December 6, 2013 - Lots of learning going on.

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving break. It has been busy, busy here at PHMS 116 since we got back from break. We are working on finishing two major items, one project and one unit.

The project is our research project for the Technology Assessment. At this point students have finished the majority of their research. We started putting the final product together on Monday. They made their first post on their blog at Kidsblog. We are not opening up their blogs until the project is completed so they have a chance to edit and revise before it is published. They should have two posts completed, one is their personal connection to their topic (why they chose it) and the other is the history or background about their topic. They will continue to do a small amount of research to fill in gaps of knowledge and to gather images to be used in the blog.

The unit that we are completing is on atoms and the periodic table. At this point they have learned about atomic theories, subatomic particles, atomic structure, isotopes, ions, symbols, and the arrangement of the periodic table. We'll be reviewing the material next week and taking a test over the concepts on Dec. 19. That way they can relax and enjoy the Christmas break.

If you would like to view a video on atoms and the periodic table click here. You may have to download the video before viewing. Hope you have a great weekend.

Bethel College visits our classroom. 11/25/2013

Students paying close attention.

What is going to happen??

A Liberal Arts education put to music.

Did you take a shower this morning?

Water molecules staying together.

A hot flash put into the water.

What??

Fill'er up!

A CD splitting water into the rainbow.

Using a "powder glove" to get the penny with out getting wet.

 

"Elephant toothpaste"

A busy week - Nov. 15, 2013

This last week was a busy one. Students are learning how to manage two projects simultaneously. We spent Monday and Wednesday on the Technology Assessment. You can visit Mrs. Bowman's website to see the guidelines here.

Mrs. Poulseen's class receiving instructions from Mrs. Bowman in the Technology Assessment.

 Tuesday and Thursday was spent learning about sub-atomic particles, protons, neutrons, and electrons. We used the Gizmo "Element Builder" at ExploreLearning.com to see how the different particles impact an atom. What determines the identity of the element, the charge of the atoms and which isotope is represented.  We created a pyramid shaped graphic organizer with information about the sub-atomic particles.

Friday was an unusual day. All students attended the BHS performance of"Lil' Abner"in the morning. Then after lunch was the reward they earned by meeting the goal set in the food drive. The studnents seemed to enjoy both activities.

Hope you are enjoying the cooler weather.

Friday, Nov. 8, 2013

 
The water barometer has been having a work out this week. On Wednesday, the water in the spout was below the reservoir indicating high pressure and fair weather coming. But today the water was dripping out of the spout, indicating low pressure and rainy weather coming. The Galileo thermometer was indicating cooler weather. This is one of the few times when four of the spheres have been at the top of the thermometer.       

We started two learning activities this week. We are beginning the study of substances, specifically, elements. We started with the "greatest" discoveries in chemistry and Bill Nye. We created a foldable graphic organizer listing six of the atomic theories and their main ideas. Learning how theories have changed with changes in technology was emphasised. Speaking of technology, we started the State Technology Assessment this week. 

                                    

Students will research a "science" topic of their interest and create a product showing what they have learned - all using technology. Mrs. Bowman, our librarian, will be helping with this project. Students will be working on this two days per week until Dec. 16. The rest of the time, it is class as usual. Today we were introduced to a "classic" song from Mrs. Poulseen's class. We sing this to the tune of the "Addams Family" Intro Theme song from the 1964 television show. There are two more verses but we aren't quite ready for them yet.

THE ATOM FAMILY SONG

(sub-atomic particles = parts of the atom)

Protons are positive, (+ charge)

Neutrons are neutral, ( 0 charge)

Electrons are negative. (- charge)

The Atom family.

Chorus:

Dada da da, snap snap.

Dada da da, snap snap.

Dada da da,

Dada da da,

Dada da da, snap snap.

(neutral, stable or balanced atoms)

In atoms that are balanced, (neutral, no charge)

Electrons equal Protons, (+P = -e)

Neutrons are what’s left  (AM – AN = N)

when you do subtraction.

Chorus:

Test Prep and Review - Oct. 31, 2013

It seems like we've done quite a bit this week while preparing for the test on Thursday.

On it's way up.

We started Monday with a quick visit about the weather. The water barometer was the highest it has been this school year. In fact in the afternoon water was actually dripping from it. It was quite foggy this morning so I shared my Great Grandmother's old wives tale of "It will rain 100 days after a heavy fog." So we marked the calendar on 100 days out - Feb. 5. We'll see what happens.

On Tuesday students were given the study guide for the test. But first we reviewed colloids by making some samples of oobleck and goop/gak/flubber.

Oobleck ingredients - cornstarch and water.

We used the ratio of approximately 2 cornstarch to 1 water. This creates a non-Newtonian liquid that becomes solid under pressure. To see oobleck dancing watch this video.
To see it on the Ellen DeGeneres Show watch this video.
 Ingredients for goop/gak/flubber consist of water, borax and glue.

My recipe calls to make a solution of the white glue and water with a ratio of 1:1. An a borax solution (really a suspension as it settles out) at a ratio of 8:1. In this case the water is the solvent (large amount) and the borax is the solute (small amount).
We measured out equal amounts of each solution.Then combined them and stirred, creating a chemical change and producing this.  Another recipe and video is located here.  

