Generating+and+Testing+Hypotheses

=Copy this template for each resource.=  Lovie Marshall
 * Name of the Resource
 * Identify the resource as an educational website, software program (external to the Internet), or app.
 * Rate the resource on a scale of 1 to 10 and explanation of the rating (2-3 sentences).
 * Brief description of the resource and how it can is used with classroom instruction or professional development (3 - 5 sentences).
 * How does the resource align with instructional strategy examined for the week (2 - 3 sentences).
 * Ideas & Strategies - Generating and Testing Hypotheses
 * Educational Website
 * URL: http://ell.nwresd.org/node/92
 * Rating 10/10: The website is perfect because it illustrates how students can test and develop a hypothesis using the available resources like texts and videos.
 * Description: The site gives various alternatives that students would use when comprehending concepts in class. From the information provided, it is evident that the certain way to create and to develop a hypothesis is by making the students understand better. The website illustrates the various methods that teachers can use to encourage the students to brainstorm in class which includes stopping a live video, skimming through a text, reading and evaluating the first line of a text and assessing the questions first.
 * The website is in line with the formation and testing of hypothesis because it gives a step by step ways in which students can come up with new ideas. The provided methods have been tried and tested and confirmed to be true. Further, the website evidently gives pointers that make teaching enjoyable and enhance the understanding of the concept taught in class.

Stephanie Fletcher


 * [|__PBS Building Big__]
 * Educational Website
 * Rating: I give this website a 9.5 because it is a free website and it is very interactive for students. There is a lot of real-life applications and science knowledge. I just feel like it is a lot of information for students to look at.
 * Description of website: PBS Building Big is an educational website for students to look at what it takes to build large structures, such as bridges, domes, skyscrapers, Dams, Tunnels. They provide students with information, labs, challenges, and real-life examples and problems that our society feces everyday.
 * Aligns with Instructional Strategy: This website makes a great tool for Generating and Testing Hypothesis because it is an excellent way for students to check if they know what structures should be built in a certain location and why. They can hypothesize which structure they believe would be the best, then check to see if their hypothesis is correct or not. They challenge the students to consider which structure they would put in a place that needed to meet certain requirements.

Samantha Garrett
 * [|Explore Learning Gizmos]
 * Educational Website
 * 10. This website has over 400 interactive math and science simulations for grades 3-12. The resources that are offered and the range of simulations available earn this website a 10 score.
 * Incorporating science into my classroom has been something that has been a struggle. Our curriculum has not been aligned to the Common Core standards as of yet. One of the many pros of this site is ability to search simulations by standards. The simulations are called Gizmos and can also be searched by grade and topic. Even with our old curriculum, time was short and lessons were also condensed. I felt like my students never had to time to truly engage in an inquiry based learning. This website looks like an effective, efficient, and engaging tool that I will be using in my classroom.
 * This website aligns with generating and testing hypotheses because that is exactly what students do during the Gizmo simulations. For example, the germination Gizmo that I did with my daughter allowed us to change all of variables and predict what the outcome would be on the plants we were growing. We were able to test our hypotheses and record our outcomes.

Michael Perez

 * [|Lego Mindstorms]
 * Educational Website
 * 10 - 11 if I could. This site is tremendous for getting students to think outside the box generating and testing a hypotheses and creating something that is unique and their own. I love how the students can build a robot and then create a plan for the robot to walk, run, grab, pick up things of a certain color and put them down at a certain spot. They are using problem solving, investigation, experimental tasks all to see what they can do with the robot and where they have to make changes or redesigns. It is an awesome website with the Lego Mindstorms set in the classroom.
 * We use it in the classroom to teach, engineering, math, science, testing, brainstorming. and collaboration with fellow students. Sometimes you have one person who is the lead builder and one who is the lead programmer working together to build the robot. Students really enjoy this class session and it really helps to enhance their science, thinking and motivational skills.
 * It aligns with the instructional strategy because you are creating a hypothesis, seeing what the build can do and then modifying as per the terms. I really believe that this type of lesson delves deep into the students minds and brings out ideas that they never imagined they had. They are collecting data and analyzing the who, what, where and when of the build they are creating and they really start to learn computer programming also along with algorithms.

Richard Bruce

 * Smog City
 * Educational Website
 * 8 - Smog city is a weather/city sim game that helps students understand the relationship between weather, pollution and the ozone layer in our atmosphere. It's easy to run and very informative but I gave it an 8 because some schools don't allow java-based apps like Smog city to run in a browser window. Also, it gets an 8 instead of at 10 because I think it could use a facelift as far as graphics and design go.
 * I first did the simulation in 2012 in an Environmental Science class at Lansing Community College and the results of my experiment stayed with me! At the time I was a climate science doubter but this short 5-minute simulation helped change my mind and I believe it could do the same for many people I know. Perhaps most revealing to me personally is how important temperature and weather are in ozone production. Certain zones of our planet are more or less tolerant to pollution depending on atmospheric conditions. Sacramento, CA (where the simulation takes place) is particularly prone to harmful ozone pollution because of the climate and the sheer number of people living there.
 * Smog City aligns with the strategy of generating and testing hypotheses because as students manipulate the variables of the experiment (population, temperature, inversion, winds, sunlight, etc.) they can see a corresponding drop or increase in pollution. This allows them to isolate and simulate just one variable (wind, for example) and watch its effect on a variety of other factors. I'd say one of the strongest points of Smog City is its ease of use and the fact that students of many ages can benefit from its simple and straightforward science.

