Making Sense of Models

 

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.

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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.

 

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.  

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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.

 

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. 

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MSM Unit 4: The Albedo Effect

Unit Overview

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Concepts:

• Driving Question: Why is sea ice melting so quickly?
• Real World Problem: Sea Ice Melting
• Math: Randomization and probability
• Science: Wave reflection, absorption or transmission depending on material color 
• Focal Mechanism in Code: If (action & property of entities & probability) then (reaction) 

Lessons:

 

MSM Unit 3: It’s Getting Hot in Here

Unit Overview

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Concepts:

 

MSM Unit 2: Clean Water

Unit Overview

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Concepts:

 

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.

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MSM Unit 1: Things Break Apart

Unit Overview

This unit spans across 6th grade math and science content. In math lessons, students will learn about ratios; specifically parts-to-parts ratios and parts-to-whole ratios, and reducing ratios. In the science lessons students will learn about matter, mass, molecules and atoms and specific characteristics of water before decomposing water into its components. The unit features the use, decoding and modification of collisions as causal mechanisms in models and the breakdown of compounds into ratios of components to bridge the math and science concepts.