I start with a question and work backwards to an experience with my students. This is a shift. It takes it slower but the learning deepens!
~ Alicia Carroll
The Grade 1 students are finishing up their unit on “Solids and Liquids”. In the science curriculum, students act as scientists and to conduct investigations of liquids. They are expected to know how various liquids look and feel, their fluidity, how they mix with water, and their degree of absorption.
Oil and Water
By pouring shampoo, vegetable oil, and glue into cups of water, Young Steam Inventors were able to observe whether each one mixes with water. This experiment provided YSI to observe how some liquids float in water, while others sank. The reading selection, “Oil Spills: Cleaning Up and Keeping Clean,” provided a real-life example of what can happen when two liquids-oil and water-combine. YDI made predictions of what would happen, tested their predictions, recorded their observations, and discuss their results within their science groups.
We experimented with bubbles in the cold weather, and each student recorded their observations in their science journals. I also interviewed some of them. Check out the following photos of our Grade 1 Young STEAM Inventors exploring bubbles and recording their data.
Grade 1 students explored the properties of crayons and learned that by adding heat, crayons could change from a liquid to a solid. They also learned that one mixes colored wax in its liquid state. I used a long handled lighter for the demonstration. Coincidentally, we had a surprise fire drill, but the students thought I set off the school fire alarm! This week, we are finishing up our experiments and recording their data into their science journals. I was told that this was the best science experiment of the year!
We also read the book, The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt, and each student chose their favorite color crayon to write a postcard to. The Young STEAM Inventors were inspired by our hands-on experiments to think about other ways their favorite crayon could be changed. We watched a film called “How Crayons Are Made,” and students used their creativity to rename different crayons. One student wanted to rename the white crayon Marshmallow and wanted it to smell like marshmallows!