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A WORKSHOP FOR
PRIMARY/SECONDARY SCIENCE
TEACHERS - JULY 2006

Barbara Spurr and Mary Loveless

Advisers in Science Education

School Support Services - New Zealand
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Learning Intentions:

• To model good teaching practice as a means of improving science learning in the

classroom
• To familiarise teachers with a range of teaching, learning and assessment strategies
that assist recognition of student prior learning, facilitate student engagement and
support the learning process

Contents

Pages
Concept Cartoons 4,5
Tea Bag Rocket 6
Punctured Balloon 7
Flowering Paper 8
Frisky Fish 9
Bounce Back 10
Sugar Sweet 11
Amazing Toothpicks 12
Mystery Mix 13
Bubbling Explosion 14
A Curly Question 15
Magic Bean 16
Magic Bean Templates 17
Roto-Copter 18
Roto-Copter Templates 19,20
Question Addition 21
Investigating Fizz Pop Rockets 22
Thinking Science: Making Groups 23, 24
Thinking Science: Making Groups; Activities 25,26,27
Living and Non-Living Cards 28, 29, 30
Big Animals Cards 31
An Interactive Framework 32
Classifying Animals Cooperative Learning Activity 33
Classifying Animals Cooperative Learning Activity Cards 34
Making a Model Cell 35,36
The Digestive System 37,38
The Human Heart and Circulatory System 39
The Human Heart and Circulatory System Cards 40
Inside the Eye 41
Inside the Eye Cards 42
Constructing a Circuit Cards 43
Constructing a Circuit Diagrams 44,45
Jig-Saw: Investigating the Plane as Working System 46
Barrier Activities Overview 47
Barrier Activity Cards 48,49,
Classification Key for Crawling Creatures 50,51,52
Barrier Activity Cards 53,54,
Key Word Chase – Living World 55,56
Key Word Chase – Material World 57,58
Structure Challenge 59
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Concept Cartoons
By
Stuart Naylor and Brenda Keogh
Concept cartoons are cartoon-style drawings which put forward a range of viewpoints about
the science involved in everyday situations. By offering new ways of looking at the situation
they make it problematic and provide a stimulus for developing ideas further. They are
designed to intrigue, promote discussion and to stimulate scientific thinking.

They do not necessarily have a single” right answer”. In many cases the only reasonable
conclusion is “it depends on …” Even apparently simple situations can have a number of
possible complicating factors when they are examined closely. The idea is to introduce the
concept that scientific problems may not have a single correct answer. This then reinforces a
view that science is tentative, in which beliefs are justified by the evidence available but can
be modified if additional evidence emerges.

Possible uses of Concept Cartoons

• Making learners’ ideas explicit
• Challenging and developing the learners’ ideas
• Illustrating alternative viewpoints
• Providing a stimulus for discussion
• Helping learners to ask their own questions
• Providing starting points for investigation
• Promoting involvement and enhancing motivation
• Applying scientific ideas in everyday situations
• As a means of differentiation
• Promoting language and literacy learning
• Providing a purpose for discussion and argument
• Enabling learners to experience uncertainty and cognitive conflict
• To challenge learners ideas and move to a deeper understanding
• Introduction of a “minds-on” approach to science
• As an extension or consolidation
• To summarise a topic
• Extra curricula activities
• Sharing and promoting learning science with parents
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What You Do:

1. Using the concept cartoon with the speech bubbles filled in
 Discuss the conversation the characters are having about the scene
 Which of the characters do you agree with?
 Why?
 Did you reach a consensus?
 How could you investigate the situation to find out which alternative(s) is most
acceptable?
 Share your ideas

2. Using the concept cartoon with the blank speech bubbles

 Consider the statement the character has made
 What do you think will be the responses of the other characters?
 How could you investigate your ideas?
 What are the science concepts that you need to help you to understand the situation?
 Discuss the cartoon with the filled in speech bubbles
 Which of the characters do you agree with?
 Why?
 Did you have different ideas from the characters?
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Tea Bag Rocket

What You Do:
What You Need:
1. Remove the staple and string from the tea bag
• Tea bag that has without tearing the bag
an attached string 2. Carefully empty the tea from the bag and
• Matches discard the tea leaves
• Square of foil 3. Open up the tea bag to form a tube
4. Place the tube on the square of foil so that it
is sitting on one of its open ends
5. Strike the match and light the top of the tube
Tea bag tube
and allow it to burn down to the base
6. Predict what you think will happen
7. Observe the tea bag closely
8. What do you notice?
9. Explain what you think is happening
Aluminium foil
Caution: Make sure there are no air draughts
near your rocket and take extra care to remove
any nearby flammable objects when you light the
tea bag

The Science Ideas: What’s Going On Here?

This activity demonstrates the movement of heat energy by convection currents of
moving air. The currents are generated when dense air (cool air), replaces less dense
air (warm air).

As the flame moves down the tea bag, all that remains is very light ash. The flame
heats the air in and around the tube; this draws cooler air under the rocket creating a
convection current. When the burning rocket gets light enough, the convection
current rises to the ceiling and the burning tea bag rocket will slowly rise on the
flow of air.

