Download 1 Playing with Language in Science – Some Examples of Holistic V

Playing with Language in Science – Some Examples of Holistic V Analytic Activities

Odd One Out – a classification exercise using key vocabulary related to characteristics
but one or more do not comfortably fit. They need to justify their choices with scientific
reasons.
Examples:
o Which is the odd one out in the following lists and explain why you think that:





Igneous, basalt, granite, marble, sedimentary, limestone, sandstone
Sodium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, copper
carbonate
Cation, anion, ion, sodium ion, chlorine ion, carbon molecule
Precipitate, gas, solution, element, reaction
Brainstorming – think of and discuss as many solutions or examples in a specified time
period generally about 6 – 8 minutes:
Examples
o What affects the rate of reaction between a metal and the environment?
o What is happening to the surface of a metal when you polish it?
o What is happening to the gas molecules inside a football during a game of
football?
o Why should the appearance of wax change when it melts?
o Why does water get bigger when it is frozen while other materials get smaller?
o How does water climb up blotting paper and can we make it go faster?

Mind Movies – students are asked to close their eyes place their heads down, (this cuts
distraction and reduces self-consciousness) and listen as you read them a real account
of something. They need to imagine the account in their heads. After finishing reading,
tell them to keep their eyes closed and keep the movie running in their heads – ‘What
Happens Next?’ Put them into pairs to discuss their movies. The other person must take
notes which are to be shared between two groups of pairs by considering:

What is similar between the two student accounts?

What was different between the four student accounts?

What was surprising different about the accounts?
Examples:
o Storyline 1:
I placed the mercuric oxide into a small container open to the air. This I placed
on a platform above a pool of mercury metal in a dish with high sides. I placed a
bell jar over the whole setup so that air could not get to the mercuric oxide. I
measured the level of the liquid mercury inside the jar and marled the top of the
level. I placed a magnifying glass in a clamp positioned so the sun could shine
www.realproject.org.uk
1
o

through it. I then moved the stand with the magnifying class until the sunbeams
were focused on the surface of the mercuric oxide describe what happened next.
Storyline 2
Sitting at home, just wasting time a student took two grapes and a straw. They
pushed a grape onto the end of the straw and then did the same to the other end
of the straw. They then placed the middle of the straw with the grapes on to a pin
and moved the grapes gently until it balanced and could spin around on the pin.
They steadied the straw until it was still. Then to their surprise the grape moved
to the right. The reason was close to the grape was a powerful ceramic magnet.
Interested in this the student turned the magnet around until the other pole was
facing the grape. What happened next and why?
Concept or Target mapping sometimes called bubble mapping. These are useful
tools for helping students to identify the relationship between important ideas and other
details.
At the centre is the key concept.
The ideas or details are linked to the centre by arrows and on the arrow the reason for
the link.
In a target map there drawn consecutive circles containing the concept(s) at the centre
and in the next circle are the keywords and the outer circles contain the examples.
Ice
Water
Steam
Solid
Liquid
Gas
Matter
www.realproject.org.uk
2
In a bubble map the structure is similar with the central shape containing the key concept
and connected to this shape are other shapes (joined by lines) that contain the details and
key features.
Example of a Recount Target or bubble Map constructed by a student using 2-Simple
software:

Clustering
Cluster is a thinking tool designed to help you write a discussion more easily and it works
in this way:
 First as individuals, you research and find out as much as you can about the topic.
As you do that, you make quick short notes on a number of small pieces of paper,
‘notelets’, or magnetic note-lets.
 After 5 – 8 minutes, you stop and in groups of threes, you cluster all those ideas or
notes into one mass collection.
 Now you separate and put together those that are related to each other.
 Each cluster is given a name to describe the collection.
 The different clusters of notes are put into a sequence.
 Each sequence can be written up into sentences and then into paragraphs to form a
discussion piece on the topic.

Tree diagrams – main ideas are at the top of the tree while below on the branches are
linked ideas and below that are the details e.g.
Rocks
Igneous
Types
Sedimentary
Qualities
Types
Types
www.realproject.org.uk
Metamorphic
Qualities
Qualities
3
The same can be done using propositions to form an argument. The statement is at the
top followed by the first propositions and first level linked concepts, then the succeeding
propositions follow leading to a chain of logic exposing the interacting parts of an
argument.
Try with the following:
o Animals or plants can be grouped by characteristics
o There are different types of waves and each has different properties
o Elements can be metal non-metal

Exploration grids
An exploration grid allows the student to explore different factors and the relationship
between the factors and purpose allowing the student to make a decision, e.g.
Activity
Aerodynamic
Factors
How aerodynamic
factor helps
Good materials for
the sport/object
How aerodynamics and
material help in the sport
Boomerang
Curved shape
Shape creates lift
Wood
Smooth
Spinning keeps it
stable
High Density plastic
Lightness helps lift and
shape helps lift and stability
Round edges

