Matt Lorenz

 This week in lab we learned more about matter, properties and interactions of particles. The first big question that we explored was why ice melts faster on metal than on wood. We found that metal is a conductor and wood is not. Therefore, the metal transfers its heat into the ice much faster than the wood does and melts the ice. To explain this scientific phenomena we designed a flip video and recorded with narration.  Another question we explored was "where did the water come from?" We read a scenario where a container of ice was removed from a freezer and the student found a small pool of water formed under the container after some time. We found that this was due to the gas in the air. The warmer air interacted with the cold, frozen container and caused the air molecules to slow down and create water droplets. The water droplets accumulate and result in water forming around the container.  I like the flip video model being an activity that is done in the Elementary c...

 This week in lab we started by discussing our homework assignment from the previous week before talking more about matter and its interactions. We explore how we can support Elementary students in learning about matter and it's interactions. Many of the things that we do in lab can help support this science learning for Elementary students. The activity we completed this week incorporated experiments, modeling, making observations, and taking measurements which are all great methods to help young students learn about matter and its interactions. Our table tested the M&Ms using sugar water and found that the M&M colors moved closer to the control tables M&Ms than the hot water tables. At the 1, 3, and 5 minute marks the hot water moved the M&M colors the fastest.  This experiment did a great job in illustrating the different speeds of particle movements. The hot water had more energy than the cold water, therefore the particles moved quicker in the hot water. T...

 This week in lab we learned more about matter and properties of matter. To explore these concepts we conducted multiple experiments with our table groups. We first tested if objects would sink or float. Most of the smaller, lighter objects floated while the bigger and heavier objects sunk. We also tested if objects of the same substance would have the same volume if they were different masses. We found that the smaller objects had less volume even though they were the same substance. We also tested the mass of objects with the same substance but different sizes and found that they do not have the same mass. We then tested if objects would be conductors for electricity and found that both the pennies and wrappers were conductors for electricity. Lastly, we found that paper clips were magnetic.  I learned in this lab that a property is a characteristic of a substance and that they can be measured. Different materials have different properties because they are made of different ...

 This week in lab we focused on matter and completed several activities where we made observations about different reactions. We made observations about which surface the plunger would stick best to, why an ice cube melted faster in a metal pan than on wood, why certain can sizes floated while others didn't, the reaction between baking soda and vinegar, and finally what happened when we added water to M&Ms. My favorite observation was the M&M and water station. I found it interesting that the colors did not mix hardly at all. I was expecting them to mix together and form one color. I was also surprised by the ice melting station. I expected the ice to melt faster on the wood than in the pan but this was not the case. We can apply this to our future teaching because it shows the value of actual hands- on activities and being able to witness things first hand using our senses. This makes student observations, explanations and questions more impactful when they are using reaso...