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MSM Unit 1, Lesson 6: Decoding & Modifying the model

In this lesson students will be modifying the model of the molecular beam experiment to make a collision between different molecules. This time we will use hydrogen peroxide or H2O2 molecules instead of water molecules. Students will decode the model and make changes to the model‘s setup and collision code to model the collision and reaction. They will test the accuracy of the model by checking to see if the proper number and ratio of products were produced.

MSM Unit 1, Lesson 2: Colliding Turtles Playground

In this lesson students engage in creating, modifying and testing collisions and reactions (cause and effect) processes as instructions. Playgrounds are Google Slides with code blocks that students use to arrange and then act out as the computer processing the instructions. The concepts of ratios and examining ratios before and after collisions are made explicit.

MSM Unit 1, Lesson 3: Decoding & Modifying a Collision Model

In this lesson students see a StarLogo Nova model of turtles colliding. Then they look under the hood of the model to see if they recognize any of the code blocks being used. (*Students are often surprised to see that the code they generated in the playground is actually used to run the model!) Students identify where in code the ratio is being produced and what the ratio of turtles is before and after the collision. Finally, students get to pick a ratio they want to produce and modify the mode

MSM Unit 1, Lesson 4: Matter and Properties of Water

In this lesson students learn about matter and properties of matter. Then conduct two experiments (that can be done at home) and develop a mental molecular level understanding of water. This lesson prepares students for the next two lessons in which they will be modeling the breakdown of water into its component atoms.

MSM Unit 1, Lesson 5: Molecular Beam Experiments

In this lesson students explore a model of a molecular beam experiment in which two water molecules collide at high speed and break apart into their component atoms. In analyzing the ratios of hydrogen and oxygen produced by the collision, students notice that there is something wrong. Investigating the code of the model leads to the discovery of a problem that students can fix. Students can test their solution to fixing the model by running the model and seeing if it produces the components in

MSM Unit 3: It’s Getting Hot in Here

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MSM Unit 2: Clean Water

This unit spans across 6th grade math and science content.

MSM Unit 1, Lesson 1: Introducing Ratios

In this lesson students will participate in two activities then create their own ratio puzzles. In the first activity, they will learn about parts-to-parts ratios and complete an embedded assessment. In the second activity, they will learn about parts-to-whole ratios and complete another embedded assessment. In the third activity, students will create their own ratio puzzles to share. Throughout the lessons, the language of ratios is reinforced.

MSM Unit 1: Things Break Apart

This is the page for Making Sense of Models Unit 1: Things Break Apart.

Debugging Challenges for StarLogo Nova

These challenges ask students to identify and correct common coding errors within StarLogo Nova programs. The first challenge is generic, all others relate to the content area module from CS in Science. Students like to solve the problems and fix the code, and learn about debugging skills while engaging further with content area modules. It is also a good review for instructions/facilitators before building code with students.

Daisy world

A model demonstrating the albedo effect of black or white surfaces. Use as a part of the Climate Change and Agriculture Project GUTS Curricular Unit, or as a stand-alone model, activity, and video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Utb1plCyyb0

Exploring the Wiggle Walk and Collisions via a Kinesthetic Activity

This activity teaches the Wiggle Walk blocks (random right by ___ degrees, random left by___ degrees), through a kinesthetic activity and explores when a programmer would want to code agents to move this way. It avoids the statical analysis of the random probabilities found in Module One, Lesson 4 Activity 1: Probability with Dice and Data and Colliding Turtles, while still addressing the end goals of the Module One Lesson 4.

Middle School Dissolving Salt Chemistry Module options

This lesson was developed to be used with two stand alone models developed by GUTS as alternatives to the Chemistry Module 4. This is aimed at middle school students. This pairs a hands on lab activity with the CS models to explore the strengths and weaknesses of CS models of physical changes at an introduction to chemistry level. Students decode the models and make changes including adding and testing variables.

Modeling molecules is solids, liquids, and gases

This model simulates intermolecular forces and lets people change the temperature using a slider. At high temperatures, you can see the molecules fly around as a gas, with occasional collisions. With lower temperatures they condense to a liquid, and even lower they freeze to a solid.

Coding Challenges

Coding Challenge are a series of short challenges that focus on improving coding skills using StarLogo Nova. Each set of challenges focuses on a specific concept: degrees & heading, x & y coordinates and randomness, conditions including absolute value and percent chance, adding color to the terrain and repeat loops, using the z coordinate, and other computer science concepts (logic blocks, data collection),.

Walk & Turn for StarLogo Nova

This is the CS in Science, Module 1, Activity 1 activity. Students participate in an activity acting as agents, then view a computer model, to introduce concepts of computer science and complex adaptive systems.

Skill Building Deck

A slide deck of exercises to build CS and decoding skills

Piedra, papel o tijera

El clásico juego en versión StarLogo NOVA

Looking at particles with StarLogo Nova

This lesson uses StarLogo Nova to explore how particles move from gas to liquid to solid depending on the setting of the heat slider.

Rock Paper Scissors

The classic game of Rock Paper Scissors is known to all students. This common experience can then be used to encourage students to think about Complex Adaptive Systems in terms of unpredictability, which comes from the simple rules of agents. The off-line activity gives students a set of rules that will then be programmed into their computer model using Boolean logic and collisions.

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