The Great Bottle Race



|The Great Bottle Race | |

|Name: |Michael Kamen, Southwetsern University |

|Science Content Area |Physical Science |

|Grade Level |Grade 5 |

|Time Frame |1 class period |

|TEKS |112.7.(a)(2), 112.7.(b)(8)(A) and 112.7.(a)(2) and 112.7.(b)(8)(A) |

| Materials Needed |One 8 or 12 oz water clear plastic water bottle painted black |

| |One Liter or 2 liter water or soda bottle painted black |

| |Three 20 oz clear water bottles (per group fo children). One painted balck, one painted with “chrome” colored paint, and one left |

| |clear |

| |Balloons (round medium size) |

| |Reflector Lamp with clear 150 or 200 watt bulbs (1 per group) |

| |Safety googles |

|Procedure in the 5E Model |Engage: This lesson may follow an investigation where students observe what happens when a 12 oz black water bottle painted black |

| |with a balloon on top is placed in front of a reflector lamp. The engagement for this lesson is to ask the students to predict |

| |which balloon will inflate first. The balloon on the 8 oz water black bottle or the liter (or 2 liter) black bottle. Students are |

| |often surprised that the balloon on the large bottle inflates first. They is often a meaningful discussion as to why. As part of the|

| |discussion introduce the idea of a bottle race based on the color of the bottles; clear, silver, or black. |

| |Explore: Students design and conduct experiments to see the order in which the balloons inflate. They usually discover that the |

| |black will inflate first, clear second, and silver third. Results might vary depending on how carefully the students controlled the |

| |variables and how “silver” the silver bottle is. Students often start out testing all three bottles together and then decide it isn’t|

| |a fair test. They often repeat the experiment testing each bottle by its self. |

| |Explain: Students discuss their observations and conclusions in a “colloquium” where they agree on “the facts” and questions they |

| |still have. There is often some confusion about the difference between light and heat. The teacher should help the students clarify |

| |there understandings and questions. Once the students’ conceptions are presented the teacher should document their ideas and |

| |questions on a class scientists log. |

| |Elaborate: Students act our photons colliding with the molecules in the surface of each bottle. For each of the three improvised |

| |pantomimes, one student plays the role of the photon and three play the role of the molecules. Expected outcomes: |

| | |

| |The “clear molecules” allow the photon to pass through. |

| |The “silver molecules” reflect the photon by pushing it back. |

| |The “black molecules” absorb the photon. The photon ceases to exist and the molecules use its energy to “move” faster. |

| |Evaluate: Students demonstrate there understanding by writing a letter to one of their grandparents (or another person of that |

| |generation) explaining what they understand about light and heat. They should include an application to real life. Examples may |

| |include what color clothes to where in the summer, how to keep a car cooler when parked on a hot day, or why a penguin is black on its|

| |back. Let the students know that you are looking for their understanding of the difference between heat and light and what happens |

| |when light interacts with clear, silver, and black substances. |

|Resources |This lesson was adapted by one developed by George Tokieda and is dedicated to his memory. |

| | |

| |Background information: Light is radiant energy and can travel through space. It does not need a medium to travel through. A unit |

| |of light energy is called a photon. When light is abosrbed the energy is tansfered to the kinetic energy of molecules (heat). |

| |Reflected light and light that passes through a clear substance is not absorbed and remains as radiant energy (light). Light is |

| |absorbed by dark objects and the light becomes heat energy. |

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download