Hot Hits at The Physics Classroom

Every Saturday we highlight three resources that have received particularly heavy traffic from website visitors during the past week. This week's winners are …

1.Newton's Third Law at The Tutorial

Pages on Newton's Laws are always popular pages on our website. This week, the Newton's Third Law page at our Tutorial was particularly popular. This is the first of a two-page lesson describing Newton's so-called law of action-reaction. There are so many misconceptsions among students regarding the topic; the lesson addresses common misconceptions and difficulties. Force is described as a push or pull that results from an object's interaction with another object. As the page puts it, "forces always come in pairs" - action-reaction force pairs (or better yet, interaction force pairs).

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/Lesson-4/Newton-s-Third-Law

2. Interference Concept Builder

The Wave Interference Concept Builder targets student understanding of what interference is, of the distinction between constructive and destructive interference, and of how the principle of superposition can be used to determine the shape of the resultant wave (or wave sum) that results from the interference of two waves. There are 20 total questions organized into 10 different Question Groups and spread across three different activities.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Concept-Builders/Waves-and-Sound/Interference

3. Roller Coaster Model at The Physics Interactives

One of this week's hottest simulations was the Roller Coaster Model. This Interactive allows a learner to study the interplay between forces, accelerations, velocities, and kinetic and potential energies for a roller coaster car. The track can be modified by lowering and raising strategic locations and by changing the amount of curvature of loops and hills. The simulation is accompanied by a classroom-ready exercise. It is an HTML5, mobile-friendly Interactive that suits itself as an ideal accompaniment to any classroom, but especially for the 1:1 classroom.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Newtons-Laws/Free-Body-Diagrams

Children's Science - How to Make a Lemon Battery

Earliest forms of batteries were made towards the end of 18th century. In fact, it was in the year 1799 AD that the first battery was made by Alessandro Volta. Since then, batteries have been improvised time and again; and are used to operate many different machines. Basic principle used in the working of a battery is the transfer of electrons from one electrode to the other when they are dipped in a chemical solution that conducts electricity. The lemon battery made at home also makes use of this principle. This activity provides straight-forward directions for making a lemon battery. Enjoy at ... 

https://www.ibuzzle.com/articles/how-to-make-a-lemon-battery.html

Concept Builders Version 2.0

We have been working very hard on Concept Builders these past two months. We are about to release Version 2.0 of the program. Our developer, who is also a high school Physics teacher, has been testing Version 2 with his own students. He reports that it is working very well. There are some improvements needed with the Teacher module. Once done, Version 2 Concept Builders will be available for "public consumption."

So what is a Version 2 Concept Builder? A Version 2 Concept Builder is like a typical Concept Builder with some added functionality. The additions allow students and teachers to use an account and log-in system in combination with the Concept Builders, allowing student progress on a Concept Builder to be automatically saved and retrieved during the session. So with Version 2, a teacher creates an account, makes courses, adds students to the courses (a very easy task), and decides on what Concept Builders will be assigned to each class. The chosen Concept Builders then populate an Assignment Board that students can view. Students then log into our website and view their assigned Concept Builders. Once they start the Concept Builder (by a click on a link on their Assignment Board), the Concept Builder opens and their username is atuomatically displayed in the Name Entry field. When the Main Menu screen opens, the trophies for any previously completed Difficulty Levels will be displayed. As the student complete Difficulty Level,s the details are stored in a database, allowing teachers to view progress for each student on each assignment. 

We have never recommended using Concept Builders as out-of-the-classroom assignments. There has simply been no means of keeping track of student completion of the work. With Version 2, all that will change. Teachers who love CBs and who have been desparate to assign them have typically resorted to a screen-shot method ("Take a screen of your Main Menu with the trophies displayed.") As we feared, students of such teachers typically learned that such screen shots can be easily PhotoShopped. Now with Version 2 Concept Builders there will be no more need to screen shot one's trophies. Simply acquire an account, populate your classes with students, and confidently assign Concept Builders for homework. (But don't forget, they still work great in the classroom as well.)

