Part of the planning process for a PBL unit is anticipating areas where students are likely to have trouble. It is important to plan how you will prepare students for these areas and how you will scaffold specific student needs.
- Where are students likely to have difficulty? What scaffolds will you use to assist them (include specific examples)?
-Where are your students likely to have misconceptions about the content? How will you address these (include specific examples)?
6. Another way to help address this to have the students mass a bean seed, measure and mass the amount of soil they plant the seed in, measure the amount of water that is used during the growing time and then when the seeds have sprouted, and grown to about 30cm in height have the students, pull up the plant and gently remove all soil, measure the amount of mass in the plant, measure the mass of soil that remains and figure out where the mass of the plant came from.beans (any dried bean works)
- Where are students likely to have difficulty? What scaffolds will you use to assist them (include specific examples)?
- Students may or may not know what biomass and biofuels are as well as many of the different vocabulary terms associated with topics that will come up or be addressed in this unit. We are going to give the students a list of vocabulary terms that they will need to define so that they understand what these mean.
- Students will probably not know what an enzyme is or may not know what the purpose of an enzyme is? First off, pose the 2 questions and have the students answer them in their journals or binders. Spend about 5 minutes on this. Do not let them open their textbooks or technology and look it up. Next put them in groups and have them share their ideas. At this time student groups answer the questions on a whiteboard and then share them in a Boardroom discussion learning from each other the answers to these two questions.This not only allows students to learn from students it allows you to see misconceptions and address them right there.
- Students will probably need a lesson in how to calculate rates of reactions. This can be taught with a worksheet given to students. This can be so direct as to walk them through the steps and then give them a couple of problems to do on their own to ensure they understand how to complete the calculations.
- Students may struggle with the idea that some carbohydrates contain more energy than others especially when their textbooks say that carbohydrates give you 4.5 cal/gram of energy. In order to help students understand this concept we will have them complete a webquest where they are given a selected list of carbohydrates and they have to research the amount of energy in those different carbohydrates and build a data table to share with the class.
- Students may have difficulty applying the proper terminology and content concept integration to the project. While they might enjoy researching, conducting the experiment, and presenting a marketing tool for the use of enzymes, they may not be able to describe enzymes scientifically. Specifically, they may not be able to describe enzymes as proteins, composed of amino acids, that lower the temperature required to make a reaction occur. They may not use the word “denature.” They may not be able to tie the idea that these enzymes (proteins) are the same proteins produced during translation. The use of this language will be modeled by the teacher and reinforced when students apply the terms properly in group work, whiteboarding, and presentations.
-Where are your students likely to have misconceptions about the content? How will you address these (include specific examples)?
- Students may have misconceptions about the carbon impact of fossil fuels versus biofuels. The lesson in Chapter 19 of the Fuel for Thought book does an excellent job in teaching about life cycle assessment of carbon impact of (Negative Carbon Impact)
- paper and pencil
- large paper to put on wall of classroom at each station
- Biofuel brings about food shortage. Give the student the question: Does biofuel bring about a shortage of food? Why do you think this? Once they answer this in their binder, partner them up and have them come up with a group answer which they will write on whiteboards and then share with the class through a Boardroom discussion.
- paper and pencil
- whiteboards
- dry erase markers
- Biofuel must be subsidized to be affordable. Pose the following questions to the students: What is affordable gas? Once they answer this in their binder, partner them up and have the come up with a group answer which they will write on whiteboards and then share with the class through a Boardroom discussion.
- paper and pencil
- whiteboards
- dry erase markers
- Biofuels will completely replace conventional fuel. Research whether or not this is the case and if it is not the case what percentage will be replaced. Students will complete a constructed response to this statement either in narrative response, graphic organizer.
- paper and pencil
- computers/smart phones/ tablets
- Plants use parts of the atmosphere in order to grow larger. Students have a difficult time understanding that the majority of plant biomass comes from the atmosphere through pores and stomata in their leaves. This is a central concept into understanding the value of plants in the carbon cycle. Students often hold onto the idea that plants get most of their mass from the soil. They have experience with dirt being heavy and therefore think this is how plants become heavy. Therefore, having students hold dry ice while wearing a glove and feel its weight helps students understand that carbon dioxide has mass.
- dry ice
- heavy glove
6. Another way to help address this to have the students mass a bean seed, measure and mass the amount of soil they plant the seed in, measure the amount of water that is used during the growing time and then when the seeds have sprouted, and grown to about 30cm in height have the students, pull up the plant and gently remove all soil, measure the amount of mass in the plant, measure the mass of soil that remains and figure out where the mass of the plant came from.beans (any dried bean works)
- soil
- beans
- graduated cylinders (1 per group)
- cup or something students can use for a pot
- balance