Kristie Wingler

Title: Water Systems

A. Grade Level: This activity is geared toward 6th grade.  At this age students are able to use logical thought and reasoning as pointed out in Piaget’s Developmental Theory.  The students at this level will be able to observe more than one thing at a time.   This activity will provide opportunity for students at this level to have more efficient learning skills.

B. General Goals: Relationship to NC Standard Course of Study
Competency Goal 5
Objectives
5.01-Describe how heat can travel by conduction, convection, and radiation
5.02-Experiment to show how heat flows through materials or across space from warmer objects to cooler ones until both objects are at the same temperature.

C.  Process Skills:
Observing-The students will observe the temperature change in the thermometers and what may cause the change.
Communicating-The students will discuss why the temperature changed.  The students will brainstorm ways to cool off the water.
Using Space/Time Relations-Each student will be placed into groups and asked to do separate experiments.   A person in each group will be asked to time the experiment.
Measuring-Each group will be responsible for filling out a chart, using the data they have collected.
Inferring-Within this experiment, the students will infer if there will be a change in temperature and in what ways can water be cooled.   Also they will infer possibilities of getting the temperature to a given degree in a certain amount of time.
Predicting-Students will get a feel for predicting what things will change the temperature of hot water and what are the reasons behind the notice in change.

D. Materials Needed:
16 thermometers
24 plastic cups
Ice
Measuring cup
Burner for heating water
Pot
Styrofoam cup
Metal spoon
Plastic spoon
Visuals

E. Activity Description
Engagement- I just read in the paper that the water distilling company has no way of cooling off the water being distilled (boiled and purified) to put into jugs to sell at the grocery stores.  They need our help in finding ways to cool the hot water off so they can transfer it to jugs and ship it off.  How many ways can you think of cooling hot water?
Exploration- How many ways can we cool off hot water? (stirring, blowing, add ice, put a metal spoon in the water, and put a plastic spoon in the water) The students will brainstorm ways to cool off hot water. After the students brainstorm different ways, the students will experiment with these different ways and collect data as they observe what is happening to the temperature, being sure to take down the starting temperature.  The students will time the experiment for 2 minutes, noting any change in temperature.  They will then be asked:
1. What is the effect of the container on cooling?
2. What is the effect of stirring on cooling?
3. What is the effect of the metal spoon on cooling?
4. What is the effect of adding ice on cooling?
The teacher will ask what is the same and what has changed.  The controlled cup of water will be used to compare the temperatures to see if a change has occurred.

Explanation-The teacher will explain the effects of each question asked in the Exploration.
 If a Styrofoam cup is used instead of a plastic cup, it will take more effort to cool the liquid.  The Styrofoam cup is made of material that keeps the molecules from getting to the outside air molecules and the molecules take a longer time moving from hot to cold.
Stirring the hot water to cool it off causes the temperature to decrease and the molecules to slow down decreasing the average kinetic energy.
The cup with the metal spoon in it causes the fast moving molecules in the hot water to bump into the slower moving molecules on the spoon causing the molecules in the water to slow down and cool, while the molecules on the spoon speed up and become hot.  Demonstrate this with a student.
When ice is added to the water, the water is cooled because heat energy in the hot water moves from hot to cold.

Temperature is the measurement of the average kinetic energy of molecules.  A change in temperature shows us a transfer of energy.
Therefore, if the temperature decreased there will be less average kinetic energy and if the temperature increased there will be more average kinetic energy.  When molecules are hot they expand (take up more space) and when they are cold they contract (take up less space).  Have students demonstrate this in class and show the visual of molecule movements and then show the points to keep in mind to sum up the lesson.

Expansion:  We have learned ways to cool off a hot liquid. We have also observed how molecules look when hot and cold and that a temperature change is an example of a transfer of energy.  To apply what we have learned, try to get a cup of hot water, as quickly as possible to 27 degrees Celsius.  Keeping in mind that a temperature change= a transfer of energy and also provide yourself with a mental model of the molecules as the transfer of energy is taking place.

Evaluation:  As the students are working in their groups, the teacher will observe the groups, asking questions of why they think a certain thing is happening and listening for the use of vocabulary words to explain what they see happening.  Make sure the students are writing down the data.

For the summative evaluation, a data sheet is assigned and needs to be filled out.  For homework the students will be asked to write a summary on what they observed during the experiment.  The teacher will be looking for vocabulary use and an understanding of what temperature measures and that a change in temperature is a transfer of energy because the movement of the molecules changes from fast to slow or slow to fast changing the average kinetic energy of each molecule.

F. Higher Order Thinking Skills Question:

1. What is the difference between conduction, convection, and radiation in relation to heat energy?
2. What is heat?
3. List the two scales we can use to measure temperature.
4. Do you think a temperature of absolute zero can be reached? Why or Why not?
5. What is specific heat and why is it important?
6. Explain why raising the temperature of 1000 grams of water from 80 degrees Celsius to 90 degrees Celsius would require more energy than raising the temperature of 100 grams of water from 40 degrees Celsius to 100 degrees Celsius.

G. Bibliography:

Moving Molecules Game
http://perweb.direct.ca/ikhan/elementary/physical115.html
Need help integrating science experiments in other subjects?  This site offers lesson plans that integrate other subjects.

Challoner, Jack.  Hot and Cold.   Austin, Texas:  Raintree Steck-           VaughnPublishers, 1997.
This book answers questions you may have about hot and cold things.  Inside is also a “Now try this” section for students to try experiments on their own.

Gega, Peter C.  Concepts and Experiences in elementary school science.  New York:  Macmillan Publishing Company, 1994.
This book is a science experiment source book for teachers who teaches children ages 5-12.

How to keep the heat in your house.  Rodale Press Publisher.  Oley, PA:  Bullfrog Films, 1980 video recording
This video shows examples of heat molecular movement and is a good visual model.

Transparencies with teacher’s guide.  Prentice Hall Science.  New Jersey:  Prentice Hall, 1993.
This notebook is filled with transparencies dealing  with heat energy.  It  also provides questions to accompany the transparencies.

H. Curricular Integration:

Language Arts- The students will develop a written explanation on heat and the transfer of energy, strengthening their writing skills.

Mathematics- Working with numbers on the thermometer and figuring out calories can apply to addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication in math class.

Social Studies- When discussing heat, important places are examples of heat energy and students can learn about these important places, like their location and other important facts.