Capturing students’ underlying proficiency in chemistry concepts can sometimes feel elusive.
Individual models offer a powerful, multimodal approach for students to represent their thoughts about a phenomenon. By allowing students to express their ideas through drawings, annotations, or written explanations, we gain insight into both their current understanding and any misconceptions they may hold. These models often reveal gaps or persistent misunderstandings that must be addressed—individually or as a class—before moving forward. Without this step, even the most engaging lessons may fall short if students are unable to connect and apply core concepts to future learning.
I view chemistry as a cyclical subject, where concepts continuously build upon one another. A breakdown in understanding early on can create lasting challenges. That’s why modeling is a key part of how I launch new units in my classroom. I establish and reinforce clear expectations for individual models from the beginning of the year, making them a foundational practice for developing and revisiting students’ thinking throughout our learning journey.
The point at which students create their own individual models depends on the specific phenomenon being explored in class. This phenomenon might be a hands-on investigation, a teacher-led demonstration (such as lighting a sparkler in a fume hood), a compelling image, or a short video clip. Following the experience, students complete an I See, I Think, I Wonder table—a strategy inspired by Paul Andersen’s work on The Wonder of Science website. This structured reflection captures students’ initial observations, interpretations, and questions, serving as a valuable resource when they later construct their individual models. These early thoughts help anchor their understanding and reveal the ideas they bring into the learning process.
Students need a designated space to think about their initial thoughts of what they see, think, and wonder relating to a phenomenon. Since starting this process with my on-level classes, I have observed that this is significantly relevant to my most resistant and quiet students. Free from the distraction or anxiety of working with other students, they have time to record their initial model thoughts on their own.
For each chemistry storyline, I create individual model templates in Canva utilizing the infinite whiteboard option. My class size is typically around twenty-four students, so I split the class evenly into two groups using their last names (roughly A through M and N through Z). I try to limit the number of student individual model whiteboards in a group to twelve. This assures that students are not limited to the number of annotations on their models. That error can occur if you have too many whiteboards in a group. The beginning Canva whiteboards are similar from template to template. The first whiteboard revisits the “Canva Etiquette” that is expected from every student in the group. This is a “locked” whiteboard where students cannot modify the directions.
The second whiteboard focuses on the individual model “Must Haves”. This provides guidelines to students to help them focus on initial model expectations. These expectations are intended to be open but provide an entry point to start them in the process if they are unsure about where to begin their model. Additional information may be provided in the class notebook that accompanies these slides. This is also a “locked slide” in Canva.
The third slide that is consistent with all Canva templates is the modeling conventions slide. This slide highlights important concepts that can be included in models to help students convey their ideas about a phenomenon.
After this slide, each student has their own personal slide to annotate. They revisit their thoughts from the “I See, I Think, I Wonder” chart and use that information to annotate their individual models. When this process was developed, our team made the decision to record each phenomenon for absent students, thus making sure they were able to complete the work outside of class and not fall behind. Recording the video also allowed students in class to rewatch the phenomenon again, especially at different points in time, to include in their models.
Individual Model Template for Gold Sparkler Phenomenon
An important aspect of this process is the ability for students to revise their initial models. They can add new concepts as introduced over the course of a storyline, change their initial thoughts based on what they have learned, ask additional questions, and consider other factors that provide more information to explain the phenomenon. Canva’s infinite whiteboard provides as much space as necessary for the student to add information beyond the border of the initial template.
Example of a Student Final Model for Gold Sparkler Phenomenon
Canva provides students a space to create, revisit, and refine individual models over the course of a storyline. An individual model documents their initial understanding, uncovering potential areas of confusion, while documenting growth in understanding over time. This process ensures all learners, including those of quiet or reluctant learners, are heard, and that each student has a concrete record of their evolving thinking. Embedding this practice into our chemistry storylines reinforces the cyclical nature of the subject, enabling students to connect past learning to new phenomena. In the end, these models serve as tools for sense-making, reflection, and transfer of knowledge of students' growth in chemistry content over time.