B, B &W

Pink Lab: We couldnt figure out a way to light the bulb in a different way with one wire, one battery, and 1 light bulb When lighting the bulb with two pieces of wire, we had to have the light bulb in the middle of the two pieces of wire and then each wire touching an end of battery. Strengths: Student-centered lab with little instruction from the teacher, so the students can learn more. It is an inquiry based lab. Weaknesses: I could see this lab being a little hard for students to understand and them having to ask the teacher a lot of questions. Yellow Lab: When making a simple circuit and with two light bulbs they were both lit dimly and when we unscrewed a light bulb the second lightbulb lit up more. In the series circuit when we unscrewed a lightbulb, then the second light bulb went out. Strengths: Very straight forward lab and the teacher would not have to answer many questions. Weaknesses: Does not require any inquiry from the students. Physical science content standard b: light heat, electricity, and magnetism. Benchmark c: electricity in circuits can produce light, heat, sound, and magnetic effeects. Electrical circuits require a complete loop through which an electrical current can pass.

The reading gives two stories about classrooms and their teachers who are in the same district.  The first reading is completely teacher centered.  There was no inquiry.  She did not engage the students at all.  She went straight into the experiment without engaging the students.  She starts it by giving vocabulary to the students that she thinks they need to understand the lab.  She then gives them step by step instructions of what to do.  I am sure the students do not learn about electricity in this lab and are tested only on the vocabulary.  They will then remember the vocab but not know how to apply it.  About electricity they will know that if you connect a wire, lightbulb, and battery you will get light.  The second story is inquiry based.  She engaged the students by asking the question of how would you buy a pound of electricity?  She took all students answers and focused on the students answer who said that you can't hold electricity.  She then challenges the students by letting them form experiments.  She encourages them to walk around the classroom and see how others students did and didn't work.  They will get the most out of this inquiry based because they were challenged and hard to form their own experiment.