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Barbara Force

NY

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I am a middle school science teacher at Hancock Central Schools.

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Recent Posts by Barbara

Thu, May 04, 2017 10:01 AM in Internet Viral Trends as Anchors

I recently used "The Dress that Broke the Internet" to tie electromagnetic waves and human perception in my physical science class. Are there other internet trends you've used as hooks?

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Sat, Apr 22, 2017 10:20 AM in Dialysis Lab -- Looking for a fake blood recipe that will work for dialysis demonstration

I recently attended an Ambitious Science Teaching PD in which teachers gave some examples of phenomena-based units. One of the units was excellent, and I want to use it in my own classroom. It starts with an article on high school athletes and water intoxication. This is not the example she used, but it works: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/douglas-county-high-school-f...137532754' target="_bla...

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Tue, May 10, 2016 5:27 PM in Tips and Tricks

Check out the Everyday Science Mysteries books in the Professional Learning Tools. They have free chapters available, and you get a discount with your membership (plus the Spring2016 promo code is in effect now.) They are more than just cool demonstrations, which can really turn off students who aren't interested in science. They're cool mysteries that require a little bit of digging, which can be...

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Reviews
Recent Reviews by Barbara

Blue Solids, Red Liquids, and Yellow Gases

Sun, Feb 12, 2017 8:18 PM
Short, simple inquiry lesson

This is one of those lessons that seemed so simple -- too simple -- until kids start to wrap their heads around it. I had an impressive 40 minutes with intensive learning with the phases of matter. Asking kids if their binders were frozen led to fascinating discussions.

Science Sampler: Deal me in—Using playing cards to model the periodic table of elements

Sat, Aug 20, 2016 2:45 PM
Comprehensive Article, Very Clear

This is a very comprehensive article. It includes relevant history, support, and the 5E cycle components of this activity. I initially thought it seemed a little easy, but having read the article a couple of times, I see that this is not an activity to sneeze at.

Scientific Argumentation in Biology: 30 Classroom Activities

Thu, May 12, 2016 11:59 AM
Thorough and complete

This book is thick, organized, and complete. It has three broad categories: generate an argument, evaluate alternatives, and refutational writing. Students work up the categories as their inquiry becomes more sophisticated. Each activity includes suggested materials for different classroom sizes and types, work samples, background, ideas for student work sheets for their notebooks, background, and standards. I think this may be my favorite book from the NSTA Press.

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