Chemical Tests

- Launch the lesson with this chart for students to express tings they are wondering about chemicals before they begin this investigation. 

What are you wondering about chemicals?

-          Are all chemicals dangerous? -          Do chemicals change? -          Can you eat chemicals? -          What happens when you mix chemicals?

Focus Question: How can we explore our unknowns? What are some of your ideas about how to explore the unknowns?

Prediction/ Hypothesis: If we add water to the unknowns, then they might change colors, state & texture might change. 

Planning: AMSTI Chemical tests investigation kit

- In this kit, we have 5 jars with chemicals inside. We are going to solve the mystery of what each chemical is. We will call the chemicals unknowns.
-Explain why you shouldn't cross-contaminate the unknowns because the chemicals would no longer be pure.

Data:

	How it feels	How it looks	How it smells
Red	Rocky/gritty	White/powdery	None
Orange	Soft /crunchy	White/powdery	None
Yellow	Clumpy/rough	White/powdery	None
Blue	Gritty	Salt/sugar	None
Green	Soft	White/powdery	None

Claims & Evidence: From this investigation, I learned that our unknowns have different properties because they all started to look and feel differently when water was added to them.

Conclusion: What did we discover from our unknowns today? In our investigation today we discovered that chemicals can change. Based on what we did in our testing with out unknown, water changed the chemicals.

Force & Balance Investigation

Focus Question: What does it mean when you balance something? Think about something you have to balance. (See saw)
- Read Marrett on the High wire. Ask students if Marrett will have more trouble walking on the high wire and why.

Hypothesis/ Prediction: I claim that when the clothespins are equal weight on each side of the cray fish it will balance because it will be stable.

Planning: clothes pins, poster board crayfish cut outs, half circle and triangle poster cut outs, Popsicle sticks.

Data: Have students spend time trying different ways to make the crayfish balance on their fingers while also filling out the chart below.

How did you balance the fish?	How did you balance with clothespins?	What Happened?
Side Tail Nose	Side Tail Nose	Fell over Stood Fell, stood

- After students have successfully balanced the crayfish, allow them to investigate using the semicircle and triangle cut out.

Claims & Evidence: If we find the center of our fish then we can use our pins to balance. 

Conclusion: Have students explain the investigation back to the teacher while she longs t on a class chart for the students.

What did we balance?	What Happened?
Fish/ pins	Balanced because it was stable

- We learned that...

1. The weight must be even or it will not balance.

2. The larger the base, then the easier it is to balance. 

Weather (Anemometer- Upper Grades)

Launch-  Have students share things they already know about weather forecasting as well as things they are still wondering. Discussion from this chart will lead to the focus question.

What we know about weather forecasting	What we’re still wondering

Focus Question: How do we use technology to investigate our Earth/ the weather? How does technology help forecast the weather?

Prediction: I predict the anemometer will spin if it is windy but won't if there is no wind. I believe this to be true because their would be nothing to make the cups spin if there was wind.

Planning: Dixie cups, straws, masking tape, pencils, thumb tacks.

- Have students stick the straws through the cups.
- Tape the straws to the top of the pencil with the eraser.
- Then stick the thumb tack into the eraser to hold the straws and cups in place.

Data: Have students go outside and complete the chart below to measure the wind speed. 

Number of spins	Number of seconds (Intervals of 10 sec.)

Claims & Evidence: I claim that the wind was not blowing when I tested my anemometer because it did not spin.

Conclusion: Create a class "What we learned" chart and have students share their thoughts after conducting this investigation.

Questions: What other technology would you want to learn about that measures the weather?

Weather (Weather flag for kindergarten/1st grade)

Launch- Survey Chart and discussion leading into focus questions/ investigation.

Focus Question: What is weather? What is the weather like today? How do you know/can you sense when the wind is blowing?

Planning: Felt, cardboard strips, staples

Data: Children will take their flags outside and use the chart below to decide how hard and if at all the wind is blowing. 

NO Wind 0	Some Wind 1	Strong Wind 2
Flag doesn't move	Flag moves slightly	Flag moves a lot

-Students will then draw a picture of their flag and what happened when they took it outside. 

Claims & Evidence: We can tell the wind is moving because we can see our flag moving. 

