Title: “I like to move it, move it!” Article Title: Energy on the Move (original article) Standards or Learning Objectives Being Met: In a liquid, the molecules are constantly in contact with others; in a gas, they are widely spaced except when they happen to collide. In a solid, atoms are closely spaced and may vibrate in position but do not change relative locations. (MS-PS1-4) Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles of matter. The relationship between the temperature and the total energy of a system depends on the types, states, and amounts of matter present. (MS-PS3-3),(MS-PS3-4) Vocabulary words addressed: kinetic energy, temperature, heat, conduction, thermometer, equilibrium How did we find this piece of text? For the reading analysis this week, my partner, Jennifer, found the article online and shared the article with me. We are still focusing our chosen pieces of text on physical science as a general topic. I like this piece of text because it brings real world examples to the students’ minds, while drawing attention to how molecules move through clear scientific diagrams that embellish the text. Teaching about particle motion can be a really dry endeavor. I feel that this piece of text in particular would grab my students’ attention with its references to food (hot chocolate and milk) and the text’s easy to read language. My experience reading it for the first time: When I read the text for the first time I actually had a bit of trouble because of the way the text is laid out on the pages. The pages have two columns of text on each page that are sometimes interspersed with photos, scientific diagrams, and questions. It was a little tough for me to follow along. I found myself using my finger to follow the text so that I wouldn’t get distracted by everything else on the page. I read the text with my highlighter in hand – marking words and phrases that I thought connected the text to the physical science standards I teach in 8th grade. There are four main topics in the text selection: 1) Heat is a measure of the kinetic energy of the particles, 2) Kinetic energy (heat) can change, 3) average kinetic energy can be measured with a thermometer, and 4) particles always move from high to low energy, and never truly stop moving. The selected text has vocabulary words of interest already highlighted: energy transfer, average kinetic energy, conduction, and equilibrium. The words highlighted in the passage do not exactly match up with the required list of vocabulary set out by the archdiocese, but it is a good start. Analysis – PAT part 2 The piece of text we chose to analyze this week is an informational text, in which the author seeks to inform the reader about how the motion of molecules cause heat (and temperature). The passage is reasonably information dense, with about 1 new concept per page. I can tell that this reading selection is made for students, because of the way that each page is set up and the fact that there are questions at the end of the article. Major ideas can be found in bold at the top of each section, and vocabulary words are highlighted to draw the reader’s attention. Before reading the passage, it would be important for my students to know what kinetic energy is, since the text just briefly reviews the idea. Students should also be familiar with what an analog thermometer looks like and how it works. More and more students are coming to my classes having only experienced digital thermometers, and it would be very hard for these students to fully grasp the article without this experience. My experience using a reading strategy that extends thinking This week, I chose to try a Venn diagram as a reading strategy that extends student thinking with this piece of text. “The diagram, which is represented by two interlocking circles, provides a format for us to note similarities and differences or two perspectives about a topic. The similarities appear in the overlapping sections of the circles; the differences appear in the outer sides of each circle.” (Mclaughlin 99). I thought that students could compare what the particles are doing in hot vs. cold fluids, then the overlapping portion of the circle could be used to write down characteristics that both hot and cold fluids share. To complete the activity, I drew out two intersecting circles on a piece of notebook paper. I used red pen to write down all the information that pertained to hot fluids only, blue pen for cold fluids, and purple for words or phrases that described both. I challenged myself to find at least three items in each section of the diagram. Finally, I wrote two sentences explaining what makes hot and cold fluids similar and different. I wanted to try the Venn diagram this week because while I have a lot of experience with them as a learner and teacher, my students do not. I thought that by choosing this strategy, I could strengthen my ability to explain how and why we use this strategy sometimes to my students. I think that reading about Venn diagrams with fresh eyes and approaching a new text with this strategy, it strengthened what I already knew about this strategy and gave me some new insight into how to approach teaching this strategy the next time the opportunity presents itself. References Buehl, D. (2014) Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning. (4th ed.). Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Guilford, J., Bustamante, A. J., Mackura, K., Hirsch, S., Lyon, E., & Estrada, K. (2017, January 1). Text Savvy: Planning Rich Reading Experiences That Support Language Development and Science Learning. The Science Teacher, 50-56. McLaughlin, M. (2015) Content Area Reading: Teaching and Learning for College and Career Readiness. University of Pennsylvania. Pearson.