Project-based learning lab (Tonya Mandl)
Using Project Based Learning in Science Instruction:
• Project Based Learning(PBL) is a unique way to design instruction that motivates students to learn
the content, connects the content to students’ lives, integrates multiple-subject areas, and allows
students to use creativity and innovation to solve problems.
PBL is an excellent way to incorporate cross-cutting concepts and engineering practices. Its
formatting follows the NGSS engineering practices. The general outline of PBL & how it can be used as an “umbrella” for science instruction is as follows:
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*Attached are examples of projects I use with 4th and 5th grade students. I will also be sharing the
“entry event” videos I created for each project. These can be adapted for Middle School Earth
Science.
The Hook
Imovie Trailer 1: "H20 Survivor"
Imovie Trailer 2: "Rocks; A New Discovery"
Demonstration: “Cool Convection”
(Part of “Building Knowledge and Skills to Answer Driving Question”)
Principles Investigated: CONVECTION CURRENTS
Grade Level: Middle School (6th gr)
Standards: MS ESS2-5Collect data to provide evidence for howthe motions and complex interactions of air masses
results in changes in weather conditions
DCI
ESS2.c: The roles of water in Earth’s surface processes
The complex patterns of the changes and the movement of water in the atmosphere, determined by winds, landforms,
and ocean temperatures and currents, are major determinants of local weather patterns
ESS2.d: Weather and Climate
The ocean exerts a major influence on weather and climate by absorbing energy from the sun, releasing it over time, and
globally redistributing it through ocean currents.
MS-PS1-4. Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure
substance when thermal energy is added or removed. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on qualitative molecular-level
models of solids, liquids, and gases to show that adding or removing thermal energy increases or decreases kinetic
energy of the particles until a change of state occurs. Examples of models could include drawing and diagrams. Examples
of particles could include molecules or inert atoms. Examples of pure substances could include water, carbon dioxide, and
helium.]
DCI
PS3.A: Definitions of Energy
The term “heat” as used in everyday language refers both to thermal energy (the motion of atoms or
molecules within a substance) and the transfer of that thermal energy from one object to another. In science, heat is used
only for this second meaning; it refers to the energy transferred due to the temperature difference between two objects.
(secondary to MS-PS1-4)
The temperature of a system is proportional to the average internal kinetic energy and potential energy per atom or
molecule (whichever is the appropriate building block for the system’s material). The details of that relationship depend on
the type of atom or molecule and the interactions among the atoms in the material. Temperature is not a direct measure of
a system's total thermal energy. The total thermal energy (sometimes called the total internal energy) of a system
depends jointly on the temperature, the total number of atoms in the system, and the state of the material.
Materials
Food coloring
Water: room temp, warm, cold
Aquarium tank
2 flasks or small containers
Explanation
A convection current is the way that heat rises and falls in liquids and gases. Some classic examples
of convection currents are hot air balloons, wind, and a pool that is hotter at the surface and cooler at
the bottom. The hot water in my demo rises and is displaced by the colder water.
Procedure
Fill small flask with hot water mixed with red food coloring. Fill another small flask with cold water and
blue food coloring. Pour both into opposite ends of a glass aquarium filled with room temperature
water.
Prior Knowledge
Students should have a basic understanding of 5th grade science standards involving the water cycle,
weather patterns, and matter. It would be possible to not show students that there is a temperature
differential between the two liquids, and generate a discussion and hypothesis.
Questions
First, I will ask students to respond on google sheet as to “what will happen when I pour these liquids
in the aquarium?” After observing the demonstration, I will invite students to ask clarifying
questions that could lead to a conclusion. Finally, I will have students write their conclusion as to
what was happening in the demonstration.
This will lead to a discussion on convection, heat energy, and the transfer of thermal energy from one
molecule to another within the liquid. Students will conclude that the hot water is rising and then
alternately falling when it cools.
Finally, I will ask students to “think of real-world situations in which this event occurs.” Examples are
the heat from an underwater volcano, hot air balloons, the water in a swimming pool, and I would
steer students to connect the event to ocean currents, wind, and weather systems.
Diagrams:
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Video link: https://youtu.be/7xWWowXtuvA