So in a few short weeks, we will be announcing the opportunity to try out Version 2.0 for FREE. Stay tuned. And once announced, please join in and see why we are so excited about Version 2.0 Concept Builders. Learn more about Version 2 on our website at:

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Concept-Builders/Version-2

Cell Phones and Classrooms

Cellphones and laptops can be distracting for students in classrooms. And new research also shows that using electronic devices can even lower students’ grades. Scientists who studied the effects of divided attention in people know that when attention is divided between two tasks, fewer items regarding those tasks may be recalled later -- a concept called “retention” in psychology. This article from the ABC News website reports on the latest research led by Dr. Arnold Glass of Rutgers University on the ill effects of electronic devices on attention and classroom learning.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/cellphones-classrooms-contribute-failing-grades-study/story?id=56837614

Standing Wave Demonstration

With some duct tape, $2 worth of candy, and some skewer sticks from the local party store, you can make a real "sweet-looking" wave machine. Shake it at just the right frequency and you can get it to vibrate with one of its harmonic patterns. It's a demonstration that students will remember and the machine is probably just as effective as the $600 commercial version.

View our YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWcrOW-mlwY

Culturing a Learner-Driven Classroom

Perhaps you're a teacher and you have attended a professional development session on the topic of creating learner-centered classrooms. A growing body of research is fueling the interest in how teachers can culture such classroom environments. Some of that research focuses on the topic of Choice. Who – the teacher or the student – chooses what to learn, how to learn, from what resources to learn it, and what evidences will be provided to demonstrate that learning occurred? Choice, when made by the learner, empowers the learner to become more invested in their learning. Educator and SketchNote artist Sylvia Duckworth provides us with a Continuum of Choice. If you're a teacher, study the continuum and plot out some ways that you can hand an increased amount of the reigns of the learning process over to your students. 

And to view more great SketchNotes by Sylvia Duckworth, visit her collection at … 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/15664662@N02/

Project-Based Learning vs. Challenge-Based Learning

Here’s a quick exercise for those in education: What do the letters CBL stand for? For many, competency-based learning might have been the first thing to pop in their heads. But others might have considered challenge-based, community-based or even case-based learning.  The fact that three letters can mean so many different things raises an obvious question: Have we reached peak “based” learning? In this article from the EdSurge blog, Stephen Noonoo explores the basis of "base"-learning and delves deeper into two particular base-learning strategies that are bcoming more mainstream. Noonoo examines what can be done to unleash such strategies in schools that still value standardized test scores.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-12-27-what-s-the-difference-between-project-and-challenge-based-learning-anyway

Hot Hits at The Physics Classroom

Every Saturday we highlight three resources that have received particularly heavy traffic from website visitors during the past week. This week's winners are …

1.Kinematic Equations - Sample Problems and Solutionsat The Tutorial

This is the fifth page of a 6-page lesson that provides a considerable amount of detail on kinematic equations, their connections to graphs, and their use in solving problems. This page includes 20 problems of varying degree of difficulty. Each problem is accompanied by an answer and a solution. Being the fifth page in the lesson, it provides users ample opportunity to practice the concepts and practices that preceed it. For Physics students having troubles with solving kinematic problems, this page is a must read.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/1DKin/Lesson-6/Sample-Problems-and-Solutions

2. Charge and Charging Concept Builder

The Charge and Charging Concept Builder engages the learner in exploring the manner in which objects become electrostatically charged in terms of protons and electrons. There are 38 total questions that are organized into 16 different Question Groups and spread across three Activities. The three activities include Particle Count, Get Into the Flow, and Analyze This! Activity 1 - Particle Count challenges learners to compare the relative number of protons and electrons for neutral, positively-charged, and negatively-charged objects. In Activity 2 -Get Into the Flow, learners identify how objects beome charged positively or negatively and how they become neutral if previously charged. And in Activity 3 - Analyze This!, learners must apply what they have learned in the first two activities to analyze an electrostatic phenomenon. 

