Summary

In this lesson, students will research female chemists and create a 6-panel ‘Snapchat’ storyboard to present the information learned.

Grade Level

Middle School, High School

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students should be able to

• Identify key factors about an assigned female scientist’s life
• Make a ‘Snapchat Storyboard’ about the female scientist
• Cite website names and addresses of sources used for information

Chemistry Topics

This lesson supports students’ understanding of

• History of science
• Role of women in science

Time

Teacher Preparation: 10-30 minutes

• Prep time will vary depending on whether you come up with your own list of scientists for students to choose from and/or create a LiveBinder or other list of resources for students to use

Lesson: 60 minutes (or more) for research, 60 minutes (or more) for completing the storyboard

• Depending on grade level and how advanced students are, more or less class time can be given for the project and some of it can be assigned as homework

Materials

• Poster boards
• Copies of Snapchat Template
• Copies of Student Research data sheet
• List of female chemists (unless you want students to choose without a list)
  • Here is a list to start from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_chemistry
• Computers with internet access
• Reference books
• Non-fiction books about scientists if available in library

Safety

• No specific safety precautions need to be observed for this activity.

Teacher Notes

• Depending on grade level and research experience of students, teachers may wish to set up a LiveBinder that incorporates needed websites for research or post a list of resources to their class website if they have one. (LiveBinders are used to put various websites at the fingertips of students just by visiting the website. In my opinion, it helps keep students from simply taking the first piece of information that pops up, usually from Wikipedia. It also allows students time to actually evaluate information as opposed to spending so much time searching for it. http://www.livebinders.com/)
• This is a research project that I feel is most beneficial if completed as an individual. However, if technology is limited, students can be paired up to complete activity.
• Consider scheduling time in your school’s library with your librarian, who can help your students develop good research strategies. A useful research/citation guide can be found here: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/resources.html. Many middle/high schools require MLA formatting, which is what is in the directions for this resource, but you can choose another citation format.
• Using the Snapchat story format should be something students can relate to, ideally increasing their level of interest and creativity. More frames can be added if you want them to include more information. This project could also be re-worked as a comic strip or short illustrated biography/booklet.
• If your school has iPads/Chromebooks/BYOD, students could create their pictures digitally rather than drawing them, then do a digital presentation or print them out and put them on a poster board just as the hand drawn pictures would be.
• Depending on available time, students can present to the class or they can take part in a Gallery walk. We hung the Storyboards around the room and allowed students to walk around and observe other creations.
• This might be a good activity for students to complete with a substitute if you know you will be out for a day or two. You should probably introduce the project first, but once students understand the expectations of the project, much of the work can be done independently.
• This activity could easily be adapted to other groups besides female chemists to celebrate any number of heritage/history months.