Labs for Science

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/waldron/#dragon1

This website has saved my life. It has a list of different labs for middle school and high school. During science, I have taught each grade one up, so my eighth graders learn high school material. This has been able to give me the opportunity to differentiate my labs and find different resources that I can use in my classroom. It's great because it is very organized to where I can find the directions, pdf of materials and other things that make science easy accessible.

Biology is everything from plants to the human body and these labs have been able to be used in fifth grade through eighth grade. I used this lab in my classroom and with two clicks I was able to get my preparation notes and all student handouts that I would give to each of the students. How easy is that?

Better yet, they are so organized that they also have alternative materials you can use during the labs if you are a last minute and don't have the material.

WebQuest Evaluation 2

http://www.glencoe.com/sec/science/webquest/content/fireworks.shtml

This WebQuest has a lot of information for chemistry students who are researching chemical reactions and reactions in fireworks. I like that each section is organized and has its own heading. Each link works, which can be very helpful for students who are exploring.

I wish there was a guide that could lead the students into which section they need to do first, second, etc. There also could be pictures and images that will make the WebQuest more appealing and attract student’s focus. There could also be a link that leads to a discussion or a page to write the answers of the WebQuest questions so that the entire WebQuest can be digitally and turned in to the teacher without any loose ends.

Another thing I would critique on this WebQuest is what happens when students are done with the WebQuest? Maybe there could be some sort of extended response or games/interactive websites in the Resources heading that can direct students to continue exploring the topic when they are done with the WebQuest questions and assignment.

There could also be an evaluation to judge what the students have learned throughout their inquiry of this topic.