Chris Sarkonak
@csarkonak.bsky.social
Physics teacher (former math teacher). CERN HST2019, E+2022, MAMT Murray McPherson Award 2022, CAP Physics Teacher Award 2022, Perimeter Institute Regional Coordinator for Manitoba, PASCO Champion, #Ungrading. Personal acnt - opinions expressed are my own.
I’ve been using it for years, along with portfolio-based grading, and it’s been great! Ss can focus on what they need and pace it out so they can actually be successful!
September 29, 2025 at 5:44 PM
I’ve been using it for years, along with portfolio-based grading, and it’s been great! Ss can focus on what they need and pace it out so they can actually be successful!
Day 9 cont: worked with the 11s on what this course should look like and be about. The goal was for them to think scientifically about their experiences in school and how we can build an environment that promotes scientific thinking and learning. Ss should feel empowered, not helpless #teach180 🎢
September 17, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Day 9 cont: worked with the 11s on what this course should look like and be about. The goal was for them to think scientifically about their experiences in school and how we can build an environment that promotes scientific thinking and learning. Ss should feel empowered, not helpless #teach180 🎢
Day 9 cont: 12s did some work at the vertical whiteboards in random groups looking at the vector nature of force. With what they already know about force and the Mu of a Shoe lab earlier, it's almost self-taught and they are doing great! #teach180 🎢
September 17, 2025 at 1:29 AM
Day 9 cont: 12s did some work at the vertical whiteboards in random groups looking at the vector nature of force. With what they already know about force and the Mu of a Shoe lab earlier, it's almost self-taught and they are doing great! #teach180 🎢
Day 8/9: I was away yesterday. Today, the 9s started on to Activity 5 of @perimeterinstitute.ca's Nature of Science resource, resources.perimeterinstitute.ca/products/the.... This is a great activity that looks at what fast radio bursts are and gets them doing some astronomy! #teach180 🎢
The Nature of Science
This free, customizable lesson compilation explores how scientists think by making observations and inferences, building models and finding patterns.
resources.perimeterinstitute.ca
September 17, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Day 8/9: I was away yesterday. Today, the 9s started on to Activity 5 of @perimeterinstitute.ca's Nature of Science resource, resources.perimeterinstitute.ca/products/the.... This is a great activity that looks at what fast radio bursts are and gets them doing some astronomy! #teach180 🎢
Day 7 cont: finishing up discussion with the 11s on hadron therapy for curing cancer, electricity generation, a Tesla coil demo, a BagelGen demo, the work at @ligo.org, some @stepupphysics.bsky.social resources, and clearing up many misconceptions (such as "quantum pendants")! #teach180 🎢
September 13, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Day 7 cont: finishing up discussion with the 11s on hadron therapy for curing cancer, electricity generation, a Tesla coil demo, a BagelGen demo, the work at @ligo.org, some @stepupphysics.bsky.social resources, and clearing up many misconceptions (such as "quantum pendants")! #teach180 🎢
Day 7 cont: 12s came in to find out we were doing our 2nd lab of the year with "mu of a shoe!" Turns out many Ss are not wearing their best footwear at this time of year! Great way to intro the vector nature of force and connecting forces to motion that we only started to explore in 11 #teach180 🎢
September 13, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Day 7 cont: 12s came in to find out we were doing our 2nd lab of the year with "mu of a shoe!" Turns out many Ss are not wearing their best footwear at this time of year! Great way to intro the vector nature of force and connecting forces to motion that we only started to explore in 11 #teach180 🎢
Day 7: 9s continued on their exploration of the periodic table and we had some detours discussing how electricity is generated, how stars are formed and where the elements come from. Some great discussion and Ss seemed very curious. #teach180 🎢
September 13, 2025 at 2:02 AM
Day 7: 9s continued on their exploration of the periodic table and we had some detours discussing how electricity is generated, how stars are formed and where the elements come from. Some great discussion and Ss seemed very curious. #teach180 🎢
Day 6 cont: talked to 11s about the importance of physics, drawing on my experiences from @cern.bsky.social, @triumflab.bsky.social, @perimeterinstitute.ca, and others! Discussed proton therapy in curing cancer, this was shocking to Ss, and some of the other "by-products" of physics! #teach180 🎢
September 12, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Day 6 cont: talked to 11s about the importance of physics, drawing on my experiences from @cern.bsky.social, @triumflab.bsky.social, @perimeterinstitute.ca, and others! Discussed proton therapy in curing cancer, this was shocking to Ss, and some of the other "by-products" of physics! #teach180 🎢
Day 6 cont: 12s worked on @cossettej.bsky.social's passionatelycurioussci.weebly.com/blog/kinemat... and had a blast! Great conversations, recalling what they learned last year. They were all into it, working collaboratively, and wanted to figure it out without any hints or help from me! #teach180 🎢
Kinematics Crime Scene
I have found that my kinematics unit is basically an equation-fest where students rearrange and solve word problems. Most of the practice that we do is very sterile and typically only involves the...