Punctured Balloon
Key Concepts:
Lubrication
Air pressure
What You Need:
A balloon Kebab skewer
Cooking oil Small coin
Paper towels
What’s Happening!
The more you blow up the
balloon, the more the rubber
stretches and becomes thinner,
but the rubber does not stretch
as much at the bottom or the
top near the knot.
By pushing the oil covered
skewer through the less
stretched parts of the balloon,
the top and bottom, there is less
chance of tearing and popping
the balloon. This is because the
rubber molecules are not fully
stretched as around the side and
they allow themselves to be
pushed aside without popping –
if you are careful.
The cooking oil acts like a
lubricant and allows the skewer
to slide more easily through the
balloon and also acts as a seal
around the skewer and the sides
of the balloon.
The greater air pressure trying
to escape through the hole
forces the coin to be pressed
against the side of the balloon
acting as a seal.
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What You Do:
1. Place a 5c coin into a balloon
2. Blow up the balloon until it is about ¾ the size of the
skewer and tie the end in a knot
3. Dip the skewer into the cooking oil so that about 1/3
is in the oil
4. Hold the pointed end of the skewer near the knot in
the balloon where the rubber is not so stretched
5. Predict what you think will happen when you carry
out step 6
6. Using a twisting and pushing movement begin to
force the skewer through the balloon
7. Aim for the thicker part of the balloon at the opposite
end to the knot where the balloon is not so stretched and
continuing to twist and push, force the skewer through
the balloon.
8. Observe what happens
9. Can you explain why this happened? ( If the balloon
popped, try again)
10. Pull the skewer back through the second hole you
made. Put your finger over this hole.
11. Gently shake the 5c coin inside the balloon until it is
over the second hole. (You may have to shift the coin
using the skewer)
12. Predict what you think will happen when you carry
out step 13
13. Remove your finger from the hole
14. Observe what happens to the coin
15. Can you explain why this happened?
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What You Need: What You Do:

1. Using the pencil and ruler, draw 5 squares
• Several different
types of paper arranged in a cross, so that they look like a +
• Scissors sign (make each square about 2.5cm along
• Pencil each side)
• Ruler 2. Cut the cross out
• Bowl of water 3. Fold in the four arms of the cross, so they are
folded on top of the middle square
4. Predict what you think will happen when the
folded cross is placed on the surface of the
water, with the middle square on the bottom
5. Observe the paper closely
Your Task: 6. Explain what you think is happening
List at least 3 7. Repeat with different types of paper
observations 8. Compare what happens
that you noticed 9. Explain why
from the time
that you placed
the paper in the
water

The Science Ideas: What’s Going On Here?

When using photocopy paper the cross will unfold slowly, one square at a time. There are two processes
happening here. The first is capillary action. Paper is made up of tiny fibres of wood, which have small
gaps between them. the surface tension of the water pulls the water into these gaps, so it is absorbed into
the paper. This capillary action leads to the second process. When the paper is folded, some of the gaps
were squashed. As the water filled the gaps, the pressure of the water pushed the gaps back into their
original shape, so the paper straightened out again. When the pressure of a fluid inside an object pushes it
into a certain shape, it is called turgor pressure.
There are many objects whose shape is caused by the pressure of a fluid inside it. A balloon is a simple
example, but many plants are also held up by turgor pressure. The cells of the plants contain water that
pushes out on the walls of the cells. The pressure of the water inside the cells keeps the cells rigid. If a
plant starts to dry out, the pressure inside the cells is reduced, so the cells become less rigid and the plant
starts to droop. This is why many plants go limp if they lack water.
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Asking and refining questions

What You Need:

• A frisky fish
shape
• Paper towels
• Water

What You Do:

1. Place the cellophane fish on the palm of your hand. Observe what happens
2. Now place the cellophane fish on a hard surface. Observe what happens
3. Dampen a paper towel by dipping it in water and squeezing out as much
water as you can. Flatten the towel on the table and place the fish shape on
top
4. Observe what happens
5. Brainstorm your ideas about what might be happening
6. What questions do you have about what you have just observed?
7. Design an investigation to test out one of your ideas

The Science Ideas: What’s Going On Here?

The cellophane fish curls and twists because it absorbs moisture from the palm of
your hand and then loses water due to evaporation. The fish is made from a
cellophane polymer that is hygroscopic, (“Hydro” means water and “scopic”
meaning to view or find.) Moisture is absorbed into the fish through small holes in
the cellophane by a process called capillary action. As the side of the fish toward
the hand absorbs more moisture, the cellophane begins to swell causing the ends of
the fish to curl up. The lightness of the cellophane makes it react to air currents
which give a “dancing” effect. The heat of your hand then causes evaporation to
occur.

The fish will react differently with different people depending upon the warmth of
the hand and the amount of moisture on the palm. The fish will flatten out on a
warm dry surface as the moisture evaporates and no new moisture is added. The
fish reacts on the damp towel as it did on your palm as it again absorbs water.
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What You Need: What You Do:

• A bouncy ball, such a 1. Have your friend stand at the end of the table
superball or high- 2. Hold the book or folder about 30cm above
bounce ball the table
3. Ask the friend to throw the ball so it bounces
• Table
off the table, hits the book, hits the table
• A flat object such a again and then bounces out the other side (so
book or folder
it goes in a W shaped path)
• Detergent 4. Make sure the ball is thrown gently (you may
• A friend need to adjust the height of the book to help
them)
5. Predict what you think will happen
6. Observe the ball bounce carefully
7. Explain what you think is happening
8. Coat the ball in detergent and try again
9. Compare what happens

The Science Ideas: What’s Going On Here?