On Wednesday we did a "Mix & Match" review of vocabulary and terms for the test. Students were given a card and they had to find all of the matches. Some only had one, others had five. It got us up, moving, and thinking.

Which one?

A correct set.

I don't think so.

Let's mix it up! Mixtures

Physically separating the iron filings using magnetism.

Using solubility to remove the salt from the sand.

On Monday we separated a mixture of salt, sand and iron filings. We used their physical properties to accomplish this.
 
First we removed the iron filings using their property of magnetism. A magnet was able to gather up most of the filings in the mixtures.








After that, we used solubility to separate the salt and sand.  We added water to the remaining mixture. This put the salt into solution, as it is soluble in water and sand is not

Filtering out the larger particles of sand from the salt water.

Removing the water from the salt.

Then we removed the sand from the water using filter paper.









And lastly, we used boiling point to separate the salt and water. Since it is lower for water, it evaporated, leaving the salt behind in the beaker.

Concentrated vs. dilute

 On Wednesday, we looked at solutions. They are homogeneous mixtures.

We looked at concentration or the amount of solute in a solution- concentrated on the left and dilute on the right.

Cold vs. hot water

Instant tea vs. tea leaves

One variable affecting rate of solubility is temperature. Obviously, hot water put the tea into solution quicker than cold water.









Another variable is particle size. Thus the powered tea goes into solution quicker than the tea leaves.

This is our Graphic Organizer as completed for Mixtures. Click to check it out.

Oct. 18, 2013 and it's snowing!

Snow collecting on door frames waiting to be installed.

Snow in the evergreens behind the school.

Yes, we had snow falling today during the afternoon classes. Students are guessing if/how it will affect the PHMS band's performance tonight at the BHS football game. Luckily, today was the day to record in our weather journals. It was interesting to see how the temperature, wind and visibility dropped during the day. 

We've been studying physical and chemical properties of matter this week. We did the Gizmo, Mystery Powder Analysis from Explore Learning. Students collected data on 5 known substances - salt, gelatin, baking soda, baking powder, and corn starch. Then they determined the identity of 5 unknown substances and 5 mixtures of two substances.

This is "WHAT?"

Registration papers for the STEM activities.

Girls have two opportunities to explore STEM careers. I posted these links at the school's Facebook page but here they are again, in case you want to check these opportunities out.
WSU's Exploring your Horizons and K-State's Grow   

   Next week we will begin working with mixtures. Lots of new vocabulary coming up!

Coming next week - mixtures, solutions, and suspensions.

Physcial and Chemical

We are still working with Physical and Chemical Properties and Changes.

We did a lab where we calculated the density of 14 different items and then analyzed the densities from least to greatest. We discovered that plant based items were the least dense, then synthetics like nylon and PVC. Those were followed by minerals and the metals were the most dense.

Create a Density Tower

Here is a fun activity that you could do at home. Link to Steve Spangler Science to watch a video on how to make one.

We also worked with changes in states of matter, using water as the substance. This gave us practice in using thermometers, recording data, and analyzing that data. Next week we will try and discover the identity of  some white mystery powders using their physical and chemical properties.

Yes, you really do need to collect data.

What was that temperature?

How do we tell if it is boiling?

Look at the condensation!

 

Cha, cha, changes......

Some of the items used in class today.

 This week we've been studying physical and chemical characteristics/properties and physical and chemical changes.

My camera is on the fritz so I don't have any pictures of the students working to share. Sorry  :-(

But we've watch a video, had bubble races between rubbing alcohol and corn syrup, (Hint: the corn syrup has a greater viscosity so the bubble moves a lot slower), soured milk, dissolved clam shells and played with baby food jars filled with blue colored water and baby oil (they are mini-wave machines that demonstrate density and solubility.) We also took a few notes and calculated the density of various cubes and objects.

Hope to see you at Parent-Teacher Conferences on Monday, Oct. 7 and Tuesday, Oct. 8 from 5:00 to 8:30 PM

We are getting ready for our first test! Below is the study guide in case you need it. Good luck!

Name __________________________________ Hr. ______

Study Guide for First Test

Vocabulary: Write a short definition for each.

Purpose/Problem

Hypothesis

Experiment

Analysis

Conclusion

gram

meter

liter

Be able to identify the steps of the Scientific Method:

Testing the hypothesis, includes variables and materials is –

An educated guess as to what will occur -

Looking at data and observations then comparing and contrasting results, calculating % and averages, etc. –

Can be a written or oral report, where information is shared with others -

When you decide if your hypothesis was correct or not –

The reason for the investigation -

2 safety rules for each area:

eye protection:

heating safety:

electric safety:

chemical safety:

sharp objects:

animal:

hand:

clothing:


plant:

Grams, centimeters and liters.

How many mL are there?

This week we practiced with the equipment we will be using during labs this year. The hardest part was remembering to use labels! So far we've learned to be safe in the lab, how to use the equipment, and next week we will be looking at the Scientific Method. 

Make sure it starts where the ruler starts!

One more gram....

Also next week, we will have our first test of the year. Friday is the day that we will "show what we know" about the topics we've covered so far this year. So wish us luck. Mrs. Poulseen will send out a remind101 message on Thursday so we don't forget to study.