Week 11 Blog Post

        This week, we went to six stations in the lab, each with a different scientific phenomenon: 

Coke Float: We put four cans into a bucket of water: a mini can of Coke and a mini can of diet Coke, which both floated in the water. We also put a regular can of Coke and a regular can of diet Coke into the water. The diet Coke floated, and the Coke sunk. Our group concluded that the sugar in regular Coke is denser, which causes it to sink, and since diet Coke doesn't contain sugar, it floated. We are still unsure why the Coke mini can didn't sink when the regular size did. 

Baking Soda and Vinegar: When the baking soda was mixed into the bag with vinegar, a chemical reaction caused it to become bubbly and carbonated. We also noticed that gas was created as the bag filled. We do not know why this happened. 

Cold Soda: When taking the soda can out of the cooler, water begins forming outside the can and causes the can to get warm. This is because of the drastic temperature change, and the water vapor from the air forms to the can. We understand some of what is happening but don't quite understand why. 

M&M's in Water: When we put the M&M's in water, the color begins to come from the candy coloring the water. This happens because the water dissolves the sugar off the candy. We know that the temperature of the water doesn't matter, and it will dissolve no matter what, but would it still happen if we put them into oil or something else? We noticed that the colors of the candy do not mix. Why aren't the colors mixing? 

Melting Ice: When we put the ice into the metal pan, it began to melt instantly and continued melting very quickly. When we put the ice onto the wood, it did not melt as soon and took a long time to fully melt. We initially thought the pan would melt quicker on the wood because it felt cold. It melts in the pan because of the metal's material. 

Plunger: When we push the plunger down onto the table, it suctions to it and does not come up. When we push the plunger onto the paper, it suctions a little bit but eventually becomes unsanctioned. This could be because air molecules are in the paper, allowing air to release the suction. 

        This lab can be applied to my future teaching because it demonstrates the importance of hands-on, experimental learning to engage students and help them grasp scientific concepts. Since we could touch and see right before us, we were more engaged and able to conclude why this could happen. As a future teacher, I could use similar experiments to introduce fundamental concepts in a fun and relatable way, promoting inquiry-based learning. The diverse range of experiments also shows how science is connected to everyday life, making it more accessible and relevant. For example, the Coke Float experiment illustrates the real-world concept of density. Incorporating these experiments into my future classroom would foster an engaging and interactive classroom environment. Overall, this lab was really engaging and would be great for elementary students. 

Question: When is a good time to start answering students' questions? How long should we let them try and develop the answers independently? 

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