The topic I decide to research as my “big idea” is the structure of atoms in different states of matter such as solids, liquids, gases and plasmas. This is a concept that students must learn which will help them understand concepts such as melting points, boiling points, pressure, conduction of electricity and sound waves just to name a few. I found many websites that provided students with access to lots of information about the topic as well as provided the students with simulators and other tools to help understand the concept. One of the better sites was http://ethemes.missouri.edu/themes/589. This site is great for students because all of the sites have been checked by the University of Missouri’s department of education for kid appropriate resources.
The links provided from the site let students access many videos and models of how the atomic structure changes when matter changes it states. This sites also are good at helping students gain a basic understanding of atomic structure and how things work by watching the videos from Brain Pop website, http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/statesofmatter/.
One activity I can plan to help my students gain knowledge is to allow my students to use the website and its various resources by creating a webquest. I can have students go through the sites in search of answers that the students would be able to learn from the various sites linked to University of Missouri’s website. The webquest would have the students visit several sites and learn about how atoms interact with each other and how matter moves through the states of matter. This is a great activity to help build and increase the students' ability in researching topics using web resources as well as learning important information about atomic structure.
A challenge I can see arising from my use of a webquest would be students running into issues not being able to find the information on the websites. In the past, I have found that some students can have issues reading through websites and locating information. I think this issue can be reduced or fixed by grouping students in pairs so they both read through the websites and can help each other find the information needed to answer the questions. Also by working in groups, the students can discuss the topics with each other to help clarify the information for each other.
