Energy Transfers and Transformations

To investigate energy transfers and transformations, it took much searching to find suitable online links. I have listed four websites I found that will be very useful when introducing this topic to my eighth grade students.

Energy Skate Park - This is a PhET simulation that allows students to manipulate a skater on a half-pipe. Students are able to observe the energy transfer between potential and kinetic energy.

Energy in a Roller Coaster - Again, a great simulation to observe the transition between kinetic and potential energy in roller coaster. The drawback with this site is that is member-based and only allows seven views before having to pay.

The Science of Snowboarding - An amazing site put together by NBC and the National Science Foundation to observe the science behind the Olympic games. There are several videos available for many sports. Also, I found videos that link NFL football with Newtons Three Laws. Those can be found here. Talk about a perfect way to spark student interest!! :)

Building the Basic PVC Wind Turbine - This was the best find!! It is an inquiry-based investigation into wind turbines. Students create blades for the turbine and then test them in terms of the amount of electricity produced. The great part is that the directions for building the base are easy and the materials needed are readily available. This is an investigation I will be doing with my students.

Heat Transfers

While completing my experiment for this week, I decided to test the following materials: plastic wrap, aluminum foil, cotton, and wool. I discovered that the wool held in the heat of the water the best followed by the cotton. To my surprise, the change in temperature with the foil was only 1.5 degrees Celsius lower than the wool sock. I came to understand that the foil created an air tight seal around the cup to lock in the hot air, but as a conductor allowed the heat to move through it easily. The wool on the other hand, is a great insulator but because it is a porous material, allowed the warm air to escape. If I were to repeat this experiment, I would combine the foil and wool together and predict a greater heat retention.

If I were to complete this activity in my class, I would integrate technology in the use of temperature probes. The probes would allow students to track the heat transfer throughout the 30 minute period. Also, it would be interesting to see if the heat loss is constant or greater at a specific point. Heat transfers are a concept I cover with my sixth graders and I look forward to incorporating many of the ideas from this week's resources into my classroom.

Guided Inquiry

For the guided inquiry activity, I investigated how the mass of a pendulum affects the time it takes to come to rest. I tested three washers of different masses by hanging them by a three foot string from a door frame. With the back of a chair as a reference point, I released each bob of the pendulum and recorded the time it took for the bob to become completely still.

When I first started this activity, I hypothesized that the bob with the greatest mass would take the longest time to come to rest. This was proved true through my investigation, but what I did not anticipate was the time it took for the bob with the greatest mass to stop. The average time for that bob was over thirteen minutes. I'm surprised I didn't hypnotize myself from staring at a swaying object for so long! :)

My experiment went very well. I did have to change the bearing of the pendulum from tape to a nail hammered into the door frame. The main problem I had with my experiment was the inability to calculate the velocity of the pendulum. Through my research, I discovered that the reason the pendulum with the greatest mass took the longest to come to rest was due to the fact that it had the greatest momentum. Momentum is simply the mass of an object multiplied by its velocity. Since I did not have the velocity, I could not factor this aspect. I did however use this website to compare the velocity of pendulums of various mass and found that if a pendulum is dropped from the same angle, various masses will always have the same velocity.

I could see myself exploring this same investigation with my students. I would however help my sixth graders design the experiment as a whole class since they have not had much practice creating a procedure. To help aid in their understanding, I think that a virtual pendulum like the one I explored would be a great supplement after the hands-on experiment. To pull in a connection to student's lives I could compare it to the pirate ship ride, like that from the resources from this week, or connect it to a person on a swing. We could even walk to the elementary school and use the swings to explore.

Lesson Reflection

This week I implemented my structured inquiry lesson with a group of middle school students. The lesson introduced students to the indicators of a chemical change. During the activity, students combined several reactants and observed the reaction. Through their observations, they were able to create a list of indicators of a chemical reaction. The students were fascinated by the color and temperature changes that they encountered, which "hooked" them in to the discussions that followed.

Below you can view a sample handout from a student. You will notice that students recorded the physical properties of the reactants, predicted the outcome, recorded observations, and described the physical properties of the product.





Below is a picture of my engagement activity. I combined potassium iodide and lead nitrate, both which start out as clear liquids, to form a brightly colored liquid and a precipitate that was visible upon settling.


Next, the students combined several reactants and recorded their observations.


A picture of a student observing a reaction. This one is of hydrogen peroxide and yeast.

Melting Icebergs Activity

What if the polar ice caps melted?
The bowl of water in the experiment represents the ocean and the mass of ice the polar ice caps. We must imagine that the water that was pouring off the rim of the bowl is the excess water that our oceans cannot hold. The displacement of water must go somewhere and the low-lying land around the Earth’s oceans is where it will end up. Flooding will occur in many of these places and with flooding comes environmental and economic problems.

Further questions about the science inquiry experiment.
When I reflect on this science inquiry experience it made me realize the effect that melting ice in an area of the world could have on many areas around the Earth. I still wonder about the rate at which the polar ice caps are melting and how quickly the effects will be noticed around the world. Also, since the polar ice caps are fresh water, what does the introduction of fresh water do to the salinity of the oceans? How does this affect the ecosystems that are present in the ocean and also the ocean currents that affect our climate?

STEM Lesson Development

Using the lesson plan template for the STEM activity was very useful. The template allowed me to stay very organized and to review the many aspects that are involved in planning and implementing lessons. When I create lessons to be used in my sixth grade class I do not fill out something as extensive as the template, yet I can see how this template would be very useful to a beginning teacher or to simply reevaluate the layout of a lesson. Many of the sections that involved assessments and modifications are factors that teachers address naturally in their classrooms.

The use of the 5 E's strategy was useful in developing a lesson. I think the most important "E" is engagement as this is the time to spark the students' interest, determine background knowledge, and look for misconceptions. All of the E's have an essential part to the development of understanding for students. I believe that consistently using the 5 E's strategies in my lesson planning will increase motivation and understanding for my students.

In this weeks application, I developed a lesson about potential and kinetic energy. By using the topic of roller coasters, I hoped to draw in the attention of my students while aiding in the understanding of the transfers between potential and kinetic energy. If I was to use this lesson in my classroom I would assure that my students understood the concepts of a roller coaster. Many of my students come from different countries or are economically disadvantaged and have never experienced a roller coaster. By showing a short video of a roller coaster students would be pulled into the experience and also have a visual connection for the lesson.

Hello!! Welcome to my science blog. I will be posting insights gained through my course The Nature of Science through Walden University.