Lesson Title: SpongeBob Experiments

Lesson Length: 45 minutes

Grade Level/Course: Middle School Science

Overview: The purpose of this lesson is to have students become familiar with the AEG process. Working in table groups, students will evaluate the claim made in Microwave Miracle, one of the experiments found in the SpongeBob activity. They will identify the claim, evidence and chain of reasoning as they complete an AEG to decide if they accept, reject or withhold judgment on the claim and then participate in a class discussion to share/support their decisions.

KS Science Standards Grades 8-12 addressed in this lesson:

STANDARD 1: SCIENCE AS INQUIRY – The student will develop the abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry and develop an understanding of scientific inquiry.

Benchmark 1: The student will demonstrate the abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry.

2. ▲ actively engages in investigations, including developing questions, gathering and analyzing data, and designing and

conducting research

STANDARD 7: HISTORY AND NATURE OF SCIENCE Grades 8-12

HISTORY AND NATURE OF SCIENCE – The student will develop understanding of science as a human endeavor, the nature of scientific knowledge, and historical perspectives.

Benchmark 2: The student will develop an understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge.

Grades 8-12 Indicators Additional Specificity

The student …

2. understands scientific knowledge begins with empirical observations, which are the data (also called facts or evidence) upon which further scientific knowledge is built.

1. a. Additional evidence can lead to further confirmation, revision and refinement, or rejection of previously accepted explanations.

b. The core theories of science have a high degree of reliability within the limits to which they have been tested and their scope of applicability.

c. The open-endedness of science is its greatest strength and allows for constant refining and improvement of our explanations.

b. Observations often include measurements, to varying degrees of accuracy and precision, so they can be described and analyzed with mathematics.

c. Observational data is gathered in a number of ways, including controlled experiments, field studies, and the systematic observation of natural phenomena.

3. understands scientific knowledge consists of hypotheses, inferences, laws, and theories.

4. understands a testable hypothesis or inference must be subject to confirmation by empirical evidence

Student Outcomes: Students will be able to use evidence and reasoning to support their decision on whether Patrick’s claim is valid. They will be able to evaluate the evidence given as acceptable or in need of revision and provide evidence for their evaluation.

Content Overview: The data tables and experiments from “Scientific Method—Controls and Variables part 1” from www.sciencespot.net will be used along with the AEG. All sub-strategies will be addressed in the partner work and the discussion portion of the lesson.

Instructional Plan:

Cue

1. Tell students: Every day in the media, some source is trying to convince us about their claim on a scientific issue. As a citizen of our community, our state, our country and our world, it is our responsibility to be able to look at an issue, evaluate the information and make decisions on what is best. We should be able to look at a claim, evaluate evidence given to support the claim, and decide if the evidence supports the claim.

2. Distribute lesson directions, copy of SpongeBob experiments, blank AEG and scoring rubric.

3. Tell students: After you have read about Patrick’s claim, we will discuss the experiment and the evidence presented in it. We will decide as a class if Patrick’s claim is valid then we’ll work together to fill out the AEG form. Be prepared to share your ideas and thoughts with the class.

Do

Popcorn read about the experiment aloud. Discuss the claim they thought the article was making and what the data showed. The whole class will share their ideas about the claim, evidence and reasoning. Then students are to work as a whole class to completely fill in their AEG.

Review

Once the class has completed the AEG we will discuss the students’ counterarguments and decisions about the claim. We will end the discussion with students sharing how they might change their ideas or behaviors based on the data and what changes might be made in the experiment that would better prove the claim. We will follow this discussion with a quick summary of the process of argumentation and evaluation.

Assessment Plan: After the class discussion, groups will self assess their work on the AEG using the rubric and turn both in to the teacher for evaluation.

References: www.sciencespot.net, SpongeBob experiments, T. Trimpe 2005

Appendix: 1. Lesson “SpongeBob Experiments”, 2. Blank AEG, 3. Rubric