Chemical Education Today edited by Erica K. Jacobsen JCE Secondary School Editor
Classroom Activity Connections
Chemistry and Children’s Literature: Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie by Patricia B. McKean
JCE Classroom Activities and Elementary Students Below, Patricia McKean shares her third Classroom Activity Connection that links a children’s picture book with a JCE Classroom Activity, adapted for use with preschool and elementary-aged students (see refs 1–3 below). This time, we are given a glimpse into the life of Abbie Burgess, the daughter of a 19thcentury Maine lighthouse keeper. The book is based on a true story and shows us the importance of courage and light as Abbie must keep the lighthouse T h r e e c o l o r s o f “ c o o l ” operating without her father’s help. McKean connects the lightsticks.
Featured Activity ◭ Extension to JCE Classroom Activity: #13. The Effects of Temperature on Lightsticks by JCE Editorial Staff, J. Chem. Educ. 1999, 76, 40A–40B.
book to a science activity that compares the behavior of lightsticks placed in three different temperature environments. Her activity is related to JCE Classroom Activity #13, The Effects of Temperature on Lightsticks. Erica K. Jacobsen is Editor, Secondary School Chemistry, JCE;
[email protected].
Using Lightsticks in the Preschool/Elementary Classroom This article is the third in a collection that connects a children’s picture book with a classroom science activity appropriate for preschool and elementary age students (1). The first paired the book Sun Up, Sun Down with an activity that showed how ultraviolet-sensitive beads can signal the need for sunscreen and used strips of newspaper to show the effectiveness of sunscreen against the sun’s rays (2). The second matched the book Johnny Castleseed with an activity that compares Magic Sand and ordinary sand (3). This article links the book Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie (4) with an activity that investigates the length of time that light is produced by lightsticks under different temperature conditions, similar to the original JCE Classroom Activity. The original Activity provided a perfect opportunity for high school chemistry students to hone their skills of observation and inference. The activity shared here allows younger students to practice making careful observations. The book is set during the 19th century on a rock island off the coast of Maine. It is based on the true story of Abbie Burgess, whose father was the lighthouse keeper on Matinicus
Rock (5). Lighthouses have been used to mark dangerous coastlines, shoals, and reefs as well as safe entries into harbors. Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie shows the reader what life in a lighthouse was like before the widespread use of electricity. At that time, lighthouses relied on a reflector system with numerous whale oil lamps that had to be lit each evening. Samuel Burgess moved his invalid wife and family to Matinicus Rock in 1853. Abbie was the oldest daughter living at home; daily, she helped her father trim the wicks, clean the lamps, and refill the oil. In January 1856, her father had to go to the mainland for much-needed medicine for his wife, food for the family and the chickens, and precious oil for the lamps. Abbie promised her father she would “keep the lights burning” in the two lighthouse towers. Unexpectedly, a storm battered the island and Captain Burgess was unable to return to the island for four weeks. Abbie kept her promise, an amazing feat for a 16-year-old girl who was taking care of her mother and her younger sisters. The chemical reaction in the lamps—the oxidation of the whale oil—produced visible light and heat. High temperatures and open flame make safety a real concern if candles or oil lamps are used in hands-on experiments. To connect the idea of a lighthouse and its illumination with science, why not introduce students to another light source, one that produces light without heat? The chemicals contained in lightsticks react to produce a “cool” light, or chemiluminescence. Students may have already observed a similar reaction in nature—the light produced by fireflies as they communicate on summer evenings. An additional picture book connects with the firefly example (6).
© Division of Chemical Education • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 86 No. 9 September 2009 • Journal of Chemical Education
1019
Chemical Education Today
Classroom Activity Connections Students can also learn about real-life uses for lightsticks that they may view only as toys. As noted in the book The Perfect Storm, lightsticks are used by swordfishermen: “Since swordfish feed at night, each hook is also fixed with a Cylume [sic] lightstick that illuminates the bait. … They cost a dollar apiece, and a sword boat might go through five thousand in a trip” (7). In January 2000 during a mine rescue in Africa, lightsticks and food were passed to trapped miners through a small opening as rescuers were frantically digging through the rock barrier (8). Older students may wish to learn more about advances in lighthouse operation, including the invention of the Fresnel lens in 1822 (9). Literature Cited (all sites accessed Jul 2009) 1. Using Children’s Literature to Teach Science. http://www.cshgreenwich.org/academics/childrensLitAndScience.asp?websitemast erID=439&webpageDetailID=2818. 2. McKean, P. B. J. Chem. Educ. 2008, 85, 622–623. 3. McKean, P. B. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 548–550. 4. Roop, P.; Roop, C. Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie; Carolrhoda Books: Minneapolis, MN, 1985 (ISBN 0876144547). 5. Matinicus Rock Lighthouse History. http://www.lighthouse.cc/
matinicusrock/history.html. 6. Eastman, P. D. Sam and the Firefly; Random House: New York, 1958 (ISBN 0394800060). 7. Junger, Sebastian. The Perfect Storm; W. W. Norton and Company: New York, 1997; pp 52–53 (ISBN 039304016X). 8. Burbidge, M. Rescuers Inch toward Miners Trapped for Days. The Independent, January 14, 2000. http://www.independent. co.uk/news/world/africa/rescuers-inch-towards-miners-trapped-fordays-727139.html. 9. Fresnel Lenses. http://www.michiganlights.com/fresnel.htm.