When a spinning ball bounces, it
reverses its spin and bounces off to
the side
The dry ball will bounce back in the direction it came from and the
detergent coated ball will continue in the same direction. There are
two things that make the ball bounce backwards: friction and spin.
Rubber balls are very elastic, which means that when they hit
something they bounce back in the opposite direction. If you drop the
ball straight down, it will bounce straight up again. If you give the
ball a bit of sideways spin when you drop it, it will bounce off in the
direction of the spin. When it hit the table, the rubber at the bottom
of the ball was moving sideways. Because of friction, the rubber
grips the table and bounces back in the opposite direction. This
pushes the ball off to the side and reverses the direction it is
spinning.
The first time the ball bounced off the table, it kept moving forward,
but friction between the table and the ball at the point where they
touched made the ball start to spin with the top side of the ball going
forward and the bottom going backwards.
When the upper side of the ball hit the book, the bit where it touched
was moving forwards, so when it bounced it was pushed backwards.
It also reverses the direction it spins.
When the ball hits the table the second time, it was still spinning.
However, because of the direction it is spinning, when it hits the
table it is pushed forward, back to the person that threw it.
When the rubber is coated in detergent, it becomes slippery, so there
is very little friction between the ball and the book. When you now
throw the ball, it barely spins at all when it hits the table and even if
it did spin, it doesn’t grip the book enough to bounce backwards.
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What You Need:

• Small flat white
container
• Water What You Do:
1. Place four pieces of Blu Tack evenly
• Blu Tack
around the edge of the container
• 4 Gobstoppers (4
2. Press a different coloured gobstopper
different colours)
firmly onto each of the pieces of Blu Tack
Gobstoppers
3. Carefully pour water into the container
until the gobstoppers are covered
4. OBSERVE carefully what happens
5. What questions do you have about this
activity?
6. If we changed the …. Would the ….?
7. Could we try….?
8. How could you answer your questions?
9. Think about visiting a library, searching
the internet, or asking an expert

The Science Ideas: What’s Going On Here?

This activity only works with sweets where the colour is embedded in a sugar
coating, because it is the sugar that creates the effect, not the colour. Gravity is the
driving force that spreads the colour. As the sugar (and colour) dissolve, a dense
solution is formed that sinks to the bottom where it is pushed outward by the
solution still falling from above.
When the two colours meet the concentrations are the same, so they stop. After a
much longer period, if you look closely, diffusion will start to cause spreading.
colour
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Key Concepts: What You Do:

Surface tension 1. Snap one toothpick in half so that the two
Capillary action halves remain connected
Adhesion 2. Place the snapped toothpick on a piece of
Cohesion laminated card
3. Predict what you think will happen when you
What You Need: carry out step 4
Eyedropper 4. Using the eyedropper place two or three
Toothpicks drops of water on the break in the snapped
Container of water toothpick (see figure 1)
Laminated card or foil 5. Observe carefully what happens
6. Explain what has happened
7. Now snap five toothpicks in half making sure
that the two halves remain connected
What’s Happening! 8. Arrange the five toothpicks like the spokes of
Water molecules are attracted a wheel on a piece of laminated card (see figure
to each other. The attraction 2)
of one water molecule to 9. Predict what you think will happen when you
another is called cohesion. carry out step 10
One result of the attraction, or 10.Using the eyedropper place a few drops of
cohesion of water molecules, water in the centre of the wheel
is called surface tension. 11. Observe carefully what happens
The cohesive property of 12. Explain what has happened
water is shown by the rounded
shape of the water drops on
the laminated card. The
attraction and attaching of a
substance to something else is
called adhesion.
The water drops are attracted
to the toothpicks and then
absorbed by them through
capillary action. The
toothpick is made up of dead
plant cells; the water that is
absorbed by the toothpick fills
the interior of the cells
causing them to expand. This
expansion causes the
toothpicks to move.
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What You Do:

1. Measure 2 teaspoons of baking soda and tip
What You Need: into the bag
• Calcium chloride 2. Measure 4 teaspoons of calcium chloride,
(Damp Rid) Mix the 2 substances thoroughly
• Baking soda 3. Half fill the film canister with water
• Food colouring 4. Add 3 drops of food colouring to the water in
• Teaspoon (5ml) the film canister
• Clip lock bag 5. Without tipping the water out, carefully put

• Film canister the film canister into the bag holding it

• water upright (Don’t tip the water out)
6. Ziplock the bag closed, squeezing as much air
out as possible
7. Predict what you think will happen when the
Your Task: water is tipped into the mixture
List at least 5 8. Observe the contents closely while holding
observations the bag by the base
that you noticed 9. Explain what you think is happening
from the time
that you tipped Put the bag in the rubbish
the water into Wash your hands!
the mixture of
chemicals

The Science Ideas: What’s Going On Here?

Anhydrous Calcium Chloride (CaCl2 with the water removed), reacts with water to produce heat. This heat in turn
reacts with the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda), a carbonate, to produce a gas – carbon
dioxide. This is an example of an exothermic chemical reaction; one that gives out heat to the surroundings. Hence
the bag feels warm.
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What You Do:

What You Need:
1. Carefully place 1 teaspoon of baking soda in
• Clip lock bag the plastic bag
• Teaspoon 2. Add 1 teaspoon of tartaric acid to the bag
• Tartaric acid 3. Fill a film canister with water and carefully
• Baking soda sit it on the bottom of the inside of the plastic
• Film canister bag. (Don’t tip the water out)
• Water 4. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as you can
5. Zip lock the bag closed
6. Predict what you think will happen when you
carefully shake the bag so that the water,
tartaric acid and baking soda are all
thoroughly mixed together
7. Observe the contents closely while holding
Your Task: the bag by the base
List at least 3 8. What do you notice?
observations 9. Explain what you think is happening
that you noticed
from the time Put the bag in the rubbish
that you tipped Wash your hands!
the water into
the mixture of
chemicals

The Science Ideas: What’s Going On Here?

