Unit Plan: The Scientific Method

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Unit Plan: The Scientific Method

Day 1

_Science

Standard: SciS1C1 – Inquiry Process

Objective: SWBAT describe the steps of the Scientific Method on a poster having watched a video and completed a cloze activity.

Teacher Actions Student Actions √ for Understanding

1. TW show BrainPOP movie on “Scientific Method.” T may have to show video twice so Ss can get all of the answers.

2. TW explain to Ss how to complete a cloze activity. TW model how to logically choose a word that might fit into the blank, especially since Ss are already familiar about the Scientific Method from the video.

3. TW give Ss procedure regarding Scientific Method poster activity. TW provide partners with construction paper and art supplies.

1. SW define the vocabulary terms (on BrainPOP website and attached in unit) while watching the video. SW take online quiz from video by writing down their answers on their whiteboards. 2. SW complete cloze activity with a partner.

3. SW create a poster detailing the steps of the Scientific Method based on the BrainPOP video and the cloze activity with a partner.

1. SW have completed definitions for their words. SW have taken the online quiz.

2. SW have successfully completed cloze activity after reviewing with the teacher.

3. SW have accurately summarized the information from the video and the reading onto a poster detailing the steps of the Scientific Method.

Day 2

_Science

Objective: SWBAT correctly sequence an “inquiry” based on the Scientific Method and BAT generate a hypothesis based on a scientific question.

1. TW model how to sequence the steps in Sort Activity 1 (attached) based on the Scientific Method. TW explain why each step has been sequenced a certain way.

2. TW model how to form a hypothesis based on prior knowledge and an observation.

3. TW model how to generate a scientific question or problem (What will happen if… / Why does…) and explain the steps of a gallery walk.

1. SW sequence 3 more “inquiries” according to the Scientific Method.

2. SW practice generating hypotheses by completing the “Flow Chart” Activity (on BrainPOP and attached in unit) with a partner.

3. With a partner or in groups, SW write down a scientific question or problem that they might have. SW then complete a gallery walk in which they will write down their hypotheses and reasons for their hypotheses (I think that y will happen because…) with their group’s marker color on other groups’ posters.

1. SW have correctly sequenced the inquires based on the Scientific Method.

2. SW have generated appropriate hypotheses answering the scientific question.

3. SW have generated appropriate hypotheses and explained the reasoning behind their hypotheses.

Day 3

_Science

Objective: SWBAT identify and sequence the parts of an experiment in a sort activity having watched the T perform an experiment.

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all parts of the experiment on the Smart Board or whiteboard (read the procedures for the lesson in the file).

2. TW explain Sort Activity 2 to Ss.

T’s information on the board.

2. SW sort the parts of the experiment correctly. SW sequence the steps, categorize the definitions of each step, and categorize an example of an experiment.

notebooks.

2. SW have completed the sort activity, showing that they understand each step of a science experiment.

Day 4

_Science

Objective: SWBAT write down the parts of an experiment based on an experiment performed by the T.

1. TW explain that SW be completing a lab write-up based on watching the T perform an experiment. TW ask the question that he is trying to answer.

2. TW ask to generate a hypothesis.

3. TW perform the Mentos Explosion experiment.

4. TW discuss the conclusions of the experiment.

1. SW write down the verbalized experiment question in their notebooks.

2. SW generate a hypothesis.

3. SW record the materials, procedures, and observations from the experiment.

4. SW record their conclusions to the experiment.

1. SW have written down the question to be answered.

2. SW have written down their hypotheses in their notebooks. 3. SW have written down the materials, procedures, and observations in their notebooks.

4. SW have written down their conclusions to the experiment.

Day 5

_Science

Objective: SWBAT complete a science experiment and record all of the steps of the experiment in their notebooks.

1. TW explain the procedures and expectations for completing science experiments. TW tell students the questions they are answering as well as the materials they will need for the Making Butter experiment.

