas and electrical equipment when not in use
-Never leave flames or moving equipment unattended
Safety Equipment
First Aid Kit
Fire Extinguisher
Fire Blanket
Goggles
Safety Shower
Eyewash Station
Chemical Handling
- Acid should be slowly poured into solutions because heat can be generated from the reactions. Never add water to acid.
- Oxidizing agents should be kept away from flammable materials.
- Always keep chemical containers closed when not in use. If possible, keep chemicals in their original containers until needed.
Labeling Chemicals
- Compound Name
- Who made the sample
- Date sample was made
- Hazzards associated with the material.
Tared
When recording the mass or weight, scale must be tared or brought to zero first.
Meniscus
Bottom of the curvature when measuring liquid in a graduated cylinder. This is where you record the measurement.
Volume
Beaker
Graduated Cylinder
Pipette
Erlenmeyer Flask
Length
Metric ruler
Meter stick
Metric tape measure
Mass
Balance scale
Triple beam balance
Weight
Scale
Temperature
Thermometer
Time
Stopwatch
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
a standardized information sheet for a substance; includes information about health risks, safe disposal and cleanup of spills, and environmental risks
Waft
Wave the air toward the face. The safe way to smell a test tube.
Measurement
A number that shows the size or amount of something.
Precision
Way of determining and discussing what level of accuracy is possible based on tools used.
Tolerance
Amount of error that is allowed.
Accuracy
+ or - 1/2 of the smallest measuring unit.
International System of Units (SI) or metric system
Universally communicable method of reporting data.
Base units
Meters
Liters
Grams
Way to remember metric system prefixes
King Henry Dies By Drinking Chocolate Milk
Kilo-
1000
Kilometers, kiloliters, kilograms
km, kL, kg
Hecto-
100
hectometers, hectoliters, hectograms
hm, hL, hg
Deca-
10
decameters, decaliters, decagrams
dam, daL, dag
[base units]
1
meters, liters, grams
m, L, g
Deci-
0.1
decimeters, deciliters, decigrams
dm, dL, dg
Centi-
0.01
centimeters, centiliters, centigrams
cm, cL, cg
Milli-
0.001
millimeters, milliliters, milligrams
mm, mL, mg
Proportion
Pair of equal fractions
Convert using Proportional Reasoning:
- Draw two fraction lines equal to each other. Write the units in all four places. One unit should be in both numerators and the other unit in both denominators.
- In the first fraction, write the values from the provided conversion next to the corresponding units.
- In the second fraction, write the known amount beside its unit. Place x for the unknown amount.
- Cross multiply and divide to solve for x.
- Check that the answer is reasonable.
Dimensional analysis or unit analysis
Process of converting within or between systems by multiplying by unit fractions.
Convert using Dimensional Analysis
- Write the given value and units
- Identify the conversion factor using the given unit and the next unit. Write it with the given units on the bottom.
- Continue writing conversion factors until the goal units are on top.
- Solve by dividing the product of the numerators by the product of the denominators.
Bar Graphs
Use rectangular bars to show comparisons between categories of data.
Data Type: Categorical
Best Used For: Comparisons
Double Bar Graph
Displays two bars next to each other and is to compare two groups of data within each category.
Line Graph
Use line segments to connect data points.
Data Type: Quantitative
Best Used For: Changes over time
Pie Chart
Circle is divided into sectors.
Data Type: Categorical
Best Used For: Percentages
Dot Plot
Uses dots to show the frequency counts of data.
Data Type: Quantitative
Best Used For: Small amounts of data
Stemplot or Stem-and-leaf plot
Each data value is split into a “leaf” (usually the last digit) and a “stem” (the other digits).
Data Type: Quantitative
Best Used For: Small amounts of data
Histogram
Groups data into equal ranges and then plots the frequency of data in the ranges as bars.
Data Type: Quantitative
Best Used For: Large amounts of data
Box Plot
Uses a box and whiskers to display data.
Data Type: Quantitative
Best Used For: Large amounts of data
Quantitative Data
Data which is measured and usually expressed numerically.
Distance, time, temperature, test scores.
Outlier
A data point either much larger than or much smaller than the other data points in the set.
English System/ Imperial System
A system of measurement used in the United States using units such as feet, pounds, and ounces.
Tare
To seat a balance equal to zero to ensure an accurate measurement with no containments.
English Language Learners (ELLs)
Students learning english where english is not their primary language.
Scaffolding
Extra cues and guidance that aid understanding.
