Beaker Pong: Experimental Design and Graphing Lab, NGSS aligned

Great 1st week or 1st month STEM activity! All parts are EDITABLE and includes a graphing grid! This is a great way to introduce the "science process" (better phrase for scientific method) at the start of a semester or anytime you want fun to occur in your classroom.

*****Focus on the NGSS PRACTICES Dimension*****

The National Research Council's (NRC) Framework describes a vision of what it means to be proficient in science; it rests on a view of science as both a body of knowledge and an evidence-based, model and theory building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. It presents three dimensions that will be combined to form each standard. This lesson will focus on and provide an introduction to the 1st DIMENSION, PRACTICES. The following are the practices that are emphasized in this lesson:

- Planning and carrying out investigations

- Analyzing and interpreting data

- Using mathematics and computational thinking

- Constructing explanations

- Engaging in argument from evidence

- Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

In this lab, students address the following focus question by shooting ping pong balls or paper balls into a beaker:

Does a relationship exist between the distance a shooter is from the beaker and the number of shots made by the shooter? Why or why not? If so, what is that relationship?

Students will:

1. Make predictions

2. Identify variables as well as a control.

3. Collect data

4. Graph data

5. Analyze data (Line of best fit or regression analysis for correlation)

6. Draw conclusions from an analysis of the data.

If you have any questions feel free to email me.

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Thanks,

Brian Zeiszler M.S. Science Education

CHECK OUT these other fun resources:

• DNA Extraction Lab
• Cellular Respiration for Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes
• WHO'S YOUR DADDY? Corn Genetics Unit WITH Guided Inquiry Lab
• Viruses: Immune System Response Models
• NGSS Packing Peanut DNA Models

Beaker Pong by Brian Zeiszler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.