360Science™: Calcium Carbonate and Shell Production

Standards-aligned, Flinn’s 360Science: Calcium Carbonate and Shell Production kit presents the essential concepts of acid and bases, neutralization and environmental chemistry through hands-on science activities designed to engage all your students, regardless of level. Ocean acidification and its impact on the human population can be difficult for students to understand since it happens on such a large scale and over an extended period of time. When measured against the human lifespan, it always seems like a distant problem. But when measured on a geological time frame, it is occurring quite rapidly. Through this lab students will come to understand the effect of carbon dioxide on the ocean feedback mechanism. As levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continue to rise, more of that gas is being absorbed by the ocean. The ocean buffering system is driven more towards the acidic side, lowering the ocean pH. Rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are directly harming the ocean ecosystems through ocean acidification, which is interfering with many organisms’ ability to form shells. Students will see that higher concentrations of acid have a stronger effect on shell material and will be able to understand the effects this has on the ocean’s buffering system and the organisms living within.

Teachers can extend learning through guided inquiry into associated phenomena including, “How does ocean acidification affect coral reefs?”

This kit also includes access to both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies to ensure students better understand the concepts and the lab they are about to conduct. Designed to enhance comprehension, these technology-based simulations, in combination with the hands-on lab, will help your students achieve deeper understandings of complex processes.

Our 1-year option provides access to all digital content for one year plus lab supplies for a single class of 30 students. Our 3-year option extends access to digital content to three years, with a 30% discount on refill supply kits years 2 and 3.

What is 360Science?

360Science is just one of the powerful learning pathways accessed via PAVO, Flinn’s award-winning gateway to standards-aligned science paired with engaging hands-on learning. We’ve made it easier to provide personalized instruction while delivering the kind of lab experiences your students truly need. These comprehensive learning solutions bring science to life by giving you all the tools you need to incorporate more (and more effective) hands-on learning in your classroom or lab. 360Science allows you to provide your students with the support they need to make real-world connections to key scientific principles and help make those abstract concepts concrete.

360Science labs provide four pre-written (and editable) lab options to allow you to meet the needs of all your students.

Short-on-time Inquiry labs streamline activities, while retaining core concepts, so they can be completed within a shortened class period (approx. 30 minutes on average.)

Guided Inquiry Labs include additional detailed procedures for students and are designed for a standard class period, approximately 50 minutes.

Open Inquiry Labs are intended for students who can work more independently and allow students to take ownership of their work. These labs take approximately 50-90 minutes to complete.

Advanced Inquiry Labs build on previous labs, adding a new challenge and are designed around student exploration. These Labs are intended to be completed within 60-90 minutes.

360Science enables student-driven, blended learning combined with leveled lab instructions that support prescriptive, guided- and open-inquiry lab exercises (see PDF resource for specific details) that include robust digital content, such as videos and carefully curated Open Educational Resources (OER)—along with virtual reality and simulation exercises.

From editable, digital instructions to assessments and alignment with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), we have everything you need to improve mastery, remove the intimidation factor and foster your students’ natural curiosity.