Curry School of Education, University of Virginia www.teacherlink.org/content/science/ Concept Mapping & the Classification of Matter In this activity, software is used to easily generate concept maps and diagrams to help students understand fundamental concepts, such as mixtures, pure substances, elements, compounds, and other ideas related to the classification of matter. Concept mapping strategies have enjoyed wide use among science educators as tools to gauge both prior knowledge and student learning. Engaging students in the process of concept mapping involves them in exploring their understandings of particular concepts and provides them with a roadmap for the construction of new knowledge. Additionally, concept mapping can be a window into students' mental models, and cognitive links influence their future learning. Hence, concept mapping can promote student learning, as well as provide teachers with valuable insights into student conceptions of ideas relating to the classification of matter. Brainstorming, drafting, editing, and producing concept maps can be a time-consuming process. Students are often reluctant to revise their hand drawn maps after completion because of the time and effort invested. Using visual thinking tools-like Inspiration makes the process of drafting, editing, and creating concept maps fun and easy. Students spend more time exploring their ideas and the connections among concepts, as opposed to the mechanical tasks of drawing a concept map. Electronic visual thinking tools offer the same type of editing ease for graphic displays that word processing provides for written text.
Virginia Earth Science Standards of Learning addressed in this activity include: Chemistry.2 The student will investigate and understand that the placement of elements on the periodic table is a function of their atomic structure. The periodic table is a tool used for the investigations of Chemical/physical properties Chemistry.5 The student will investigate and understand that the phases of matter are explained by kinetic theory and forces of attraction between particles. Key concepts include; Solutions Physical Science 2. The student will investigate and understand the basic nature of matter. Key concepts include: The particle theory of matter; Elements, compounds, mixtures, acids, bases, salts, organic, inorganic, solids, liquids, and gases Technology: Computer with Inspiration software (A fully functional 30-day trial is available at http://www.inspiration.com/freetrial/index.cfm). If Inspiration software is not available, the draw tools in a word processing program such as Microsoft Word may also be used to create visual displays. NOTE TO TEACHERS: These procedures are written to show you how you might use these technologies to teach science concepts. Suggested questions, approaches, and expected answers are all provided. Therefore, these activity descriptions should be used as a guide for your instructional planning, rather than as a step-by-step activity guide for students. 2
Getting Started Chemists study many thousands of natural substances from the earth's crust, the atmosphere, and the oceans, as well as synthetic substances produced in their laboratories. In order to simplify the task of learning about all of these different materials, scientists have developed classification schemes. How can different kinds of matter be classified to help scientists learn about their properties? What are the relationships between the categories and types of matter in the world? How are compounds, elements, mixtures, and pure substances related to each other? In this activity you will create a concept map that diagrams the relationships among the following ideas: Air Carbon Chocolate chip cookie Compound Element, Heterogeneous Homogeneous Mixture Oxygen Pure Salt water Sodium chloride Soil Solution Water Creating Your Concept Map Concept mapping includes selecting terms, ranking concepts, arranging concepts in clusters, and linking concepts according to a cognitive scheme. To begin, open the Inspiration software and create a new file. In the main idea box, type the word "Matter." You may choose to enlarge the font or otherwise distinguish this main idea box. Click on the oval at the top of the basic toolbar to create a new oval field on your concept map. (If the toolbar is not already displayed, you can open it by selecting Symbol Palette under the pulldown View menu.) Add one term from the list to each oval created. 3
Ranking and Linking Concepts Arrange (by clicking and dragging) all of the ovals relative to the term Matter to create a classification scheme for matter. Use the Link Tool in the toolbar to create arrows between the terms. First, click on the link button. Then click the object where you want the arrow to start, followed by a click on the object toward which the arrow should point. Other students in your class are likely to create different arrangements of these terms. Here are two different classification schemes for matter can be found in physical science and chemistry textbooks. 4
Which of these classification schemes is correct? As you may have guessed, there is no one single "right" answer when it comes to classification. All classification schemes involve some subjectivity due to the values, assumptions, and definitions held by the classifier. [Note: Students will likely create a variety of classification schemes revealing the conceptual arrangement that represents their current levels of understanding. Beginning 5
science students often conclude that compounds should be classified as mixtures because they include atoms of more than one element. The phrase "cannot be separated by physical means" also causes confusion among novice science students.] Relationships After completing your organizational scheme, write short phrases on the lines linking the concepts in your map. [Note: These conceptual links help illustrate students' understanding of the relationships between the concepts in the map and can help clarify sources of confusion or misunderstanding. For example, do your students understand the difference between physical and chemical separation methods? Ask them to explain the differences between compounds and mixtures, solutions and mixtures, and solutions and compounds.] Finishing Up Before printing the final concept map, you may wish to adjust the layout of your diagram by using the arrange choices from the top menu. When satisfied with the appearance of your work, print your concept map. Note that the Print Options include a Fit to One Page choice, as well as both vertical and horizontal page layouts. Show your concept map to other students in the class and explain your reasoning. More than one correct arrangement of these terms is possible. The point of the concept map is to allow you to express your understanding of the relationships between the terms. Concept mapping may be used at the beginning of a lesson to assess students' prior knowledge of a topic or at the end of the lesson to summarize their new learning. This tool is especially powerful with nonlinear concept relationships. Teachers can offer students lists of terms to be used in a concept mapping exercise or ask students to generate their own list. In addition, students could complete partially finished concept maps by filling in relationship links or missing terms. Journal of Chemistry Education: For more information about concept maps in chemistry teaching, check out these sites at the Journal of Chemistry Education. References are available for JCE articles on concept mapping. 6
For high school students: http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/journal/issues/1996/nov/abs1084.html For first year college students: http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/journal/issues/2001/aug/abs1111.html http://www.chem.purdue.edu/nakhleh/group/matt.html Use of Concept Maps in the Teaching and Learning Process: For general information on the use of concept mapping, try this site. http://www.schoolnet.edu.mo/general/biology/temp/cmap/cmapguid.html The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How To Construct Them: Visit this site to learn about the theory underlying concept maps and how to construct them. http://cmap.coginst.uwf.edu/info/ Graphic Organizers: For uses of graphic organizers, questions, critical questions, and useful links, try this site. http://www.graphic.org/concept.html Inspiration Software, Co. For information about Inspiration Software products, uses and a free fully functional vervion of Inspiration visit: http://www.inspiration.com/home.cfm Contact: Randy L. Bell Asst Professor of Science Education Curry School of Education University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA 22904 email: randybell@virginia.edu 7
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