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Concept-Builders/Static-Electricity/Charge-And-Charging

3. Free-Body Diagram Interactive at The Physics Interactives

Like all our Interactives, the Free-Body Diagram Interactive gained a lot of ground as one of our most popular Interactives. With its challenging questions, immediate feedback, chances for correction, and built-in scoring, it's not surprising that it was. 

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Newtons-Laws/Free-Body-Diagrams

Can Focus On ‘Grit’ Work In School Cultures That Reward Grades?

It’s become the new buzz phrase in education: “Got grit?” Around the nation, schools are beginning to see grit as key to students’ success — and just as important to teach as reading and math. Experts define grit as persistence, determination and resilience; it’s that je ne sais quoi that drives one kid to practice trumpet or study Spanish for hours — or years — on end, while another quits after the first setback. In this article from the MindShift blog, Tovia Smith ponders the question as to how to teach grit and whether the modern day grading systems present in schools serve as an impediment to such efforts. Learn more at … 

http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/03/17/can-focus-on-grit-work-in-school-cultures-that-reward-grades/

Electromagnetic Spectrum Interactive

The Electromagnetic Spectrum Interactive Infographic is full of information about electromagnetic waves. There's so much to explore and digest that it will take several sittings before you're satisfied. And even then, you're likely to return for more. Originally created in 1944 as a wall-sized poster distributed by the W.M. Welch Scientific Company (a scientific supply house that has sinced closed its doors). This timeless piece of science and art is now available as an interactive app that allows learners to tap and explore its many layers of information.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Light-and-Color/Electromagnetic-Spectrum

As Teen Stress Increases, Teachers Look for Answers

Seventy percent of teens say stress is a major problem. This lengthy article from the Edutopia blog explores the many variables that cause stress among teens and provides suggestions for how teachers (and parents) can help students choose suitable coping mechanisms to alleviate stress and reduce the negative behaviors caused by stress.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/teen-stress-increases-teachers-look-answers

Resistance Ranking Tasks Concept Builder

The Resistance Ranking Tasks Concept Builder is a tool that challenges the learner to identify the effect that wire length and cross-sectional area have upon wire resistance. There are 36 total questions that are organized into 12 different Question Groups and spread across three different activities: Resistance and Length, Resistance and Area, and Putting It All Together. Each question presents the learner with a graphic depicting three different wires of either varying length, varying cross-sectional area, or both. Learners tap on buttons in order to rank the three wires according to their relative resistance. Question-specific help is provided for each of the 12 Question Groups. The built-in score-keeping makes this Concept Builder a perfect candidate for a classroom activity.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Concept-Builders/Circuits/Resistance-Ranking-Tasks

Why Teachers Say Practicing Mindfulness Is Transforming The Work

Mindfulness seems to be one of the current cultural rages. And that's probably a good thing. Behind the hype, there is the importance of regulation, self-control, and a host of other personal traits that will make us better people and our culture a gentler yet stronger environment. In this blog post from the MindShift website, Anna Kamenetz describes the impact of mindfulness practices on the typical educator. Enjoy at …

http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/08/19/why-teachers-say-practicing-mindfulness-is-transforming-the-work/

The Six Cs of Education

Those of us who are teachers likely know that it is so tempting to get caught up in our content and curriculum that we forget the bigger picture of the importance of our craft. Part of that bigger picture is that we are among the movers who help to build 21^stcentury skills in our students that help foster student and society well-being.  Educator and SketchNote artist Sylvia Duckworth reminds us of that important task in her SketchNote titled The 6 Cs of Education. If you're an educator, then take some time to ponder her list and reflect upon your practices. And to enjoy other great SketchNotes like this one, you can view  Sylvia's collection at …

https://www.flickr.com/photos/15664662@N02/

Hot Hits at The Physics Classroom

Every Saturday we highlight three resources that have received particularly heavy traffic from website visitors during the past week. This week's winners are …