Rachel Schwartz


 * __[|PhET Simuations] __
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Educational Website
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">9.5 The website is a great way for students to get excited about math and science. I gave the website such a high rating because it lets the students make the decisions and test their theories. I’ve used it in my classroom and the students never seem to get frustrated, they just keep trying. The website gets grade and age specific so that each simulation is targeting for the correct audience.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">PhET Simulations breaks each simulation down by grade level, subject, and topic. The students are able to choose from a variety of topics or simulations to practice and understand each concept. Once they are in a certain simulation they have options as to what or how they would like to complete the task and they are able to try multiple times and in multiple ways.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">PhET Simulations aligns with this week's standard by generating and testing hypothesis by letting the students make the decision. When working with any one of the simulations they need to make an educated guess on what they think will solve the problem. Once they have come up with a solution they are then able to test it. If it doesn’t work, they will try again until it does work. For example, one of the simulations has the students create an electric charge with a balloon and sweater. They need to figure how much of a charge it takes to have the balloon stick to the sweater.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Robin Kennedy (Elder)


 * Dynamo
 * Web-based software program
 * 7
 * Dynamo provides java script driven tools allowing users to create interactive worlds to test physics concepts. Users drag different shapes and text onto a workspace and, once satisfied with the organization, the user can click the Play button to start the simulation.
 * Dynamo is free but asks for registration information upon sign up. The software allows users to drag and drop shapes on the screen and then animate those shapes based on the ones selected and their position on the screen. This allows users to think analytically and hypothesize how the motion will occur, based on the shape properties and their location on the screen. Once the user clicks Play, the hypothesis is tested in real time. The simulations present and reinforce physics properties through hypothesis and instant testing. The reason I rated this a 7 and not higher is because the software is limited to testing physics properties only.

Greg Hodges
 * [|Kerbal Space Program]
 * Video Game Simulation
 * 10 - This simulation game provides a realistic physics engine that lets players test and create rocket ships to reach the Moon and beyond. The game is well developed and constantly upgraded providing gamers and students with the opportunity to try new designs in order to reach new destinations. It is heavily modifiable to meet goals (changing gravity, thrust, etc.) and allows students to test their hypotheses about the forces of physics.
 * KSP lets students run their own space program and design their own rocket ships. This can be used to help students understand physics and different types of forces. Before launching their rocket, students aren't 100% sure how successful it will be and must consider the laws of physics and rules they will have learned in their classroom to be successful.
 * KSP aligns with this week's standard because it allows students to create hypothesis in the shape of spaceships to test their understand of the different laws and rules in physics. Students will have rethink and refine their "hypothesis" (spaceship) in accordance with what they know in order to be successful and reach their destination. Modifications can be made to the different laws of physics in game in order to test different theories and hypotheses as well.

Victoria Putvin
 * NOVA Building Big
 * Educational website
 * 8.5 – This is a great website for students to test hypotheses when it comes to engineering situations. The down side is it only has ready made situations and students couldn’t use it to model and test what they may be doing in class.
 * Building Big helps students learn about bridges, dams, domes, skyscrapers, and tunnels. Each category has a section describing the basics, a challenge where students will need to make and test hypotheses, a databank, a lab, who builds them, and links to more information. This could be used in classrooms where students are starting to learn about engineering. It could also be used as a resource of information for students when it comes time to possibly build their own structures in class.
 * Building Big was listed on page 217 in the textbook under the category of Instructional Interactive. It teaches students about different structures and then use that knowledge to solve problems in the city.

Matthew Novak
 * [|Rube Goldberg Machine Game] From PBS Kids
 * Game/ App
 * 7- This is a game that tests a persons problem solving ability. I give it a 7 because the application of this are limited to the subject of motion and movement or cause and effect. Outside of the subject it can be viewed as a game just like angry birds is considered a game to the general public even though it teaches the ideas of drag and lift.
 * Rube Goldberg machine game is a game that allows students to test ideas and hypothesis about movement and cause and effect. The idea of the game is to allow students to try and figure out how to get a skateboard to move. In the time that I spent playing with the game it was evident that I had to use problem solving skills to figure out how to get the skateboard to move. It seemed very challenging and it was hard to not just start pressing buttons, but I think the draw of this game would be how it challenges the user and pushes them to get the machine set up correctly.
 * This aligns with the subject of testing hypothesis because it forces the user to try and figure out the kinks to the machine. The user can test their theories over and over to see how their changes to the machine affects their results. It's similar to how Angry Birds has the user test their hypothesis of how their angle and potential energy will affect their birds flight.