passionatelycurioussci.weebly.com
September 12, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Day 6 cont: 12s worked on @cossettej.bsky.social's passionatelycurioussci.weebly.com/blog/kinemat... and had a blast! Great conversations, recalling what they learned last year. They were all into it, working collaboratively, and wanted to figure it out without any hints or help from me! #teach180 🎢
Day 5/6: Was out sick yesterday, but back today. 9s started looking at the periodic table in @perimeterinstitute.ca's Nature of Science resource, Activity 4, resources.perimeterinstitute.ca/products/the.... Some great connections and students are very much enjoying these #teach180 🎢
The Nature of Science
This free, customizable lesson compilation explores how scientists think by making observations and inferences, building models and finding patterns.
resources.perimeterinstitute.ca
September 12, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Day 5/6: Was out sick yesterday, but back today. 9s started looking at the periodic table in @perimeterinstitute.ca's Nature of Science resource, Activity 4, resources.perimeterinstitute.ca/products/the.... Some great connections and students are very much enjoying these #teach180 🎢
Day 4 cont: 11s were introduced to @eeugenia.bsky.social's ISLE approach with a thrilling video of watching paper dry! Ss learned the importance of observations and were very creative in their stories explaining what was going on. Model building and scientific thinking is so important! #teach180 🎢
September 10, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Day 4 cont: 11s were introduced to @eeugenia.bsky.social's ISLE approach with a thrilling video of watching paper dry! Ss learned the importance of observations and were very creative in their stories explaining what was going on. Model building and scientific thinking is so important! #teach180 🎢
Day 4 cont: 12s continue their motion review with the first random group, vertical whiteboard work of the year. After completing @cossettej.bsky.social's motion graph matchmaker and using equipment to determine real-world scenarios, they derive the "big 5" kinematics eqns from the graphs #teach180 🎢
September 10, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Day 4 cont: 12s continue their motion review with the first random group, vertical whiteboard work of the year. After completing @cossettej.bsky.social's motion graph matchmaker and using equipment to determine real-world scenarios, they derive the "big 5" kinematics eqns from the graphs #teach180 🎢
Day 4: Today the 9s finished up with the @perimeterinstitute.ca Nature of Science Activity 3 on the senses. They were given tech cards to determine how they enhance different senses and asked to come up with a plan for how to address a situation they were randomly dealt. #teach180 🎢
September 10, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Day 4: Today the 9s finished up with the @perimeterinstitute.ca Nature of Science Activity 3 on the senses. They were given tech cards to determine how they enhance different senses and asked to come up with a plan for how to address a situation they were randomly dealt. #teach180 🎢
Day 3 cont: 11s start by creating 3 models for the mystery tube I demo'd at the front, they then presented their worst model, they could have me do 1 "move," then had to revise their models and present their best model, then they got their own to investigate and then present that model #teach180 🎢
September 9, 2025 at 3:40 AM
Day 3 cont: 11s start by creating 3 models for the mystery tube I demo'd at the front, they then presented their worst model, they could have me do 1 "move," then had to revise their models and present their best model, then they got their own to investigate and then present that model #teach180 🎢
Day 3 cont: First lab on day 3!! 12s continued their review of kinematics by building on Friday's motion graph matchmaker activity. Today's task was to familiarize themselves with the Pasco SmartCart systems and figure out the real-world scenarios to create each of these sets of graphs. #teach180 🎢
