Learning from A to Z – An End of Year Reflection Activity

Today I want to share an activity with you called Learning from A to Z. Last month, I saw a tweet by Kimberly Blodgett and told myself I needed to remember it for the last couple of weeks of school.

We’re now in our last week of school, and it’s been hard to maintain regular classroom teaching.  Yesterday, we missed part of the day for the Box Social.  Friday, we will miss the entire afternoon for the Awards Assembly.

Last year, I had my students do an Alphabetical Advice activity that I blogged about here and here.

This year, I decided to edit that file and turn it into a “Learning from A to Z” activity.

Here’s what they ended up looking like:

I pioneered this new activity with my physical science class.  They had to come up with 26 different things we had learned this year that started with each letter of the alphabet.

They struggled with a few letters of the alphabet until they realized that the Periodic Table could be their friend with this activity.

It was interesting to eavesdrop on their conversations as they brainstormed different ideas to complete the activity.

Curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to type up all of their responses.  If you’re curious, too, keep reading!  

A – Arithmetic and Rounding, Accuracy, Aluminum, Actinium, Alkali Metals

B – Balancing Chemical Equations, Beaker, Bohr Models

C – Classifying Reactions, Converting Numbers to Scientific Notation, Calculating Error, Captive Zeros

D – Decomposition, Decimal Notation, Double Displacement, Digits

E – Estimating Length, Estimating Time, Electron Dot Diagrams, Electrons, Energy, Elements

F – Formula, Flask, Force

G – Giant Burgers, Grams, Gravity

H – Hydrocarbons, Halogens, How to Read the Periodic Table, Height

I – Ionic Compounds

J – Joules

K – Kilogram, Kilometers, Kinetic Energy, Krypton

L – Leading Zeros, Length, Lead, Labs

M – Measuring Volume, Metric System, Metric to Metric Conversions, Momentum, Mathematics of Science, Measurement, Molar Mass

N – Neutrons, Naming Ionic Compounds, Newton’s Laws

O – Oxygen, Other Metals, Open System

P – Periodic Table, p=mv, Percent Error, Predicting Products, Protons

Q – Quarts

R – Rounding, Reactions, Roller Coaster Model

S – Single Displacement, Scientific Notation, Stoichiometry, Sulfur

T – Types of Systems, Trailing Zeros, Tellurium, Transition Metals, Triple Beam Balance

U – Unit Conversion Factors, Units, Uranium

V – Volume, Velocity

W – Work, Writing Chemical Equations

X – Xenon

Y – Yield, Yttrium

Z – Zirconium

Now, I look forward to doing this with my algebra classes next!