2. TW explain the procedures for the lab.

3. TW close the experiment discussing how dairy products are made.

1. SW write down the questions, materials, and their hypotheses for the experiment in their notebooks. SW collect all of the materials for the experiment.

2. SW write down the procedures in their notebooks. SW perform the experiment. SW record their observations. 3. SW write down their conclusions from the experiment and sample their butter with crackers.

1. SW have written down the question, materials and

hypotheses for the experiment. SW have collected all materials for the lab.

2. SW have successfully followed the procedures of the experiment.

3. SW have successfully completed the experiment.

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Balloon in a Bottle Experiment

Lesson Goal: Investigation and Experimentation 5th_{grade standards: Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting}

careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. 5.B. – develop a testable question;

Objective: SWBAT name and organize parts of an experiment knowing the questions/hypothesis come first, materials/procedure next, results/data

after that, and analysis/further questions last. SWBAT create “next time” questions on how to do “egg in bottle” experiment differently to see if we get a different result.

Assessment: oral assessment, construction paper/sentence labeling activity about scientific method

Materials: science fair board, labels of parts of an experiment, water balloon, glass bottle (preferably milk or juice bottle), strip of paper (about 3

inches), fire source (match or flame thing)

Vocabulary: hypothesis, materials, procedure, data, analysis, next time, investigation, variable Instructional Plan

Motivation: TW introduce beginning science lesson with sort read aloud from Happy Accidents. This sets up the idea that scientific discoveries are

often fueled by curiosity about something you love and the idea that sometimes we find answers to questions when we weren’t even looking.

New information: Then, Mr. DeSobe will make big deal about first experiment of the year. He will tell students that most of time they will do all the

experiments, but once a week he will show the class an extra special one that they will discuss in class and hopefully try at home. So, Mr. DeSobe will perform “egg in a bottle” experiment using an adapted form (with water balloons) following this procedure:

1. Start by smearing some water around the mouth of the bottle.

2. Have the adult light a match and set the strip of paper on fire. Quickly put the burning strip into the bottle. Be careful not to accidentally burn your fingers.

3. Immediately cover the mouth of the bottle with the balloon. In just seconds, the balloon will start to wiggle around on the top of the bottle, the fire will go out, and some invisible force will literally "push" the balloon into the bottle. That's amazing!

4. Try it with an egg!

Just repeat the steps above substituting a hardboiled egg for the water balloon. The trick here is to fine an egg that is just a little bigger than the mouth of the bottle - I prefer medium size eggs. The other little secret is to grease the mouth of the bottle with a vegetable oil so the egg slides right in!

How Does It Work:The burning piece of paper heats the molecules of air in the bottle and cause the molecules to move far away from each other.

Some of the heated molecules actually escape out past the water balloon that is resting on the mouth of the bottle (that's why the balloon wiggles on top of the bottle). When the flame goes out, the molecules of air in the bottle cool down and move closer together. This is what scientists refer to as a "partial vacuum.” Normally the air outside the bottle would come rushing in to fill the bottle. However, that darn water balloon is in the way! The "push" or pressure of the air molecules outside the bottle is so great that it literally pushes the balloon into the bottle.

Remember this: When molecules of air heat up, they move far away from each other and take up more space. When molecules of air cool down, they move closer together and take up less space.

Guided Practice: Students will be amazed, and then TW say that what I just did is, of course, an experiment but it also shows us the steps for the

scientific method. Then, TW ask who remembers what question I asked my self at the beginning of the experiment? Take answers and then put small poster up labeled questions (or take notes on powerpoint slide … 1 slide for each part of process) and write down what I said (I wonder if this balloon could get inside the bottle without popping.). Then TW say, “who remembers if I made a prediction about what would happen?” This is called a hypothesis (put on slide or poster and generate words like prediction, guess, etc.). Then say, “Who remembers all the materials I used?” Take answers on slide. Go through all parts. Then, TW pass out 11X14 sheet of paper and students will create a “science fair board.” First, students will work with teacher to label main title of scientific method in the correct place on the “board.” Next, TW pass out sentence strips with messages that fit into the categories, e.g. the hypothesis, or conclusion. SW copy this on their “boards.”

