ALEX Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SC2015] CHEM (9-12) 3 :

3 ) Use the periodic table as a systematic representation to predict properties of elements based on their valence electron arrangement.

a. Analyze data such as physical properties to explain periodic trends of the elements, including metal/nonmetal/metalloid behavior, electrical/heat conductivity, electronegativity and electron affinity, ionization energy, and atomic-covalent/ionic radii, and how they relate to position in the periodic table.

b. Develop and use models (e.g., Lewis dot, 3-D ball-and-stick, space-filling, valence-shell electron-pair repulsion [VSEPR]) to predict the type of bonding and shape of simple compounds.

c. Use the periodic table as a model to derive formulas and names of ionic and covalent compounds.

[DLIT] (9-12) 31 :

25) Utilize a variety of digital tools to create digital artifacts across content areas.

In this lesson, students will examine electronegativities of atoms relative to one another to determine if a covalent bond will be classified as polar or nonpolar.  Students will use an online simulation to help them understand the importance of lone pairs of electrons as well as bonding pairs of electrons.  Students will use ball-and-stick models to examine and identify the shapes of various molecules.

This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA. 

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SC2015] CHEM (9-12) 3 :

3 ) Use the periodic table as a systematic representation to predict properties of elements based on their valence electron arrangement.

a. Analyze data such as physical properties to explain periodic trends of the elements, including metal/nonmetal/metalloid behavior, electrical/heat conductivity, electronegativity and electron affinity, ionization energy, and atomic-covalent/ionic radii, and how they relate to position in the periodic table.

b. Develop and use models (e.g., Lewis dot, 3-D ball-and-stick, space-filling, valence-shell electron-pair repulsion [VSEPR]) to predict the type of bonding and shape of simple compounds.

c. Use the periodic table as a model to derive formulas and names of ionic and covalent compounds.

[DLIT] (9-12) 31 :

25) Utilize a variety of digital tools to create digital artifacts across content areas.

[DLIT] (9-12) 37 :

31) Create interactive data visualizations using software tools to help others understand real-world phenomena.

In this lesson, students will gather quantitative information to construct a graph to show the period trends in electronegativity, electron affinity, and ionization energy. Once, the trends are recognized they will construct a model of these periodic trends using the Alabama Science in Motion Lab (Periodic Trends: Graphs and Straws). 

This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SC2015] BIOL (9-12) 8 :

8 ) Develop and use models to describe the cycling of matter (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, water) and flow of energy (e.g., food chains, food webs, biomass pyramids, ten percent law) between abiotic and biotic factors in ecosystems.

[DLIT] (9-12) 31 :

25) Utilize a variety of digital tools to create digital artifacts across content areas.

During this activity, the students will use drag and drop computer code to create an interactive ecological energy pyramid model that shows how the 10% law applies to the energy available at each trophic level.  As part of the hour of code, students can use this activity to participate in the Hour of Code week during their biology class.  

This lesson plan results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (9-12) 37 :

31) Create interactive data visualizations using software tools to help others understand real-world phenomena.

[DLIT] (9-12) 31 :

25) Utilize a variety of digital tools to create digital artifacts across content areas.

[DLIT] (9-12) 6 :

R6) Produce, review, and revise authentic artifacts that include multimedia using appropriate digital tools.

[DLIT] (9-12) 5 :

R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[SC2015] ESS (9-12) 15 :

15 ) Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to verify that weather (e.g., temperature, relative humidity, air pressure, dew point, adiabatic cooling, condensation, precipitation, winds, ocean currents, barometric pressure, wind velocity) is influenced by energy transfer within and among the atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere.

a. Analyze patterns in weather data to predict various systems, including fronts and severe storms.

b. Use maps and other visualizations to analyze large data sets that illustrate the frequency, magnitude, and resulting damage from severe weather events in order to predict the likelihood and severity of future events.