1.Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation at The Tutorial

One of the most visited pages at The Physics Classroom this week was a page in our Circular Motion and Satellite Motion chapter of the Tutorial. Learners flocked to the Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation page all week long. The page introduces Newton's law regarding mass attraction and demonstrates its use both in thinking proportionally and in solving problems. Illustrations and sample problems are combined with logic-filled writing to help the reader understand the law at both the conceptual and mathematical level.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circles/Lesson-3/Newton-s-Law-of-Universal-Gravitation

2. Coulomb's Law Concept Builder

The Coulombs Law Concept Builder is a tool that allows the learner to predict the effect of varying charge and varying separation distance upon the electrical force with which two charged attract or repel each other. There are 16 different situations to analyze and three ability levels. Each situation requires that the learner use proportional reasoning and Coulomb's Law of Electrical Force in order to determine the force that would result when one or more of the object charges and/or the separation distance between objects is altered. Question-specific help is provided for each of the 16 situations. The built-in score-keeping makes this Concept Builder a perfect candidate for a classroom activity.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Concept-Builders/Static-Electricity/Coulombs-Law

3. Gravitational Fields Interactive at The Physics Interactives

School administrators generally do not allow physics classes to take field trips to other planets to study gravitational forces. And it is rather difficult to change the mass of the earth or the moon in an effort to see if such changes have an effect upon the gravitational force. But with this Interactive, changing the masses of planets and moons and the distance that separates them is a snap. And by doing so, a learner can discover the law of universal gravitation without ever leaving home or school. 

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Circular-and-Satellite-Motion/Gravitational-Fields

Children's Science - How to Make Super Cool Robots

Learn how to make super cool robots! They're easy, inexpensive, and perfect for the having fun around the home. It makes a great STEM activity for grade school children. No soldering needed! Directions, photos, and suggestions at ...

https://cubscoutideas.com/7856/how-to-make-cub-scout-robots

Circuits Interactive

This time of year one of the most popular Interactives found at our website is DC Circuit Builder. This HTML5 simulation provides a learner with a virtual circuit builder in order to build and explore circuit concepts. DC Circuit Builder can be used to explore simple, series, parallel, and compound circuits. Building a circuit is as easy as dragging batteries, light bulbs, resistors and wires onto the workspace. A learner can even include voltmeters and ammeters in the circuit for a quantitative exploration. Being an HTML5 simulation, it is compatible with tablets such as the iPad, with Chromebooks, and with all mobile devices. Learners can open the simulation and begin exploring quite easily. Or for a more directed experience, a learner or a classroom of learners can use any one or all of the five classroom-ready exercises that has been prepared by The Physics Classroom. Enjoy the DC Circuit Builder at … 

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Electric-Circuits/Circuit-Builder

‘It’s OK to not be OK:’ How One High School Saved Lives with a 34-Question Survey

Giving high school students an honest survey on mental health and wellness may seem like risky business. Resources must be available to help students who report thoughts of an attempts at suicice. And the inability to reach such students in time may put the school in a liable position. But this high school in Colorado valued students' mental health as being more important than the inconvenience of providing help and the liability risk of not being able to. What they found out was both surprising and a catalyst for providing help to many students who were at risk for self-harm. Learn how they responded to student answers and what they learned as the result of their efforts at ...