Independent Practice: Then, put students in partners and tell them to turn paper over. On the 11X14 paper SW write titles in the correct spot

again. Then, they will receive 8-10 sentences strips with ideas on them. Groups must decide where these go and carefully glue or tape them under the correct heading. Groups are timed and must share out.

Closure: As a closing, TW pass out note card and students must write what they could change in the experiment for “next time” e.g. only use

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Mentos Explosion Experiment

Lesson Goal: Investigation and Experimentation 5th_{grade standards: Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting}

careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. 5.B. – develop a testable question;

Objective: SWBAT name and organize parts of an experiment knowing the questions/hypothesis come first, materials/procedure next, results/data

after that, and analysis/further questions last. SWBAT create “next time” questions on how to do “mentos soda bottle” experiment differently to see if we get a different result.

Assessment: oral assessment, construction paper/sentence labeling activity about scientific method

Materials: science fair board, labels of parts of an experiment, water balloon, 20 oz. soda bottles of different varieties, e.g. Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite,

etc., mentos rolls, something to catch or clean up the mess

Vocabulary: hypothesis, materials, procedure, data, analysis, next time, investigation, variable Instructional Plan

Motivation: TW introduce beginning science lesson with short read aloud from Happy Accidents. This sets up the idea that scientific discoveries are

often fueled by curiosity about something you love and the idea that sometimes we find answers to questions when we weren’t even looking.

New information: Then, Mr. DeSobe will make big deal about first experiment of the year. He will tell students that most of time they will do all the

experiments, but once a week he will show the class an extra special one that they will discuss in class and hopefully try at home. So, Mr. DeSobe will perform “mentos soda drop” experiment using an adapted form (smaller bottles) following this procedure:

1. This activity is probably best done outside in the middle of an abandoned field, or better yet, on a huge lawn. 2. Carefully open the bottle of soda. Position the bottle on the ground so that it will not tip over.

3. Unwrap the whole roll of Mentos. The goal is to drop all of the Mentos into the bottle of soda at the same time (which is trickier than it looks). One method for doing this is to roll a piece of paper into a tube just big enough to hold the loose Mentos. You'll want to be able to position the tube directly over the mouth of the bottle so that all of the candies drop into the bottle at the same time.

4. Don't drop them into the bottle just yet! Warn the spectators to stand back. Okay, you're going to drop all of the Mentos into the bottle at the same time and then get truckin' (move out of the way... so long... bye- bye... hasta la vista!)

5. It's just like fireworks on the 4th of July. The spectators erupt, of course, in a chorus of ooohs and ahhhs. Someone yells out, "Do it again" and you do.

How Does It Work:

Here's the question of the day... Why do Mentos mixed with soda produce this incredible eruption? You should know that there is considerable debate over how and why this works. While we offer the most probable explanations below, we also understand and admit that other explanation could be possible... and we welcome your thoughts.

As you probably know, soda pop is basically sugar (or diet sweetener), flavoring, water and preservatives. The thing that makes soda bubbly is invisible carbon dioxide gas, which is pumped into bottles at the bottling factory using tons of pressure. Until you open the bottle and pour a glass of soda, the gas mostly stays suspended in the liquid and cannot expand to form more bubbles, which gases naturally do. But there's more...

If you shake the bottle and then open it, the gas is released from the protective hold of the water molecules and escapes with a whoosh, taking some of the soda along with it. What other ways can you cause the gas to escape? Just drop something into a glass of soda and notice how bubbles immediately form on the surface of the object. For example, adding salt to soda causes it to foam up because thousands of little bubbles form on the surface of each grain of salt.

Many scientists, including Lee Marek, claim that the Mentos phenomenon is a physical reaction, not a chemical one. Water molecules strongly attract each other, linking together to form a tight mesh around each bubble of carbon dioxide gas in the soda. In order to form a new bubble, or even to expand a bubble that has already formed, water molecules must push away from each other. It takes extra energy to break this "surface tension." In other words, water "resists" the expansion of bubbles in the soda.

