YEARS 7–12 IDEAS FOR THE CLASSROOM
Year 7 Practical Skills for Inquiry Learning (continued)
• The chemistry of what is occurring is immaterial and should
not be part of the discussion.
• the importance of getting evidence to help find out what is
‘causing’ the observations;
• the need to be able to find ways to get this evidence if
necessary.
• beginning to develop skills in
– carrying out written instructions
– thinking things out
turns pink turns pink
turns yellow turns yellow
gets cold gets cold
gets hot gets hot
bubbles and fizzes bubbles and fizzes
– making detailed and accurate observations (including how
things start off):
- seeing
- feeling
- hearing
- but not smelling or tasting – could lead to safety ideas?
• working in co-operative groups and assuming roles (role
cards help this)
• how to conduct a fair test – what to keep the same. Students
will usually find their way to this even though they do not
necessarily realise what they are doing. We do not want to
teach them about the ‘scientific method (fair tests) at this
stage, merely get them to articulate what they are doing so
don’t tell them.
– You will need to decide what, if anything, you want them
to record. They have the diagram of ‘apparatus’ and
observations in their journals from the first part of the activity.
Perhaps you want them to choose an observation and
record what the extra experiments showed was responsible
for that observation? The important concept for them to
understand is that if they can make an observation in a
practical activity then something must have happened to
‘cause’ that observation.
• planning a simple investigation – just let them get on and do
what they think – then get them to work out what they have
done
• communication
– with each other
– contributing to the class butchers’ paper
– asking questions
– You may decide that you want to highlight the evidence
which suggests a chemical change has taken place – for
further use. This could be gathered on butchers’ paper
and put up in class ready for further additions at a later
date. The main point is that the ‘stuff’ that you started with
must have undergone changes if you are now seeing these
things happening – so you must have made something
different as a result – and the changes give a clue to this:
colour change, heat change, gas evolved . …
• how to tell if a chemical change (or a reaction) has
taken place – or how do we know something different has
happened? (colour change – different from what they started
with, temperature change, gas given off, therefore something
new formed …)
• listen for students use of the terms solid, liquid, gas – are they
using them correctly? This will be useful when you get to work
on the ‘particle theory’.
– Etc. …
In addition students usually have a lot of fun!
Conclusions:
• what is an observation? **This is quite safe for a new Year 7 to carry out. The solid
chemicals are used in food; there is no glassware to break and
no heating done; the UI solution is made in alcohol, but they are
using a very dilute solution, and use only a small quantity of it.
• begin to learn the difference between an observation and a
conclusion; I would have discussed two ‘safety precautions’ with them for the
first lesson: school bags out of the way (outside the door, on the
There are many things that can come out of this, even if it is done
in Year 7’s second and third lessons!
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SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 68 NO 1