Now that we've mastered the topic of energy it's time to move onto chemistry! This is one of my favorite subjects in science due to all of the fun labs we are able to do. To start out the unit I showed students a chemical reaction called "Elephant Toothpaste". You can see the results below.
I didn't tell the students what is happening here. I told them that at the beginning the materials are dangerous to touch (I had to wear gloves). At the end I could touch the foam safely. I also told them that the chemical formula for hydrogen peroxide (the main chemical used) is H2O2.
Before students get started with chemical reactions, however, they need to understand what atoms are and how to use Periodic Table of Elements. Students moved around to different stations to learn about some of the different groups and families of elements. They were especially excited about the station where they wrote examples of metals on the window!
Whenever students have random questions during science class I encourage them to write down there question on a sticky note and post it on our "Random Science Questions" wall. They come up with so many questions that I feel like I can never answer them all. To handle the large influx of great questions I had my multimedia students help me out. They each chose a RSQ to answer and researched the topic. At the end they each had a poster that showed their answer. The poster also includes a QR code that can be scanned with a smart phone. This will bring you to a video/image/or website related to the question. Look out for these the next time you are walking through our hallways!
After sound, we began to explore light waves. We completed a few labs (shown below) to figure out how light interacts with matter.
The central question students had to answer was "Why does color disappear when there is no light?".
We discovered that certain wavelengths of visible light are reflected to our eyes to produce color. For example, green objects appear that color because the wavelength of green is reflected back to our eyes while all other colors are absorbed by the object. We see black when all wavelengths of visible light are absorbed. The reason why we need light to see color is so reflection can happen! Student council members also helped me make a music video about light waves that is shown below. Enjoy!
The first few months of school have been fantastic. Although it's been a while since I've posted about what we are doing (grading does take precedence) we have been very busy. In October students created their own instruments to show their knowledge about sound energy.
The students came up with some great ideas as you can see above. We had many percussion, sting, wind, and even a few brass instruments. They were so creative with their designs and the final products were great. Thank you to all of the parents who spent time helping their kids with this project. Your hard work paid off.
Our first unit was about using the metric system. Students practiced measuring the length, volume, and mass of various objects. As you'll see below we measured everything and got very creative during labs!
At the end of the unit students used all of their knowledge to compete in the first annual Mini-Metric Olympics. The goal was to make estimates using the metric system. Whoever was closest to their estimates won!
The first week of school is over and we got so much accomplished! In science class we learned about the scientific method by experimenting with the surface tension of water. During our first lab we tried to see how many paperclips could fit in a cup without water spilling over. To our surprise some students fit over 400! Water "bubbles" over the top of the cup because of surface tension.
Next, we tried to see how soap would affect the surface tension of water. We put drops of water on a penny and counted how many could fit when we used soapy water and when we used regular water. After analyzing our data we determined that soap weakens the surface tension of water. Next week students will be coming up with their own experiments relating to surface tension.
We also have been starting the year in Multimedia by making an impact. Students made picture frames that represented their personalities. They sure brighten up the room!
Today my 7th grade students showed me all they know about teamwork and rules. I asked the students to come up with ideas of how they could show self-control and respect individuals while completing a challenging task.
They had 15-20 minutes to create the tallest structue using ONLY toothpicks and mini-marshmallows. I saw students sharing supplies, encouraging each other, students that were focused, and many more respectful behaviors. Way to start of the year 7th grade!
This year I plan to keep everyone updated with what is happening in the classroom by keeping a blog. Here you can find weekly updates about what we are doing in class and what is coming up. You might find study tips, success stories, or pictures of projects we have been working on.
RSS Feed