When you drop the Mentos into the soda, the gelatin and gum arabic from the dissolving candy break the surface tension. This disrupts the water mesh, so that it takes less work to expand and form new bubbles. Each Mentos candy has thousands of tiny pits all over the surface. These tiny pits are called nucleation sites - perfect places for carbon dioxide bubbles to form. As soon as the Mentos hit the soda, bubbles form all over the surface of the candy. Couple this with the fact that the Mentos candies are heavy and sink to the bottom of the bottle and you've got a double-whammy. When all this gas is released, it literally pushes all of the liquid up and out of the bottle in an incredible soda blast. Remember this: When molecules

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of air heat up, they move far away from each other and take up more space. When molecules of air cool down, they move closer together and take up less space.

Guided Practice: Students will be amazed, and then TW say that what I just did is, of course, an experiment but it also shows us the steps for the

scientific method. Then, TW ask who remembers what question I asked my self at the beginning of the experiment? Take answers and then put small poster up labeled questions (or take notes on powerpoint slide … 1 slide for each part of process) and write down what I said (I wonder if this balloon could get inside the bottle without popping.). Then TW say, “who remembers if I made a prediction about what would happen?” This is called a hypothesis (put on slide or poster and generate words like prediction, guess, etc.). Then say, “Who remembers all the materials I used?” Take answers on slide. Go through all parts. In addition to the slides or poster, TW thumb tack titles of the parts on an actual science fair display board so students can begin conceptualizing where on the science fair board items will go. Emphasize the left flap (if you’re looking at the board) is for before the experiment, the middle section is for procedure and the actual experiment, and the right side of the board is for after the experiment. Then TW pass out sentence strips or sentence cards with phrases on them and students must place them under correct scientific method category.

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Sort Activity 1

The floor is wet.

Someone slipped on the floor.

Why did someone slip on the

floor?

The floor is wet.

Wipe the floor with a paper towel.

The paper towel gets wet.

Why hasn’t the frog moved?

The reason the frog won’t move is

because the frog is alive.

The frog jumps away.

Poke the frog with a stick.

The frog hasn’t moved.

The reason the frog won’t move is

because the frog is dead.

The car won’t start because it is

out of gas.

The car won’t start because it was

out of gas.

The car starts.

The car was out of gas.

Why won’t the car start?

Put gas in the car and try and start

it.

Put a pot of water on the stove.

The burner is red.

The pot of water boils.

The burner is hot because the

stove is hot.

The burner is hot because the

stove is hot.

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Sort Activity 2

Directions: Edit the information and turn them into cards. Students should sequence the steps and match the appropriate definition and example. Question

Definition: What I’m trying to figure out through an experiment.

Example: What will happen when I put 8-10 marbles into a half full glass of water. Hypothesis

Definition: What I think might happen when I complete the experiment, based on knowledge I already have.

Example: I think that the water in the glass will overflow when I put 8-10 marbles into a half full glass of water because that’s what happens when I put too much ice into a glass of water.

Materials

Definition: The supplies I need to complete the experiment. Example: Clear plastic glass, marker, 10 marbles

Procedures

Definition: The steps I need to follow to complete the experiment. Example: 1. Fill the glass half full of water.

2. Mark the water level on the glass with a marker.

3. Slowly put the marbles into the water and mark the new water level. 4. Record your observations.

Observations ‘

Definition: What I see happening during the experiment.

Example: When I started, the glass was half full of water. When I finished adding the marbles, the water almost reached the top of the glass.

Conclusions

Defintion: My final answer to the question after completing the experiment.

Example: After completing the experiment, I know that when objects are placed into a container filled with water, the water level will rise. This happens because both the water and the objects are trying to take up the same amount of space. While my hypothesis was not correct, if we had put in more marbles, the water might have overflowed.