|
|
Pemberton Township Pilot Study
5th & 6th Graders Outscore 11th and 12th Graders in Chemistry.
Science Curriculum Reform at its Best!
Abstract: Pemberton's fifth and sixth grade students are put to the test with a new program called "Kids for Chemistry". This program is designed to teach atomic/molecular theory to younger children. The fifth and sixth graders were tested before and after the program and then compared to eleventh and twelfth grader who had not taken the program. The fifth and sixth graders had an average score that was 36 points higher than the average of the high school students. The results from this study indicate that atomic/molecular theory can be taught as early as fifth grade. It also challenges the present belief that moving atomic/molecular theory to the earlier grades should be resisted as stated in the Benchmarks for Science Literacy - Project 2061. The final conclusion to this study is that in order to "Move on Up" in science curriculum reform, we first must "Move on Down" the grade level at which we start teaching atomic/molecular theory.
|
|
|
If you want a copy of the report, contact me at gbauldock@aol.com. I will send you a copy by email.
This study was conducted in March, April & May of 2002. |
Introduction:
Four classes from the Pemberton school district were used in the "Kids for Chemistry" pilot study to determine if atomic/molecular theory could be taught to fifth and sixth grade students. Two fifth grade classes from the Haines elementary school and two sixth grade classes from the Newcomb elementary school were chosen to participate. There were a total of seventy-eight students participating in the four classes. To start off the program the students were given the fifteen-minute questionnaire. This questionnaire was also given to ninety-two eleventh and twelfth grade students from the Pemberton High School that had taken Chemistry. The fifth and sixth grade students had a average score of 3% when they took the 15 minute questionnaire before the lecture series. Of the fourteen questions that were given, the fifth and sixth graders were only able to answer three of the questions (Questions 6, 9 and 10). Two out of seventy-eight (2.6%) fifth and sixth grade students knew that atoms were made of electrons, protons and neutrons. Only one of seventy-eight (1.3%) of the fifth and sixth graders knew that sodium chloride was table salt. And 30 out of seventy-eight (38.5%) fifth and sixth graders knew that the chemical structure of water was H2O.
The high school students scored an average of 50%. Only one student answered every question correctly. The questions that had the highest percentage of correct answers were again questions 6, 9 and 10. Seventy-six out of ninety-two (83%) of the high school students knew that atoms were made of electrons, protons and neutrons. Eighty-four out of ninety-two (91%) knew that sodium chloride was table salt. Seventy-seven (84%) of the high school students knew that the chemical structure of water was H2O. Fifty-seven (62%) of the high school students knew how the Periodic Table is set up. The percentage of right answers for the rest of the questions range from 22% to 57%.
Graph 3 shows the test scores for the fifth and sixth graders after they took the Kids for Chemistry program. Seventy-nine students took the questionnaire after the program. The average test score after the program was 86% (36 points above the average of the high school students). Thirty-three out of seventy-nine (42%) answered every question correctly. The percentage of correct answers range from 71% to 97%.
In addition to the fourteen questions of the 15-minute questionnaire, a second test was given to the fifth and sixth graders. This part 2 of the questionnaire consisted of 32 more questions. When Part 1 and Part 2 were combined, the average test score was 70% for the fifth and sixth graders. There is more discussion of Part 2 in the results section.
|
|
|
|
6th Grade Students from Newcomb Elementary School in Pemberton NJ..
This is some descriptive text. |
Discussion - Understanding The Program.
The "Kids for Chemistry program" teaches the most important concepts of chemistry. It is focus on the first twenty atoms of the Periodic Table, ions, acids and bases, oxidation and reduction, and the preliminaries of organic chemistry. These concepts are the basis and the fundamentals for chemistry. Pictures are relied upon to instill understanding of the concepts instead of mathematical explanations. And experiments are used to set goals and to spark the student's curiosity and imagination. The first twenty atoms are studied giving the students a thorough understanding how the Periodic Table is set up. It shows that atoms are made up of electrons, protons and neutrons and explains the different S and P orbits that exist. Unique drawings of each atom up to Calcium are shown and discussed giving students a clear conceptual view of each atom. The Periodic Table is drawn in a way that students can quickly identify what orbits are present in an atom and how many electrons are present in each orbit. The concept of lonely electrons (one electron in an orbit) and happy electrons (two electrons in an orbit) is a brilliant way to introduce the concept of molecules and how they are formed.
