Murray’s Friend – Bruce – Central Washington University – Video Project for Future Science Teachers

Science Demonstration assignment for SCED 322

As a teacher, it is important to build lessons around concepts and utilize demonstrations as an integral part of concept development in science. Demonstrations are easy to do and offer many benefits and unique opportunities in the constructivist classroom. In this class, everyone will do a Three to five minute science demonstration that they will capture on video and post on their group page on Blackboard to share with the rest of their small group. In your small group, you will evaluate each video and vote on the one to share live with the class. We will discuss the characteristics of an effective science demonstration in class. “Why Demonstrations Matter” from the September 2005 issue of Science & Children provides a great overview of science demonstrations for K-8 teachers. As a class, we will develop a rubric that you and your instructor will use to evaluate each science demonstration.

Making a video of your demonstration

Your demonstration video should be three to five minutes. I am not looking for any special video effects. But, your demonstration should be educational, attention grabbing, interactive, and easy to see & hear. Before you start making a video, you should practice every aspect of your demonstration. Each demonstration has five parts.

1. Brief verbal set-up of the demonstration. Don’t tell the viewers what will happen. But, tell them what you are going to do so they know what to focus their attention on. For example, “Today we are going to investigate what happens when I cover this floating candle with a jar.”

2. Pre-demonstration questions. Ask the viewer to make a hypothesis about what will happen when you start the demonstration. For example, “What will happen inside the jar when I use it to cover the floating candle? Your answer should be in the format: ‘I think will happen because….’” Ask the viewer to stop the video so she/he can answer your questions.

3. Do the demonstration. Make sure the relevant part of the demonstration is visible or audible to the viewer. Describe what you are doing every step of the way. If you want the viewer to see or hear something specific, tell them when and where to look or listen.

4. Follow-up questions. Helps viewers focus on the important aspects of the event. For example, “What happened to the water when I covered the candle with the jar? When did the candle go out?” These questions should lead the view to infer what happened on their own.

5. 24/7 explanation. Provide a 24 second explanation of the demonstration and the main concept the demonstration is teaching. Use words and pictures as needed. Provide a 7 word summary of the demonstration and/or explanation that anyone could understand.

Putting your video on Blackboard

I urge you to use one of the Flip Ultra cameras available for checkout at the Ed Tech center in Black Hall and in the science education department office in SCI 107. They are easy to use and make it easy to upload the video to your computer. If you want to, you may use the simple program that comes with the Flip or Windows Movie Maker to edit your video. (Fancy video editing is not a requirement for this assignment.) I suggest posting your video on YouTube and sharing the link with your small group. (Make sure it is not classified as ‘Private”.) If you save your video as a file to post on Blackboard, save it in a format suitable for emailing, not a high resolution file. Blackboard will not accept files larger than 24 MB. Flip also allows you to email your video. Email it to yourself and post the embedded link on Blackboard. (That is what I did with my example.) Once all of your videos are uploaded or linked to your group page Blackboard, you and your partners will use the following rubric to choose the demo to share live with the class.

Rubric for the video portion of the assignment

Criteria and suggested points	Excellent	Good	Proficient
Visual appeal (6, 5, 4 points)	Well lit, easy to see all aspects of the demo, demo is done on a large enough scale, no visual distractions, image is always steady and in focus, appropriate use of supporting visuals (labels, signs, etc.)	Easy to see all aspects of the demo, demo is done on a large enough scale, image is always steady and in focus	Well lit, easy to see all aspects of the demo, demo is done on a large enough scale, background adds to the visual appeal, image is always in focus, appropriate use of supporting visuals (labels, signs, etc.)
Sound quality (4, 3, 2 points)	Easy to hear and understand the teacher, no background noise, sound level consistent throughout	Easy to hear and understand the teacher, minimal background noise	Somewhat easy to hear and understand the teacher, some background noise
24 second explanation (6, 5, 4 points)	24 second explanation, is clear, complete and correct 24 second explanation is within 2 seconds of 24 seconds	24 second explanation, is clear and mostly complete and correct 24 second explanation is within 4 seconds of 24 seconds	24 second explanation correctly addresses most elements of the concept but misses key points 24 second explanation is within 6 seconds of 24 seconds
7 word summary (3, 2, 1 points)	7 word concept summary is clear, creative, and correct	7 word concept summary is clear and correct	7 word concept summary is related to the concept
Organization (6, 5, 4 points)	All five parts listed above done clearly and completely, flows well (no breaks)	All five parts listed above done mostly clearly and completely, flows fairly well (no distracting breaks)	Four of the five parts done mostly clearly and completely, at least one distracting break
Presentation (5, 4, 3 points)	Clearly teaches a specific concept, holds the attention of the viewer, uses simple and accessible materials. Teacher acts safely and professionally.	Teaches a specific concept, doesn’t fully hold the attention of the viewer, uses simple and accessible materials. Teacher acts safely and professionally.	Attempts to teach a specific concept, doesn’t fully hold viewer’s attention, uses some hard to find materials. Key safely or professional aspects missing.

Generic Written Demonstration Plan (to be written in your science notebook)

A. Main student outcome E. Procedures

B. Materials needed F. Follow-up questions

C. Safety concerns G. 24/7 explanation

D. Required advanced set-up