Office of the Provost

Homer Jr. High School

The Physical Science portion of the workshop exposed teachers to the use of Vernier software for real-time data collection and analysis in the classroom. Teachers performed two experiments; “Solar Homes and Heat Sinks” and “The insulated Coke Bottle.”

In the first experiment, the use of alternative energy sources, in the case solar energy, was addressed. The teachers built solar homes in groups, and gathered real-time data comparing a solar home using a thermal mass for temperature management, versus a home that does not use a thermal mass to compare which is more efficient in regulating overall home temperature.

In the second experiment, teachers used a variety of materials for insulation (paper, aluminum foil, Styrofoam). Using the Vernier software to collect real-time data, they compared which insulation material was the most efficient at holding the temperature of the coke bottle.

Upon completion of each of these experiments, the teachers wrote lesion plans on how they would use these experiments in their own classrooms. They were also encouraged to come up with their own extension to these experiments in order to further engage their students in the experimental design process.

At the conclusion of the workshop, each teacher was given a Vernier package that contained the software, interface device and all of the probes necessary to perform these experiments in their own classrooms.

Minden High School