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53780/its-ok-to-not-be-ok-how-one-high-school-saved-lives-with-a-34-question-survey

Voltage-Current-Resistance Concept Builder

The Ohm's Law Concept Builder is a tool that allows the learner to predict the effect of varying voltage and varying resistance upon the current in a circuit. There are 12 different situations to analyze and three ability levels. Each situation requires that the learner use proportional reasoning and the I = ∆V/R equation in order to determine the current that results when the voltage and/or the resistance of a circuit is altered. Question-specific help is provided for each of the 12 situations. The built-in score-keeping makes this Concept Builder a perfect candidate for a classroom activity.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Concept-Builders/Circuits/Ohms-Law

Five Ways to Combat Classroom Isolation

Often teachers are hesitant to look outside the walls of their classroom because they are so overwhelmed by just getting through the day. Many aren’t sure where or how to begin. The result can sometimes be a classroom that feels isolated. In this article from the Edutopia blog, science teacher Michael Dunlea provides five suggestions for combating classroom isolation and building partnerships outside of the classroom that foster inspiration in students. Learn more at ...

https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-ways-combat-classroom-isolation

Creating a Learning Environment Where All Kids Feel Valued

This article from the Edutopia blog discusses a five-step exercise on identity and belonging that helps students appreciate differences in themselves and in their peers. If you are looking for ways to improve the learning environment in your classroom, insuring that all students feel valued and safe, then consider this teacher's strategy for doing so. Visit ...

https://www.edutopia.org/article/creating-learning-environment-where-all-kids-feel-valued

Hot Hits at The Physics Classroom

Every Saturday we highlight three resources that have received particularly heavy traffic from website visitors during the past week. This week's winners are …

1.Kepler's Three Laws at The Tutorial

Kepler's Three Laws at the Tutorial We've seen a lot of traffic to our circular motion and satellite motion pages this past week. One page that has seen a lot of attention is the Kepler's three laws page at our Physics Classroom Tutorial. The law of ellipses, the law of equal areas, and the law of harmonies are all described and illustrated using words and graphics. The page ends with a lengthy Check Your Understanding section. Learners are presented with questions whose answers can be quickly checked with the click of a button. 

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circles/Lesson-4/Kepler-s-Three-Laws

2. Charge and Charging Concept Builder

The Work Concept Builder is a tool that challenges learners to use an understanding of work and its relationship to energy to analyze numerous situations involving positive and negative work in order to identify the manner in which energy is changing and the forms of energy that are involved. There are 14 different situations to analyze and three different activities, each with its own emphasis. In Activity 1, learners identify whether a situation involves positive work, negative work, or zero work. In Activity 2, learners identify which force is doing work and whether the work contributes to a gain or loss in energy. In Activity 3, learners describe the forms or storage modes of energy that are involved in the situation. The built-in score-keeping makes this Concept Builder a perfect candidate for a classroom activity.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Concept-Builders/Static-Electricity/Charge-And-Charging

3. Aluminum Can Polarization at The Physics Interactives

The Aluminum Can Polarization Interactive allows learners to visualize the underlying cause for the attraction between a charged and an uncharged object. The uncharged object is an aluminum can at rest on a level surface. The charged object is either a glass rod or a rubber rod. The charged object can be brought near to the uncharged object and the resulting interaction is clearly observed. But more importantly, the response of electrons within the aluminum can is depicted in the animation.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Static-Electricity/Aluminum-Can-Polarization

Why Teachers Are So Excited About the Power Of Sketchnoting

If you're a teacher who likes to have students do presentations to convey discoveries they have made during project work, then you likely have confronted the dilemma of trying to figure out how to make each presentation profitable to the other students in the class. Learn how one teacher solved the dilemma with the help of sketchnoting. This article from the MindShift blog explains the role of sketchnoting and offers tips for how other teachers can employ it within the classroom.

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/54655/why-teachers-are-so-excited-about-the-power-of-sketchnoting

Four Great Static Electricity Interactives

Whether you're a teacher or a learner, these four simulations will help bring understanding and visualization of physics concepts.

Aluminum Can Polarization

The Aluminum Can Polarization Interactive allows learners to visualize the underlying cause for the attraction between a charged and an uncharged object. The uncharged object is an aluminum can at rest on a level surface. The charged object is either a glass rod or a rubber rod. The charged object can be brought near to the uncharged object and the resulting interaction is clearly observed. But more importantly, the response of electrons within the aluminum can is depicted in the animation.

