Looking for ways to make complex earth science concepts feel concrete and real to your students is always a challenge. That’s why we’re so excited when we find experiment kits like Ward’s Science Engage Kit Under Pressure. The kit hands kids the tools (literally) to build their own barometers and track how air pressure affects weather over time. It’s a clever way to take a sometimes abstract earth science concept and make it real, right in your classroom. Perfect for grades 8–10, this NGSS-aligned kit is designed to cap off weather and atmosphere units with a bang.
We asked middle school teacher Sarah Donovan to try it out with her 8th graders. Read on to learn why she thinks it’s one of the most practical and engaging science kits she’s ever used.
What grade levels and subject areas would you say the Ward’s Science Engage Kit works best for?
Sarah Donovan
I used this kit for my 8th grade environmental science class. I think that this kit would be suitable for grades 8–10, particularly for courses involving environmental science, earth science, or physical science.
Does “Under Pressure” align with any specific standards or curriculum guidelines that you know of?
Sarah Donovan
Our 8th grade curriculum focuses on Earth systems as well as the ways in which humans can positively or negatively impact them. To understand climate change, students must first understand our atmosphere. They need to know what it is and how it works. It’s also important for them to learn about the forces that affect its movement. We’ve been trying to incorporate more physical science into our curriculum, and this kit helps to reinforce student understanding of density, temperature, matter, and atmospheric pressure.
(Note: All Ward’s Science Engage Kits are NGSS aligned.)
How did your students react to the “Under Pressure” experiment?
Sarah Donovan
My students enjoyed the process of building and monitoring their barometers. As we left them outside for the week, they were excited when it was their turn to go out and record data. I also saw them checking the barometers between classes!
How easy was it to use and implement the Science Engage Kit in your classroom?
Sarah Donovan
Overall, I would say that the process of implementing the kit was pretty seamless! As students already had the background information regarding the atmosphere, temperature, and pressure, I just had to give them a brief introduction to barometers and how they can help us compare air pressure and weather. Other than tape and scissors, I didn’t have to provide any other materials for them to complete their work. The worksheets were straightforward and well designed for their level.
What makes the Ward’s Science Engage Kit special or unique compared to other science experiments or kits you’ve used?
Sarah Donovan
I appreciate that the Ward’s kit comes with both student- and teacher-facing material. Some experiments [from other companies] either don’t provide comprehensive teacher instruction or it is very limited, meaning I have to spend extra time figuring out the correct procedure to make sure that the activity will run smoothly.
How did the Ward’s Science Engage Kit save you time or make teaching easier?
As a science teacher, I love to incorporate as many hands-on activities as possible into my classes. That being said, this often involves gathering or purchasing materials and creating the student-facing materials (procedures, data sheets, discussion questions, etc.). Having all of these components delivered as a kit allows me to spend more time preparing my students with the content that they need to better understand the topic.
Do you plan to use this kit again in the future?
I would like to utilize this kit with my 8th grade students next year as well. I think that this was a great way to end our lesson about the atmosphere. As the jars can be reused, I would just need to purchase additional straws and balloons to replicate the activity. Now that I have access to the student worksheets, I can make additional copies and build on the activity for next year. There are also additional extensions in the kit that I didn’t have time to use this year that we could include in the future.
Check out all of the Ward’s Science Engage Kits >>
Watch Sarah’s video review:
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