September 9, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Day 3 cont: First lab on day 3!! 12s continued their review of kinematics by building on Friday's motion graph matchmaker activity. Today's task was to familiarize themselves with the Pasco SmartCart systems and figure out the real-world scenarios to create each of these sets of graphs. #teach180 🎢
Day 3: 9s discussed the limitations of our senses using @perimeterinstitute.ca's activity 3 from resources.perimeterinstitute.ca/products/the.... 11s continued building models using mystery tubes, based on the Making Models activity from resources.perimeterinstitute.ca/products/the.... #teach180 🎢
September 9, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Day 3: 9s discussed the limitations of our senses using @perimeterinstitute.ca's activity 3 from resources.perimeterinstitute.ca/products/the.... 11s continued building models using mystery tubes, based on the Making Models activity from resources.perimeterinstitute.ca/products/the.... #teach180 🎢
Day 2 cont: 12s review motion and get to know each other with @cossettej.bsky.social's motion graphs matchmaker, passionatelycurioussci.weebly.com/blog/motion-.... Printed cards and randomly deal them out to Ss until they're all gone. Ss then talk to each other and figure out the sets #teach180 🎢
Motion Graph Matchmakers
Motion graph cards with pairs of displacement vs time and velocity vs time graphs that describe the same motion
passionatelycurioussci.weebly.com
September 7, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Day 2 cont: 12s review motion and get to know each other with @cossettej.bsky.social's motion graphs matchmaker, passionatelycurioussci.weebly.com/blog/motion-.... Printed cards and randomly deal them out to Ss until they're all gone. Ss then talk to each other and figure out the sets #teach180 🎢
Day 2: Today the 9s worked through @cern.bsky.social's mystery boxes, scoollab.web.cern.ch/mystery-boxes to continue developing an understanding of the nature of science. 11s did Taming the Particle Zoo from @perimeterinstitute.ca's resources.perimeterinstitute.ca/products/bey.... #teach180 🎢
Mystery Boxes | S'Cool LAB
scoollab.web.cern.ch
September 7, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Day 2: Today the 9s worked through @cern.bsky.social's mystery boxes, scoollab.web.cern.ch/mystery-boxes to continue developing an understanding of the nature of science. 11s did Taming the Particle Zoo from @perimeterinstitute.ca's resources.perimeterinstitute.ca/products/bey.... #teach180 🎢
Day 1 cont: 12 Ss started with @cossettej.bsky.social's passionatelycurioussci.weebly.com/blog/game-of.... This is a great way to kick-start the 12s and we talked about the challenges of figuring out the rules of the game from within the game #teach180 🎢
The Game of Science
Students must complete this first week science task to determine the rules to a board game just by observing how it is played
passionatelycurioussci.weebly.com
September 7, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Day 1 cont: 12 Ss started with @cossettej.bsky.social's passionatelycurioussci.weebly.com/blog/game-of.... This is a great way to kick-start the 12s and we talked about the challenges of figuring out the rules of the game from within the game #teach180 🎢
Day 1: I believe that what we focus on first sets a tone in the classroom and communicates values to Ss. There were no course outlines or talk of grades today, 9 & 11 Ss learned about the nature of science with @cossettej.bsky.social's inquiry cubes and @perimeterinstitute.ca's resource! #teach180 🎢
September 7, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Day 1: I believe that what we focus on first sets a tone in the classroom and communicates values to Ss. There were no course outlines or talk of grades today, 9 & 11 Ss learned about the nature of science with @cossettej.bsky.social's inquiry cubes and @perimeterinstitute.ca's resource! #teach180 🎢