Once the structure of the first twenty atoms is understood, the concept of ions and charges on particles are introduced. The students learn that protons have positive charges and that electrons have negative charges. They learn that ions are any particle that has a positive or negative charge, which is based on the number of protons compared to the number of electrons. If a particle has more protons then it will have a positive charge (cation). If a particle has more electrons then it will have a negative charge (anion).
An experiment is conducted at the beginning of the lecture series, which uses a buzzer connected to a battery by wires. The ends of the wire are placed in a container of water and not allowed to touch. When table salt is added to the water, the buzzer starts to buzz. This experiment is used to spark the student's curiosity as to the chemistry behind the buzzer. And this is also a good way to introduce the molecular structure of table salt (sodium Chloride), the concept of molecules, and the concept of electronegativity (the strength of an atom to take electrons). The students learn that the lonely electron in the outer orbit of sodium wants to pair off with the lonely electron in the outer orbit of chlorine, which forms the molecule sodium chloride. And they learn that when you dissolve sodium chloride in water, the two atoms want to separate and that there is a tug of war between the two atoms for the electron that belonged to sodium. This is a good explanation for electronegativity and a table is given showing the relative strength of each atom to take an electron.
Another element in the buzzer experiment is water. The nature of water to have a proton jump on and off is a perfect way to introduce the concept of donating and accepting protons. This is a good lead into the concept of acids and bases. At this point it is a good idea to take a step back and look at the Hydrogen atom in more detail. It is very important that the students understand that the Hydrogen atom consist of one proton and one electron (no neutrons). And that if the Hydrogen atom loses its electron, a single proton is left. It then becomes obvious that any molecule that has a tug of war with Hydrogen for it's electron and wins will donate a proton and thus be an acid (proton donor). The reverse of donating a proton is accepting a proton. And when we look at the proton jumping back on the water molecule, we have a good lead into explaining the Hydroxide ion and bases.
Once the concept of donating and accepting protons is understood, it is easy to use the analogy and introduce the concept of donating and accepting electrons (oxidation and reduction). The buzzer experiment is a good source for examples as the chloride ions are oxidized at the positive wire and the protons are reduced at the negative wire.
It is good to simplify all of this information into a brief summary, 1) ions compare the number of protons to electrons, 2) acids and bases are donating or accepting a proton, and 3) oxidation and reduction is donating or accepting an electron. And now the students have all the tools they need to explain why the buzzer buzzes when you pour table salt into the water. And when asked why the buzzer buzzes, don't be surprised if every hand in the classroom is raised high in the air.
The program then introduces organic chemistry and discusses the three primary atoms (carbon, oxygen and hydrogen) that make up things that are found in nature. The number of bonds that are possible for each of the atoms and how carbon forms bonds with itself is discussed. The lecture series then finishes up with very brief discussions on energy, forces and mass. And finally there is an explanation of the differences between chemist and chemical engineers.
The buzzer experiment is an example of electro-chemistry and the use of an electro chemical cell. Many first year college students majoring in chemistry would have a hard time explaining why the buzzer buzzes. The Kids for Chemistry program is so effective that my sons were invited as lecturer at Bucknell University and they explain this experiment to college students. And so could the fifth and sixth graders in Pemberton who participated in this program. And it is amazing that fifth and sixth grader are able to learn this material. Across the nation, schools are going through a major reform in their math and science curriculum. This study proves that students can learn atomic/molecular theory at the fifth grade level. And this study shows that the "Kids for Chemistry" program is science curriculum reform at its best.
|
|
|
|
5th Grade Students from Haines Elementary School in Pemberton NJ..
