Aleah Tenpas: Elementary Science Method Blog

What did you learn this week? We taught 5th grade students a lesson on the conservation of matter. We used 5 major materials here today. Baking Soda, Vinegar, balloon, plastic bottle, and scale. We put equal amounts of vinegar and baking soda together and put a balloon on top of the water bottle. This combination of vinegar and baking soda caused a chemical reaction. I learned that when these two combined it leads to the production of carbon dioxide which is a gas. When this gas is produced, I learned and visually saw, that this leads to the balloon expanding significantly and growing in mass. I learned and it was a good reminder that because carbon dioxide is classified as a gas it expands it quickly! Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew? Before today, I already knew that a gas is classified as having lower density meaning that the atoms will move more quickly and further apart, while breaking away from the group. To deepen my knowledge that  I already...

What did you learn this week? In lab this week we just worked on the States of Matter and looked out for specific characteristics that they bring up being important in noticing. My group visually showed different characteristics that represented solids, liquids, and gases. We also learned this week how to set up a particle model to make sense of all the items . How can you apply what you've learned to your teaching in the future? From lab, I am able to take away the success of implementing different forms of instruction by using things like online simulations to get ideas across. Through doing this, I personally developed a better understanding by visually seeing what occurs then we also talked through what the process means verbally as well to gather a better understanding. What are new or remaining questions? * How can we help our students to understand the different diagrams we show across to our students related to matter? Sometimes, it can be harder to make sense of.   Are yo...