Week 11: Matter

In this lab, we did some activities that demonstrated some concepts of chemistry. We switched tables around the room and there were materials at each one. 

Plunger: 

• The plunger needed a seal to completely stick onto a surface, if not it would fall
• If you pulled straight up on the plunger, it was hard to pull off, but if you broke the seal before pulling it, it would come off easier
  
  

Ice cube:

• We thought the ice cube would melt faster on the wood, but it actually melted faster in the metal pot
• This was because the metal was a better conductor of heat than the wood, causing more water to pool under the ice cube
  
  

Coke float:

• We noticed that the regular big Coke sank when the little Coke, little Diet Coke, and the big Diet Coke all floated
• We could not understand why this is, but we thought it could be related to how expired the soda was since some were more expired than others and an old Pepsi expired from 2019 had a lot of air in it (which could cause it to float)
  
  

Baking soda/vinegar:

• Combining the baking soda and vinegar in the bag caused some sizzling, bubbles, gas, and a cold feeling
• The vinegar caused a chemical reaction 
  
  

M&Ms:

• The M&M coating wore off when they were exposed to water
• We noticed the colors didn't mix in the plate until we shook the plate up 
  
  

Cold Coke:

• We set a cold can of Coke on the table and waited 2 minutes to observe our reaction
• Everyone thought that after the 2 minutes there would be condensation on the can
  

Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew?

I had done some of these experiments already in elementary school and already had a good understanding of how they worked, but I was able to draw connections from what I knew about chemistry and science to explain these activities better. 

Which parts did you find clear and which were confusing?

All of the experiments were easy to follow and understand, but not all were easy to explain. The only one that my group and I really had a hard time to explain was the floating Coke cans. 

How can you apply what you've learned to your teaching in the future?

I can apply what I have learned this week to my teaching in the future by using the activities we did to help students understand the concepts we learn. Breaking up the activities and going over them after the students have learned the new material could be really helpful.