Nathan Schwartz
 * [|Angry Birds]
 * Game/App
 * 7. This is typically a younger elementary game that is not intended for educational needs. However, if you were teaching physical science, it wouldn't be a bad hook.
 * Angry Birds is a game where several birds are trying to destroy a town where little pigs live. Pigs took the eggs of the birds so it is pay back from the birds. The user pulls a bird back using a sling shot and the user can decide how high/low and fast/slow the bird goes. The goal is for the birds to destroy the entire city.
 * Students/users are able to use their hypothesis to see how the bird can destroy the city. The user can manipulate how the bird flies.

PrimaryAccess http://www.primaryaccess.org/ web-based tool by the University of Virginia Rating: 7
 * Karen McDonald**

PrimaryAccess allows teacher or students the ability to construct short digital movies using text, images, and narration. PrimaryAccess a great way for teachers to put together both images and text to one another to help students see the connection. The student can create this digital story for the student and at the same time have text applied (or words) that can increase vocabulary.The web tool is also interactive for the student. Also, the student will experience multiple responses to a topic. I like this web-based tool provided by the University of Virginia. I like the fact that visual and text are interacting with one another. There are many ways the student can manipulate this tool: The only downfall is that it takes some time to learn this tool. Once you have acquired, the steps of primaryAccess the ability to generate and create hypotheses primaryAccess a great learning tool.
 * A script can be created to go along with the movie or images.
 * Students can add notes to the pictures to make sense of what they are seeing
 * it is an interactive instructional learning that provides experiential learning in a topic.
 * Teacher or student can also narrate that will go along with the text or without
 * teacher or student can upload photos from Flickr if they have an account
 * it’s a useful tool for student's with special needs

Daniel McElheny [|Gilder Lehrman History By Era]
 * 10/10. This website offers a huge array of free primary & secondary resources, as well as lesson plan ideas based on a constructivist approach to learning. Students are guided through lessons that require critical thinking, analytical thinking and reading, and collaborative creation of conjectures and hypothesis with classmates.
 * The Gilder Lehrman institute provides dozens of lesson plans divided by historical period. Each lesson provides teacher resources, student resources, lesson materials, and materials/ideas for further extension of learning. Lessons are cross-curricular - in addition to U.S. History they may have connections to math, technology, economics, and natural science. This is a textbook free approach to U.S. History that encourages to develop empathy and critical thinking skills by analyzing events and concepts through the eyes of historical figures.
 * The lesson plans presented on this website take students through the structured tasks for generating and testing hypothesis of "problem solving" and "investigation." Students must make claims or predictions based on historical analysis and then use historical evidence to defend those claims. Student hypotheses' will be stretched and tested by the introduction of new voices and perspectives in the form of primary sources. Students will need to process this new data and then use it to reaffirm or reshape their hypothesis.


 * Dawn Paine
 * [|Mysterynet.com]
 * Entertainment and educational website
 * Rating 9/10. Everyone loves a good mystery! And mysteries are perfect for teaching critical thinking, and uses Bloom’s Taxonomy of higher order levels of learning. This website has quite a few mysteries you can have your students investigate and solve. It also has [|this page] dedicated to teaching mysteries that has resources for Free Mystery Lesson Plan Units, other websites to use for teaching mysteries, Discussions & Examples.
 * You could use these resources in many ways: in reading lessons, students can develop visual charts to organize the characters of a mystery and how the characters are related to the integral pieces of the mystery.
 * How does the resource align with instructional strategy examined for the week (2 - 3 sentences). Teaching by using mysteries to solve in the classroom aligns with the instruction strategy of generating and testing hypotheses as the students use deductive reasoning to solve the mysteries. It’d also be a great way to introduce character generation strategies for creative writing classes, a sort of reverse engineering applied to the mystery solution.
 * You could use these resources in many ways: in reading lessons, students can develop visual charts to organize the characters of a mystery and how the characters are related to the integral pieces of the mystery.
 * How does the resource align with instructional strategy examined for the week (2 - 3 sentences). Teaching by using mysteries to solve in the classroom aligns with the instruction strategy of generating and testing hypotheses as the students use deductive reasoning to solve the mysteries. It’d also be a great way to introduce character generation strategies for creative writing classes, a sort of reverse engineering applied to the mystery solution.

Leighton Nelson
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.33px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Adobe Captivate]
 * Software Program
 * Rating: 8 - Adobe Captivate enables the creation of elearning content in a variety of formats. It currently runs on PCs and Mac OS X. The software is licensed using a subscription model and is relatively expensive.
 * Captivate is a very robust eLearning content creation too. It allows learners to develop instructional content using a responsive design technique. Adobe Captivate content can be built using text, videos, audio and graphics. These elements can be combined to create simulations.
 * Adobe Captivate aligns with the strategy of Generating and Testing Hypotheses through the use of software simulations. According to Pitler, Hubbell and Kuhn (2012) these simulations fall under the category of Instructional Interactives which motivates learners and creates a more engaging learning environment.

Pitler, Howard, Elizabeth Ross. Hubbell, and Matt Kuhn. //Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works//. 2nd ed. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2012. Print. Page 215