21st+Century+Physical+Science

Partnership Maps & Resources in Content Areas Partnership for 21st Century Skills

**//__Four of the 21st Century Skills for Physical Science: __//**

1. Creativity and Innovation __OUTCOME 8th GRADE:__ Students are bale to describe how science and engineering involve creative processes that include generating and testing ideas, making observations, and formulating explanations; and can apply these processes in their own investigations.

__SAMPLE ACTIVITY__: Igniting Creative Energy Project []

The students will research an alternative energy resource including Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Biomass, Nuclear, Hydro, and Hydrogen. Then, the students will design a creative way to advertise their energy. The projects can include a web page, power-point, scrapbook, brochure, puppet show, flip-book, song, or structure. The project takes about two weeks. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__2. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving __ OUTCOME 8th GRADE: Students plan conduct scientific investigations and write detailed explanations based on their evidence. Students compare their explanations to those made by scientists and relate them to their own understandings of the natural and designed worlds.

__SAMPLE ACTIVITY :__ CSI Springfield- The Case of the Cell Phone Santa __[] __

This will be my semester final for chemistry. The students will work in CSI Teams of three to four. The teacher will set up a crime scene where the students can gather evidence along with five suspects. The students will then devise a plan to test the evidence using the basic skills we learned in class such as measurement, compound flame testing, chromatography, and techniques to separate a mixture. As the student completes each experiment, they will receive numbers to a phone number in order to identify a suspect. At the end, the student calls the number and finds out if they were correct! _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Communication <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">__OUTCOME 8th GRADE:__ Students can identify conventions for writing and speaking scientifically that distinguish scientific communication from other types of expression, and describe reasons behind those differences such as the need in science for precision, detail, and evidence over opinion.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">__SAMPLE ACTIVITY__: <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">8th Grade Science Fair <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">[]

<span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">The students use the steps of the scientific method to set up a testable experiment. The students will research, complete a lab write-up, create a tri-fold board, and present the experiment to the class and three judges. The top three winners receive a prize and an opportunity to move on to the district science fair. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">4. Collaboration <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">__OUTCOME 8th GRADE:__ Students work collaboratively with others, either virtually or face-to-face, while participating in scientific discussions and appropriately using claims, evidence, and reasoning.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">__SAMPLE ACTIVITY__: <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Balloon Car Competition <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">[]

<span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">The students create a car powered by the air coming out of a balloon using basic materials including card stock, masking tape, straws, and pins. The students work in groups of two and compete in the balloon car competition. The group with the fastest car wins a prize.