PERIODIC TABLE FUN
Your kids have been cracking me up today trying to solve Periodic Table Riddles and making Periodic Table jokes and Valentine cards. If you're bombarded with silly element puns and plays on words all weekend, I take full responsibility (and consider today a huge success).
Here are a few riddles to test your elemental knowledge. Answers appear at the bottom of this post!
- What do you do to repair ripped socks?
- What did the cowboy do to the bucking bronco at the rodeo?
- What do you call a foolish prisoner?
STUDENT SELF-ASSESSMENT
This afternoon, I will enter grades from our most recent Common Unit Assessment, the exam on Unit 4: The Periodic Table. (We finished just in time before Tuesday's early dismissal!)
As we move into Chemical Compounds next week, it is absolutely essential that students have a solid grasp of the Periodic Table!
Students who currently are struggling to navigate the Periodic Table; distinguish between metals, nonmetals, and metalloids; identify reactivity trends; and count valence electrons are going to find it nearly impossible to understand anything about chemical bonds, ionic and molecular compounds, and compound naming and formula writing rules. Even worse, students who don't master chemical compounds in Unit 5 will be completely unable to negotiate chemical reactions when we get to Unit 6.
Test corrections are a MUST from here on out! I gave them time to get started yesterday (Wednesday) during class.
When I passed back tests yesterday for students to start their test corrections, I asked students to evaluate their progress in Foundations of Science using three prompts:
#1: What types of tasks are you struggling with?
- Frequently missing fact/recall questions (like names of element families) is an indicator that students are not getting enough repetitions with the content. We discussed the fact that everything we do in class and everything that students do at home is intended to provide enough repetitions to help students internalize what we're learning. Of course, doing homework and participating (or paying attention) in class are things only the students can control. If those repetitions are not enough, making flashcards, using Quizlet, re-watching screencasts of class notes on Schoology, or using the other links I provide on Schoology may be a good idea.
- Struggling with application questions (like explaining trends among families of elements, how elements' properties relate to their uses, and how different elements are alike and different) is an indicator that students are not extending their thinking beyond basic facts. These are things we practice in class, but they also require higher-order thinking skills. That's one of the most challenging aspects of science! It's great to know vocabulary and trivia, but our goal is to explain the world around us. We'll keep working on it!
#2: What are you doing to ensure that you are learning in Foundations of Science?
- Classwork! I asked students to self-assess how attentive they are in class, and whether or not they truly participate in what we do. When I have them turn and talk to a partner about the DoNow from the start of class, do they have a good conversation, or do they let themselves get off task? When we discuss why the noble gases are non-reactive in four different ways on four different class days, are they mentally present in that discussion? I provide the opportunities for them to learn, but whether or not they take advantage of them is really in their control.
- Homework! If a student always has his or her homework done, but that student doesn't do well on labs, essays, tests. and quizzes, that practice must not be making an impact. Are they mentally engaged when doing homework? Are they copying a friend's homework in homeroom - or copying my answer key from Schoology instead of using it to check their answers? When I assign reading, are they doing the reading? When they're reading, are they monitoring whether or not they understand? Are they taking notes and using them to study later? Are they going back and fixing mistakes and misconceptions once we discuss the reading or homework in class? These questions are questions each student has to answer. Practice doesn't make perfect; practice makes permanent. We need to practice, practice right, and practice well.
- Studying! I asked students to consider the time they spend studying but, more importantly, whether their study strategies. Are they forcing themselves to recall information AND make connections? Are their current strategies and time spent studying producing the desired results? Are they using Schoology? Flashcards? My review packets? Study buddies? Something really cool I don't even know about? Studying better is better than studying longer! I would love to talk study strategies with students and help them find a solution that works best for them!
#3: What's your mindset when it comes to learning and studying?
- It's not about memorization! I have found that too often students try to memorize too much. We have 67 vocabulary words in our science glossary right now, barely halfway through the year. It would be impossible to memorize facts about every element and element family, or to memorize every trend (size, reactivity, conductivity, density, and more) on the Periodic Table, or to memorize every property of every family and every element. And even if you're good at memorizing, you eventually get to a point where memorizing new information bumps the stuff you memorized earlier out of your mind. That won't work as we build on past concepts as the year goes on!
- It's all about making connections. For instance, if I know that copper is a metal, and I know that copper is used for jewelry, pipes, and wires, then that should allow me to figure out that metals like copper are malleable, ductile, and good conductors. I'm not memorizing; I'm thinking and connecting new, scientific information to prior knowledge and what I see in my everyday life. There's a big difference in terms of how I'm spending my mental energy then.
NO HOMEWORK THIS WEEKEND!
The only assignment I gave the kids for this weekend is: RELAX, REST, and ENJOY time with friends and family! We all need a break every now and then. Stay warm, and get ready for chemical bonds starting Tuesday!
Have a wonderful Presidents' Weekend!
RIDDLE ANSWERS
- Sodium
- Rhodium
- Silicon