Problem-Based Learning

Look What the Cat

Dragged In

Middle School
Physical Science
SC11601

Look What the Cat Dragged In
Middle School
Physical Science
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Standards/Objectives
MS-PS1-3
Overview
You arrive home from school to find a
mess. Your mom is going to be very
upset! Students will explore
concepts related to matter and its
interactions.
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Look What the Cat Dragged In

Table of Contents

PBL Problem Guide 4

PBL Resources 5
Student Problem 6
Key Facts 9
Need to Knows/Learning Issues 10
Additional Information 11
Hypotheses 14
Learning Issue Resource Guide 15
Final Product/Writing Guide 16
Rubric 17

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Look What the Cat Dragged In

PBL Problem Guide F OR FACILITAT OR USE ONLY

Timeframe • Provide ADDITIONAL INFORMATION for NEED

This lesson plan will take approximately 2 hours. TO KNOWS, allow teams to research LEARNING
More time will be needed if students create an ISSUES [pages 11, 12 & 15].
experiment. • Teams re-evaluate POSSIBLE HYPOTHESES
[page 14] and determine one DEFENDABLE
Step-by-step guide SOLUTION for Final Product [page 16].
• Put students into teams of three to five • Teams create and present DEFENDABLE
members. SOLUTION and individual students write
ACTION PLAN [page 16].
• Ask for a volunteer to read the STUDENT
PROBLEM aloud [pages 6, 7, and 8].
• As a whole group, ask students to list What We
Know [FACTS, page 9].
• Have each team create a list of What We Need
to Know [NEED TO KNOWS & LEARNING
ISSUES, page 10].
• Have each team begin a list of POSSIBLE
HYPOTHESES [page 14].

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Look What the Cat Dragged In
PBL Resources
Resources provided
Included with this case are:
• Scientific Write Up Template for
Students
• Education.comTM - Scientific
Method Website
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Resources to assemble
You may wish to assemble the following
resources ahead of time:
• Pasteboards to test on
• NeosporinTM
• CortizoneTM
• Vick’sTM Vapor Rub
• Shaving Cream
• Lotion
• Three different types of toothpaste
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Look What the Cat Dragged In

Student Problem FOR ST UDENT USE

You have just come home from school. You notice a white, pasty substance
with a few dark colored specks that is smeared on the wall in the living
room. The substance is about 10 inches from the floor.

Since you are very curious, you bend down to investigate.

Consider:
• What senses would you use and what senses • What do you hypothesize the substance could
would you not use? be?
• How do you think the substance got
there?
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Look What the Cat Dragged In

Student Problem FOR ST UDENT USE

You walk into the kitchen and find your cat with the same white substance
on his face and neck! This makes you nervous because you promised your
mom the cat wouldn't make any messes.

You go into the bathroom to get a towel to clean your cat and find even
more of the substance on the door and the floor.

Consider:
• Does your hypothesis change with the new
information you have just received?

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Look What the Cat Dragged In

Student Problem FOR ST UDENT USE

You are in the middle of cleaning the bathroom when your mom gets
home! She notices the white substance and a basket of toiletries knocked
over. There's NeosporinTM, CortizoneTM, Vick’sTM Vapor Rub, shaving
cream, lotion, and several tubes of toothpaste spread out over the
bathroom floor. Several of the caps and lids are missing.

When your mom asks what you are cleaning up, you tell her that you
don't know, but that the cat is responsible for the mess. The cat is acting
sick, and your mom seems pretty mad!

Consider:
• What steps could you take to figure out what the
substance is?

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Look What the Cat Dragged In
Key Facts
PART ONE
• You have just come home from school.
• You notice a white pasty substance with a few
dark colored specks is smeared on the wall of
the living room.
• The substance is about 10 inches from the floor.
PART TWO
• Your cat has the same white substance on his
face and neck.
• You promised your mom that the cat wouldn't
make any messes.
• You find even more of the substance in the
bathroom on the door and the floor.
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PART THREE
• Your mom came home and noticed the white
substance and a basket of toiletries knocked
over.
• There's NeosporinTM, CortizoneTM, Vick’sTM
Vapor Rub, shaving cream, lotion, and several
tubes of toothpaste spread out over the
bathroom floor.
• Several of the caps and lids are missing.
• The cat is acting sick, and your mom seems
pretty mad.
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Look What the Cat Dragged In
Need-to-knows / Learning Issues
NEED TO KNOWS
• Does my cat have health problems?
• How old is my cat?
• Does my cat get into things?
• What does the substance look like?
LEARNING ISSUES
• Could the combination of these substances
make my cat sick?
• How can I test these substances?
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NEED TO KNOW ANSWERS
• No, he is healthy and goes to the vet regularly.
All shots are up to date.
• The cat is a year and a half old.
• Your cat has gotten into the garbage twice.
At Thanksgiving, you found him on the dining
room table eating some of the turkey.
• See Additional Information for Facilitator,
page 13.
LEARNING ISSUE RESOURCES
• Students will research these learning
issues using the Learning Issue Resource
Guide [page 15] and Additional
Information for Students [pages 11 & 12].
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Look What the Cat Dragged In

