AP Physics: Multiple Models

With finals next week, students started working on some problems that require them to use multiple models simultaneously. We also spent some time talking through strategies for these kinds of problems; my students are a little more resistant than usual to sketching diagrams, so I made sure to emphasize the value of that step.

Physics: Collisions

Students started working on a lab with colliding carts to get at conservation of momentum. The lab is going more slowly than I’d hoped, which has me nervous about whether students will be ready to assess on this topic by the end of the week.

Chemistry Essentials: Density Review

I have a little more time for review than normal in this class, so I decided to use some potential labs I skipped over this tri. Today, to review density, I had several unknown liquids students had to identify by making a mass vs. volume graph. I had them write their own procedure, which I haven’t done in a while, and students needed a lot more pre-lab discussion to be ready for that.

I’m also starting to struggle more to keep students on task during the lab and to keep them from having side conversations during whole-class instruction. I’ve seen it before with this course; I think a lot of students see it as settled whether they will pass or fail the course once final review begins and get off track as a result.