Grade 10 Destreamed Science

This semester was my first time teaching this course, and I taught with a couple of teachers who already had and knew what they wanted the final summative to look like, so I followed suit. That having been said, I still discussed NOS concepts and made them explicit during the course, just without the final reflection for marks. Major assignments in this course which I helped them connect to NOS were:

• Design an experiment related to one of the major types of reactions of their choice. Conduct their initial experiment and make observations, then decide how to change the experiment and what sorts of variables to control when doing a more detailed experiment. Reflections for students included what their process was for coming up with the initial experiment and second experiment, why they chose the reaction they did, what problems they had and how they overcame them (if they were able to). (Investigations)

• Choose a human body organ and design a trifold board presentation including what the organ is and does, what cells make it up, what systems it is part of, and three things that might go wrong with the organ and what happens when they do. Their presentation is based on current research and feedback given during the research process helps them understand interrelations between human systems, since organs are usually connected to multiple systems even though they are often considered in isolation. (Contemporary Case Study)

• Conduct semi-guided experiments into optics using ray boxes, lenses, mirrors, and prisms. Create notes explaining reflection and refraction using ray diagrams. Prepare for a test on these concepts (although there is no test and students who were already engaged and working were privately informed of that… the test idea was only to motivate the other students to work on the experiments). Students also conduct their own research and create a safety video explaining safe use of equipment from a list so that their classmates could use it and create a science fair project on a topic of their choice. (Investigations)

• Choose a technology that is based on or uses part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Design a trifold board presentation on how that technology was developed, who developed it and why (what was its original purpose, is it still used for that purpose now), explain the technology and how it is related to the spectrum. Look at social and environmental impacts of the technology. Include alternative technologies that serve the same or similar purpose and decide whether or not the technology is worth the cost. (Historical Case Study or Contemporary Case Study, as applicable)

• A climate change website created by students. This is still a work in progress. (Contemporary Case Study)