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda) a carbonate, reacts with acid, in this case tartaric acid to
produce a gas – carbon dioxide. This is an example of an endothermic chemical reaction; one that takes heat from
the surroundings. Hence the bag feels cold.
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What’s with the paper man?

You have been given three pieces of paper, which are the same size. Fill three
shallow containers with water and place each of the pieces of paper carefully
onto the surface of the water, one per container. Each piece should sit flat, not
touching the sides of the saucer

Observe closely for 30 seconds

What is happening to each piece of paper?

Your task now is to brainstorm as many ideas / questions as you can to help
investigate the mystery

These starters could help you:

What would happen if… How can we…
If we changed the…would the… Would it be possible to…
If… What happens when…
Could we try… Will this work with …

What learning is going on here and how do we know?

How could we find out?
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Place marble inside

Diagram 3
Diagram 2

What You Need:

Scissors
Template
Sticky tape
Marble
Ramp
Diagram 1

What You Do:

Cut out the template
Fold up the template as shown in diagram 1
Use a loop of sticky tape to secure the bottom long flap in place
Place a marble or two into the container you have made – see diagram 2
Fold down the upper long flap and secure in place with another loop of sticky tape – see diagram 3
Construct a ramp by tilting a table or use books and a long piece of thick card
Place the magic bean at the top of the slope in an upright position and let go

Things you could change:

Size of container Things you could observe or measure:
Number of marbles Speed of roll
Mass of marbles Does the bean work or not?
Shape of mass
Material the container is made of
Direction of flips
Ratio of mass to size Number of flips
Colour of bean Sound effect
Gradient of slope
Surface of slope
Length of slope
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What You Need:

• Copy of the Roto-copter
template
• Scissors
• Paper Clips
• Stop watch

What You Do:

• Hold the Rot-copter by the
paper clip
• Throw it like a baseball, as
high and far as you can
• You can also stand on a
chair and drop it

Why does the rot-copter spin?

When the roto-copter falls, air pushes
up against the blades, bending them
just a little. When air pushes upwards
on the slanted blade, some of that
thrust becomes a sideways, or
horizontal, push. Why doesn’t the rot-
copter simply move sideways through
the air? That’s because there are two
blades, each getting the same push, but
in opposite directions. The two
opposing thrusts work together to
cause to spin.
Does it fall clockwise or counter
clockwise? Bend the blades in
opposite directions. Now which way
does it spin?

Challenge:
How can you modify the design to make it fall slowly?
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A C
E
B D

A C
E
B D

A C
E
B D

A C
E
B D

A C
E
B D
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Size doesn’t matter templates

A B

A B

A B

C D

C D

C D
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Question addition
A good starter activity

Involves:
 Asking and answering questions
 Group interaction
 Clarifying ideas

What You Need:

• A focus question or piece of material e.g. what would you like to
know about this …? or what questions have you regarding this…?
• There needs to be enough equipment for the students to work
with after the questions have been exhausted and answers need to be found.

What You Do:

• Divide the class into small groups
• Each member of the group asks a question about the material
• Record the questions on slips of paper
• Read the questions out, but do not try to answer them at this stage
• Everyone in the group must ask a question before any questions are answered
• Attach the questions to a large sheet of paper
• Group members can now try to answer the questions that have been posed in this first
round
• Questions that are answered are crossed off
• All questions that were asked in the first round are either
o Answered to the questioners satisfaction
o Partially answered
o Not answered at all
• Questions in the last two categories will not be crossed off
• Following this there are several more rounds of questioning – answering
• All unanswered questions are then listed for large group discussion
• At this stage they may need to be reworded or adjusted to allow for possible
investigation

Some Alternatives:
• A variety of equipment is supplied to help find answers
• There is a need to limit access to the equipment until after the second round of
questions
• You could use a “speak ball” when answering. A student holds the ball until
they finish giving their answer and then pass it on to the next person
• It must be remembered that equipment can help to broaden the questions asked
• Group size is very important so that everyone gets a chance to answer
Adapted from: A Selection of Teaching Strategies and Presentation Ideas
Compiled by Warren Bruce and Barbara Spurr
Published by the Teacher Support Services, Christchurch College of Education
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What You Need:

• Film canister
• Water
• Blu Tack
• ¼ effervescent tablet

What You Do:

1. Attach a ¼ fizzy tablet to the inside of the lid of an empty film canister with
Blu-Tack
2. Half fill the canister with water
3. press the lid firmly into place
4. Invert the canister
5. Stand well back
6. Predict what you think will happen
7. Observe what happens
8. What questions do you want to find out about the rockets?
9. How could you find out more?
10.Brainstorm some questions that you would like answered about this activity
Try these for starters:
Does it matter if ….?
Could we try….?
11.What do you need to think about?
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Thinking Science: Making groups

Overview
Much classification work teaches setting: dividing things into smaller and smaller groups, but
there is no single strategy for classifying things in a formal way. Classification involves
clarifying or identifying the goal of a particular classification, i.e. why is it helpful to classify or
categorize this particular group of items that have similarities and differences. This in turn
determines what characteristics are chosen. If these prove not to be adequate for the
purpose, new criteria must be applied and reclassifying takes place. This is a mental
‘feedback’ loop. Characteristics are variables. There are five different ‘sorting’ activities in
this section; each highlights a different aspect of classification and a different purpose. This
encourages the development of problem-solving strategies. Flexibility and an
understanding of the open nature of problems are encouraged.

