| Teena Corker |
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Introduction
This lesson is part of our unit on water. We study four abiotics of the environment in early spring; sun, soil, water and air. We read many related books on water; its properties (solid, liquid, vapor), functions (including the water cycle) and importance of water in our world. This lesson shows what happens to a solid when placed in liquid; does it float or sink? And why?
Subject: Physical Science
Topic: Solids in Liquid
Grade Level: Kindergarten
http://ctap295.ctaponline.org/~tcorker/student
Standards Addressed
KINDERGARTEN:
SCIENCE
Physical Science
1. Properties of materials can be observed, measured, and
predicted. As
a basis for understanding this concept:
a) Students know objects can be described in terms of the materials they are made of (e.g., clay, cloth, paper) and their physical properties (e.g., color, size, shape, weight, texture, flexibility, attraction to magnets, floating, sinking).Investigation and Experimentation
4. 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. Students will:
a) Observe common objects by using the five senses.
b) Describe the properties of common objects.
c) Describe the relative position of objects by using one reference.
d) Compare and sort comon objects by one physical attribute.
e) Communicate observation orally and through drawings.
Instructional Objectives
1.
Students
will record predictions, conduct an experiment and record results from
an experiment to determine which items will float in water.
Student Activities
Insert brief summaries of your introductory, enabling, and culminating activities. Insert links to online resources in your text and insert links to activities on your student lesson web site.
Introductory Activity
Introduce the lesson with an anticipatory activity; for example, fill a clear plastic tub with water, hold up an item such as a pair of scissors, and ask whether students think the item will sink or float. Conduct the experiment by placing the scissors in the water and observing the scissors sink. Hold up another item, such as a cotton ball and ask the same question. Conduct the experiment and observe the cotton ball float. Discuss why the scissors sank and why the cotton ball floated. Items that are less dense will float (less mass) and items that are more dense sink (more mass). Talk about the thickness of these materials and note the air pockets in the cotton ball. Tell the students they will be conducting their own experiments today to determine if certain items float.
Show students the pre-test paper and demonstrate how they are to circle the picture of an item they think will float. Students then take the pre-test predicting which items will float in water. Instructions will be to circle the pictures of items that would float.
Enabling
Activity (Student directions)
1. Place tub in center of table
between sheets of paper labled "Sink" and "Float".
2. Place materials (pencil, coin,
sponge, button, paper clip, popsicle stick, rock, crayon) in front of tub.
3. Take turns with your group and,
one at a time, place each item in the water to determine if it sinks
or floats. Put the items on the appropriate sheet of paper as to
whether it sinks or floats. Discuss with each other why each item
might sink or float. Record results on a worksheet
with pictures of items used in the experiment (circle items that float).
After experiment, you may explore sinking and floating with other
items from the classroom.
Culminating
Activity
Go to the computer and do the activity page where
you click onto a picture of an item used in the group experiment and drag
it to the correct "sink" or "float" column.
Assessment
Insert your grading rubric for the culminating activity or a link to your rubric or test document file.
Results
After implementing your lesson (sometime between January & March), insert a chart of your pre-test, post-test, and culminating assessment data.
Web
Resources & Supplementary Materials
Introductory Activity
List and link the web resources
for this activity here. Also link supplementary materials such as PDF files
and /or document files.
Enabling Activity
List and link the web resources
for your learning activity(ies) here. Also link supplementary materials
such as PDF files and /or document files.
Culminating Activity
List and link the web resources
for this activity here. Also link supplementary materials such as PDF files
and /or document files.
Gold Run Elementary
Nevada City,
CA 95959
Teena Corker:
Teena@oro.net
Last Revised:
08/03/2000