This is some descriptive text. |
Results:
It was expected that the fifth and sixth graders would not know most of the questions that were given on the 15-minute questionnaire. So an average test score of 3% (Graph 1) is not surprising. However, it was uncertain how high school students that had taken chemistry would do on the questionnaire. And it was uncertain how well the fifth and sixth graders would learn the material and how they would compare to the high school students. It's interesting to note that the fifth and sixth graders outscored the high school students in every question after they took the lecture series. I was curious to see why students got wrong answers. For some of the questions when I looked at the answers that were wrong, there were different reasons when comparing the fifth and sixth graders to the high school students. When a high school student got an answer wrong they basically did not know the answer. And this was the case across the board for all 14 questions. But for the fifth and sixth graders there were pairs of questions that they mixed up the answers. For example, "Question 4- What is oxidation?" And "Question 5- What is reduction?" The correct answers are, Q4 - the loss of an electron, and Q5 - the gain of an electron. When a high school student answered these questions wrong they either left it blank or did not mention the loss or gain of electrons. But when a fifth or sixth grader answered the question wrong, it was mostly because they had mixed up the answer. They said that oxidation was gaining an electron and that reduction was losing an electron. Even though they got the answer wrong they still had the general concept that an electron was gained or lost.
The same thing happened with "Question 11- What is a cation?" And "Question 12- What is an anion?" The correct answers are, Q11 - a positive charge particle, and Q12 - a negative charge particle. When a high school student answered these questions wrong they either left it blank or did not mention positive or negative charges. But when a fifth or sixth grader answered the question wrong, it was mostly because they had mixed up the answer. They said that a cation was a negative charge particle and that an anion was a positive charge particle. Even though they got the answer wrong they still had the general concept that one had a positive charge and the other had a negative charge.
The fifth and sixth graders outscored the high school students in every question. However, there's even a greater discrepancy when considering the fact that many of the fifth and sixth graders had the right concepts but just mixed up the answers. Questions 4 and 5, which were 82% and 81% respectively, and questions 11 and 12 which were 72% each, would have been much higher and would have contributed to the overall average score.
In addition to the fourteen questions of the 15-minute questionnaire, a second questionnaire (Part 2) was given to the fifth and sixth graders to further test their knowledge of atomic molecular theory. This part 2 of the questionnaire consisted of 32 more questions. These questions reinforce the questions in part 1 and also focuses on the buzzer experiment, and conceptual pictures/drawings of atoms and molecules.
When Part 1 and Part 2 were combined, the average test score was 70% for the fifth and sixth graders. One student (a fifth grader) had a perfect scored of 100% for all forty-six questions. Thirteen out of the seventy-nine students scored in the 90% range. Thirteen scored in the 80% range and nineteen scored in the 70% range. When I looked at the reason that students got the wrong answer for many of the questions, it was still attributed to mixing up negative with positive or losing with gaining.
Part 2 was not given to the high school students. It would have been interesting to see how the fifth and sixth graders compared to them. After all, the purpose of this study is to determine if atomic/molecular theory can be moved down to the fifth and sixth grades. And thus better prepare the fifth and sixth graders for high school and college chemistry. With addition support and reinforcement of these concepts through middle school and high school, it is expected that these students will excel way above those students who have not taken the "Kids for Chemistry" program.
It is important to note that the students who participated in this program were typical fifth and sixth graders. It is not necessary to consider this program just for students who are considered intellectually gifted. Even though, the students who take this program will have received a special gift that will boost their intellect.
|
|
|
|
This page is dedicated to Mrs. Mushrock, Mrs.Wiener and Mrs.Mainor.
And the Students in their 5th and 6th grade classes.
Hey Kids, Remember this!
I FEEL GOOD!
Da Da...Da Da...Da Da Da
I KNEW THAT I WOULD!
Da Da...Da Da...Da Da Da!
Hey Kids! Remember this,
| | |
