Inquiry lesson: Density

I chose to do a lab on density for our Inquiry lesson.  Throughout this lab students got to see density work at two different stations.  The first station had a 250 mL cylinder with 5 different liquids inside it: honey, Dawn dish soap, water, vegetable oil, and rubbing alcohol.  I surrounded the cylinder with each of these liquid's containers, and my students had to guess what liquid they thought was at each layer.  They were amazed that the liquids were not mixing together.  It was a great visual way for my students to visually see density work.

The next station had students creating their very own "lava lamp."  Students used a 20 ounce clear plastic bottle and poured 1/2 cup water followed by 3/4 cup vegetable oil.  Students then added food coloring for a nice visual effect, and then added an Alka Seltzer tablet to the bottle.  Students were amazed at all of the bubbles and how it actually looked like a lava lamp.  This not only allowed students to observe density, but also physical and chemical properties as well as physical and chemical changes.

I have attached a sample of student work as well as a few pictures from the lab that my students didn't mind me sharing. Enjoy!

Melting Icebergs Experiment

For this blog, I was asked to reflect on two questions over an experiment we were to perform.  The first question wanted to know what I thought would happen if the polar icecaps melted.  The obvious response would be that there would be catastrophic flooding everywhere on the planet, excluding higher elevations.  This flooding would cause a huge number of deaths, not only to humankind but to both animal and plant species alike.

The second question was: What other questions do you have about this Science Inquiry Experience?  The only other questions I really had over this experiment are the following:

1.     What are some other ways you could expand this assignment for higher learning/advanced students?

2.     How could you adapt this experiment for both SPED and ESL students?

STEM Lesson Reflection

This week's lesson required that my lesson be geared towards STEM education which focuses on the usage of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  Therefore I based my lesson's theme around the Engineering Design Process (EDP).  I started out my lesson by explaining the steps of the EDP, and we looked at several different technologies and the scientists usage of the EDP to create their products.  My students then worked collaboratively to create their own prototype by drawing it out on a large of piece of butcher paper and including the steps of the EDP that they used.  My students really enjoyed this lesson, and I was so impressed to see the prototypes they were able to come up with.

There was one particular strategy we were required to use this week called the five E's strategy.  The five E's we were asked to use include: engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation.  I liked using this strategy because it requires me to break down my lesson and cover every important aspect from how I want to engage my students to how I will evaluate my students.  This process was a little bit different from how I usually plan my lessons because while I am always certain to have how I want to engage, explain, and evaluate my lessons, I don't always spend enough time on the exploring and elaborating portion of my lessons.

I enjoyed focusing on STEM education this week, and I also enjoyed using a more in-depth and organized lesson plan layout.

Excellent website!

Hello all! I just wanted to post a link to the Science Daily website.  It is an excellent website that has daily updates on any new science aspects that are taking place. Enjoy!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/