Context Connection Organiser
An approach that focuses upon analysis skills and synthesis skills by linking facts
gleaned from the text linked to personal views and has the following structure:
Title
Subtitles



Associations or first thoughts after a quick read
I think this text is about
Contextual Connections
Self – Any personal experiences or things you have
heard related to the text
Society and Community – How does it relate to the
classroom, School, society?
Literature – What else have I read, seen on television
or Internet related to this?
History – Is there any pattern that have been repeated
in the world at large or in the past?
www.realproject.org.uk
4
Summary of the text in your own words

Herring Bone Diagrams
These are an effective way to organize information; they are used to describe events or
relate concepts in terms of six questions:




What;
What they do;
How, When or where;
Why;
A sentence is composed as a backbone and the chains of concepts are drawn off from this
sentence as ribs to form a herring bone skeleton. It is a refined concept map giving some
sense to the lateral relationship of linked concepts and is useful for the gifted student since
they can summarise texts and materials and use them for revision purposes.
An example for cells is shown below.
Small chemical factories in which
mitochondria release energy from
sugars by respiration
Secrete an oily substance
called sebum poisonous
to microorganisms
Have nucleus, cytoplasm
mitochondria inside a cell
membrane
Epidermal cells are protective
cells filled with keratin on the
surface of the body
Smallest living unit of animals
and different from plant cells
Animal cells
Skin tissue
Cells are the building blocks of tissues that are the building blocks of organs
Plant cells
Leaf tissue
Smallest living unit of a
plant and different from
animal cells
Have vacuole, nucleus, cytoplasm
mitochondria, and cell membrane
inside a rigid cell wall
Stomata cells are cells
with holes that can
control water loss
Changes in humidity, temperature,
and pressure affect the stomata and
the hole changes size
Small chemical factories in which light
helps chloroplasts produce energy
storing sugars and mitochondria
release energy from sugars
Try with the following sentences:
www.realproject.org.uk
5



Compounds are made from ions or they can be made from molecules
Reactions are affected by the collisions, the energy and the number of molecules
Flow Charts
Flow charts are useful for organizing spatial information, chronological information, cause
and effect relationships, and process information.
Force
A push or pull acting
on a body
Gravity
A downward force pulling
things towards the centre of
the earth
F=mxa
Force = mass x acceleration
F = G m1 x m2
Objects fall
towards the Earth’s
surface
D2
Force = Gravity constant x (mass of body 1
x mass of body 2 divided by the square of
the distance between them
Earth’s gravity pulls things
towards its surface
Try with developing the following ideas:
o
o
o
o
o

Ions
Molecules
Mole
Viscosity
Bonds
Vee Heuristic diagram
Developed by Novak and Gowin (1984) i to show the links between conceptual and
methodology and how they interact. It is a useful technique for the analysis of
documents, practical sessions, and lectures.
Thinking
Theoretical/ Conceptual
Doing
Focus Question(s)
Philosophy/Accepted views
Theories
Principles/ Constructs/Paradigm
Concepts
www.realproject.org.uk
Methodology
Value/Claims
Knowledge/ claims
Transformations/Changes
Facts/Records
6
Events/objects
An example of the use of the Vee Heuristic in laboratory investigation of cells is shown
below:
Theory: Organisms are made
up of cells. Cells are small living
units. Animal and plant cells are
different.
Principles: Living things include
bacteria, plants, and animals so
all must be made of cells.
Concepts – Words: cell, living,
microscope, similar, different,
stains, organelles
Claims: You can tell the difference
between animal and plant cells by
looking at them down a microscope
Question: Can you
collect cells, stain
them, and see
differences between
animal and plant
cells?
Knowledge claims: cells contain
certain bits the same like nucleus,
cytoplasm but there are different
bits like cell walls and organelles.
Transformations: Animal cells do
not have a cell wall or vacuole –
the hole in the middle but all have
the large blob called a nucleus
Record: see drawings drawn from
the microscope
Objects and events: We have cells in our cheeks. We can remove those cells by scraping. They
can be stained and put under a microscope.
Onions have cells in the layers. We can remove a thin strip of that layer. It can be stained and put
under the microscope.
By looking at both and using a book for reference, I can see the difference in the animal cell (mine)
and the plant cell (onion).
The big differences are easy but some differences are difficult to see so we must accept without our
own personal evidence.
Try with the following:


i
Acids an alkalis form ions and the strength is related to the amount of ionisation
Hydrocarbons reactions are determined by the number of bonds between the carbon
atoms
Novak, J.D. and Gowin, D. (1984) Learning How to Learn Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
www.realproject.org.uk
7