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For my big idea it would like the students to record data and make graphs of chemical reactions then present their findings to their classmates.  I think that it is critical that students understand how to record their observations and make graphs to explain their findings in the 21^st century.  It is also important that students can do this on the computer which saves time and makes graphs easier to read.  Recently my students showed me the website Create a Graph for kids

http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/ this is a very kid friendly site and allows the students to easily make nice creative graphs to show their information.  Then this summer I was show the Prezi website http://www.prezi.com/ which is a way to make presentations yet it is more creative than power point.  Both of these sites make student presentations neat and creative.  I think that it is very important for students to be able to present their information and have speaking skills in the 21^st century and these websites help in that area.  I would like to use all of these tools with an experiment much like one that we watched in an earlier class where the students are given different materials to mix and then record how quickly the chemical reactions cause the lids of a container to pop off.

The Heat is On

During this experiment I wanted to test how well various materials in the kitchen worked as insulators.  Tillery, Enger, and Ross explained that “Most insulating materials are good insulators because they contain many small air spaces,” which make the materials poor conductors because it is harder to conduct heat between the spaced out air molecules (2008).  With this in mind I chose four different materials to cover my coffee mugs of hot water.  I chose a coffee filter, pot holder, tin foil, and saran wrap as my insulators. 

            I felt that the pot holder would be a good insulator as we use it in the kitchen to protect our hands from hot materials, thus it should not be a good conductor of heat.  I also felt that the pot holder would contain many air pockets in the stuffing which complied with the earlier description of a good insulator.  I felt that the tin foil would prove to be a good insulator because we use it often to insulate our food once it is out of the oven.  I do not feel however, that it has many air pockets which contradict the description of a good insulator. The coffee filter and saran wrap did not seem as though they would be good insulators as there were no visible air pockets and from experience I noted that they are often good conductors of heat when covering hot objects.

            After waiting thirty minutes to test my hypothesis, my results came out as the tin foil being the best insulator keeping the water at a temperature of 116° C.  The coffee filter and pot holder tied, with the water at 113° C.  The thermometer dropped drastically when it was put in the water insulated by the saran wrap as it read 105° C.  Even though I did not visibly see air pockets in the tin foil I knew from experience that it was used to insulate food and thus was not surprised that it proved to be one of the better insulators.  I did think that the pot holder would be the highest insulator as it is used to protect our hands from heated things in the kitchen.  It was difficult to create a tight seal around the pot holder and the cup and I feel that there is a possibility that heat was lost due to this.  I was surprised that the coffee filter kept in as much heat as it did.  Although as stated earlier it might have tied the pot holder due to a loose seal.  When thinking about air pockets the coffee filter did have air pockets but they were so loose between the fibers that I felt the heat would easily escape.  The saran wrap was not incredibly surprising.  Although it is often noted the plastic can keep heat in as there is very little room for air to escape yet it can be a good conductor of heat because there are few air pockets and the heat can escape easily.

            It was interesting to complete this experiment using different material from the kitchen to see which ones were better materials.  It actually reminds me of an experiment/building project a cousin of mine conducted during which they used different materials to insulate each wall of a small cabin that they built to see which ones would be the best insulators for a future house that they were building.  Often in my mind I can think of different materials that are good insulators or conductors based on experience but I needed reminded of why they were good insulators or conductors.  I look forward to trying a similar experiment with my students.

           

Pendulum Lab

During this experiment I needed to answer the question of which pendulum would swing for a longer amount of time, a lighter or heavier pendulum.  I set up two pendulums with the same lenght string but different sized washers on the end.  I then tied them to the same chair and let them loose from the same height at the same time.  At first they kept running into eachother so then I put one on one chair and one on the other.  When I completed the experiment three times each time the heavier pendulum lasted longer.  I then tested my idea again using a virtual pendulum lab to make sure there were no human errors in my findings.

