Analysis of the TLS Matter around us

1
Analysis of the TLS Matter around us

• Done according to Teachers Guide and the key
  paper of Andersson and Bach
• by Magdalena Staszel
• University of Warsaw, Poland

2
Points to consider

• Integration of several subjects
• List of contents
• Motivation for teaching selected content
• Content in curriculum
• History of ideas in this area
• Research-based pupils conceptions
• Suggestion for a number of lessons
• Assessment of pupils conceptual understanding
• pre-test, post-test, formative assessment

3
Subjects integrated in the TLS

• Physics
• Chemistry
• Biology /Environmental science
• Mathematics (basis of them all)
• Elements of geography

4
List of contents of the TLS

• Why teach about the structure of matter
• From atom of Democritus to quarks history
• Teaching goals and teaching contents the Polish
  curriculum
• Interdisciplinary character of the TLS
• The most common pupils difficulties and everyday
  conceptions
• Realization of the sequence the tools
• Selection of experiments
• Selection of questions and problems
• Bibliography
• Teaching proposals

5
Motivation for teaching about structure of matter

• Kinetic model of matter has both
• - simplicity
• and
• - giant predictive power,
• Allows pupils to understand also environmental
  problems!

6
Content in the Polish curriculum

• Physics properties of matter states of
  aggregation of matter kinetic model of the
  structure of matter.
• Chemistry Chemical substances and bodies in in
  mans environment mixtures of substances
  chemical element and chemical compound physical
  phenomena and chemical changes discrete characte
  of the structure of matter atoms of elements,
  molecules of compounds as molecular entities.
  Reactions of synthesis, decomposition and
  exchange (microscopic description) atomic and
  molecular mass.
• Biology/ Environment the ways of transporting
  water, mineral solutions and sap in plantsthe
  structure and role pf blood vessels influence of
  environmental pollution on plants and animals
  hydrological cycle causes of water pollution
• Mathematics operations on rational numbers
  integer exponent calculating areas and volumes
  of solids

7
History of ideas

• A concise review of development of our views on
  the structure of matter, starting with atoms of
  Democritus, to modern understanding within the
  Standard model, is presented.

8
Pupils everyday conceptions

• There is a confusion in pupils minds between two
  measures of the amount of matter mass and
  volume
• Pupils have problems with distinguishing a
  physical body from a chemical substance
• Pupils do not distinguish between processes of
  physical changes and of chemical reactions
• Pupils believe that atoms and/or molecules are
  immersed in other matter, e.g. there is air
  between molecules
• Pupils ascrobe to atoms/molecules properties of
  macroscopic bodies of which they are part (e.g.
  molecules of a hot body are hot,..)
• When interpreting physical and chemical phenomena
  the same features and processes are ascribed to
  molecules that we observe for macroscopic bodies
  and substances (molecules expand when a body is
  heated).

9
Lessons in the sequence

• 1-2. Matter, chemical substances and physical
  bodies in the human environment
• 3. Physical processes and physical phenomena.
  Chemical reactions
• 4-5.Mixtures vs. chemical reactions
• 6-7.Discrete character of matter.
  Kinetic-molecular theory of matter.
• 8. Surface tension, molecular interactions.
  Chemical bonds
• 9. States of aggregation of matter
• 10-11. Density of a substance
• 11-12. Thermal expansion of solids, liquids and
  gases

10
Assessment of pupils conceptual understanding

• Pre-test
• Post-test (part 1 and 2 in the second part
  pupils have to choose one of the questions and
  explain the answer they have given)
• Formative assessment