Is it Open Ended or Not

This article both clarifies and presents an excellent chemistry activity that scaffolds the four-question strategy and experimental design worksheet that many teachers are familiar with from... See More

This article both clarifies and presents an excellent chemistry activity that scaffolds the four-question strategy and experimental design worksheet that many teachers are familiar with from methods classes. What makes this presentation helpful for the pre-service teacher as well as the one in the classroom needing to put together a portfolio for PD are the most helpful charts used as guides as well as the clear cut explanation of what is expected as students work through the Aluminum foil/ acid activity and record and explain their observations. This article is a great review for the teacher as well as a resource to support the understanding of how students best learn about and communicate their understanding through a simple ‘open-ended’ activity; what makes it ‘open-ended’ and what makes it so instructional both for the teacher and for the student.