What You Need:

Per group

• Activity sheets
• ‘Big animals’ sheet / cards
• Eight test tubes in a rack, labeled A-H, containing small quantities (less than enough to
fill the rounded bottom of the test tube) of: calcium carbonate, CaCO 3; calcium sulphate,
CaSO4; carbon powder; copper sulphate; hydrated CuSO4 5H2O; iron ll sulphate,
FeSO4; potassium nitrate, KNO3; sodium chloride, NaCl; sulphur powder.
There is nothing magical about these particular substances, as long as you have a
selection which includes some white and soluble in water, some white and insoluble,
some coloured and soluble, and some coloured and insoluble.

For whole class

• One or two sets only: selection of about 15 tins, packets, jars, etc from the supermarket,
with as much variety as possible. Examples might include baked beans, tinned fish,
meat, cake mix, jam, pet food, herbs, flour, vegetables, orange drink, etc.
• Instead of real packets and jars you could use cut out pictures from magazines or
drawings and a large sheet of paper with a store cupboard drawn on it.

Safety note: Care should be taken with general handling of the chemicals. Iron (II) and
copper sulphate are harmful. Potassium nitrate is an oxidizing agent. Keep the sulphur
away from flames as it produces a toxic gas. Avoid possible contamination with the
other chemicals.

What You Do:

The order of activities is not important except that Activity 1, Living and non-living things,
should be done first by everyone and Activity 5, Thinking back, must be done last.

Activity 1: Living and non-living things. Give out the cards and ask the students to
complete part 1. You may tell them that there are 13 living things in the list. Encourage them
to compare their lists with others. This helps them to become conscious of their own sorting
strategies. After they have had a chance to debate through their own differences of opinion,
you can summarise. Incidentally, this activity may highlight misconceptions for individuals.
These could be followed up later.
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There need be no presentation of the seven accepted characteristics of living things. Many
will arise naturally from the discussion. The aim is not to teach these but to highlight how
sorting things depends on choosing characteristics and then looking for their presence or
absence in everything. Explore the word ‘characteristic’ and draw attention to characteristics
being like things that vary.

Activity 2: Chemicals. Here the classification relies both on visual characteristics (coloured
or white) and on a functional property (solubility). These two characteristics are used
simultaneously to form sets and subsets. The 2 X 2 table encourages the use of the two
differences simultaneously, making four groups.

Activity 3: Store cupboard. This presents students with a real situation where classification
is useful. Characteristics chosen depend on the students’ own perception of a useful sorting
method. Labelling the shelves forces them to make their characteristics explicit. There
should be discussion and argument about the ‘best’ way to arrange things in the store
cupboard. If there are too many subsets for the number of shelves the point is made that a
classification is only useful if it simplifies the situation. To be easily classifiable, objects
should have a number of common features. Students need to gain confidence in dealing with
‘no right answer’.

Activity 4: Big animals. Once again it is not important that students learn correct biological
criteria for classifying. They should look for useful characteristics from the drawings, from
what they know about the animal’s habitat or diet. Characteristics that are selected must be
applied consistently to all of the animals.
There are several different solutions to this problem, some better than others because they
use more observable characteristics or would serve a more useful purpose.

Activity 5: Thinking back. This is the explicitly metacognitive section, where you
encourage students to think about the way they have tackled the different classifications. Use
the students’ answers to questions at the end of each activity to highlight what makes
classifying some things easier then others. Some points that may be raised are: familiar
things are generally easier to classify then unfamiliar ones. In science many things are
unfamiliar. Visible characteristics tend to be easier to use but sometimes it is more useful to
use functions or more abstract characteristics, such as habitats of animals, or types of
reactions of chemicals. The selection of characteristics to be used depends on the purpose
of the classification. Only groups with a number of shared characteristics can be classified
into small subgroups with any meaning. Groups of randomly selected items are too different
and their classification would be too complex to be useful. A 2 X 2 table helps to classify a
group of similar things into four using just two differences.
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Activity sheet 1

Names …………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Making groups
Activity 1 Living and non-living things

 Here is a list of living and non-living car milk grass

things. Put a tick by everything you
cloud seaweed rose
think is living. Alternatively use picture
cards to sort the groups. bird nature energy
fish snail rain
How did your group decide what was living? insect tree rain
planet cat fox
Are there more animals or more living things?
wind human fire
moss book water

Activity 2 Chemicals

 There are eight chemicals in the test tubes A to H.

 Divide the chemicals into two groups, using their appearance.

Group Chemicals (letters on test tube) Appearance (Characteristics)

1

 Take a very small amount of each chemical in turn and shake it gently with water. If
the solid disappears, and the liquid is left clear, that chemical is soluble. If the liquid
is still cloudy, that chemical is insoluble.
 27
Activity sheet 2

Names …………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 Divide the chemicals into two groups, using solubility as the characteristics for
deciding how to divide them.

Group Chemicals (letters) Solubility (Characteristics)

3

 Now use both characteristics together to divide the chemicals into four groups.

Write the appearance Group 1 Group 2

characteristic here 

Group 3: soluble

Group 4: insoluble

Activity 3 Store cupboard

 Look at the selection of tins and packets. Sort them out so that you can store them
on the shelves on the drawing of the cupboard. Alternatively use drawings or pictures.