Bloom’s Taxonomy
A hierarchy of levels of knowledge; each level has associated verbs teachers can use to start questions.
“Identify” is at a lower then “argue” because it requires a lower level of thinking.
Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create.
Physical Properties
Properties that can be observed without a changing the substance.
Density, boiling point.
Blog/ Discussion Board
Platform for posts about various subjects and comments on the posts.
Edublogs, Fligrid.
App
A software application that is designed to perform a specific function for the user and can be utilized for teaching purposes.
Remind, Canva, Kahoot.
Word Processing Software
Used to create documents; used for planning, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing written work.
Word, Google Docs.
Individual/ Organism
One individual organism of a given species.
One human being.
Observation
Information gathered using the five senses.
Smell, color.
Search Engine
Tool used to locate information on teh internet.
Google, Kiddle.
Presentation Software
Used to display information with audio and visual components.
Powerpoint, google slides, prezi.
Force
An interaction (push or pull) of one object with another that resists other forces or causes acceleration.
There are only 4 kinds of forces called: universal (or fundamental) forces: gravitational, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear.
Discrepant Events
events with unexpected outcomes
A teacher starts a lesson on gravity by dropping two objects with different masses. Students are surprised when the objects hit the ground at the same time.
Collaboration Software
applications designed for multiple users to share and work on files and documents together
Energy
the ability to create heat (thermal energy transfer) or do work (apply a force that moves something through a distance)
gasoline has stored potential chemical energy
Inquiry-Based Activities
activities that allow students to participate in the scientific method with little guidance from the teacher
experiments, discussions
Critical Thinking
Analysis and judgement
Design an experiment, determine important part of a word problem, make a flowchart
Website
collection of web pages housed under a common domain name that are viewed on an internet browser
kids.nationalgeographic.com, learninglab.si.edu
Spreadsheet
A tabular view of data with columns and rows; the intersection of a column and row is called a cell.
Differentiated Instruction
teaching that offers multiple options for learning the material based on different student needs and learning styles
Brain-Based Learning
a type of learning which makes connections across sides of the brain; incorporates activity in learning
active learning activities such as debating
Exploration
interacting with materials and content, by observing and manipulating it, in order to learn something new
Students explore by actively manipulating materials or interactive content.
Concept / Vocabulary Map
a form of scaffolding in which a new concept or vocabulary word is written in the center and pictures or descriptive words are written surrounding it
A map with the word “weather” in the center is surrounded by words such as clouds, heat, wind, air and rain.
Matter
anything that has mass and takes up space
mud
Evidence-Based Science Instruction
using educational research to design lessons
K-W-L Chart
A graphic organizer used throughout a unit that shows what students know (K), want to know (W), and learned (L)
Informal Assessments
More flexible than formal assessments and can be adjusted to fit the situation and particular needs of the student being tested.
Observations during a lesson.
Validity
The ability of a test or question to measure what it purports to measure.
Appropriate Level
leveled to where the content was taught when considering depth and difficulty
Clarity of Language
does not contain ambiguous pronouns, words at too high a vocabulary level, or slang terms
Absence of Bias
Material based on common situations that all students will have encountered and that will not trigger an emotional response.
Performance-Based Assessment
A kind of assessment that requires students to show mastery of specific skills by demonstrating, producing, or performing something.
Designing and performing experiments, building models, writing poems or shorts stories, and developing portfolios.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
The state foundation curriculum developed by the State Board of Education, that requires all students to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to read, write, compute, problem solve, think critically, apply technology, and communicate across all subject areas
Formative Assessments
Assessment for learning. Usually mid-instruction assessment with the purpose of assessing student progress and informing the teacher so instruction can be altered as needed.
Graphic organizers, games.
Formal Assessments
a usually post-instruction assessment with the purpose of assessing student knowledge, retention, and application. Often involve the use of a standardized rubric or scoring guide based on several criteria.
Chapter tests, semester tests.
Reliability
Reliable exams produce the same scores when given in the same conditions (same individuals on different occasions or with different sets of equivalent items)
Summative Assessments
Assessment of learning. Given at specific points in time in order to determine what students know and don’t know. Summative assessments are generally formal.
State assessments, district benchmarks, semester or six weeks tests, and end of unit or chapter.
Congruent Assessment
an assessment that tests the learning outcomes described in the learning objectives
A congruent assessment should include questions that determine whether students have achieved the learning objectives set at the start of the unit.
Rubric
A scoring guide based on several criteria rather than a single numerical score
Explicit Teaching
the process of teaching by communicating clear expectations and giving specific feedback to students
