Interactive Science | Candlelight Journey Through The 3 States Of Matter

Teaching the states of matter doesn’t have to be difficult. It can indeed be easy and even pleasant, as this activity demonstrates. In it students will observe a lit candle in total silence and write their observations. Then each student will share an observation. And those you will build on, gradually introducing them to the states of matter. The emphasis in this lesson is on energy, which is constantly entering and leaving atoms, causing them to speed up and slow down. You can use it anytime during your chapter on the states, but it’s a perfect chapter opener. FREE Teacher Notes preview

Keeping Control

Is there anything more cool than noticing in the middle of a lesson that every single student is listening to you? Think about what an amazing thing that is- what you’re doing is more important than anything else going on inside your students’ heads- what’s for lunch, boyfriends, a cloud drifting by outside the window, or the latest rumor. Getting there is not easy. But how do you get there? And why do some teachers seem to always have everyone’s full attention, while others seldom have anyone’s?

There are many ways to effectively manage a classroom, and because your style and personality are different from everyone else’s, so should your method. It has to comfortably be you in charge and not another teacher and their style being emulated. And it has to result in your students realizing that you are the one and only person in charge. Your goal here is not tyranny, but to reach a point where students trust that you will do what’s in their best interest. Good preparation is another key, so that you are not caught off guard and allow strong emotions to make impulsive decisions. You can learn more about being prepared by reading about the Yellow Sheet.

If things are frequently out of control in your room, read some books and talk to another teacher with lots of experience who manages their class well. In other words, do something about it! If you don’t know what to do, then you need to learn. As they say- if you keep doing what you’ve been doing then you’re going to keep getting what you’ve been getting. And listen to the advice. You’ll discover that a well-run classroom is one that pays close attention to the “little things”, and where the students’ best interest plays a major role in most decisions.

Reading

With such an emphasis in our lessons on everything being Interactive and hands-on, you’d probably guess that we put a low emphasis on reading. Not at all! If anything, there’s not enough reading in the classroom. Reading is important- it solidifies activities and adds legitimacy to them.

The approach we take is that reading is good, but reading with activities that illustrate is even better! Click through the PowerPoint in a set of our Interactive Notes (you can download a set of Interactive Notes on Magnetism right now for free) and you’ll see a prompt in the lower left corner of the first couple of slides for you to insert a page number from your textbook that your class to read together from. Read any other lesson and you’ll likely to find at least one place where the class takes pause to read a paragraph or two from the textbook together. When done right, and with purpose students can see, reading is very effective.

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