Science education involves teaching both content and scientific practices to students. So while topical knowledge is central to the understanding of science, skills in science practices are equally important. To achieve this, students can benefit from real-world activities that provide the opportunity to engage with thoughtful scientific practices.

In the lesson shown in this video, Heidi Fessenden involves her class in a hands-on experiment. She asks her students to monitor and reflect on the behavior of balls as they roll down ramps.

The lesson allows Fessenden to demonstrate principles of motion and force and help her students practice scientific observation. It also affords her the opportunity to teach scientific concepts and terminology by getting her students to use specific words to describe what they see.

Fessenden’s unit will culminate in the students’ development of a large ramp system. By articulating their observations about the behavior of differently sized balls, they will have an easier time making inferences about scientific concepts they are studying.

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