One of the main goals of science at the middle school level is to provide a solid foundation of scientific concepts, vocabulary, and skills so that students can confidently understand the world around them to ask deeper, meaningful, and more connecting questions in highschool and beyond. Currently, students are learning about the characteristics of chemical reactions by recognizing when they have occurred.

These types of labs are particularly fun for students as they add a few drops of this to a few drops of that and observe temperature changes, color changes, and the formation of gas bubbles or precipitates.

Upon completing this lab, students were asked to write a CER (Claims-Evidence-Reasoning) using their lab write up..  The Claim often will match their hypothesis’. The Evidence comes from the results and observations of the lab. Explaining the science behind the lab through the claim and evidence is the goal of the Reasoning section.

Most of the time, science lab experiments are done with one or two partners. Often, partners have to divvy up the tasks to be able to complete the lab on time.  Students check their work with one another, ask questions and explain what they witnessing out loud to clarify for themselves or help each other.

Fun-Yes!
Solidifying Science Skills and Concepts-Yes!
Technical Informational Writing – Yes!
Many science labs also capture the essence of most 21st Century Skills:

• Collaboration and teamwork
• Creativity and imagination
• Critical thinking
• Problem solving
• Flexibility and adaptability

• Information literacy

• Oral and written communication skills
• Technology literacy
• Initiative​