Surface Tension Lesson Plan

Surface Tension

By: Alexandra Virlas, Mandy Dunphy, Jillian Magee, and Monica McConnell

Part 1a: Group Topic Concept Map

Our Group Popplet link:

http://popplet.com/app/#/258544

Part 1b: Lesson Plan

Title of Lesson: Experimenting with Surface Tension                                                                                                                                                          

Grade level: 5^th and 6^th Grade                                                                                                                                                         

Length of lesson: 2, 40-minute sessions                                                                                                                                                         

Overview:

Throughout this lesson, our goal is to have our students learn about surface tension using different solutions (water, soapy water, salt water, sugar water, pop, lemonade, Gatorade, and oil), droppers, and pennies. The students will guess how many drops of the different solutions could fit on a penny. After they will compare their results with one another and complete a group poster representing their findings.

Connections to Standards/ Benchmarks/ Curriculum:

Physical Science: 5-8 Content Standard B: As a result of their activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop an understanding of properties and changes of properties in matter. Benchmark: A substance has characteristic properties such as surface tension.

Learning Goals:

1. Students will understand the concept of surface tension. 2. Students will investigate how surface tension differs among different solutions. 3. Students will apply their new knowledge of surface tension to real life situations. 4. Students will exhibit their understanding of surface tension by displaying their results in a graph.

Learning Performances:

1. Students will investigate surface tension, by testing water droplets on a penny using a variety of solutions. 2. Students will engage in a discussion about how animals use surface tension. 3. Students will work together to produce a final poster expressing their results and knowledge about surface tension.

Context of Lesson:

The students have been currently learning about the properties of water including density and sinking and floating in class. We will discuss with the children about how animals in the real world use surface tension everyday.

Materials:

-Trays/baking sheets -Baggies -Pennies -Dixie Cups -Droppers -Solutions: Water, pop, Power-aid, lemonade, milk, oil, soapy water, sugar water, or salt water - Poster board -Markers/crayons - Glue Sticks - Graph paper -Chart for journals -Journals (in class) -Camera

Students’ Ideas:

Based on a Formative Assessment Probe we brought the Friday before (4/6): -Students seem to think that surface tension involves density -They have heard of Surface Tension, but they seems to believe that most of the reasons bugs/animals can stand on water is not because of Surface Tension but because of weight.

Teaching Strategies: Intro

Investigating Question: How do different liquid solutions affect Surface Tension on a penny? We will start the lesson showing the students a video of a lizard walking on water. Based on our assessment probe, the students believe that weight is the reason that a bug can stay on top of water.  To counter this misconception, we would tell them that weight does not have anything to do with surface tension. For example we will tell the students that the lizard in the video weights 200 grams while a penny (which they know sinks in water) only weights 2.5 grams. We will then ask the students why they think this is true.

Teaching Strategies: Main Lesson

After we complete the video and discussion introducing surface tension, we will pass to the class a worksheet that includes a table, graph, and prediction area for them to record their results. Directions will be listed on the board. Students will be asked to get into pairs. We will then pass out Baggies containing four Dixie cups, four pennies, and four droppers. We will have students make predictions about how many drops will fit on a penny using soapy and plain water.  We will require the students to come and fill one of their Dixie cups with PLAIN water and then another with soapy water and have them test these.  Students should test each solution 3 times to ensure accuracy. We will then have the students pick two other solutions to make predictions about. The other two Dixie cups will be up to the students to choose what other solutions they would like to test.  Again, each solution should be tested 3 times to ensure accuracy. Students should record results alongside predictions in the charts in their notebooks. Students will discuss results with class. Show video again with volume. Students will be given graph paper to glue into their journals. Students will create a bar graph based on the average result for each solution tested Students that finish early will be able to test more liquids and possibly develop more questions and predictions in their science journal. Students that aren’t finished can collaborate data with a group that was able to finish. The data tables and graphs that the students are given for their journals will aid them in looking for pattern in the data after they completed their experiment.  The poster they will create after the data collection will help them build evidence based explanations.

