Reflection on Student Work

Description of Task This task fell at the beginning of an activity sequence on states of matter. I used this task as a formative assessment to see where students ideas are at on particle movement at the molecular level between solids, liquids, and gases. Students were asked to model their initial thoughts on the particle movement of solids, liquids, and gases at the molecular level through drawings. After their initial thoughts were recorded, students were asked to test the compressibility of a gas (air in a closed off syringe), liquid (water in a closed off syringe), and a solid (sodium chloride in a closed off syringe). Students were asked to compare the compressibility between gases, liquids, and solids, and then compare their observations with their predictions they modeled in their initial thoughts drawings. Students were then asked some extension questions on gases to see how their knowledge of gas particles grew. After this activity we will continue to gain observations on the properties of solids, liquids, and gases through demos and labs. I asked students to do the following quick write/modeling activity: A syringe full of air is capped. The seal is very tight and will not allow any air into or out of the syringe. The piston of the syringe is pushed halfway down the syringe barrel so that the volume of air is half of what it was before (see picture below).

How would you compare the matter (air) inside the two syringes? Provide a small particle description below. Ideal Response There is the same amount of air particles in each syringe, but in the syringe with the volume, the particles are closer together/more compressed, causing more pressure within the syringe.

Pattern in Students Responses I grouped my students responses into three different groups which are explained below. I show some representative student responses from these groups below. Group 1: Students who understood the question, gave close to or an exact ideal response and gave a visual aid to represent their thinking. These students understood the question was asking them to compare the air particles in a full volume to the same syringe with of that volume. These students drew representations of the particles where they showed the same amount of gas particles in each syringe, but the syringe with the volume the particles were drawn more closely together. Some students additionally gave an explanation of the higher pressure or more compressed particles inside the syringe that was the volume.

Group 2: This group of students did not draw a representation of the particles, but they gave a good explanation of the particles becoming more compressed in the volume. Some of these students did not mention the fact that there is the same amount of particles in each syringe, which would have made their drawings very helpful in this situation to see where their thoughts are for the amount of particles in each syringe.

Group 3: These students only showed drawings to represent their thinking. They also showed more gas particles in the the volume syringe then the full volume syringe. This could indicate that these students understand the gas particles are becoming more compressed, but do not understand that is due to the volume and not a particle increase. An explanation with these drawings would be helpful to see the full spectrum of these students understandings.

Ideas all students have in common: All students understand the particles in the syringe are in the gas phase All students who included drawings show air as particles in their representations. None of the students indicate any motion of the particles. Implications for prior lessons and for assessment task The prior lesson was helpful in getting most of the students to understand particles are more compressed in a smaller volume, and that gas particles can be easily compressed compared to liquids and solids. The lesson did not help all students connect that when these particles become more compressed, there is no addition of gas particles, that the higher compression is solely due to the decrease in volume. The lesson also did not help students think about particles as being in motion. My plan is to continue expanding on the properties of gases, liquids and solids, and challenging students to represent movement in their drawings if they believe their to be movement with the particles. It is possible that they did not represent motion in their drawings because I did not ask them to. I plan to also model how to draw the movement of particles with the class when we make observations of different properties of gases, liquids, and solids. The assessment task gave a good representation of students ideas, but the question needs to be more clear, and ask students specifically to have a written answer, a drawing representation, and add movement when needed to get a more whole idea of where all of my students thinking is at.

Implications for following lessons In the next lesson, I will have the students enact this exact activity, comparing the mass of the syringe full and full to break students misconceptions that the number of gas particles increase as the gas particles become more compressed. I will also have students investigate the diffusion rates of food coloring dropped in cold, room temperature, and hot water. This activity will help students see the movement of particles, which we can represent in drawings as a class to predict the difference between the three different temperatures of water. Another activity that can help students represent particles in motion is the states of matter PhET simulation. This will help students see that even solid particles are always in motion, just less than gases and liquids. In the next lessons, I will be more careful in the assessments I give, making sure my questions are clearing asking the students what I would like for them to show in their answers for me to get a more whole representation of student thinking. What I learned about how students learn-Implications for teaching in general From this activity I have learned how essential it is for students to not only give written explanations of their ideas, but also be able to model their ideas in some way whether it be a drawing or something else. I have also learned that getting students to do both of these things needs to be very explicit in my assessment questions and possibly even modeled for students until they become more comfortable with modeling their thoughts on their own. This process of modeling is something that also needs to be taught along with the content, but once practiced and mastered, this practice will be essential in analyzing where students thoughts are in their process of learning, and also essential in helping them build on their ideas to create a more connected learning experience in chemistry.