 Write a label for each shelf, saying what the

characteristics of the things on that shelf are.
Sort the tins and packets onto their right shelf.
Make a note of what you decide.

Which things were particularly difficult to classify?

Where would you put them? Why?

Have other groups used the same classification

system as you?

 Think of why other people may not have used the same system.
 28
Activity sheet 3

Names …………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Activity 4 Big animals

 Look at the pictures of big animals. All of these animals share at least one
characteristic, they all have backbones.

 Sort them into three or four groups. Use these rules:

• Each group must have at least two animals.
• The members of a group must share at least one characteristic.
• Each group must be different from every other group.

 Look at some of the other groups’ classifications.

Have they got the same groupings of animals as yours?

How are their groups the same?

How are their groups different?

Are their groups better than yours are? Why do you think they are/are not?

Activity 5 Thinking back

 Put a tick by the classification activity you found easiest. Put a cross by the
one you found most difficult.

Activity 1: Living and non-living things Activity 2: Chemicals

Activity 3: Store cupboard Activity 4: Big animals

Why was the one you ticked the easiest?

Why was the one you marked with a cross the hardest?

Has every other group ticked and crossed the same things?

 Write a group sentence describing someone in the group and using the word
characteristic.

Why do you think it is useful to be able to classify things?

Adapted from: Thinking Science; P.Adey, M. Shayer and C. Yates 2001

29
 28

Car Fish
Cloud Bird

Wind

Insect Planet Moss

 31

Milk

Nature Snail
Seaweed

Human

Cat
 32

Book
Tree
 33

Rain

Grass Flower
Energy
 34

Fire

Bamboo
Tiger Water
31
 32

An Interactive Framework

Focusing / initiating activity (ies)

e.g. Post-box, interviewing

to focus thinking
to clarify ideas, attitudes
and values
to share ideas

Generating Questions
What questions do you have about…..

Finding answers to questions

Individually, small groups, whole class

• Research from library, books

• Survey students, teachers, parents, others
• Carry out investigations
• Use the internet, CDs, videos
• Contact ‘experts’
• Invite an ‘expert’ to visit

Presentation of findings
Individually or in groups

• Written report
• Role-play
• Charts, mobiles, models
• Poems, songs
• Video, CD, DVD
• Mock TV interview

Purposes of the approach

The term ‘interact’ is used here in the sense of an interchange of talk among people who respect each
other’s ideas. From a teacher’s point of view this begins with a genuine desire to know what the learner
thinks (and why). The main purposes of an interactive approach to teaching and learning are:
• To identify the student’s ideas and questions
• To provide students with stimulating experiences either to confront and explore those ideas or
as a basis for developing ideas; in either case the experiences should help students raise questions
• To help students develop, clarify, modify and extend their ideas through seeking answers to
questions they are interested in (or can be interested in) or through checking proposed answers
• To encourage students to reflect critically on how they came by an idea and whether it is a
sensible and useful one
• To assist students develop the skills they need to ask better questions, plan and carry out
investigations, and construct and communicate ideas
 37
• To help students realise that explanations of why things behave the way they do are
frequently not ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ but are rather consistent with evidence or inconsistent, useful or
less useful, plausible or not plausible, intelligible or not intelligible, and
• To convey to students an awareness that their ideas are valued.
 38

Classifying Animals
Co-operative Learning Activity

• Groups of 4
• Each group member has a card
• Do not show your card to the other members of the group
• Each person reads out one clue at a time from their card
• Use the clues to fill in the sheet below

Features:

Scientific name:
Means:

Adapted from: A Selection of Teaching Strategies and Presentation

Ideas
Compiled by Warren Bruce and Barbara Spurr
Published by the Teacher Support Services, Christchurch College of
Education
 39

CLASSIFYING ANIMALS

-
--------------------------------------------
• All animals have • Mammals have hair or
backbones. fur.

• Mammals are animals. • Animals are divided

into two groups.
• Mammals suckle their
young. • Homo sapiens means
wise man.
• Humans are mammals.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• An invertebrate does • A vertebrate has a

not have a backbone. backbone.

• Some animals have a • Some animals do not

backbone. have a backbone.

• Mammals give birth to • The scientific name for

live young. humans has two parts.
 40

Cells the Building Blocks of

Living Things
Making a Model Cell
Cooperative Learning
Task: Working in small groups make a plant
or animal cell collage / poster

 Each group chooses whether they want

to make a plant or animal cell
 Each member of the group chooses
several organelles from the list until
they are all distributed
 The Cell membrane / Cell wall person
draws the outline on the large sheet of
paper. (Remember animal cells do not
have a cell wall).
 Each person cuts out their chosen
organelles and arranges them on the
large sheet of paper. (In plant cells the
large vacuole sits in the centre of the
cell).
 When all the parts have been assembled
glue them to the poster
 Cut out the labels and glue them on to
the poster, link the labels to the
appropriate organelle with an arrow
 Using the notes provided read and
summarise one of your chosen
organelles. Your notes need to include
the structure and function (what it does)
of your chosen organelle
 Each member teaches the structure and
function of their organelle to everyone
 41
else. The other members can ask
questions if they have not understood
 Now each person passes their notes to
the person on their right to read
 Continue this until each person has read
all the notes
 Share your poster with the rest of the
group