Teaching Strategies:  Wrap-up

-    

Each group will create a poster displaying the graph of their results as well as any other information they wish to include to display what they have learned about surface tension (graph of data, examples of surface tension in everyday life, etc). Students will present their posters to the class and exchange information. We will return to the lizard video and ask students to apply their new knowledge and discuss how the lizard can achieve walking on water because of surface tension. They have been studying sinking and floating and surface tension is another component of properties of water.  Students will be able to rank the liquids from most drops to least amount of drops.  By doing this they will see that density is not the factor affecting the surface tension of the drops on the penny.  Students will see that liquids’ surface tensions differ and that all liquids have some surface tension. In reference to lizard in the video this will show that some surface tensions are not strong enough to support the lizard in the video or the bug in the water. Questions: Do you think that the surface tensions of the liquids are the same? Why do you think the bug can stay on top of the water? Why can the penny hold more drops of some liquids than others? What is surface tension? How does surface tension and density differ? Were your predictions correct? If not why do you think it was different? Can you think any ways you have experienced surface tension?

Assessment:

We will use the group posters to assess what students have learned by the end of the lesson.  Charts, graphs, and reflections from the students’ science journals will also be taken into consideration.

Essential Features of Inquiry:

Engage:

How does surface tension differ among various liquids on a penny?

Evidence:

Students will test each liquid three times, recording the results in a chart and averaging them to achieve a single result.

Explanation:

Students will use their results to create a bar graph displaying the information after analyzing the data they gathered in the table during the experiment.

Evaluate:

Students will compare results with one another when posters are presented. They will also access information from the video presented about the lizard walking on water. They can research surface tension in between the two weeks we are separate from one another.

Communicate:

Students will create a poster to display what they have learned about surface tension throughout the lesson. After they have presented them to their classmates, the posters will be displayed around the classroom so that they can have a gallery walk among the posters.

Part 1c: Lesson Plan Analysis Task

Criterion #1 Lesson engages students in scientifically oriented questions

Our lesson plan engages students in a scientifically oriented question. The teacher poses the question in the beginning of the lesson (introduction) so that the students are always thinking about the question.

Criterion #2 Lesson provides opportunities for students to collect and organize data and evidence

In our lesson plan we have the students completing a chart of the data they collect. They will also plot the data on a graph in their scientific notebook.

Criterion #3 Lesson provides opportunities for students to formulate explanations from evidence

Students will complete a reflection of their results after collecting their data. They will have an opportunity to make their own predictions and analyze their results in their scientific notebook.

Criterion #4 Lesson provides opportunities for students to compare explanations

Students will compare their results with classmates. Each group will hopefully have chosen different solutions that they can compare and contrast among each other.

Criterion #5 Lesson provides opportunities for students to communicate explanations

Students will complete a poster that includes their data and understanding of surface tension that they will present to the class.  Ideally the students would present their work in a more public domain acting as experts.

1.     1d. Part

	Name/Title	Type of Resource	Source	Additional Information
1.	The surface tension of water lesson plan	Existing Lesson plan	http://edtech.boisestate.edu/snelsonc/examples/surface_tension_plan.htm	Helped us with identifying the standard and benchmark are lesson used
2.	Floating and Sinking Student Activity Book	Supervising teacher’s activity book	National Academics Smithsonian	Gave us an idea of where the classroom is at in the unit. Helped identify what students will have learned up to this lesson.
3.	Surface Tension on Coins	Teacher net/existing lesson plan	http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/224.html	Idea to use pennies and different solutions to test surface tension.

1. What did you like about features of the curriculum materials you used?  What didn’t you like? Why?

We did not understand why some of the lesson plans that we found included the testing of more than one coin. We thought that it would almost be too confusing to have children compare different solutions and coins’ surface tension. Narrowing it down and giving the children the opportunity to test whatever solution they think would be most interesting will help the students think clearly about surface tension without distractions and a plethora of information. They should be focused on one question!

1d: Lesson Plan Rationale

I. Use of Science Curriculum Materials

2. Good choices for developing an inquiry-oriented lesson?  Why or why not? 
3. What other factors did you have to consider in using these resources?

The Curriculum material provided to us by the cooperating teacher lacked any lessons about surface tension.  The topic was skimmed over in a few but it never gave the students an opportunity to develop and explore this concept. We basically just added another lesson to the unit.

II. Adapting Science Curriculum Materials

Modification/change #1

We found a lesson plan, The surface tension of water, and used the standards and benchmarks in order to create a lesson. They helped us have a center/ focus for our lesson plan.

