Week 11

 

1.) This week in the lab, we practiced creating hypotheses, making observations, and then drawing conclusions based on our observations. In order to do this, we rotated between six stations that contained different experiments. I started with the baking soda and vinegar experiment, where we mixed baking soda and vinegar and observed the reaction that occurred. We noticed that the contents in the bag began to make noise and fizz and then cooled down in temperature. Then we did the M&M experiment, where we put M&M's in the water and watched what happened. I thought that the colors would separate from the M&M and then mix together; instead, they separated and stayed separate. In the next station, we took a pop out of a cooler, wiped it off, and watched what happened. We expected condensation to appear on the can, but nothing happened. Next, we tested what surface plungers stuck to the best. We found that it stuck better to solid surfaces without holes. In the melted ice station, we put an ice cube on a wood board and in a metal pan. The ice cube in the metal pan melted faster. Then finally, in the floating coke experiment, we put a small and big can of diet and regular coke in a tub of water. It was surprising to find that everything but the large can of coke floated.

3.) Many of the results from the experiments that we completed were very surprising and confusing to me. What caused the large can of diet coke to float better than the regular coke? I would guess that the natural sugars in the Diet Coke could have caused its can to float better. I was also very surprised by the melting ice experiment. The metal pan was cooler than the wood, so I thought that it would keep the ice colder much longer. I'm still not sure what caused the change. But I know that metal is more adaptable in terms of changing temperature, so maybe this caused the ice cube to use more energy to keep the metal cool. The ice also moved around more in the metal pan, so maybe friction caused it to melt faster.

4.) I believe that I can apply what I learned by using similar experiments in an elementary setting. The activities were hands-on, which would help with engagement, and they encouraged collaboration, which would allow students to learn from each other. The experiments were also based on occurrences that we are very familiar with in our everyday lives; this will help make the content relatable for the students completing the activities. They can make connections. They also provided great opportunities for students to practice making observations and drawing conclusions.