Students will research natural disasters and their impact on people.  They will work in teams to design a disaster preparedness guide to share with the community to reduce the impact of a natural disaster utilizing various creativity apps on the iPad.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (9-12) 11 :

5) Design and iteratively develop computational artifacts for practical intent, personal expression, or to address a societal issue by using current events.

[DLIT] (9-12) 31 :

25) Utilize a variety of digital tools to create digital artifacts across content areas.

[DLIT] (9-12) 37 :

31) Create interactive data visualizations using software tools to help others understand real-world phenomena.

[DLIT] (9-12) 38 :

32) Use data analysis tools and techniques to identify patterns in data representing complex systems.

[DLIT] (9-12) 43 :

37) Evaluate the ability of models and simulations to test and support the refinement of hypotheses.

a. Create and utilize models and simulations to help formulate, test, and refine a hypothesis.

b. Form a model of a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis by the collection and analysis of data generated by simulations.

Examples: Science lab, robotics lab, manufacturing, space exploration.

c. Explore situations where a flawed model provided an incorrect answer.

Now that students have had the chance to see and evaluate various data visualizations, they will learn to make visualizations of their own. This lesson teaches students how to build visualizations from provided datasets. The levels in Code Studio provide a detailed walkthrough of how to use Google Sheets to create several different kinds of charts. While this lesson focuses on the Google Sheets tool, other tools may be substituted at the teacher’s discretion, and MS Excel support is coming soon to the lesson.

The main activity teaches students to build different chart types (scatter, line, and bar charts) from a single data set. It should be emphasized to students that the purpose of this lesson is to explore and experiment with creating different types of visualizations, not to build the perfect chart. Students will have a chance to create and customize their own charts. At the end of class, students compare their custom visualizations with those of their classmates.

Students will be able to:
- select the appropriate type of data visualization to discover trends and patterns within a dataset.
- create a bar, line, and scatter chart from a dataset using a computational tool.
- use the settings of a data visualization tool to manipulate and refine the features of a data visualization.

Note: You will need to create a free account on code.org before you can view this resource.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (9-12) 6 :

R6) Produce, review, and revise authentic artifacts that include multimedia using appropriate digital tools.

[DLIT] (9-12) 11 :

5) Design and iteratively develop computational artifacts for practical intent, personal expression, or to address a societal issue by using current events.

[DLIT] (9-12) 31 :

25) Utilize a variety of digital tools to create digital artifacts across content areas.

[DLIT] (9-12) 37 :

31) Create interactive data visualizations using software tools to help others understand real-world phenomena.

[DLIT] (9-12) 38 :

32) Use data analysis tools and techniques to identify patterns in data representing complex systems.

[DLIT] (9-12) 43 :

37) Evaluate the ability of models and simulations to test and support the refinement of hypotheses.

a. Create and utilize models and simulations to help formulate, test, and refine a hypothesis.

b. Form a model of a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis by the collection and analysis of data generated by simulations.

Examples: Science lab, robotics lab, manufacturing, space exploration.

c. Explore situations where a flawed model provided an incorrect answer.

For this Practice PT students will analyze the data that they have been collecting as a class in order to demonstrate their ability to discover, visualize, and present a trend or pattern they find in the data. Leading up to this lesson, students will have been working in pairs to clean and summarize their data. Students should complete this project individually but can get feedback on their ideas from their data-cleaning partner.

Note: This is NOT the official AP® Performance Task that will be submitted as part of the Advanced Placement exam; it is a practice activity intended to prepare students for some portions of their individual performance at a later time.

Students will be able to:
- create summaries of a dataset using a pivot table.
- manipulate and clean data in order to prepare it for analysis.
- explain the process used to create a visualization.
- design a visualization that clearly presents a trend, pattern, or relationship within a dataset.
- create visualizations of a dataset in order to discover trends and patterns.
- draw conclusions from the contents of a data visualization.

Note: You will need to create a free account on code.org before you can view this resource.