EARTH, SUN & MOON
This is an engaging simulation for students to learn about objects in the solar system. I think it’s ok for what it is attempting to accomplish. The simulation does a great job of providing students with a visual demonstration of how the earth and moon orbit around the sun as well as the duration of time it takes. Students will obviously need to be able tell time and they usually are able to master this skill by age 7 or 8, which makes this an appropriate activity for this age group and 3rd grade students. This simulation does a good job of helping students learn about the earth, sun, and moon’s orbit as they experiment with the various dates and times. It has a simple, intuitive interface that provides controls towards the bottom of the screen that allows users to either increase or decrease time in the form of hours, days, or months. The location of all the on screen buttons allow for ease of use and will provide students with the basic concept of the amount of time it takes for objects to orbit in space. There’s also a “Labels” button that provides students with more information about the earth, sun, and moon, which enhances the learning experience. This simulation can complement and fit into 3rd grade math because it has a time element and 3rd graders are in the process of mastering time and the clock. Students can use time to determine how far the earth will orbit the sun or how much time it takes for the moon to orbit earth. It can also help with how it all relates to the calendar and provide students the opportunity to learn math skills and time management skills.
SOLIDS, LIQUIDS & GASES
This is a fun interactive simulation that helps students learn about solids, liquids, and gases. The simulation is very easy to follow and it allows students to experiment with different conditions, such as temperature that affects and changes them from one form to another. This simulation seems best suited for students who have already learned about solids, liquids, and gases in science class. It’s more of a supplementary activity that reinforces the student’s knowledge on the topic. It also serves as a great interactive visual for the students which enhances the students understanding of the topic. The interface is very clean and easy to use. The visuals and colors are pleasing to the eye and all buttons and interactivity in the simulation is functional. It has a help button that proves to be very helpful if students need a little bit of guidance. I like how the first activity test students knowledge immediately by having them separate solids, liquids, and gases into their respective categories and then later having students go through the actual processes that changes solids, liquids, and gases. This simulation is appropriate for ages 8 and up and grades 3-5. This simulation can fit into the content area of 3rd grade math by having students classify the changes of state of matter undergoes when given a description of the shape and volume. Students will review that solids have a definite shape and liquid and gas have an indefinite shape.
MELTING POINTS
This is a fun interactive simulation that helps students learn about the melting points on an array of substances. The students are able to experiment with heating and cooling different substances in both solid and liquid forms. Students are then able to determine which substances have the lowest and highest melting points. I love the graphics and interface. The simulation is user friendly and all buttons are conveniently located and labeled. This serves as a great educational tool for students to reinforce what they’ve learned in science class in regards to melting point. This simulation will engage students and motivate them to find out the outcomes of the various substances when they reach their melting point. The simulation is appropriate for ages 8 and up and for grades 3 and up. The way that I would incorporate this into 3rd grade math is to have students enter data into a “Melting Point” bar graph with an X-axis labeled substances and Y-axis labeled temperature in (celsius). The students would use the simulator to determine the melting points for each substance and record it onto the bar graph. The students in 3rd grade math will be able to use their knowledge of data graph sets that they’ve learned in math class to input the data they get from the simulator into the graph.
SKELETON & BONES
This is a cool simulation that helps students learn about the skeletal structure that makes up the human body. This activity helps supplement learning about the skeletal system, but will not teach students everything they need to know about the different skeletal systems. Students will learn about the bones in different animals such as insects, fish, and horses. They will learn and find out the location of bones such as the collar bone, back bone, pelvis, and skull. This simulation is interactive and easy to navigate. It has great educational use and will aid the students in learning about the skeletal system in both humans and animals. This simulation is developmentally appropriate for ages 8-12. The simulation is engaging and will motivate students to learn, but lacks a challenge. If you incorrectly match the bone to the wrong place it will not let you place it in the space. The way that this simulation will fit into the 3rd grade math content is by giving students a worksheet problem solving activity in the form of math word problems in relations to the bones that are in the human body. Students will be able to learn the different bones in the human body and complete word problems such as (ex. There are 26 bones in John’s foot. How many foot bones does John have in both feet in total?)