Education
Kindergarten–fifth grade activity manuals
Second grade: Plants
In this module, students investigate the question “What variables affect plant growth?” in order to learn that plants need water and light to live.
For their initial observation, students are shown an experiment that tests how soil type affects plant growth and learn that soils that do not absorb water will not aid plant growth, because they are unable to provide water to the plant.
In designing their group experiments, the variables that they are able to investigate include water amount; nutrient amount (sugar, salt or fertilizer); or light amount. Students are taught to use graduated cylinders, and to assist them in precise measurements of the plants, they are taught how to measure in millimeters using a ruler.
The scientific practice this module focuses on is observations, including whether a statement is an observation, inference, opinion or incorrect observation.
Activity courtesy of HOPES 2014 recipients SciTrek.
Resources
Third grade: Mealworms
In this module, students investigate the question “What variables affect the direction a mealworm travels?” in order to learn that in particular habitat changes, an animal will either move, die or adapt.
For their initial observation, students are shown an experiment that tests whether a mealworm will travel to dry woodchips or wet woodchips to learn that mealworms live in a dry environment.
In designing their group experiments, the variables that they are able to investigate include food type, bedding type, light amount, number of holes to travel through and color of environment. Students are taught the importance of running multiple trials of their experiment and the importance of finding one number to represent the outcome of the trials. Because of this, students are taught to find the median of a given set of numbers and use this skill to report the median from their own experiments.
The scientific practice this module focuses on is questions, including whether a question is testable or not testable.
Activity courtesy of HOPES 2014 recipients SciTrek.
Resources
Fourth grade: The cardiovascular system
This activity series focuses on contributors to a healthy lifestyle — exercise and eating right — while learning human physiology. Students will use the scientific method to test the effects of exercise on heart rate, respiration rate and blood pressure.
Activity courtesy of HOPES 2011 recipients Dr. Patricia Halpin, scientist, and Heather Cantagallo, teacher.
Resources
Fifth grade: Chromatography
In this module, students investigate the question “What variables affect the smear?” in order to learn about physical properties of substances.
For their initial observation, students are shown an experiment in which a black dot is placed on a piece of paper, the paper is placed in a test tube of water, and as time passes, the water rises and the black dot smears up the paper and separates into different colors, showing students that black ink is a mixture made up of several different colors of ink and that the mixture can be separated.
In designing their group experiments, the variables that students may choose from include but are not limited to pen color, pen type, liquid type, liquid amount, paper type, dot height, dot size and time. Students in this module are able to design two experiments, the first changing up to three variables and the second changing one variable. Students are given the option to change multiple variables in order to learn that valid conclusions can be made only when there is one variable.
The scientific practice this module focuses on is conclusions, including identifying statements as claims, data or neither as well as identifying appropriate claims and data based on given results.
Activity courtesy of HOPES 2014 recipients SciTrek.