Plant Animal
Cell Cell
Nucleus Nucleus
(Nucleolus, (Nucleolus,
Nuclear Nuclear
Membrane, Membrane,
Chromsomes) Chromsomes)
Mitochondria Mitochondria
Golgi bodies Golgi bodies
Endoplasmic Endoplasmic
reticulum reticulum
Cytoplasm Cytoplasm
Ribosomes Ribosomes
Vacuole Vacuole(If
(Large present
 42

Central) small)
Lysosomes Lysosomes
Cell Cell
membrane membrane
Chloroplast Centriole
Cell wall
 43

The Digestive System

Adapted from an idea developed by Rachael Dalley and
Azra Moeed, Victoria University
Cooperative Learning

Task: Working in small groups create a

digestive system collage / poster

 Each member of the group chooses an

organ from the list until they are all
distributed
 You can either use the outline of the
body provided or draw your own on a
sheet of paper
 Each person cuts out their chosen organ
and positions it on the sheet of paper
 When all the parts have been arranged
glue them to the poster
 Cut out the labels and glue them on to
the poster, link the labels to the
appropriate organ with an arrow
 Using the notes provided read and
summarise those about your chosen
organ. Your notes need to include the
structure and function (what it does) of
your chosen organ
 Each member teaches the structure and
function of their organ to everyone else.
The other members of the group can ask
questions if they have not understood
 Now each person passes their notes to
the person on their right to read
 Continue this until each person has read
all the notes
 Attach the notes to the poster
 44
 Share your poster with the rest of the
group
 45

Liver Stomach
Pancreas Duodenu
m
Bile Duct Gall
Bladder
Pancreati
c Duct
 46
The Human Heart and Circulatory System

Work together using the information provided, to label the diagram to show
the parts of the heart and the circulatory system
 47
The Human Heart and Circulatory System
• The left auricle collects • The ventricles are below the

---------------------------------------------
blood from the lungs. auricles.

• Arterial blood is brighter red as

• The auricles have thin
it leaves the left ventricle.
walls and ‘collect’ the
blood. • The aorta takes arterial blood
from the heart to the body.
• The pulmonary artery
leaves the right ventricle. • The pulmonary vein takes
oxygenated blood from the
lungs to the left auricle.
• The vena cava is a vein
that returns deoxygenated • Semilunar valves separate the
blood from the body to ventricles from the arteries
the right auricle.

• Arteries carry blood away

from the heart.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------

• The right auricle collects • The heart has four

blood from the body. chambers (2 ventricles and
2 auricles).
• The ventricles have thick
walls and are the pumps • The left ventricle is larger
that circulate the blood. than the right ventricle.

• The pulmonary artery • The left ventricle pumps

takes deoxygenated blood blood to the body.
to the lungs.
• The lungs oxygenate the
• Since the heart is seen as blood.
if in a dissection of a
person facing you, the left • Deoxygenated blood is
side is drawn on the right. dark in colour

• There are cuspid valves

between the auricles and
the ventricles.
48
 49

THE HUMAN EYE

• The eyeball is filled with a • The iris is seen as two

---------------------------------------------
clear jelly-like fluid called flaps that come in front of
the vitreous humour. the lens from opposite
sides. They do not meet.
• Colour the retina with a
thin green line. • The eyeball contains all
the structures needed to
• Colour the iris with brown, gather and focus light, and
if you have brown eyes, to send information to the
with blue if you have blue brain.
eyes.
• Colour the optic nerve
• The optic nerve attaches to with red.
the eyeball at the 4 o’clock
position. • Label the lens on the lens
itself; other labels can use
the arrows.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------

• The iris determines ‘what • Colour the vitreous

colour eyes’ you have. humour with yellow.

• The cornea bulges out in • The lens is shaped like a

front of the lens and iris. squashed oval.

• An optic nerve carries • The pupil is an open area

information from the eye between the ‘flaps’ of the
to the brain. iris.

• The retina covers the • There is a blind spot on

inside surface of the the retina where the optic
eyeball, from the 11 nerve joins the eyeball.
o’clock position to 7
o’clock.
 50

CONSTRUCTING A CIRCUIT

---------------------------------------------
• There are two bulbs in • The switch is open
the circuit. (off) in the circuit.

• There is a battery in the • The bulbs are in

circuit. parallel.

© Warren Bruce 1994 © Warren Bruce 1994

----------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------

• One bulb can be • One bulb glows all the

switched on or off. time.

• There are two cells in • There is one switch in

the circuit. the circuit.

© Warren Bruce 1994 © Warren Bruce 1994

51
52
 53

“Jigsaw” Task
Investigating the Plane
as a working system

Home Group: Number yourselves 1, 2, 3, or 4

Go to expert group 1, 2, 3 or 4
Read the material provided
Each group focuses on one specific aspect of a plane
(see below).
Read the information with the following general
questions in mind:
1. What is the science of flight?
2. What is the function of the individual parts, how do
they work and interrelate with each other?
Then focus on your particular part and think about

Expert Group Expert Group Expert Group 3 Expert Group

1 2 Design 4
Controls Forces Shape of body The Human
Flaps Weight and wings Element
Aerodynamics
Ailerons Drag Language
Think about
Rudders Thrust how all the
Law
Elevators Lift other aspects Navigation
How do they What effect do impact on the Think about
work and they have on design of the the effect of
assist flight? how a plane plane flight on the

Return to your original HOME GROUP

Each member reports back what they have found out about
the plane as a working system
As a group draw and label a working diagram of a plane.
Label the individual parts and write a short explanation of
how they work
Try to indicate how the different parts of the plane
 54
Barrier Activities
Involves:
 Listening actively and exchanging information
 Speaking, naming, questioning, describing, debating, verifying information,
learning new words
 Exploring new ideas
 Students making new ideas their own by allowing them to explore the ideas

