David Wetzel on February 1st, 2010

The following are discrepant events that does not turn out as expected.
These anomalies challenge students’ beliefs and makes them more receptive to learning what you want them to learn.
Alcohol and Water Miscibility: Discrepant Event
Miscibility means how completely two or more liquids dissolve in each other.
Materials Needed per Group: two 50 mL beakers, 0ne 100 mL [...]

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David Wetzel on August 5th, 2009

You are a brick wall builder in an earthquake prone area. You need to discover a new way to build the strongest wall possible using bricks (dominoes).
Prior research by engineers determined that a wall made of these bricks has the most strength if there are no fault lines.
Here is an example of a brick wall [...]

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David Wetzel on June 8th, 2009

Often there are times in class when students finish their work or test early. Instead of students twiddling their thumbs physically or mentally, give them a challenging math problem to solve. Problem solving in math promotes critical thinking and math reasoning skills, as students develop solutions to complex mathematical situations.
The Problem
A strategy game which [...]

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David Wetzel on June 4th, 2009

The use of games in science involves minds-on science, logic, reasoning, and problem solving skills to complete the game. The challenging aspect of any games in science is to ensure that questions cause students to link terms and concepts with each other to ensure students develop a better understanding.
When connections are made in science, students [...]

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admin on September 23rd, 2008

I found that students were always interested in challenges to identify common items or things. I would locate pictures taken with electron microscopes and challenge them to identify what is in the picture.
This would cause their use of critical thinking skills and inquiry-based investigative research as they sought to identify the objects in the pictures.
I would [...]

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