Density- don't forget to layer!

FOCUS QUESTION* (Big Idea)

How does density affect the way different liquids and materials interact with each other?

 

PREDICTION/ HYPOTHESIS*

Anticipated Predictions	Class Predictions
If we pour oil into the jar of water, it will float above the water.	Corn syrup will sink
If we pour corn syrup into the jar of water, it will sink below the water.	Oil will float
If we pour corn syrup, oil, and water into the jar, they will not mix together, but will separate.	Both balls will sink to the bottom
If we drop the marble into the jar, it will sink.

 

PLANNING  

Materials:

• Clear cups
• Water
• Food coloring
• Corn syrup
• Vegetable oil 
• Marbles/rubber balls/small containers
• Group Container for supplies

Procedure:

1. Pour the water into the jar.
2. Color it with food coloring.
3. Pour the corn syrup into the jar. What happens?
4. Carefully pour the oil into the jar. What happens?
5. Drop the marble into the jar. Does it float? Sink?
6. Drop the rubber ball into the jar. Does it float? Sink?
7. What can you tell about the densities of the liquids and the objects?

 

 DATA*

 

What Happened? Sink or float in water?

Corn Syrup

sank to the bottom

Oil

floated to the top

Marble

sank to the very bottom

Rubber ball

floated; less dense than water, more dense than oil

 

CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE*

We found that corn syrup is the most dense because it went to the bottom of the cup. Liquids that are less dense than water will float above it.  Liquids that are denser than water will sink below it.  Oil is less dense than water, and therefore, floats on top of it.

We found that the marble has a greater density than water because the marble sank to the bottom of the cup.

We found that the rubber ball has less density than the other liquids because it floated on top

 

CONCLUSION/REFLECTION*

We discovered that density affects the way different liquids mix, separate, and float or sink and how different materials float above or sink through the different liquids.

We discovered that when something has a high density, or is more compact, it will sink when placed in water.

We discovered that when something has a low density, or is less compact, it will float when placed in water.

 

**QUESTIONS:  

What would happen if we stir everything together in the cup?

What would happen if we added the liquids at the same time?

Does everything have density?

What other objects would float in water? In oil?

Density

FOCUS QUESTION* (Big Idea)

Will raisins float better in water or soda?

 

PREDICTION/ HYPOTHESIS*

•If we put the raisins in water, then they will float because they are light.

•If we put the raisins in soda, then they will float because of the bubbles

 

PLANNING   

Materials:

•Clear drinking glass

•Pitcher of Water

•Club soda (2 liter) (or Sprite)

•2-3 Raisins

•Dry Pasta

•Beads

•Buttons

•Paper Towels

•Science Notebooks

 

Planning:

 

First we will place our raisins in the water and watch what happens to the raisin. Next we will place our raisins in soda and watch what happens to the raisin. Then we will put pasta in the water to see what happens when you put pasta in the water. Then we will put pasta in the soda to see what will happen to the pasta in the soda.

 

 DATA*

Data:

Water	Soda
Raisins: didn't float	Raisins: float
Pasta: didn't float	Pasta: float

 

CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE*

Claims (Predictions)	Evidence
If we put the raisins in water, then they will float because raisins are light.	The raisins sank in the water because they are denser than the water.
If we put the raisins in soda, then they will float because of the bubbles.	The raisins sank, rose and sank again in the soda. They sank because they were denser than the soda. They rose because the bubbles from carbonation attached to them until they reached the top. After the bubbles reached the top, the raisin sank back down to the bottom of the soda.

 

CONCLUSION/REFLECTION*

• In this investigation we learned that the sinking or floating of different solid objects in a liquid depends on the density of the solid object relative to the density of the liquid.

 

• If a solid object is less dense than a liquid, it will float. If the solid object is denser than a liquid, it will sink.

 

• The raisins in our investigation were denser than the water, so they sunk to the bottom of the cup.

 

• When the raisins are placed in the soft drink they initially sunk because they are denser than the soft drink. When carbon dioxide gas bubbles attach to the outside surface of the raisins, they act like “floaties” for the raisins. The raisins that attached were then less dense than the soft drink because they attached to the carbon dioxide bubbles. As the raisins rise to the top the bubbles escape into the air and the whole process starts again.

 

**QUESTIONS:   We wonder what else might dance in the sprite. Pasta? Buttons? Beads?

Living vs Nonliving

FOCUS QUESTION* (Big Idea)

How do we know if something is living? What characteristics make something living or nonliving?

 

PREDICTION/ HYPOTHESIS*

The predictions from the chart may be things such as:

_ I think a living thing has to eat and drink to stay alive because I know I  am a living thing and that is what I have to do to stay alive.

_ I think a non-living thing can survive anywhere because it doesn’t need food or water to stay alive.

-I think living things will grow because I grow

 

PLANNING  

-        After we have made our predictions as a whole class using the pictures on what non-living things are and living things are as a class, we will pass out the paper plates, gummy worms, paper clips and real worms.

-        Students will be instructed to observe and use their senses (not taste) to discover the characteristics of the earthworm and gummy worm. Instruct students not to eat the gummy worms

 DATA*

Type of Worm	What does it feel like?	What does it smell like?	What do you see?	How many paper clips long?	Living or Non-living- Why?
Earthworm
Gummy Worm

 

CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE*

Claim: I claim that living things have to have oxygen to survive.	Evidence: The earthworms come out of the dirt.
Claim:  I claim that living things will grow.	Evidence: I know this because our earthworms were different sizes.
Claim: I claim that all living things need some form of food and water to survive.	Evidence:  The gummy worm does not need food or water and it is not living

 

CONCLUSION/REFLECTION*

          As the students fill in their chart in groups the teacher will prepare a chart on the board that represents what we predicted about living and non-living things and our new ideas based on what we observed during our investigation.

