Sceientific Method

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Home : 2001 : August : 19

Sceientific Method
By A. Barnes

I teach 5th grade, but I think this will still work. I introduce the S.M. and walk them through a teacher demo using the old trusty baking soda and vinegar experiment. As I do the demo we go through the steps of the S.M.
and then we write a lab report together. The next day I have them do a lab called "Risers" where they test how buoyancy of a substance can be changed. They test raisins in water to see if they float. Then they put raisins in Sprite--observe difference. I then have them test white rice kernels and the tab off of the Sprite can! They make tons of observations-----and many figure out that

it's the carbonation bubbles in the Sprite that changes the buoyancy of the substances.What's neat is they also figure out why the raisins sink and float and continue to repeat this process. This may be an old AIMS activity ---and you may find it in their materials. Regardless --it's cheap and easy ---and definately gets the S.M. lesson across.