There are several different things you can include in your ideas for this week...
*Empty soda cans*
*Full soda cans*
*The soda itself, without the can*
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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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If you'd like notification when the site has been updated in any way, please send an email to adventures.in.science@gmail.com. You'll receive, at most, one email per day letting you know what's happened and where. If nothing's happened, you won't get an email that day. Fair enough?
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
5 comments:
Density
Another classic... in a tank of water, place a can of regular Coke (classic) and a can of Diet Coke. Regular sinks, diet floats.
As an extension, I like to measure out the amount of sugar found in a can of Coke and the amount of artificial sweetner found in a can of diet Coke (you can find these numbers by searching the Internet) - provides quite a visual!
Hero's Engine - Newton's 3rd Law
You can make your own hero's engine using an empty soda can (with the tab still attached).
Mark 4-6 spots around the bottom of the can, where you want to make holes. To make a hole, pound a nail into the can. While the nail is still in the can, push the nail to one side (to angle the hole). Make sure you push the nail the same direction every time. Lift the tab, so it's upright. Attach a string to the tab.
To use: fill the can with water and hold by the string. The water will stream out one way and the can will spin the opposite way. This can get messy, so you might want to do this outside, or make sure you're prepared with sponges and paper towels.
To be honest, I've had better luck using my soda can hero's engine than I have using a commercially available hero's engine.
Using soda cans students can do a lab to test for the best soda can insulator (keeping the soda the coolest).
Materials: 4 identical soda cans, 4 thermometers, 2-3 rubber bands, newspaper, commercial foam-type can insulator, aluminum foil and any other material students may suggest, clock and a method of refrigeration.
Refrigerate the cans of soda for several hours and then remove from the refrigerator. Wrap one in newspaper and put rubber bands to secure, wrap one in aluminum foil, put one in the commercial foam-type can insulator and leave one as is (the control). Place all four cans out of sunlight and drafts so they are not touching. Open all four cans of soda and insert a thermometer in each. Take baseline temperature readings and then retake soda temperatures at half-hour intervals. Students can put the data into a table and then a graph of the temperature changes and time. Students can then see if their hypothesis was correct, make conclusions about the insulation materials used and wirte about how this affects "real life".
Students can also test other materials they suggest and perhaps the thickness or layers of the materials used.
This lab is easy to set up and the children enjoy doing it.
Back to the density idea: You can use an aquarium and float/sink various brands/types of soda. I'm trusting my memory (?) but there could a difference between the cherry coke and the others. Could try the new Coke Zero, too. Or compare Coke and Pepsi products. Once the kids think they've figured out why some sink and some float, throw in a can of Guinness (sand off the label?) It has a pocket of carbon dioxide (a gas) and it throws a monkey wrench into what they thought would happen!
Air pressure demo or lab activity
Materials: bunsen burner, goggles, sink or dishpan with cold tap water, beaker tongs.
Procedure: Fill the soda can with about 1" of water. Using the tongs, hold it over the bunsen burner flame, until the water begins to boil. Let it boil for a minute. Then remove the can from the flame and immediately turn it upside down in the pan of water.
What happens? When the water boils it drives out the air in the upper part of the soda can, creating a partial vacuum. When the can in turned upside down in the water the hole in the can is "sealed" by the water. The air pressure in the room is much greater than the air pressure in the heated can and the the room air will crush the soda can.
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