-          What is the difference between earthworms and gummy worms?

-          How are they similar? Different?

-          Who has longest earthworm? Why are they different sizes?

-          Do you think the earthworms and gummy worms eat and drink? Why or why not?

 

**QUESTIONS:   What new questions do you have to extend your learning

Respiratory System

FOCUS QUESTION* (Big Idea)

What is the function of the respiratory system?

 

PREDICTION/ HYPOTHESIS*

  If you’re moving a lot, then you with take more breaths.                                                                                   If you don’t move a lot, then you will take fewer breaths.                                                                                   If you take more breaths, then you’re getting more oxygen

 

PLANNING  

First count resting breaths and record what’s happening on inhale and exhale (with diaphragm and chest).

Then count breaths after walking and record what’s happening on inhale and exhale (diaphragm and chest).

Last count breaths after running and record what’s happening (diaphragm and chest).

Materials: stopwatch, smartboard, students, science notebooks

 

DATA

	At Rest	Walking	Running
Number of Breaths

	Diaphragm (up or down)	Chest (in or out?)
Inhale
Exhale

 

CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE*

You take more breaths when increase activity, because when we ran we took more breaths.

I had claimed that when you breathe more then your body gets more oxygen because you inhale more oxygen.

I know this to be true because I observed after I had ran in place I took more breaths and my diaphragm went up and I took more breaths.

I found that when you move less, you breath less more. I found this to be true because the number of resting breaths was less than the number of walking or running breaths

 

CONCLUSION/REFLECTION*

The function of the respiratory system is to deliver oxygen to your body.

In this investigation we discovered that the more you move the more breaths you take and the more oxygen your body receives.

This reminds me of the investigation we did about the circulatory system, because when we increased our level of activity our heart rate increased

 

**QUESTIONS:  

 What happens if you hold your breath while you run?

Why can’t you breathe under water, if there is oxygen in the water?

Can you breathe without lungs?

What do we see in the sky?

FOCUS QUESTION* (Big Idea)

What do we see in the sky?

 

PREDICTION/ HYPOTHESIS*

If we see the gray clouds in the sky, then it will  rain outside.

—If we don’t see clouds, then it will not rain outside.

—If we could touch the clouds in the sky, then they would feel fluffy.

 

PLANNING   

—First, we have to use our four senses to observe the sky

—Then, we will draw what we see in the sky

—Next, we will make what we saw in the sky

 

 DATA*

Questions: What do you think the cloud may feel like?

What do you think the clouds would look like?

The importance of this part is to ask inquiry questions in order to expand the students' thinking

Answers to what a cloud may feel like.... fluffy, wet, nothing, cotton, like air

Answers to what clouds would look like.... white, cotton balls, gray, dark, stretched out

 

CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE*

1. We thought clouds would feel fluffy, but we experimented by touching the fog from the fog machine, and could only feel moisture.

—2. We thought that if we looked outside that we would see many different shapes, colors, and sizes of clouds. We were correct, when we made our picture in class no two groups had the same kinds of clouds. There were many different shapes, sizes, and colors of clouds.
3. We thought that we would be able to hold a cloud in our hands, but we were incorrect. When we tried to hold the fog from the fog machine we could not grasp it

 

CONCLUSION/REFLECTION*

We learned that even though clouds look thick and fluffy, you can't really hold them because they are made of water like fog.

 

**QUESTIONS: What happens to the things in the sky when it goes from day to night?

What on Earth are we walking on?

FOCUS QUESTION*

What makes up the ground we walk on?

 

PREDICTION/ HYPOTHESIS*

The ground we walk on is made up of dirt. I think that this is true because that is what I see under my grass.  

Predictions of what the dirt will look like: wet, clumpy, brown, grass in it, worms

 

PLANNING  

1. Every group will receive plate, bag of dirt, and pictures.
2. The group will use their senses to make predictions about what the ground is made of
3. The group will make observations using a data chart about how it looks, feels, smells, and what they hear 
4. The teacher will make a group chart on the smart board.
5. The class will draw their conclusions about what they have learned 

 

 DATA*

recorded color, taste, smell, sound and feel of the dirt sample

Color- brown, red

taste- DID NOT EAT

sound- sounds "gritty" when you shake it on the plate

feel- feels wet, soft, grainy

 

CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE*

We saw different parts of the soil using our 4 senses. We discovered that our ground isn't just made up of dirt. When  we compared what we thought to what we found out, we noticed that dirt is made up of things like rocks, weeds, grass, sticks etc. 

 

CONCLUSION/REFLECTION*

We discovered there are many different things that make up the ground and we can see this by using our senses.

 

**QUESTIONS:   How many different things make up the ground?

Estimating Wind

FOCUS QUESTION

What is the wind and how can we measure it?

 

PREDICTION/ HYPOTHESIS*

If it's windy, ten my flag will move.

 

PLANNING  

Materials:

wind flag- cardstock and felt

Go outside with your flag and science journal. Draw a diagram of what you see with your flag. What does it do? How does it look? Is it moving? When and how does it move?

Try walking with your flag. Do you notice anything different? What about if you hold it high in the air versus close to the ground?

 

 DATA*

 

CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE*

The wind is air. I can feel it when it blows. I saw it move my flag. I can measure the wind with how much my flag moves when the wind blows.

 

CONCLUSION/REFLECTION*

More people noticed some wind over a strong wind. The wind changed in strength based on where you were standing. We can measure the wind with our flags based on how much the wind moves the flag.

 

**QUESTIONS:   How do you measure wind in a hurricane or tornado?