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Static-Electricity/Aluminum-Can-Polarization

Charging

The Charging Interactive allows users to explore charge interactions, the charging of objects by conduction and induction, and the grounding of objects. The Interactive is accompanied by a challenging game as a follow-up activity to the learning experience.

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Static-Electricity/Charging

Name That Charge

The Name That Charge Interactive is a skill building exercise that provides the learner with an interactive self-assessment of electrostatic charging methods. The Interactive presents seven different situations, provides animations of each situation, and asks the learner to identify the type of charge present on the objects as the result of the charging process. 

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Static-Electricity/Name-That-Charge

Coulomb's Law

The Coulomb/s Law Interactive allows learners to explore the force of attraction or repulsion between two charged objects. The quantity of charge on the objects can be varied by dragging a slider. And the objects can be dragged closer together or further apart. The distance between objects can be measured using a built-in measuring tool.

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Static-Electricity/Coulomb-s-Law

How to Reach the Unreachable

Nathan Maynard manages the Behavior Flip blog (among other duties ... like being the Dean of Culture at an inner-city Indiana school and the co-author of a best-selling book titled Hacking School Discipline). Maynard's specialty is studying the behavior of and working with hard-to-reach school children. He has popularized an approach known as restorative justice. His educational training in Behavioral Neuroscience and his experience with at-risk children qualifies him to offer advice about how to reach the difficult-to-reach student.

In this blog article, Maynard offers advice on how to communicate to children who are in crisis mode. Being able to recognize what a student in crisis mode looks like is discussed and the reason that processing does not work with such students is explained. Ways to help the in-crisis student calm down, feel safe, and reach the state of being able to process with reasoning are given. Maynard distinguishes between three mental states, each of which correlates with a region of the brain - the Neocortex (reasoning), the Limbic System (emotions), and the Reptilian Complex (instincts). Maynard advices that adults should never attempt to process and event until the student in-crisis has reached the Neocortex mental state. Learn more about how to reach the unreachable at ...

https://blog.behaviorflip.com/how-to-reach-the-unreachable/

Light Bulb Anatomy Concept Builder

In the Light Bulb Anatomy Concept Builder, learners explore the manner in which a light bulb is wired and how to configure the bulbs within a circuit in order to produce an intended result. There are 48 total questions that are organized into 18 different Question Groups and spread across three Activities. The three activities include Which Bulb Will Light?, Pathways, and Wire It Up. Activity 1 - Which Bulb Will Light? challenges learners to identify which configurations of a cell, a bulb and a wire will result in a lit bulb. In Activity 2 - Pathways, learners inspect the arrangement of two bulbs and two wires and determine the path of charge through the bulbs and wires and identify which of the two bulbs (if any) will light. And in Activity 3 - Wire It Up, learners make decisions about where to attach a connecting wire in order to get a specified bulb or set of bulbs to light. Question-specific help is provided for each of the 18 situations. The built-in score-keeping makes this Concept Builder a perfect candidate for a classroom activity.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Concept-Builders/Circuits/Light-Bulb-Anatomy

How to Build a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom Where All Learners Feel Safe

In the United States, 34 million children have had at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE) -- ranging from abuse or neglect to parental incarceration or addiction. Children living in poverty are more likely to have multiple ACEs, compounding the effects of economic insecurity. In addition, the current opioid epidemic is devastating familiesand overwhelming the foster care system, and many school populations include refugee childrenwho have fled dangerous conditions. Many classrooms in America are touched by trauma. 

So what are we to do about it?This article from the MindShift blog addresses he dilemma and offers solutions as to how teachers can design classrooms where trauma-affected children can feel safe and devote themselves to learning. Learn more at …

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/52566/how-to-build-a-trauma-sensitive-classroom-where-all-learners-feel-safe