SCIENCE METHODS ASSIGNMENT #1

Miranda Guzzo

Cohort 1

Experiment: Make it rain with shaving cream and food colouring. Kindergarten and Grade 1 Science hands-on experiment, demonstration, explanation, class questions and write up.

Material: clean glasses, water, shaving cream, food colouring

Steps: 1. Full your containers ¾ full of water. 2. Add shaving cream to the top. 3. Get the students to predict what will happen once you drop food colouring into the cream. 4. Drop food colouring into the shaving cream. 5. Talk to the students how this is similar to the weather.

Script: When the cloud (cream) gets too heavy, the drops fall through as rain! I’ll explain to the students that when the water droplets get heavy in the sky, they fall down from the clouds as rain. Precipitation can be in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, or hail.

Information: Clouds form when water vapor rises into the air. Condensation collects in the cloud. As it gets heavier, gravity pulls the water down, and that’s how rain drops form.

1. The water cycle describes how water evaporates from the water surfaces on earth

2. Water vapor rises into the atmosphere, cools and condenses into rain or snow in clouds

3. Rain falls again to the surface as precipitation

Big ideas: Water is essential to all living things, and it cycles through the environment.

Curricular competencies: Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world. Make and record observations. Experience and interpret the local environment.

Content:

· Types of forces - the way objects move over/in different materials (water, air, ice, snow).

· The water cycle.

· Local First People’s knowledge of water: conservation, and connection to other systems.

Questions: Why is water important for all living things? How can you conserve water? How does water cycle through the environment? What are the major processes of Water Cycle? What does Evaporation change water to? What percentage of the Earth's water is fresh water? What percent of fresh water on earth is usable by humans? Precipitation falls back to the earth in what forms? What are some ways that people use water?

Write up:

1. Some assessment tools for this experiment would be:

· if the students follow the instructions. Experiments are very instruction based

· walk around and ask the kids what they are doing and what is the next step. Ask them what they think is happening in their cloud

· worksheet for the students to color in to explain what they saw in the glasses

· learning logs/diary

2. Strategies for students to get their supplies:

· Have students in groups versus individual for experiments so you need to supply less equipment

· Each student is only responsible for one piece of equipment (someone gets cups, someone else gets food colour, etc.)

· Use cool whip versus shaving cream incase the children eat it so it’s much safer. Depending on allergies you may not be able to use certain food dye colours (red is a common allergen)

· Do the experiment when you have “buddies” in the classroom so the older student buddies could get the supplies

· Doing the experiment outdoors would make the clean up much easier

3. Strategies in the classroom:

· Write the goals on the chalkboard so the students have something to look at if they forget

· Tell the students if they are quiet during the instruction time then we can have more fun during the experiment and that the teacher will not quiet them

· For younger students: Clapping, 123 eyes on me, raise hands, rhyming

4. Profiles:

Sarah

· Write the goals on the board

· Have a laminated print out of experiment with procedure and pictures to place on each table/per group

· Remember students are taught best in multiple forms (hands on, lecture, inquiry, etc.)

· Know her comfort level, check in with parents

· Have a class website so students can see what’s on agenda days to come

Tyrone

· Have him as your lab assistant so he feels like he is a leader

· Put students in groups A, B, C and put him with an appropriate group that you have preplanned

· Use plastic cups, put plastic sheets or paper towels below your cups incase of a mess, go outside so your class stays clean