Lesson 1 - Monday, Sep 4th
Today in Science: Because of a special schedule due to morning MAP Testing and Class Hikes in the afternoon, students did not have a science lesson today.
Homework: —
Lesson 2 - Tuesday, Sep 5th
Lesson Focus Question: What happens when a bath bomb is added to water (and what causes it/that to happen)?
What We Did: Dr. Merritt shared his love for cooking and then mentioned the amazing transformation that takes place when you make something like cookies or a cake from a bunch of ingredients. This story established the fact that people have figured out many different ways to make news things that was not there before, which frames a “Driving Question” for our first unit: How can we make something new that was not there before? Students then made Noticings (observations) and Wonderings (questions) about a store-bought bath bomb both before and during its placement into a plastic tub full of room-temperature water. Towards the end of the lesson, students were asked to share some of their Noticings and Wonderings via the Google Jamboards created and emailed to students by Dr. Merritt.
What We Figured Out: Bath bombs created bubbles when placed in water; in D period, they were also said to produce some visible steam/smoke/vapours and to increase (slightly) the temperature of the water. The bath bomb we put into water got smaller and eventually “disappeared.” Some said it “dissolved.” At the end of the investigation, both classes saw little but a tub full of colored water.
How We Represented It: Most students did not do any drawings and/or diagrams of today’s investigation. Instead, most students used sentences to describe what they saw, smelled, heard, and felt/touched.
Homework: There is no science homework tonight.
Lesson 3 - Wednesday, Sep 6th
Lesson Focus Question: What happens when a bath bomb is added to water (and what causes it/that to happen)?
What We Did: To extend Tuesday’s bath bomb investigation, students were split into two teams and asked to watch what happens to bath bombs put into different temperature waters (hot tap water vs. cold tap water). Students used some simple tools (e.g., electronic mass balance, thermometer, timer, camera) to collect data and recorded all Noticings & Wonderings in their science notebooks.
What We Figured Out: The warmer water made the bath bomb dissolve much faster than the colder water.
How We Represented It: In our science notebooks, students were asked to draw what they think is happening to their bath bomb during their investigation.
Homework: There is no science homework tonight.
Lesson 4 - Friday, Sep 8th
Lesson Focus Question: What happens when a bath bomb is added to water (and what causes it/that to happen)?
What We Did: After joining the Google Science Classroom, learning about the “This Week in Science!” page of our class website, and learning about the “Driving Question” of our first unit, Dr. Merritt asked students to offer their best Noticings from putting bath bombs into water in Lessons 2 & 3. From this list, which was recorded on one of the whiteboards at the front of the room, students could see that they had used all five senses to collect “data” (i.e., make observations) about the behavior of bath bombs in water. Dr. M then asked students to think about how (or why) such noticings can occur. For example, students noticed that bath bombs placed in water “create bubbles,” but Dr. M then challenged students to think about how/why bath bombs and water might create bubbles? At the request of the students, Dr. M then shared the ingredients label of the bath bombs used in class this past week…
What We Figured Out: By analyzing the ingredients label and using their past knowledge and life experience, students figured out that, when combined with water, two of the first three ingredients listed on the label–bicarbonate soda (baking soda) and citric acid–can create foam/bubbles! And so, both C & D period students think they may have figured out how/why bath bombs create bubbles when combined with water. This led D period students to ask important questions such as, “What atoms are in these bath bomb ingredients?” and “What are the bubbles made of/from?” Dr. M also gave D period students a copy of the Periodic Table of the Elements so that they could identify what atoms/elements can be found in the first three bath bomb ingredients.
How We Represented It: Students mostly represented what they figured out by adding Noticings to already-existing tables in their notebooks. However, Dr. M wrote a sort of mathematical-style equation on the board as students were figuring out what causes the bath bombs to make bubbles. It looked something like this: BAKING SODA + CITRIC ACID + WATER = BUBBLES!!! Students left today’s class knowing that they took a positive step towards explaining what causes the bubbles produced by adding a bath bomb to water.
Homework: There is no science homework this weekend, but students should consider Announcement #1 below…
Announcements...
Our current UNIT QUESTION is: How can we make something new that was not there before?
#1 - Dr. Merritt would like every science student to have an A4-sized notebook to use in science class this year. The notebook should be well-bound and contain lined (not graphing) paper. If possible, Dr. M would also like students to have a plastic cover for their notebook.
#2 - ...