What You Need:

• A resource sheet
• A picture or list, one with an Á’ sheet and one with a ‘B’ sheet
• Some of the listed words or pictures are the same, some
different

What You Do:

Pair the students in mixed ability pairs
Sit students facing one another
Ensure the students cannot see their partner’s sheet
Call one student Á’ and the other ‘B’
The students take turns to describe one section on their sheets
Their partner responds to the description that their corresponding picture, diagram or
explanation is the same or different
The students can self assess or report their results to a teacher
Ensure that students do not look at each others sheet during the task
On completion each pair compares their answers for accuracy and discusses any errors

Some Alternatives:
If there are six boxes per sheet, each partner will describe three and listen to three
descriptions.
The process can be used to complete a crossword where one student has Down answers and
the other has Across answers.
The process can be used with real objects, i.e. leaves or vegetables
It can be used for classifying where one student has a picture of an animal and the other has a
key.

Adapted from: A Selection of Teaching Strategies and Presentation Ideas

Compiled by Warren Bruce and Barbara Spurr
Published by the Teacher Support Services, Christchurch College of Education
55
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57
58
59
60
61
 62
Key Word Chase – Living World
Developed from an idea developed by Anne Goldsworthy

Start The place in which an organism

lives

Habitat An animal that eats plants

The complete sequence of

Herbivore developmental events in the
lifetime of an organism

Life history Microscopic grains produced by

flowers

Pollen An animal with a spinal column

and internal skeleton

Vertebrate The production of new organisms

either sexually or asexually

Reproduction A green plant pigment that is

essential for photosynthesis

Chlorophyll Living things that eat other living

things for food

Consumers An animal that eats animals for

food

Carnivore A group of species that inhabits a

given area
 63
The chemical that carries the
Community genetic information in most
organisms

The outermost layer of animals

DNA skin cells or the outer tissue layer
Deoxyribonucleic acid of a plant

Epidermis A tree that has leaves all year

Evergreen The hard covering on the outside

of the body of many invertebrates

Exoskeleton The juvenile stage in the life cycle

of most invertebrates

Larva Finish
 64
Key Word Chase – Material World
Developed from an idea developed by Anne Goldsworthy

Start A substance that turns litmus

paper red

A compound that reacts with acids

Acid by fizzing and releasing carbon
dioxide

Carbonate The process in which a solid

mixes completely with a liquid

An investigation in which a
Dissolving number of trials are run, each trial
being different in terms of one
variable only

Fair test A liquid that allows another

substance to dissolve in it

Solvent A measure of the acidity or

alkalinity of substances

A blend of two or more

pH substances that are mixed
together but have not reacted
chemically with one another

Mixture The process in which a vapour or

gas changes into a liquid

Condensation A soluble base

A substance that changes colour

Alkali in response to the acidity or
alkalinity of a substance
 65

Indicator A common vegetable that can be

used as an indicator

Red cabbage The process of changing state

from a solid to a liquid

Melting A group of atoms held together by

chemical bonds

Molecule A substance that is the same

throughout

Homogeneous The process in which a liquid

changes to a gas or vapour

Evaporation Finish

What You Need:
• Jubes or another type
of jelly lolly
• Toothpicks
Applications
The triangle is the strongest shape.
Triangles are used to make a very strong
form called a truss. A truss is a type of
frame which is designed to be stiff.
Before steel, trusses were made of wood
or iron. Now they are almost always
made of steel, though some concrete
trusses exist, and some smaller
examples use timber. Circles are also
among the strongest shapes in nature.
External and internal stress distributes
itself evenly throughout a circular
structure. Plant stems and tree trunks are
examples of the strength of the circular
shape. A bicycle is also an example of a
structure that uses simple shapes for
strength. The frame of a bicycle is made
up of triangles, the frame is tube shaped
and the wheels are circles reinforced
with triangles. This makes the bicycle a
very strong machine.
66
What You Do:
Using only toothpicks and lollies make a self-supporting
structure.
Guidelines for building the structure
 This activity can either be done in groups or
individually
 Each group should receive a set amount of toothpicks
and lollies
 To finish or win the challenge each group should
either build the tallest structure possible, the structure
that can bear the most weight, a simple structure like a
house or bridge or the structure that most resembles a
famous building, for example the Eiffel Tower.
 A time limit is optional.
The Science Ideas: What’s Going On Here?
What shapes are the strongest?
Square and triangles are very strong shapes. If you use both triangles
and squares in a structure the tower will be more rigid.
Even though the structure appears still, the parts are always pulling
and pushing on each other. Structures remain standing because some
parts are being pulled or stretched and other parts are being pushed or
squashed. The parts that are being pulled are in tension. The parts that
are being squashed are in compression.
Strong structures such as towers, bridges and beams have to be able
to cope with pushing (compressive) and pulling (tensile) forces. For
example, two bricks side by side can withstand pushing forces, but
not pulling forces. A rope can withstand pulling forces but not
pushing forces. What shapes can you think of that are strong when
you push or pull them?
Bridges are great example of structures that use simple shapes for
strength. Triangles form the strongest structure because all three sides
bear the load. Compression pushes down equally on two sides of the
triangle, causing the base to be pulled equally in two directions,
which creates tension. In a square, two sides of the structure bear the
load.
Adapted from:
http://www.csiro.au/helix/sciencemail