Revamped Course Prototype: An Online, Asynchronous Science 9 Unit

Over the last couple of months of learning and receiving feedback, I have altered a few components of my original course prototype. My revamped version includes more details on accessibility and justification of technology and activity choices. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know if you have any further feedback for me!

 

Course Profile: Atoms and Molecules

Quick Links

ADDIE template

Google Classroom

Target Audience and Rationale

This course is designed for students who are enrolled in a semester-long, face-to-face Science 9, but will be absent for an extended period due to travel. This often occurs when a student is travelling to their home country to visit family, and they are typically gone for 3-5 weeks.

To support these students, I have developed this online course, allowing them to stay on track while they are away rather than rushing to catch up upon their return. I often have at least one student gone for an extended absence per class per semester. Though primarily intended for students on extended absences, the course will be accessible to the entire class as an additional enrichment resource.

Course Length

This course is designed to take approximately 25 hours to complete. Ideally, students will work on it for about one hour per day, as to not get overwhelmed with content. However, they may progress at their own pace based on their individual circumstances.

Course Materials

Students will need:

• A device with internet access (school laptops are available to borrow for extended absences, if needed). The student will also be given hard copies of the course material in an event that they are unable to use the internet.
• Supplies for at-home labs (common, relatively inexpensive household materials). I will also include videos of the reactions in case students are unable to get supplies.
• Science 9 textbook (student will be provided with a copy).

Additional Supports and Considerations

• Students will be provided resources to show them how to:
  • How to translate documents such as slides, their textbook, etc.
  • How to use Kahoot!
  • How to use Padlet
  • How to add closed captioning and/or change the speed of YouTube videos

Course Outcomes

This course introduces students to the classification of matter, the Periodic Table, and physical and chemical reactions. All modules align with the Saskatchewan Science 9 curriculum and focus on the following learning outcomes:

• 1: Distinguish between physical and chemical properties of common substances, including those found in household, commercial, industrial, and agricultural applications.
• 2: Analyze historical explanations of the structure of the matter up to and including the Dalton model, Thomson model, Rutherford model, Bohr model.
• 3: Demonstrate an understanding of the classification of pure substances (elements and compounds), including the development and nature of the Periodic Table.

Course Delivery and Rationale

For the majority of grade 9 students at my school, attendance in face-to-face classes is not a major issue. However, when a student is absent for multiple weeks at a time, catching up in several classes can be overwhelming. This fully online, asynchronous course provides students with an opportunity to learn at their own pace, without falling behind, while they are away.

The course will be delivered through my Google Classroom and will incorporate Google tools as well as Lumi H5P interactive presentations and videos, PhET interactive simulations, Padlet interactions, Kahoot! exit slips, and at-home lab.

Instructional Approaches and Rationale

Modules will include a variety of educational technologies and learning activities, more specifically outlined below:

Area	Technologies and Activities	Rationale
Content	Lumi (H5P) interactive presentations and YouTube videos	Using H5P content provides a more engaging, interactive experience for the student. This increases motivation – important for youth when completing an online, asynchronous course.
Labs / Activities	PhET interactive simulations     At-home labs     Google Docs	Engaging activities specifically designed for students.     Hands-on, safe experiments adapted from what they would have done in class.   Lab procedures/data will be on Google Docs. Students can easily save a copy and fill it out.
Interactions	Email         Padlets	Student-teacher: students are able to reach me by email, when needed. I can also reach out to them.     Student-student: in-class and online, asynchronous students will interact with each other in padlets. This will be required in about half of the modules (not to overwhelm, but still provide connection and support).
Formative Assessments	H5P content     Padlets       Kahoot!	H5P content allows me to put in responses to students getting the correct/incorrect answers.   As I go through the 3-2-1 Padlets, I can check for student understanding.     I can also check for student understanding in their results from Kahoot! exit slips.
Summative Assessments	Google Forms multiple choice and short answer quizzes           Face-to-face comprehensive course exam (upon return)	These will be designed to be open book, but timed. Students will need to have a solid understanding of the material in order to answer (e.g. won’t be able to just copy a definition).     This will be closed book and similar to all of the quizzes throughout the course. This will be completed under my supervision.