Our 5th grade does something with UV beads. I will definitely be showing them this experiment.
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One note: I have an issue with the EM spectrum graph. It is incomplete. Why the decision to leave off radio waves and micro waves off the low end and gamma waves and x-rays off the high end? The question: T/F Infrared has the longest wavelength was hard because it wasnât really true. Maybe the question should read: âBased on the diagram aboveâŚâ or âOf the wavelengths listed on the diagram, Infrared has the longest wavelength. T/Fâ
Where does this lesson fit in with your curriculum (if the lesson is not a fit for the class you teach, how could the lesson be modified so that it is applicable to your curriculum)?
This could be a great investigation for our waves unit and/or energy. There is an engineering standard that deals with designing/evaluating a device to slow heat/energy transfer that this experiment could lead into.
Which part or parts of the lesson would your students need extra support in order to be successful?
The parts of an experiment/variables are one area that you can never have too much of in 8th grade. Using the graphing software would be new to the students and require some explanation and planning.
If you were to teach this lesson to your class, describe your role during the class. What does a successful teacher actively do during this lesson?
As with any lesson, the teacher needs to have clear instructions prepared and take time to model and allow for student feedback.
If you were to teach this lesson to your class, describe your studentâs role during the class. What does âstudent successâ look like?
The students are definitely capable enough to design a good experiment with support. They would be responsible to plan and conduct the investigation, collect and analyze data, and report their findings to the class and maybe even the school. This would be good one to do posters for or a gallery walk to display their data and conclusions. The software makes it easy to capture the data.
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I had the same issue with limited access to the sun this week. I used my daughterâs reptile light which was a little better then an ordinary light bulb. The values were very low and the differences were very small. I could see a difference between 15spf and 30 or 50spf but not a difference between 30 and 50spf. I will definitely try this again in the spring when I can go outside.
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This lesson is workable in several different areas of the curriculum I teach. It could be used in earth science, physics, chemistry, or investigation science. Whether studying stars, EM spectrum, wavelength, or the importance of one variable in a science investigation.
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The only part of the lesson that I feel my students may need support on is making sure they are only testing one variable. Even at the secondary level, students struggle with identifying what they really want to test and narrowing down their set up to work towards that goal.
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The role of a successful teacher would look like reenforcing the vocabulary, reviewing the different sensors and concepts, and ensuring all students have access to necessary materials. Depending on the outcome the teacher is looking for, the teacher may need to model some of the set up; otherwise, in the secondary classroom, this would be a great opportunity to let students explore their own methods of setting up and collecting data. It may look a little different for each group. In this case, it would be important for the teacher to stress safety protocols and equipment/sensor care.
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The role of a successful student looks like designing a testable and repeatable experiment that they can collect data from, test only one variable, and share with their peers. From there, they have ideas for improvement and may even try the test again or expand it further.
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@ArdusatExplorer-4769 I agree on your note- that question bothered me as well. I think it gives the wrong impression that it is the longest wavelength on the entire EM spectrumâŚdefinitely a way to mislead students and create misconceptions. I also appreciate that you gave suggestions for rewording- nicely done!
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@ArdusatExplorer-4821 I especially appreciate that you have students identifying sources of error. This is so important when working on experiments in the classroom. Itâs okay to recognize when something isnât quite right and to account for that. Students want to alter their data so it is ârightâ, but that misses the point. Sometimes erroneous data can tell us a lot and help us make the experiment better the next time around!
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Where does this lesson fit in with your curriculum?
This lesson could be tied into my 6th grade chemistry unit, as well as my8th grade unit on waves and energy. Out campus is in the mountains of Utah, and UV exposure is high year-round here. This is very relevant and relatable to the students.
Which part or parts of the lesson would your students need extra support in order to be successful?
The arduino communicating with the computer properly is still giving me problems, and this is where the extra support would definitely come in. However, just the idea of this lesson is great, and can be modified to be done without the computer input. The isolation of variables is still a hard concept, even for the 8th graders.
If you were to teach this lesson to your class, describe your role during the class. What does a successful teacher actively do during this lesson?
Successful teacher role includes leading the kids to the understanding of the importance of the isolation of variables for an accurate experiment. Also, tying the UV energy vs sunscreen into their daily lives is important to engage the students.
