Chemical Tests
Lesson 4
Testing Unknown Solids with Water
In lessons 3-10 students perform a series of tests to help them determine the physical and chemical properties of the five unknown chemicals.
3. Lesson set up and Management
GLE 1.1.1 Understand how to use properties to sort natural and manufactured materials and objects.
GLE 2.1.2 Understand how to plan and conduct simple investigations following all safety rules.
(345) Follow all safety rules during investigations.
(345) Identify and use simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend their senses
GLE 2.1.5 Understand how to report investigations and explanations of objects, events, systems and processes.
(3) Report observations of simple investigations without making inferences
Easily included:
GLE 2.2.4 – Understand how to make the results of scientific investigations reliable.
- Students predict, investigate and record their results for what happens when a few drops of water are added to each unknown chemical.
3. Lesson set up and Management
Materials:
- Use the "Check Your Science Pail" poster board for quick student reference. Add "hand lens" and "black paper."
- Signs with each material and the amount needed to be picked up at the materials center are helpful.
- Have a parent helper prepare the water bottles ahead of time to save you time.
Student Management:
- Assign one partner to be the materials manager and have that student pick up the materials from the materials center after you model how to do it.
- It is helpful for visual learners to allow them to use a crayon to highlight each color word to make recording observations even easier. Show students the overhead and model what section they will be using and how to color code it.
- PROCEDURE #6
- As students are recording their own observations on their tables, carry a sheet around, listen to their discussions, look at their written observations and record ideas from each group for class discussion during Procedure #7.
- Create a bulletin board that can display the test results for each unknown. If you laminate the charts they can be used year after year. Lessons 4 – 10 will need charts. After each test gather as a class to share and discuss results and add general information to the bulletin board about the results. This can be a great resource for students who are absent or have difficulty recording their own information accurately. Remember student observation need to be valued even if they don’t agree with the majority. Sample Test Results Chart (one of these would be made for lessons 4 -10 test results).
- Refer to the information you collected from the groups, telling the students that you gathered these from groups as they were working. Share their ideas to enhance class discussion. Many students that hesitate to share ideas out loud feel valued when they hear one of their ideas. This leads to more participation. Even though the ideas are student generated, gathering ideas as they work allows you to do quality control and focus on strong scientific observation words.
Writing Support:
- Students will record their predictions and observations for what they saw during the water test.
Reading Support:
- Student can read some simple recipes to see what they all have in common. They can then connect this to lesson - mixing the ingredients together create something new to eat - a new mixture.
- Read The Magic School Bus Gets Baked in a Cake by Joanna Cole.
Math Support:
- Decide, as a class, how much time each water mixture should be stirred. Have students time the stirring using the clock.
- Share standard measuring tools with students such as teaspoon, tablespoon and cup. Connect this to the spoon they are using to measure.
- When sharing with the students the approximate time they will have for the activity, list the start time on the board and have them practice elapsed time by providing the approximate stop time for you to list under start time.