Running Head: PORTFOLIO PROJECT: DISCUSSION, FEEDBACK, AND

DISCUSSION
Pre- Class: Arrange desks in a large circle around the classroom so that all
students can see each other.
Class Discussion: The goal of this class discussion is to ensure that everyone
knows and understands moles. This includes how to do mole problems and how
they relate to the real world. I will add in input if and when I see fit. If I see that
discussions are getting off topic or if the information is incorrect.
Questions
1. What are some real world examples of how moles can be used? Discuss
professions, how they would be used, and what it involves.
2. How are moles related to molarity and molality?
3. What is the importance of molarity/ molality in chemistry as a whole? How
was the discovery/ idea of moles impacted our world?
4. What was happening around the time the idea of Avogadros number came
up? Did something occur that impacted the idea or encourage it to come
forth?
Rules for classroom discussion
1. Only one person is to talk at a time.
2. Please stand up when you talk- our classroom is shaped funny so it is difficult
to see everyone in the circle
3. Respect others opinions and ideas. No raising your voice, no personal attacks.
You are allowed to disagree but you must do so with respect
4. Everyone has to contribute to the conversation at least once. Contribute
something that furthers the conversation
5. If your opinion is not being heard, you can raise your flag. Allow everyone to
contribute do not talk over people.
6. You are to take notes throughout the discussion and use them to write a
summary at the end. Be specific, but do not allow the notes to take away
from the discussion.
Assignment: Take the last 10 minutes of class to gather your thoughts and to write
a brief paper on the discussions that took place. Briefly summarize the discussion
and write any other thoughts or ideas that you have. This will be your exit ticket.

PORTFOLIO PROJECT: DISCUSSION, FEEDBACK, AND

FEEDBACK
Students were given a set of mini white board questions to answer as a way to
provide non- evaluative feedback. The students were each given a mini white board
and scratch paper. The following set of questions was posed to the students in the
form of a power point.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

What is Avogadros Number?

How many atoms are in 1 gram of gold?
How many moles of Sodium are in 6 grams of Sodium?
How many Liters are in one mole
How many atoms of oxygen are in 3 moles of water.
To determine the molar mass of an element, one must know the element's?
The atomic number of oxygen is 8. The atomic number of sulfur is 16.
Compared with a mole of oxygen, a mole of sulfur contains?
8. How many moles of oxygen are in 3.92x1028 molecules of carbon dioxide?
After every question a student who got the question right was asked to explain how
they got the answer. Students also got the chance to ask any questions that they
had. This allowed any questions to be asked. We also had the opportunity to go
around and asked students if they had any questions. Finally, as always we have to
daily office hours that students were again encouraged to participate in to gain
more knowledge on the subject.
PROGRESS CHECKS.
Because of the importance of checking understanding throughout a unit, we
decided that though we do not want to do homework for the unit, we were instead
going to do a during class check. Every time we came to a breaking point in the
lesson, we would have students hold up a thumbs up, thumbs down, or a fist to
describe their understanding. A thumbs up shows Yes! I understand thing! a
thumbs down shows No, I do not understand this at all and a fist shows I do
understand slightly, but could use more explanation. This allows us to gain a better

PORTFOLIO PROJECT: DISCUSSION, FEEDBACK, AND

understanding what the students are thinking, and if they are understanding. We
were able to go back and re- explain many of the things that the students did not
understand. We restated the information in a different way that allowed them to
understand better. Also with the discussion questions and power point questions we
were able to gauge where the students were at as far as understanding. While going
over the rubric both at the beginning of the unit and towards the end of the unit we
were able to coach all students towards the mastery of this topic.