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GRADUATE SUBMISSION:

Irma Gonzalez':
"Three Kinds of Hands-On Science with Liquids"

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District/Project Name:
Pasadena Unified School District/Caltech Science Center


Team Members
Irma Gonzalez, Science Resource Teacher in Pasadena and Master Resource Teacher for two outside center districts
Laurie Thompson, Science Resource Teacher in Pasadena
Sarah Quinn, Science Resource Teacher in El Centro

Laurie Thompson Science Resource Teacher	Sarah Quinn Science Resource Teacher

Purpose of Workshop or Activity
provide experience in three types of investigation strategies to set the stage for a discussion of strategies for inquiry.

Audience
Have taught this for 22 teachers and 5 pioneers (with two years experience teaching one kit) from the District Pilot School.

Will teach this in the summer for Science Resource Teachers, Pilot School Coordinators, scientist, district administrators, and center staff for 11 center districts.

Description of Activities

How are Liquids Different?

Three types of investigations:

1. Challenge - End product given, Group explores to determine process.

2. Guided - Instructions for procedure (recipe) given leading to product.

3. Open-Ended - Explore and record findings.

SUPPLIES - liquids listed below, disposable glass culture tube, tube holders, 30 ml plastic beakers, measuring instruments such as calibrated medicine cups, 5 ml hypodermics, 5 ml plastic calibrated tube with lid or set of teaspoons, access to scales - one per group (with novices a digital scale is appropriate), and various other liquids for open investigation.

CHALLENGE

Objective: Participants will build a stratification column with six liquids A-F in a glass tube.

GUIDED

Objective: Participants will observe and record results of dropping liquids into water, in pairs and separately. They will discuss and record group discussions in notebooks.

Liquids: (supply displayed in 1 litter bottles with letters A-H and arranged on trays in 30 ml plastic beakers with spout for each group which they can refill from supply table)

A. Soy Sauce
B. Vegetable oil
C. Alcohol (red)
D. Dark Corn Syrup
E. Glycerin
F. Detergent (blue Dawn)
G. Water (green)

OPEN-ENDED

All of the above A-F plus
H. Antifreeze
Mouth wash (blue green)
Liquid starch
Wine, Beer, soda, milk, etc....

Content Objective: Participants will explore the behavior of eight liquids A-H plus others of their choice, and record discussions and data collected in notebook.

Procedure: Participants will be divided into three groups and will rotate through the three investigations. At the end of each rotation they can write responses to a set of questions about the process or participate in a discussion about the activities they have just completed. After the first rotation they will be asked to record likes and dislikes. Thereafter they will be asked to compare the processes and compare the purpose of the three strategies. Participants will meet as a whole group to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the three different investigations. Was this an inquiry? Which would you have preferred to do first? Why?

Questions for written response - Name two things you liked about this activity and two things you disliked. After completing the second and third investigations, compare them with the first.

Handouts for Participants:

(Handout for Challenge Investigation:)

LIQUID INVESTIGATION I

How are liquids different?

Decide who in your group will be materials manager, time keeper, and recorder. Only the materials manager can visit the materials table to bring supplies to the group. Don't forget to record data, predictions, and interpretations in you science lab notebook to share out during open discussion with all groups.

MATERIALS:

Materials manager should pick up the following from supply table:

- One set of six liquids A-F in calibrated medicine cups with spout
- Five hand lenses
- 10 test tubes
- One test tube rack

DIRECTIONS:

1. Can you pour approximately 1/2 inch of the six liquids A-F into a test tube and have them form six separate layers in one tube ?

2. Once you have 6 layers in your tube, predict what will happen when you place your thumb on top of tube and slowly turn the tube upside down and right side up 3-4 times. Record your predictions in your notebook. Do it and describe what happened and interpret what you observe.

(Handout for Guided Investigation:)

LIQUID INVESTIGATION II

How are liquids different?

Decide who in your group will be materials manager, time keeper, and recorder. Only the materials manager can visit the materials table to bring supplies to the group. Don't forget to record data, predictions, and interpretations in you science lab notebook to share out during open discussion with all groups.

MATERIALS:

- One set of six liquids A-F in calibrated medicine cups with spout
- Three hand lenses
- One test tube rack
- One calibrated medicine cup of water (green)
- 10 glass culture tubes
- access to scales

DIRECTIONS:

A. In your science lab notebook record the following information. After observing and comparing each pair of liquids, record your observations.

