The Science In The City Book
Teaching science can be a difficult task. It requires a unique understanding of science content, student culture, and language.
Chemistry
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The Science of Making Slime
Admit it, slime is simply awesome! Kids will make slime at home in their spare time, but what it the science of this uber relaxing materials. This lesson prepares your students to understand how substances engage in the formation of Polymers. The discussions of polymers can start at slime and explore environmental justice. Enjoy this engaging interpretation of slime.
The Science of Ice Cream
To make ice cream, the ingredients—typically milk (or half and half), sugar and vanilla extract—need to be cooled down. One way to do this is by using salt. If you live in a cold climate, you may have seen trucks spreading salt and sand on the streets in the wintertime to prevent roads from getting slick after snow or ice. Why is this? The salt lowers the temperature at which water freezes, so with salt ice will melt even when the temperature is below the normal freezing point of water. This is an easy way to teach phase change.
A Cloud In a Bottle
This lesson is a great way to teach young people about gas laws and the water cycle. Using a small bottle and an air pump you can create the air pressure differential that you need to cause water droplets to move from their gas form to the liquid form of a cloud. This simple lab will teach your students to understand the states of water during the water cycle and how air pressure influence that change.
Cloud in a Bottle
By conducting an observation-based exploration of the effects that pressure has on condensation, students in this lesson gain a better understanding of the relationship between pressure and the phase change from gas to liquid.
Cartesian Diver
By observing changes in density, students in this lesson gain a more complex understanding of air pressure and density.
Can Crushing
By making observations about the impact temperature has on heated gases, students in this lesson are provided with a phenomenon-based learning experience to gain a more complex understanding of gases in relation to temperature and volume.
Boo Bubbles
Sublimation is a rare, yet powerful, phase change. In this lesson, students explore this phenomenon and gain first-hand evidence to discuss and analyze for a more comprehensive view of this phase change.
Bernoulli’s Principle
Gases and liquids have similar movement patterns. In chemistry classes students will learn about the Bernoulli’s principle. This concept of fluid movement can be difficult to understand. Years of teaching science taught me to use example like digging up sand and having new sand fill the void. This simple outdoor activity can serve as a simple introduction to understanding this key gas principle.