Games in Science Instruction

Three Language Strategies Targeting Science Concept Development

Aug 12, 2009 Arlene Marturano

The game format is a powerful tool for consolidating concept development in science education.

If students are to gain an understanding of science, they need to be able to make connections between and among concepts. Fortunately, teaching methodologies do exist that give students practice in structuring relationships. Three language games described below provide such practice.

Suspense in Science

“Secrets” is a game that encourages students to structure ideas while sharpening writing skills. During observation labs in a unit, Inquiry With Butterflies, for example, students write various butterfly words – proboscis, compound eye, nectar, wing, veins, scales, barbs, - on index cards. Other cards contain prepositions, conjunctions and articles.

Students are told that within this collection of words are butterfly secrets that can be discovered by putting the words into different arrangements. Students provide verbs to signal the precise relationships between the words on the cards and begin to write sentences (“The butterfly has scales on the wings.” “The proboscis sips nectar.” “Pairs of wings overlap.”) Students verify the statements, either by observation or reference books.

“Secrets” works best over an extended period of time in which students continue to learn new concepts and add to their word card file. By keeping a record of their sentences in a diary or journal, they may use the ideas for writing assignments.

Common Denominators Between Concepts

“Connections” is a game requiring students to formulate relationships between pairs of concepts they’ve discovered. During a unit on Matter, for example, students observe a series of density experiments with a variety of liquids and solids and record the concepts “mass” and “volume” on index cards.

After posting the cards on the marker board (which functions as a class Connections game board), an arrow is drawn between the pair to show that the two are related. Students are then given fifteen minutes to construct true statements using both concepts. Peers and teacher judge the written sentences on the basis of scientific (and grammatical) accuracy.

Once students play “Connections,” they strive to enlarge their list of connections with each game played and welcome vocabulary words that challenge their ability to relate ideas. Soon they’ll request trios, quartets and even quintets.

Conceptual Contradictions

“Pairs of Opposites” is a game used to review concepts at the culmination of a unit. Pairs of students generate pairs of opposite concepts. Students place the opposites on index cards and each partner explains how the concept on his card is the opposite of the peer’s concept.

In a weather unit they discover “warm front and cold front,” “evaporation and condensation,” “high pressure and low pressure,” “atmosphere and space,” “ continental and maritime.”

In a matter unit they contrast “solids and fluids,” “melting point and freezing point,” “protons and electrons,” “metals and nonmetals,” “matter and energy,” “physical properties and chemical properties,” and “organic compounds and inorganic compounds.”

In an animal unit students distinguish between “noctural” and “diurnal,” “ectotherm” and “endotherm,” and “altricial,” and “precocial."

Language games enliven the science classroom. Using these three games and others that incorporate similar language strategies will encourage students to process new and difficult science concepts.

The copyright of the article Games in Science Instruction in Curricula/Lesson Plans is owned by Arlene Marturano. Permission to republish Games in Science Instruction in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Connections Game