Conclusion: We learned that wind can be seen and heard. We learned we can feel the wind. 

Questions: What kind of storms produce very strong winds? (Hurricanes & Tornadoes). How do we know what to wear everyday or when we need an umbrella? 

Life science (plant structure)

Focus Question: Do vegetable plants and flower plants have the same structure?

Prediction/Hypothesis: I think that vegetable plants and flower plants will have the same structure but they will look different on the outside.

Planning: Tomato plants, flower plants, paper plates, napkins, photographs in plastic sleeves.

Data: Have students share keywords that come to mind when they think of plants.
-Students will then examine the different plants to see if they both have all of these parts in common.
- Each group will be given two plants. The students will be put into groups and asked to examine each plant. They will they make a quick sketch of each plant to record the 4 different features.
- After students have investigated, give out pictures of plant A & B in their premature stage and growth to their mature age. Students will then be asked to determine which picture is which plant.

Keywords About Plants

Roots Stems Leaves flowers

-After students have taken the time to identify the plants in the pictures, then explain what each plant is. Then have students explain if each plant has the four parts and explain where they are on each plant.

	Stem	Root	Leaves	Flower
A
B

Claims & Evidence: I claim that tomato plants and flower plants will have the same structure because they both have roots, stems, leaves, and flowers.

Conclusion: In this investigation, we learned that plant A and plant B both have the same structures, but they look different. They also grow different things. One produces something edible and one does not. Upon further investigation, we also learned that plant A was a tomato plant and plant B was a flowering plant.

Questions: 

Will a tree have the same structure?
Will a fruit plant have the same structure?
Does grass have the same structure as the plants we investigated?

Static Electricity Investigation

Focus Question: What happens when we rub a plastic spoon on cloth and hold it closely to the salt and pepper?

Prediction/Hypothesis: If we use static electricity, then we can separate the salt and pepper.

Planning: Salt, pepper, plastic spoons, Tupperware bowls, Ziploc bags, carpet

Data:

Materials	What Happened
Salt (1 tbsp.) Pepper (1 tbsp.) Bowl Plastic spoon Carpet	After mixing the salt and pepper together, as well as rubbing the spoon on the carpet for about 20 seconds and holding it to the S&P mixture, the pepper began to stick to the spoon. Some salt stuck as well but not very much, depending on how close you held the spoon.

Claims & Evidence: If we have salt and pepper mixed together, then we can use a plastic spoon rubbed against cloth to separate the two variables.

Conclusion: What happened when you rubbed the spoon on the carpet and held it over the salt and pepper mixture? What caused the S&P to stick to the spoon? We learned that static electricity is made up of positive and negatively charged particles. The particles attract to each other and we observed this while watching the salt and pepper stick to the spoon.

Questions: Is there any other items we could use to demonstrate static electricity? What else could we rub the spoon on the get the same reaction with the salt and pepper?

Physical Science (chemical change (balloon/vinegar/baking soda investigation)

Focus Question:  How can you create a chemical change?

Prediction/ Hypothesis: If we combine vinegar and baking soda, then the two will begin to fizz.

Planning: Baking soda (1 tbsp. in each balloon), vinegar (1/4 cup in each bottle), water bottles, balloons

- Each student will be given a balloon and a bottle. In the bottle there will be vinegar and in the balloon there will be baking soda. When you get your materials, place your balloon opening over your water bottle opening. Carefully pick up your balloon and let the baking soda fall into the bottle.

Data:

What We Tried	What Happened
Balloon filled with baking soda (1 tbsp.) Vinegar (1/4 cup) in the bottom of the bottle Putting the filled balloon on the bottle	The balloon immediately began to inflate. The vinegar and baking soda combining made lots of white fizz that slowly turned into a milky liquid. Balloon slowly began to deflate after a few minutes.

Claims & Evidence: We claim that when you combine a solid and a liquid, a chemical reaction can occur. This was evident when we added vinegar to the baking soda and a gas was formed.

Conclusion: Why did the balloon inflate? We combined our baking soda (solid) and vinegar (liquid) and that made a gas. The gas inflated the balloon. In this investigation could we take this gas and break it apart to make vinegar and baking soda again?

Questions: Do you think the amount of vinegar and baking soda had to do with the balloon filling up with gas? What other substances can you put together to make a gas?