TITLE: SCIENCE ROLE PLAYS
AUTHOR: Janet Weaver, Rosary School
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT: 5-8 Science
(Yes, Junior High students will do this, and
even like it)
OVERVIEW: Small groups of students use their
imagination in cooperative efforts to role play
processes in Science. Each student in the group
'plays' the 'part' of one part of the process. The
other groups then watch as each group acts out their
version of the process.
PURPOSE: To reinforce knowledge level information on
processes in Science, several times for each child and
in a 3-D format. To encourage creative thinking. To
encourage cooperative efforts between students. To
engage the students in whole body learning, using all
their senses and imagination, in order to better
integrate the information into themselves.
OBJECTIVES:
1 The students will be able to demonstrate the
scientific process studied.
2 The students will be able to identify the
different parts of the process and the correct
order of each of those parts in the process.
3 The students will be able to work cooperatively
with other students.
4 The students will be able to create a new way of
looking at a scientific process.
5 The students will enjoy learning science.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS: None - I don't allow labels or
tags to be used because they take time to make and
without them each member must explain their part of the
process. Also sometimes a guessing game begins with
spectators guessing the part name from what it is doing
or where it is in the process.
ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES: For use only after the
basic process has been explained, read, or in some way
studied.
Divide the class into groups. Groups should be small
enough so that each student can be an important part of
the process, but large enough so that the process can
be complete. Tell them to create a creative and
entertaining way to show the process just studied using
everyone in the group.
Set a time limit (8-10 minutes) for the groups to 'get
it together', then have each group perform for the rest
of the class.
SAMPLE PROCESS:
Circulatory System of the Body
Cast of characters:
Blood (carries 2 wads of paper to represent the
blood cell and carbon dioxide)
Toe
2 Capillaries
Vein (use arms, or extra student, as one-way valves)
4 chambers of the heart (use arms, or extra student,
as one-way valves)
Vessel from heart to lungs
Lung (with wad of paper to represent Oxygen)
Vessel from lungs to heart
Artery
Begin with Blood inside Capillary which is inside
Toe (students can stand close to each other with the
Vessel's arms around the Blood)
Blood moves into Vein, thru one-way valve up to
Heart Atrium.
Blood then goes thru one-way valve to Heart
Ventricle and out thru Vessel From Heart to Lungs.
When in Lung the Blood goes into a Capillary and
gives the Lung the Carbon Dioxide (paper wad) and the
Lung gives the Blood the Oxygen (paper wad) - this is
all done thru the wall of the Capillary.
Blood then moves into the Vessel From Lungs to
Heart and goes into the other Heart Atrium, thru the
one-way valve to the Heart Ventricle. The Ventricle
then pushes the Blood thru the Artery back down to the
Capillary in the Toe, where the process begins again.
This can also be used as a way to explain the process,
especially at the beginning of the year to get them use
to the format. When I am using it as a demonstration I
choose the students to play each part as I come to them
in the explanation of the process. Afterwards I divide
the class into small groups and ask them to devise
"another way" to show the process using the people in
the group to play the parts.
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER: Discussion following the
performances centers on completeness of the process
shown, and the creativity displayed in showing the
processes. After all the performances I ask the
students to draw or diagram the process in their notes,
labeling each part.
PROCESSES I'VE USED THIS TO REINFORCE:
All systems of the body
Earth Cycles - air, water, soil, rock, food
Photosynthesis Plant Reproduction
Air mass movements/front formations
Glacial movements and features
Land & Sea Breezes
Erosion of streambeds
Mountain Formation
Electrical Circuits
Changes in states of matter
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John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org