Modification/change #2

In the Surface Tension of Coins lesson plan they experimented using different solutions and coins where we decided to only use pennies. Giving them the opportunity to pick among a plethora of solutions helps make our lesson more student centered!

2.     How inquiry-oriented do you think your lesson is?

We feel our lesson is Somewhat inquiry oriented. This is because it is mostly teacher directed and the lesson does not have a strong communication component. It could be more of an impact by helping the student feel as if they are the master experimenters of this lesson. We wanted to give the students an opportunity to publically display their results other than just being hung in the classroom!

Formative Assessment:

How is this bug staying on top of the water?

A) Because the bug is light enough to stay on top       of the water.

B) Because the bug is less dense than the water, allowing it to float.

C) Because the bug is a super magic bug

D) Because there is a thin layer on top of the

water that helps the bug float

                                                            E) This is a fake photo. Bugs cannot walk on                                                                         water.

Why?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Attached Worksheets: Graph Paper

Attached Data Table:

	Predictions	Trial 1 Number of Drops	Trial 2 Number of Drops	Trial 3 Number of Drops	Average Number of Drops
Water
Soapy Water

	Predictions	Trial 1 Number of Drops	Trial 2 Number of Drops	Trial 3 Number of Drops	Average Number of Drops
Water
Soapy Water

Surface Tension Reflection

            Our two-day surface tension lesson went very smoothly.  I loved having three fellow COE students with me teaching this lesson.  Working with peers is such a great way to gain experience.  We all worked so smoothly together and were able to lean on each other for support. 

            The students were highly engaged and eager to learn about surface tension.  It was great seeing them form ideas and connect them in the end.  The only major issue we had with the lesson was the communication stage.  We ran out of time on the second day to allow students to finish their posters.  Our cooperating teacher, however, said she would finish it up with the students. 

            One of the changes we made after practicing with our peers and the group of student visitors was extremely effective.  Playing the video of the lizard on water before and after their experiment really got them to think about their ideas and misconceptions. One thing I wish would have had more time for was research.  The students never got the chance to evaluate their findings.  We were able to discuss what they found and compare it to other groups, but because students couldn’t find out what experts say, I think some might still have misconceptions.  One other thing we could have done was make and excel sheet and have everybody’s results displayed giving the students a chance to visually see the outcome of the experiment.  Given that we had a total of 25 minutes each day, I believe the lesson was great!

            I was nervous at the beginning that our students would have a hard time meeting the learning performance, especially after teaching the group of visiting students.  However, I believe nearly all of the students, if not all met the standards.  Their was a group of students that were really struggling with the idea that density didn’t really play a role in keeping the water on the penny.  Even their poster reflected it.  The understood that there is “thin layer “on top of the water, but couldn’t conclude as to how. 

            Surprisingly enough, not to many surprises came up.  The biggest surprise that I witnessed was the curiosity of the students.  For some reason I assumed there would be at least two or three students that didn’t want to be their or didn’t have any interest.  Every student in that room wanted to know more and asked many questions.  I was so pleased and fortunate to be apart of that classroom, even if it was just for a short period of time.  I was also sure that because there was a week in between our two-day lesson, students would lose interest or not remember what we covered the week before.  I was wrong.  The students knew exactly where we left off and some of them even jumped ahead and started graphing their results. 

            Teaching inquiry (at least as best we could) for the first time was very exciting.  I have a lot of room for improvement, in the planning steps, but I find it very engaging for me to teach inquiry.  I can’t imagine standing in front of the room just talking to the kids about what surface tension is.  How boring would that be?  This lesson taught me a lot of things about my self as a teacher also.  For example, I have found that I can come up with questions on the spot to get students thinking.  I was nervous before hand that students wouldn’t understand and I wouldn’t be able to guide them.  Somehow, the guiding questions came to me and it went so smooth. 

            The biggest change I would make to this lesson is the time.  I would allow students more time to come to their conclusions.  Surface tension can be such a complex topic that for many would need more then a total of 50 minutes to grasp.  Like I said before too, I would incorporate a research component to this; mostly because inquiry isn’t inquiry, without a little research, and also for students to compare their findings.  That was probably the most important issue we had with our lesson.