Let's hear it... how do you/could you use sugar cubes to teach a science lesson?
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A chance for those who teach science to share ideas... Iron Chef style!
This blog is no longer being maintained. Check out the new adventure at Science Matters.
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How It Works:
Every week (typically on Thursday) I post a new mystery object.
If you have a science lesson that uses the object (in any capacity), please post it as a comment. It could be a lab, it could be an intro activity, it could be an assessment. It could be a multi-day experience, it could be a five minute zinger.
When you post, please make sure you do your best to give credit to the source of your idea.
How To Post:
At the bottom of the original post, you'll find the word 'Comments' (usually preceded by a number). Click on 'Comments' and you will be taken to a page where you can read what everyone else has had to say, as well as add your own suggestion.
Questions?
Email me at adventures.in.science@gmail.com
If you have a science lesson that uses the object (in any capacity), please post it as a comment. It could be a lab, it could be an intro activity, it could be an assessment. It could be a multi-day experience, it could be a five minute zinger.
When you post, please make sure you do your best to give credit to the source of your idea.
How To Post:
At the bottom of the original post, you'll find the word 'Comments' (usually preceded by a number). Click on 'Comments' and you will be taken to a page where you can read what everyone else has had to say, as well as add your own suggestion.
Questions?
Email me at adventures.in.science@gmail.com
How this came to be:
Before taking time off from teaching to spend with my son, I taught 6th grade earth science, 7th grade life science, 8th grade physical science, and a 4th grade hands-on lab (actually, I taught 3 of those courses at a time...). In a mere four years in the science classroom, I accumulated boxes and boxes and boxes filled with binders, books, and assembled activities.
Now that I am at home with my son, I feel the need to put all those materials to good use, in order to justify the time I spent gathering it all and the physical space they now take up in my house (not to mention the work required to move them from one residence to another).
I was going to be an "Independent Science Education Consultant" - a title I thought I made up, but it seems that it isn't entirely unheard of! My name's out there... at least in this region of upstate New York I now call home... but no hits yet. If you're reading this and you're interested in my services... email me... PLEASE! I'll travel!
I was going to write a book. Turns out, most of the great things I do in my classroom have been borrowed (or stolen) from great teachers and aren't actually mine to publish!
I recently learned the San Francisco Exploratorium holds an Iron Science Teacher competition for local science teachers and those who attend their Summer Institutes. So cool, but I don't live in San Fran and even if I could afford to spend several weeks in California, I don't think the young boy would look so favorably on the idea.
So here I am, creating my own virtual version. It's not live, it's not a competition, but it should result in a great community of sharing and some fantastic ideas for us all to share. Please consider participating!
Now that I am at home with my son, I feel the need to put all those materials to good use, in order to justify the time I spent gathering it all and the physical space they now take up in my house (not to mention the work required to move them from one residence to another).
I was going to be an "Independent Science Education Consultant" - a title I thought I made up, but it seems that it isn't entirely unheard of! My name's out there... at least in this region of upstate New York I now call home... but no hits yet. If you're reading this and you're interested in my services... email me... PLEASE! I'll travel!
I was going to write a book. Turns out, most of the great things I do in my classroom have been borrowed (or stolen) from great teachers and aren't actually mine to publish!
I recently learned the San Francisco Exploratorium holds an Iron Science Teacher competition for local science teachers and those who attend their Summer Institutes. So cool, but I don't live in San Fran and even if I could afford to spend several weeks in California, I don't think the young boy would look so favorably on the idea.
So here I am, creating my own virtual version. It's not live, it's not a competition, but it should result in a great community of sharing and some fantastic ideas for us all to share. Please consider participating!
Blog Archive
8 comments:
Inertia
Balance the inner portion of an embroidery hoop* on an empty flask (or you could use a bottle - the glass Snapple bottles work great if you have some around). Then, place a sugar cube on top of the hoop; it should be directly above the flask opening. Use one hand to knock/flick the hoop out of the way, allowing the sugar cube to fall straight into the bottle. After mastering one cube, try stacks of cubes. How many can you get to land in the bottle in one shot? How fast can you get 10 cubes in the flask?
*You can find embroidery hoops in craft stores. They are made of two rings, one which fits tightly inside the other. You can only use the inner ring for this activity because the outer ring contains a screw to tighten the ring and the added weight makes it impossible/difficult to balance. I haven't found a use for the outer rings yet - email me if you come up with one! You can get the hoops in a wide variety of sizes - I use ones that are probably about 8" in diameter.
Rock Cycle
Use a sugar cube to model the rock cycle:
Crush the cube... weathering.
Put the crushed sugar into a foil "boat"... erosion.
Heat the sugar over a candle flame (use test tube holders to hold the "boat")... melting/magma.
Let the sugar harden... cooling.
Break up the hardened sugar... weathering.
I learned this activity from my mom, but you can find a version online at http://www.science-class.net/Lessons/Geology/Rocks_Minerals/sugar_rock_cycle.pdf
Solubility
Have students record the length of time it takes a sugar cube to dissolve under different circumstances:
Whole Cube vs. Crushed Cube
Stirring vs. Not Stirring
Hot Water vs. Cold Water
Then have students make predictions about what combination of circumstances would allow the cube to dissolve the fastest and let them try it out. As science teachers, we know that the crushed cube, stirred, in hot water would dissolve the fastest, but some students' data will support other ideas. It's okay... let them try what their data suggests. It's a great chance to talk about variables and errors that could produce different results, and also the need to carry out multiple trials.
I came up with this lab to help 4th graders understand solubility. It took quite a bit of time, but seemed to get the point across. You could shorten the time frame by assigning the different conditions to different student groups or by experimenting with fewer conditions.
Volume
Length x width x height
To show physical weathering: three sugar cubes (rocks) in a covered plastic container, students vigorously shake the container while I play the Macarena song. They have to measure size & mass of cube before and after shaking it. They also have to explain what type of weathering has occured, what the powder would represent if the cubes were rocks, give examples of where in nature this type weathering would happen...relate the activity to what happens in nature.
SURFACE AREA: When teaching weathering, you could use the sugar cubes all stacked together into one large cube to illustrate "surface area", then separate the cubes into many and again count the surface areas. A good visual to help understand the concept.
I used sugar cubes to do an activity related to half-life of radioactive elements. I took sugar dots ( the square cubed ones) and marked each one with an X on one side. I put I think 50 in each shoebox. The children shook the box and removed the cubes with the dots facing up. Then the shook the box again and repeated removing the cubes with the X on top. These steps were repeated until all the cubes were removed from the box. The students had a lab sheet and filled in a chart indicating how many cubes were removed each time and how many remained. At the end they were able to see the pattern. This helped them visulize what happens when half the amount of an element changes such as uranium to lead.
Properties of Matter
Give each student a sugar cube and have available any equipment they've used in class (ruler, balance, grad cylinder, magnifying glass, match, tongs, beaker, water, etc)and let them make a list of all the properties of a sugar cube, keeping in mind that anything done to destroy the cube has to be done last, including eating it!
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