11. Speed, Energy & Mass
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The last lab of this unit had students identify if increasing the mass of an object had any effect on how fast the object traveled or if it had more energy. Students set up data tables and conducted an experiment to see if increasing the weight of an object made it travel one meter faster. They used stopwatches to time the number of seconds it took each car to travel one meter. As a class they ended up with very different results. That was ok! We discussed how the test may not have been fair because people weren't following directions. Some teams used additional force, some teams waited until the car stopped moving and then hit the timer and other groups did not add the correct number of washers. When we redid the lab, we determined that the greater the mass the more energy an object has. We also determined that an increased mass to a point will increase the speed.
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10. Understanding Rate!
12/01/14
Rate is used to help explain how fast you can do something. Rate is measured as a ratio; for example miles per hour, meters per second, number of pieces of pizza eaten per minute etc. In class I asked students to figure our how many meters they could walk in 10 seconds. Then we calculated their speed in meters per second. Then we tried to find out the rate at which we traveled 10 meters. We were curious to determine which student had the fastest walking pace. We discussed the importance of everyone using the same unit of measure and how we needed to use a fair test. Every students used the same stop watch, same meter stick to measure and used the same calculators to determine their speed. It took us a few attempts to navigate the stopwatches.
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9. Designing a test!
11/22/14
This week students were asked to develop their own testable questions. We were still going to investigate with balls, but this time they were allowed to chose from a wide variety. Some of their choices included: tennis balls, basket balls, soccer balls, dodge balls, kick balls, yarn balls, wiffle balls, racquet balls, ping pong balls, and floor hockey balls. I had the students pair up and pic two balls. then they developed a list of questions they wanted to know the answers to. We conducted a series of tests including, bounce tests, speed tests, and energy transfer tests. Then students were asked to look at their results and draw some conclusions that they could share with the class. All of their observations were supposed to be recorded in their notebook in a data table. This was a great lab for students to see how the scientific method truly works.
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8. Bouncing Around!
11/17/14
Energy is everywhere! The more time we spend investigating in class the more our young scientists observe. This week we did some exploration with two different balls. We used a foam ball and a rubber ball. The students completed a series of tests to determine if both balls would bounce the same height when dropped at the same time. They then tested to see what they would need to do to increase the height of the bounce without exerting an additional force. Not only did they discover that the rubber ball had a greater mass and density and there for bounced higher, but they also determined that the higher the distance from the floor you drop the ball, the greater the height it bounced. We concluded that the balls have greater potential energy the higher we lift them away from the floor becasue the have a "potential to fall" a greater distance. Some of the students even remember from last year that it is gravitational energy. The last challenge I gave them was to see if they could transfer the energy from one ball to the other and record what happened. Next week they will design their own series of tests with additional balls: basket ball, soccer ball, tennis ball, pong pong ball and golf balls to see what else they can determine.
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7. Getting to know Circuits!
11/12/14
This week students had an opportunity to work with circuits. We discussed that a circuit has a 4 main components. It needs a power source, conductors, insulators and an object that requires electricity to work. We used batteries for a power source either 9 volts or AA. They then used a series of wires to connect the battery to the lightbulb in order for it to work. Students noticed that there is a positive charge (+) and a negative charge (-) on the battery. Students were then challenged to see if they could get the lightbulb to glow brighter or dimmer and record what they needed to do in their journals in order to accomplish that. We discussed that a conductor is a material that lets electrons flow freely through it. Metals often make great conductors. Insulators do not let electrons flow freely and are often used as a coating to prevent electrical current from flowing freely.
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6. How does energy transfer?
11/04/14
Energy is all around us and is needed to do just about anything! Energy is never created or destroyed but it does change forms and it can transfer from one object to another. We decided to investigate how this works.. I set up a lamp and 6 identically sized pieces of construction paper on a piece of cardboard. On each paper we placed a similar sized ice cube. I had students predict which ice cube would melt the fastest or if all of them would melt at the same rate. In their notebooks they drew their hypothesis. Some students mentioned that certain colors absorb more light (soak in) and other colors reflect more light (bounce off) and so they would melt at different rates. We waited for 30 minutes and the students decided that this wasn't a fair test. The two pieces of paper in the middle were getting the most direct light and therefore would melt fastest regardless of the color of paper. They have redesigned this experiment and we will be trying again on Monday. Below are pictures from our first attempt.
