Physics: Reflection

I put out some plane mirrors and reflectors, then tasked students with figuring out some rules for plane mirrors. In particular, I asked them to determine how the incident angle compared to the reflected angle, to compare and contrast the object to the image, and to determine where the image is located. The hardest question by far was where the image is located, since many students considered it “obvious” that the image is on the surface of the mirror since that’s where the light hits. The reflectors were especially effective for getting students to see the image is actually behind the mirror since the image could be covered and placing their pencil to trace the image provided a very tangible way of understanding where the image is.

Chemistry: Acids & Bases

Students did a short reading on the properties of acids and bases. Looking back, I’d like to try revamping the pH lab I used last trimester, where students measured the pH of  various household chemicals. I think if I had students make more observations about the properties of the chemicals they tested, students should be able to build the same list of characteristics that shows up in the reading.