https://padlet.com/rebecca_mchugh25/tm6o6loivebc en-us 2017-11-27 12:57:08 UTC 2017-11-27 19:15:20 UTC hello@padlet.com rebecca_mchugh25 https://padlet.com/rebecca_mchugh25/tm6o6loivebc/wish/210365276 we used various samples of juices to test the density of each
we done this using test tubes and pouring one juice in first and then slowly pouring the other to see which one floated to the top to showed the one which floated to the top showed it was less dense than the one that floated to the bottum.
we began the experiment by collecting a series of test tubes and pipettes
we then collected a various amount of juices such as prune juice, orange juice etc.
we then filled in 2ml of one juice into a test tube and then slowly filled in 2ml of a different juice in using a pipette and observed the results to see which juice floated on top of the other.]]> 2017-11-27 12:59:55 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_mchugh25/tm6o6loivebc/wish/210365276 rebecca_mchugh25 https://padlet.com/rebecca_mchugh25/tm6o6loivebc/wish/210365354 today we spoke again about classroom managment strategies
we also spoke about genetics being left to the end of third year in junior cycle and then being rushed when it is a difficult topic for students so we then realised it would be far better to introduce it in first year to students using a fun activity including fish and lollipop sticks. 
in this activity there are various colored lollipop sticks and we randomly picked two at a time, each time a pair was picked the color it coded to was recorded, the key for colors was on the worksheet
 each color has a pair of gametes and are paired together to make a color of a new fish
we picked enough to create one generation and then had to pick again when the yellow color was extinct and kept this going seeing the pattern change.
i think this is a very good activity for students to understand about the pairing of gametes and how gametes come together to create a new generation and i would use this activity when teaching genetics to students]]> 2017-11-27 13:00:13 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_mchugh25/tm6o6loivebc/wish/210365354 rebecca_mchugh25 https://padlet.com/rebecca_mchugh25/tm6o6loivebc/wish/210365559 today i thought we worked well as a group testing out various different visors on their effect on protecting against uv rays
i thought that we were very organised in how we approached the task taking notes on all results obtained in a sequential order testing all colors and mixing every color to see if this was more effective than one but still needing to see clearly through it 
we started by gathering various colored plastic sheets of plastic and used uv sensitive beads to test their effectivness
we used a uv torch to shine on the beads while holding the colored plastic over the beads and seeing how the beads changed color. if they changed a dark purple this showed us that the color was not effective as the uv rays were still coming through the plastic

today i learned that different colors protect better than others against uv rays such as green and red together proved most effective
we also spoke about how more confidence is needed when presenting 
we learned the effect of uv rays and why it is so important to be protected against this
we learned about this mission starlight which has been created for students to have a better understanding of science and relate it to the real world]]> 2017-11-27 13:00:52 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_mchugh25/tm6o6loivebc/wish/210365559 rebecca_mchugh25 https://padlet.com/rebecca_mchugh25/tm6o6loivebc/wish/210378828 today we learned about the effect on the earth on plants during different times of the year
we learned about the tilt on the earths axis and how the sun covers a certain angle of the earth during summer and winter how they change
we learned this using a small mini earth and a cup, we also used a small torch to shine it on various sides of the earth to see how the sun shines on our earth and how it can span across certain countries
we also came to test out the area covered by light and darkness through using a plastic cup and covering a certain angle so then we could clearly see how some countries in summers were covered in light while at the same time others were covered in darkness and how the days are longer in summer due to the tilt on the earths axis
i think  the experiment worked well as we came up with different solutions as a group testing out how the sun would shine differently on the earth and attempted to calculate how many hours of daylight there would be
this experiment worked very well as it made the class very interesting and engaging and would be a great idea to use with students in a class environment
i think i need to improve on my understanding of this topic before beginning to teach it as i fee l i have a poor content knowledge of this area and need a deeper understanding of this before teaching to a class, i also think i need to also come up with my own creative approach on how to teach this topic as it is a new area in the junior certificate and i think  a lot of students would struggle to understand this]]> 2017-11-27 13:31:09 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_mchugh25/tm6o6loivebc/wish/210378828 rebecca_mchugh25 https://padlet.com/rebecca_mchugh25/tm6o6loivebc/wish/210379390 today we worked on making indicators such as litmus paper
we done this by using different fruits and materials, this worked well as we saw various results and how some fruits were more effective than others such as the red cabbage, we figured this was due to it being more pigmented compared to other fruits such as the blueberries or strawberries which did not work very well when tested using an acid and a base
safety also worked very well as we correctly labelled the acid and base so no accidents happened in the lab and all students were kept safe
we also took note of the results correctly and made an accurate presentation to our class which they scored us high ini learned about classroom management and how it is important to move around the class while students are working in groups to ensure all students are on task and that they are not having difficulty with the task so they can complete this successfully, a method Robert told us to keep an eye on students progression is the traffic light system where students have a red, an orange and a green colored cup and have the appropriate color faced up on top, red indicating they are having great difficulty , orange indicating that they are slightly struggling and green indicating that they are good.
we also learned about how effective having a timer on the board is for students to keep then on task and it gets them thinking about time managment
also another technique was raising up your hand to get  students to listen
another method for asking random students questions was having all students names on lollipop sticks and pulling out a random name to keep all students focused
another good idea i learned was having a whiteboard for the students in the classroom to write down their ideas and questions]]> 2017-11-27 13:32:03 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_mchugh25/tm6o6loivebc/wish/210379390 rebecca_mchugh25 https://padlet.com/rebecca_mchugh25/tm6o6loivebc/wish/210601209 today we done an experiment relating to ice cubes in water
first we tested the effect of salt on an ice cube which caused it to melt 
then we tested what would happen if an ice cube was placed in salty water
the result was that it caused it to melt after some time and the temperature got as cold as minus 10
then we tested to see if an ice cube would melt faster in salt water or normal still water, it resulted in melting in the normal still water first
we questioned this and then repeated the experiment using ice cubes which contained food dye, when these were placed in the water it was obvious that in the salt water a layer of dark blue formed on the top which did not happen with the unsalted water. the layer was due to the water in the ice cube being less dense  than the water that was in the beaker which was salted.
we then created a poster which had ideas of experiments for second year students for each topic]]> 2017-11-27 19:07:39 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_mchugh25/tm6o6loivebc/wish/210601209