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5. Proof of energy
10/27/14
It is hard to believe that energy even exists becasue it is not something you can hold or touch. Based on what the students have learned so far I asked them to prove to me that energy exists by giving them a cup and 7 pennines. Students had to create a model and some type of explanation as to how they know there is energy. Students came up with many answers including: "I hear the sound energy, I can feel the wind energy when I spin the penny," and finally "If I use a force to push the penny and it collides with the others they all move." These are all great ways to prove that energy does exist!
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4. Non-renewable Energy
10/18/14
Non-renewable energy is a source of energy that is not easily replenished. It takes hundreds and even thousands of years to create the smallest amount of energy. Examples of non-renewable energy are coal, crude oil, petroleum. These are also known as fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are created from the buried remains of dead marine plants and animals from millions of years ago. These sources of energy are being used faster than they can be produced and are harmful to the environment.
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3. Renewable Energy
10/11/14
Renewable energy is source of energy that is easily replenished. It is energy that can be naturally harnessed. These sources of energy are biomass, geothermal energy, wind energy, solar energy, and hydroelectric power. These sources of energy are not harmful to the environment and are often called "clean energy" or "green energy." The source of renewable energy used on Samso was wind power.
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2. Creating a Diagram
09/28/14
Scientists use diagrams all the time to help explain the parts of an object. Diagrams are used in directions, maps, textbooks, and may other places. Being able to create an effective diagram is a very important skill. Students were able to practice drawing several diagrams in their notebook They then took a diagram assessment on drawing and labeling the parts of a bird.
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1. Team Building!
09/15/14
Being a successful scientist often times means being a successful teammate. This year we started off by completing a design challenge that focused on working as a team. Students were given 45 minutes to develop a strategy that would use a broom to get an egg resting on a toilet paper tube onto of a pizza pan into a cup of water without cracking.. They needed to communicate ideas, share materials, develop a strategy and put it to work. At the end of the challenge each team had an opportunity to try their strategy. We then discussed how teammates should speak to one another. We also discussed how to compromise and combine ideas so that everyone was successful. Students discovered that they accomplished much more when they helped each other.
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Ms. Lohitsa
Lover of ALL things Science!
Effective teammates:
1) kind
2) responsible
3) share ideas
4) respect others
5) include everyone
Guided questions:
1) How are energy and motion related?
2) How is transferred by colliding objects?
3) How is energy transferred by light, sound and heat?
4) How is energy transferred by electrical currents?
5) How is energy stored and used?
6) How do people choose energy resources?
7) How do renewable and non-renewable resources differ?
8) What is global warming and why should people be concerned?
Links:
StudyJam on Electricity
Current Electricity and Electric circuits
StudyJam on light
StudyJam on energy and matter
StudyJam on light absorption, refraction, and reflections
Building a turbine
Build your own Clean Energy City
Learn about all Energy Sources
Energy Star
Gizmos (Remember you can only play each gizmo once each day)
Videos all about energy
StudyJam on Electrical energy
Books we are reading:
Lover of ALL things Science!
Effective teammates:
1) kind
2) responsible
3) share ideas
4) respect others
5) include everyone
Guided questions:
1) How are energy and motion related?
2) How is transferred by colliding objects?
3) How is energy transferred by light, sound and heat?
4) How is energy transferred by electrical currents?
5) How is energy stored and used?
6) How do people choose energy resources?
7) How do renewable and non-renewable resources differ?
8) What is global warming and why should people be concerned?
Links:
StudyJam on Electricity
Current Electricity and Electric circuits
StudyJam on light
StudyJam on energy and matter
StudyJam on light absorption, refraction, and reflections
Building a turbine
Build your own Clean Energy City
Learn about all Energy Sources
Energy Star
Gizmos (Remember you can only play each gizmo once each day)
Videos all about energy
StudyJam on Electrical energy
Books we are reading: