Dubious Doodling, an activity I learned at an eMints meeting, had the the students laughing and crying! Drawing a Christmas scene without looking, and without knowing in advance what you are drawing, helped the students see why a plan for their research is important to the success of the project.
This week we started our unit on Chemistry Matters! Students participated in five stations designed to review, teach and /or enrich their understanding of matter. One of the greatest achievements in chemistry was to prove that all matter in nature is built from about 100 elements and that no two atoms or molecules can occupy the same space at the same time. "A Matter of Stuff and Space" station's task requires the students determine the volume and mass for a wooden block, a golf ball and a cup of water. "Make Room for Me" - Part 1's task is to measure 50 ml of water and alcohol, then predict the total when combined; Part 2's task is to combine water and rock salt in a baby food jar, then shake the jar for one minute and observe the result; Part 3's task is to predict,then measure, the scoops of marbles, popping corn and sand to fill a baby food jar without removing the previous material. The "Kitchen Powders" station requires students observe and record what salt, baking soda, cream of tartar and sugar look like using a hand lens, then a microscope. Once they have recorded their observations, they need to determine the Mystery Powder( one of the four powders) and the Mystery Mixture( a combination of two of the powders).
Respond to the questions:
What is an indicator? If you add a chemical to an indicator and it doesn't change it is called a _________? If you add a chemical to an indicator and it changes to red it is called a________? If you add a chemical to an indicator and it changes to yellow it is called a ______? Did you enjoy this video? Why? Dear Parents: As listed on the class calendar, the Independent Research project begins this week. This week each student will receive a packet that includes: Project Planner, Timeline and Checklist sheet, the Primary Resources Log sheet and the Self- Reflection sheet. We will discuss each and establish due dates. * Next week, December 7 - 11, students will choose a topic, generate a research question or two and begin the actual research. As we are using the Talents Unlimited Decision - Making Talent to choose our topics, once chosen it cannot be changed. Also, as this is a learning opportunity, students are expected to generate a new project (Please refrain from reusing an existing project.), do as much of the research and product on their own and adhere to the due dates. Students will have time in class to work on the project and may come to my class, as allowed by the classroom teacher, during my consultative service hours to seek assistance or work on the project. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Margaret Dumas *I had planned to have the projects due before Christmas break, but looking at all that is scheduled school - wide, I think the most reasonable dates for completion would be the week of January 11- 15. I have uploaded a copy of the packet with specific dates for each component on the blog site.
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