1. Tube #1 - Pour 3 ml of liquid A into 3 ml of B.

2. Tube #2 - Pour 3 ml of liquid C into 3 ml of D.

3. Tube #3 - Pour 3 ml of liquid E into 3 ml of F.

4. What would happen if you poured tube #3 into tube #1? Discuss with your group and record your prediction then do it. Record what happened and questions for further investigation.

B. Weigh 5 ml of each liquid A-F and 5 ml of water. Use a chart to record this data in your notebook. Save each container with 5 ml of liquids to use in activity "C" below. From this information what can you infer about activity "A"?

C. Compare each liquid A-F with water. What happens when you drop 5 ml of liquids A-F one at a time into a test tube with 5 ml of water?

(Handout for Open Investigation:)

LIQUID INVESTIGATION III

How are liquids different?

Decide who in your group will be materials manager, time keeper, and recorder. Only the materials manager can visit the materials table to bring supplies to the group. Don't forget to record data, predictions, and interpretations in you science lab notebook to share out during open discussion with all groups.

MATERIALS

- One set of six liquids A-H in calibrated medicine cups with spout.

- Five hand lenses

- One test tube rack

- 6 (5 ml calibrated plastic tube measuring spoons, and calibrated medicine cups, or 5 ml plastic tube with lid.

- Various containers of other liquids

DIRECTIONS:

Explore the behavior of liquids A-F plus others of your choice. Several additional liquids are at the supply table. You may add any liquid available. Record what you find and be prepared to present to other groups for discussion.

Additional Handout given at later date after in service

National Science Education Standards

Content Standard A - Science as Inquiry

As a result of activities in grades K-6 all students should develop the abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry and understanding about scientific inquiry.

K-4

Beginning in grades K-4, teachers should build on studentsÌ natural inclination to ask questions and investigate their world. The fundamental abilities and concepts that underlie this standard include the abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry.

1) Ask a question about objects, organisms, and events in the environment.

2) Plan and conduct a simple investigation.

3) Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses.

4) Use data to construct a reasonable explanation.

5) Communicate investigations and explanations.

5-8

Students in grades 5-8 should be provided opportunities to engage in full and partial inquiries. The fundamental abilities and concepts that underlie this standard include abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry,

1) Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations.

2) Design and conduct a scientific investigation.

3) Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, & interpret data.

4) Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, & models using evidence.

5) Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.

Understandings about scientific inquiry:

- Scientific investigations involve asking and answering a question and comparing the answer with what scientist already how about the world.

- Scientists use different kinds of investigations depending on the questions they are trying to answer. Types of investigations include describing objects, events, and organisms, classifying them; and doing a fair test (experimenting).

- Simple instruments, such as magnifiers, thermometers and rules, provide more information than scientists obtain using only their senses.

- Scientist develop explanations using observations (evidence) and what they already know about the world (scientific knowledge). Good explanations are based on evidence from investigations.

- Scientists make the results of their investigations public; they describe the investigations in ways that enable others to repeat the investigations. Scientists review and ask questions about the results of other scientistsÌ work.

Questions and Feedback:

What surprised me?
Given clear instructions, participants were involved in the activity and many times wanted more time to explore. Some participants could not get beyond wanting to identify the liquids. We often had to remind them that identification was not the purpose and that they should record their observations while following the directions.

Would you do it different?
Enough time must be allowed for this activity. The three investigations and discussion time at the end is a minimum of a four hour session. I would isolate each group with its own facilitator in separate rooms in which they have ample space to work. Then bring the total group back together for the wrap-up discussion based on their response and notes written. Maybe a group presentation about the three types of investigations charted and shared with the entire group. Maybe two hours should be allowed for small group discussions and then entire group discussion.

What would I like feedback on from the group?
The question I want feedback on is --- What questions would one pose in the wrap-up discussion when the audience is novice teachers? I really need to learn how to facilitate that part better with questions. With the more experienced Pilot School Coordinators and resource teachers at the summer institute, the discussion was great. They kept the discussion going comparing the types of hands on activities. However, it was not that easy with less experienced teachers who were novices to teaching with a kit based curriculum. That's why I know the questions need to be better to keep the discussion going for novices as well.