9.0+Critical+Analysis+of+Unit

=Critical Analysis of Energy Transfer and Transformation TRB=

===As was stated earlier in the Rationale for this TRB, many of my students came into the classroom with strong beliefs about what energy is and is not. Again, because they have had very little inquiry science experience during the elementary school years, these beliefs continue. I feel that many of the activities we have been able to complete thus far have at least begun to change their ways of thinking about energy.=== ===The labs and activities concerning convection, radiation, and heat flow were more successful in the relearning of the misconceptions. They seemed to be more concrete and basic enough that the students could take small steps in learning or relearning this area of the content. However, the light and sound concepts are a bit more difficult for the kids to comprehend. These ideas are much more abstract, and although hands-on activities are planned, it will take many more investigations in these areas to see complete mastery of the science behind the fun!=== ===I am grateful for the TASC kits that our county has agreed to lease, because as one can tell, the activities involved in this unit are very materials dependent. It is often difficult to ensure that all the materials for the unit will be available, especially this year as I work in a science position that was just created. There is a great deal of time-consuming, behind the scenes, running around to other science classrooms, the dollar store, the local recycling center, and many other places to retrieve the items needed to complete the labs effectively.=== ===So, although I was not able to complete all the activities at the time of this TRB submission, I hope to continue creating a new collection of materials so this will be an effective unit in the future. I will continually update this site with additional analysis of the unit.===