Short+Activities

I learned the following activity at a Museum of Science camp-in and have used it dozens of times in many different venues from Physical Science class to ice breakers in Youth Group. Use the film canisters to divide the kids into groups or teams or with same materials have them work in teams to study the scientific method or deductive reasoning. If you have 30 kids and want 5 groups of 6, you will need 30 film canisters (all alike). Put them in rows of 6, with caps off and fill each row with something different, such as rice, pennies, marble, popcorn, paper clips, water, karo syrup, magnet, push pin, eraser, etc. You'll have 6 canisters with rice in them, and 6 with paper clips, etc. Put the lids on the canisters and put them all in a bag. Have the kids each pick one and then move about the room shaking the canister and trying to find the other members of their group based on the sound they hear. Once in the group they can try floating, rolling, shaking, etc. to come up with a hypothesis for the contents or deduce the contents based on non-visible evidence. It's quite fun, has endless combinations and possibilities, and the kids really get in to it.
 * Film Canister Fun** (submitted by Judi Flaherty, Quincy, MA )

**Bioglyphs** (original idea from Katie Stapleton, NJ, and Nancy Nega, Churchville Middle School, Elmhurst, IL) A great activity to challenge the code reading ability of your students. I also reference this activity in our lessons on classification. For this activity, students develop a face diagram using symbols. From hair color to birthdays, students share a little about themselves with their classmates. After all the bioglyphs have been completed, display them in the hallway or other area of your classroom and challenge your students to identify their classmates. Students may ask questions that require yes or no answers only! "Is this your bioglyph?" is not an acceptable question! After fifteen minutes, have each student write their name on their picture and allow time for them to check their answers. My students had a great time identifying their classmates and I enjoyed bringing a little of their history lesson about hieroglyphics into science class. Student Worksheets: Bioglyphs (pdf) - Includes all the Worksheets for this activity. Bioglyph PowerPoint - Use this presentation to help your students as they create their bioglyph. IL Learning Standards: 13.B.3a, 13.B.3b Be sure to visit the Invention Links page of the Kid Zone! This twist on Innovative Inventions challenges students to explore the history of science and technology and the contributions by various ethic groups. Students search the sites listed on the Invention Links page of the Kid Zone to complete the worksheet. I do allow students five "freebies" to use if they cannot find information for some of the inventors. Students use 15 of the inventions from the worksheet to create a time line on a piece of adding machine tape. Student Worksheets: Inventor's Challenge (pdf) (includes the answer key) and Inventor's Challenge Time Line Directions (pdf) Also available - Inventor's Challenge Word Search (pdf), Inventor's Challenge Review (pdf), and Inventor's Challenge Quiz (pdf) ** New version available ** ... Inventor's Challenge 2 (pdf) - For this version, students choose inventions to complete the worksheet. The worksheet is organized into topics, such as transportation, communication, and more. After the students are done with the worksheet, they can use the items to make a time line following the Inventor's Challenge Time Line Directions (pdf).
 * Inventor's Challenge ** (T. Trimpe, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)