Additional Information FOR ST UDENT USE

Scientific Write-Up Methods:

Purpose:
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________

Hypothesis:
Substance 1 ________________________
______________________________________________________
Substance 2 ________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________ Substance 3 ________________________
______________________________________________________ Substance 4 ________________________
Materials: Substance 5 ________________________
Pasteboard Conclusion:
Substances to test ____________________________________________
Chart to display data ____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
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Additional Information FOR ST UDENT USE

Was your hypothesis supported or not supported? Why or why not?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Which substance was the mystery substance?

How do you know?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

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Look What the Cat Dragged In
Additional Information
Prior to introducing the problem, the facilitator
should assemble the materials and create the
"mystery substance" by selecting one or more of
the materials (mixing, if using more than one) and
apply the substance to a piece of pasteboard to
dry over night.
When teams ask what the mystery substance looks
like, the facilitator will show the "mystery
substance".
Teams will complete the substance testing and
conclude what materials or combination of
materials is the culprit. Teams do not have to get
the correct answer, as long as they are able to
defend their solution.
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After completing the lab, teams will need to come
up with a hypothesis of what happened at their
house before they came home from school on the
day in question.
As part of their final write-up, teams must
determine the possible effects of the substance
on their cat. They will address whether the
substance is natural or synthetic, and how the
product is made.
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Look What the Cat Dragged In

Hypotheses F OR FACILITAT OR USE ONLY

• Hypotheses will vary by which substance

or combination of substances teams
identify the mystery substance to be.

• Hypotheses will vary by what teams

determine to have happened before
they arrived home from school.

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Learning Issue Resource Guide F OR FACILITAT OR USE ONLY

WEBSITES MANIPULATIVES
Education.comTM - Scientific Method NeosporinTM, CortizoneTM, Vick'sTM
http://www.education.com/ Vapor Rub, shaving cream, lotion,
reference/article/Ref_What_Scientific/ three different types of toothpaste

Pasteboards

These items are used by the facilitator to

create a "mystery substance"and used by
teams to test for the "mystery substance".

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Look What the Cat Dragged In
Final Product and Writing Guide
Team
• Teams will submit a completed scientific
write-up. If desired, the facilitator can reveal
the makeup of the mystery substance after all
teams have completed their write-ups.
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Individual
• Each student will write an apology letter to their
mom explaining what they think happened and
how they will prevent it from happening again.
This letter should include their conclusions
about the nature of the substance and its
possible effects on their cat.
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Rubric F OR FACILITAT OR USE ONLY

AREA ABOVE AVERAGE AVERAGE BELOW AVERAGE NO EVIDENCE POINTS

Three points each
• All Learning Issues
Final Product addressed
• Three or more hypotheses
present
• High quality final product
Two points each
• Most Learning Issues
addressed
• Two hypotheses present
• Roles somewhat defined
• Fair quality final product
One point each
• Few learning issues
addressed
• One hypothesis present
• Low quality final product
Zero points each
• No learning issues
addressed
• No hypotheses present
• No final product

• Problem Summary, • Problem Summary, • Problem Summary, • Problem Summary,

Writing Learning Issues/New Learning Issues/New Learning Issues/New Learning Issues/New
Assessment Information Integrated Information Integrated Information Integrated Information Integrated
well presented presented poorly presented not presented
• Hypotheses well • Hypotheses presented • Hypotheses poorly • Hypotheses not
presented • Solution and Defense presented presented
• Solution and Defense presented • Solution and Defense • Solution and Defense not
well presented poorly presented presented

• Individual works well with • Individual works • Individual does not work • Individual interferes with
Collaboration group members acceptably with group well with group members group members
• Individual communicates members • Individual does not • Individual does not
well with group members • Individual communicates communicate well with communicate at all
• Individual carries out their acceptably with group group members • Individual does not
individual responsibilities • Individual mostly carries • Individual attempts but attempt to carry out their
out their individual fails to carry out their individual responsibilities
responsibilities individual responsibilities

24 – 27 Points = Above Average 15 – 23 = Average 6 – 14 = Below Average 0 – 6 = Failing

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Wake Forest School of Medicine

Problem-Based Learning

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