I like the way the experiment went and felt that it was a good inquiry experience for my students.  I would like to try this with my students but maybe take it a step further and change it into a competition.  First I would like them to test what would last longer, heavier or lighter pendulums, then have them change the length of the string, and the height that they release them from.  Then using their findings I would ask them to create a pendulum that would last longer than any other student's in the class.  So they would need to use their findings to create a longer lasting pendulum.  6th graders are often competitive and I think they would enjoy using their new found knowledge to compete with their classmates.

Air Plant Structured Inquiry Lesson

In the "Air Plant" the students observed an aquatic plant in an aquarium that was contained in a drinking glass with no air inside the glass.  We added baking soda and light to help aid the photosynthesis process.  I wanted my students to see photosynthesis in action and understand what was needed and produced in the process.  I also wanted them to understand the importance of plants in our lives.

The students came into my room excited, asking what the materials were at the back of the room.  I didn't want to tell them because I wanted them to stay excited and think of ways that we could use the materials.

I then asked the students to tell me what they knew about photosynthesis and how plants help us survive.  We talked about how plants use the carbon dioxide that we produce to make oxygen for us to breath in.  We also discussed how plants use their chlorophyll in the presence of light, with water and carbon dioxide to go through the photosynthesis process.  I asked the students to look at the materials that I had at the back and then discuss with their groups how they thought we could use those materials to help us better understand photosythesis.

We set up the experiment at the back the way that many of the groups determined would be best to see photosynthesis in action and then I asked each student to write their own hypothesis of what would happen once we put the baking soda in the water and turned on the light.  Many suggested that we would see bubbles of oxygen rise to the top of the glasses, a few students thought that the plants would change color as they produced glucose.

The students were then able to see the bubbles of oxygen rising from the plants and collecting at the top of the drinking glass.  After this they completed their lab report analysis and concluson as-well-as a carbon dioxide-oxygen cycle worksheet and placed pieces of the photosythesis process in the correct order to prove their understanding. 

After reviewing my students’ work I noticed that they were able to complete sentences regarding the carbon dioxide-oxygen cycle and the conclusions of the experiment.  They understood that the oxygen being released from the aquatic plants in the tank was produced due to photosynthesis.  Unfortunately most of the students had difficulty placing the stages of photosynthesis in a cyclical pattern.  When asked about the steps verbally they were able to answer the order but still had difficulty organizing them in a cycle.  Overall I feel that the lesson was successful and engaging but just needs a few revisions.



Melting Iceburg experiment

9. Extended Questions

        a. What happens if the polar ice caps melt?  If the polar ice caps melt that will have an effect on the sea levels.  There is a difference between the melting of ice on the land and floating ice burgs.  With the ice burgs they are already in the ocean and displacing water so when they melt it doesn’t effect the sea level as much as the added water from land based ice.

        b. What other questions do you have about this Science Inquiry Experience?  Just as an inquiry and looking at what I know about ice.  I know these are some things that I should already know but here you go.  When I did the melting ice experiment it looked like the water raised a little bit.  It did not rise enough to break the surface tension and flow over the side of the bowl. With matter you know that the molecules come closer together as they get colder and freeze so you would think that ice would be more dense than water but ice cubes do the opposite float meaning that they are less dense and the volume has increased.  So even though there is some ice above the water it shouldn’t increase the sea level much because as the ice melts it actually becomes denser and takes up less space.

First blog on blogger- 5 E's

Alright lets try this again.  Sorry to all about changing my blog I was having a little difficulty with the other one.  So this is the first time that I have written my own blog and I'm a little bit excited about it but nervous as well because I have had some trouble so far.  So here goes.

 Anyways again, in response to my STEM lesson this week.  The format was a little helpful except I found it redundant in some areas.  I feel that I usually use the 5 E’s in my project plans to ensure that the students are involved in the process.  Some problems that I see with the project are some parents will not respond to the interviews that my students give and some of the professionals will not write back to the students making it hard for them to complete the project.  That is why I try to find professionals for them to write to that I know will respond.