If you were to teach this lesson to your class, describe your studentâs role during the class. What does âstudent successâ look like?
Te successful student correctly identifies independent and dependent variables. The successful student is able to take the experiment into their own hands by choosing different variable to manipulate. Also, having the student present their findings to the rest of the student body would be awesome. All the students cross country ski for PE in the winter, and UV exposure occurs daily.
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Where does this lesson fit in with your curriculum (if the lesson is not a fit for the class you teach, how could the lesson be modified so that it is applicable to your curriculum)?
This is a great lesson to talk about the effects of the sun in an engaging way. It made me want to set up a UV light camera ;-).
Which part or parts of the lesson would your students need extra support in order to be successful?
Depends on the age level of students. I think my middle school students will be pretty independent.
If you were to teach this lesson to your class, describe your role during the class. What does a successful teacher actively do during this lesson? Observe, support and facilitate.
If you were to teach this lesson to your class, describe your studentâs role during the class. What does âstudent successâ look like? Students role would be engaged participants, asking questions as well as helping each other with the technology, content and concepts.
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Love the idea of a UV light camera!
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Where does this lesson fit in with your curriculum (if the lesson is not a fit for the class you teach, how could the lesson be modified so that it is applicable to your curriculum)?
This does not fit in my curriculum this year, but next year I am teaching a STEM Course full time and it will then! I think I could add this to my life science classes in genetics.
Which part or parts of the lesson would your students need extra support in order to successful?
When I had a student volunteer run through this they picked it up quickly with little explanation needed.
If you were to teach this lesson to your class, describe your role during the class. What does a successful teacher actively do during this lesson?
I would be responsible for facilitating and questioning as students work through the challenge.
If you were to teach this lesson to your class, describe your studentâs role during the class. What does âstudent successâ look like?
Student success is engaged students directing themselves and learning from exploration. I also think students wanting to take the experiment a step further or try something else is a sign of success skills.
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Where does this lesson fit in with your curriculum (if the lesson is not a fit for the class you teach, how could the lesson be modified so that it is applicable to your curriculum)?
This lesson fit well with our curriculum because our curriculum for this particular âclassâ is learning how to use the sensor kit. It also fit nicely with some of our chemistry and biology lessons so that was a lot fun to be able to combine and discuss our findings more in depth on all three levels including the importance of collecting data.
Which part or parts of the lesson would your students need extra support in order to be successful?
It was pretty self explanatory. Younger children might need a little help with the set up of plasticwrap and sunscreen but otherwise it was great.
If you were to teach this lesson to your class, describe your role during the class. What does a successful teacher actively do during this lesson?
Depending on age of students; help with set up otherwise just help with facilitating project, some pre-experiment discussion/lesson on importance of collecting data, using the kit, coding, etc. asking and answering questions. Helping where needed.
If you were to teach this lesson to your class, describe your studentâs role during the class. What does âstudent successâ look like?
Students engaging with conversation, setting up their scientific methods etc. Success would be them having fun while learning and being excited to watch data come in and wanting to explore information further like we did with including the chemistry and bilogy aspects.
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I used Max Block sunscreen for this experiment and I was quite surprised by the results. My constants: brand, expiration date (1-2021), and SPF (30). My variable was type: regular vs. sport. My control was no sunscreen. I tried the experiment two times and had similar results. Control: 0.24mW/cm^2 and 0.24mW/cm^2. Regular: 0.18mW/cm^2 and 0.17mW/cm^2. Sport: 0.21mW/cm^2 and 0.20mW/cm^2. I usually prefer the Sport formulas in sunscreen, but now I am questioning that and hope to do some future testing.
High school students could do an extension activity on radiation where the sun releases energy and that energy arrives in the form of radiation.
Students would need extra support with the color mixing activity in order to successful. I would probably explain the process to them whole group and then give them prewired sets. I would assign a para to work with groups as changes are made. I do not think students would need extra help with the sunscreen lesson.
I would introduce the lesson and provide students with the directions. I would be the support on the side to check in and see how students are progressing and listen to/prompt questions.
I think this would be a good âpairâ project and both students would be able to explain the project and what results mean.
I love the idea of using this with genetics. You could study different camouflage in nature. I like that you chose a volunteer student to run through this activity. It provides great insight into class results.