Supporting JCE Online Material
http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2009/Sep/abs1019.html Abstract and keywords Full text (PDF) with links to cited URLs and JCE articles Supplement List and description of standards related to the activity
Patricia B. McKean is a retired teacher who has spent 44 years in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms; gpmckean@ msn.com.
Chemical Education Today
Overview In 1853, Abbie Burgess moved with her family to Matinicus Rock, off the coast of Maine when her father became its lighthouse keeper. On January 19, 1856, he went to the mainland for supplies and oil for the lighthouse lamps and left the 16-year-old Abbie in charge. He was trapped on the mainland by a storm that lasted for four weeks. Abbie was able to “keep the lights burning” in the lighthouse until the storm was over and her father was able to return. What a monumental task for a young girl to manage, even for one day! The lights Abbie kept burning produced light and heat by burning whale oil as fuel. You will investigate the conditions that enable lightsticks to glow or “burn” for a longer or shorter time, trying to make them last as long as possible. By contrast, the lightsticks used in this activity produce light but without heat—through chemiluminescence. You will investigate the conditions that keep lightsticks glowing or “burning” as long as possible. How long can you “keep the light burning”? Materials Three 4-in. lightsticks of the same color; three glasses; hot water, room temperature water, and ice water. Procedure
1. Examine a lightstick before activating it. Hold it up to your ear and tilt it back and forth. What do you hear? Hold the lightstick up to a light source and tilt it back and forth. What do you see inside the lightstick?
2. Darken the room as much as possible.
3. Fill a glass three-quarters full of hot water. Repeat with two more glasses, but using room temperature water in one and ice water in the other.
4. In the next step you will activate the lightsticks and place one each in a glass of water—hot, room temperature, and ice water. Predict which will glow longest.
5. Activate three lightsticks by bending them until you hear a cracking sound. Shake each stick briefly and place a stick in each of the three glasses of water.
6. Observe and record what happens to the lightsticks during the next hour as well as the rest of the day.
Extensions
1. Fireflies also emit a “cool” light through a chemical reaction called bioluminescence. They use this light during mating and communication. Read about how a firefly uses this light in Sam and the Firefly by P. D. Eastman.
2. Perform this activity with lightsticks inside model lighthouses. Begin with round cardboard oatmeal canisters or plastic tennis ball containers. Cut windows in the cardboard canister and decorate accordingly. Since tennis ball containers are clear, cut holes in a piece of construction paper and tape inside the container. Put a water glass and lightstick inside each of the three “lighthouses”. (This idea was shared by Kay Nardone.)
Questions At first, which glass contains the brightest lightstick? Which glass has the dullest lightstick? Besides the light being given off, do you see anything else happening inside any of the lightsticks? Which glass loses its light first? How do the lightsticks appear after several hours? Teacher Notes
photo by Patricia B. McKean
Description of Activity/Demonstration
A model lighthouse made from a tennis ball container.
Because lightsticks can be expensive, this activity can be done as a demonstration. The activity/demonstration can be started first thing in the morning to allow students an opportunity to make observations throughout the day. Students should notice some differences within an hour. If this is done with multiple classes, find a way to leave the materials where students can check them later in the day. A lightstick tube contains a liquid along with a glass vial that floats in the liquid. The vial and the liquid each contain the reactants. When the tube is bent or “snapped”, the glass vial breaks and the chemical reactants mix, resulting in a reaction that produces light. Because the light is a result of a chemical reaction, the temperature of the water has a direct effect on the brightness and the longevity of the light. The heat of the water will speed up the reaction, but causes the light to burn out more quickly. The ice water will slow the reaction down, allowing the light to last longer. Children may already know that their lightsticks will last longer if they put them in the freezer. Many bubbles are produced in the hot water lightstick; some bubbles are produced in the room temperature water lightstick; no noticeable bubbles are produced in the ice water lightstick. References
1. This activity was adapted from a demonstration given at the Institute for Chemical Education Activities Workshop 1990, Madison, WI. 2. Lightsticks are available from suppliers such as Educational Innovations, Inc. (product #SS–450) at 888/912-7474 or http://www.teachersource.com (accessed Jul 2009) as well as other online stores (perform a Google search for “lightsticks”). Lightsticks can be found in a variety of stores around Halloween. Lightsticks have a long shelf-life.
Related Standards Standards related to this activity are described in the supporting material on JCE Online. It includes standards such as Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy, National Council for Teachers of Mathematics, and U.S. Science Content Standards.
© Division of Chemical Education • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 86 No. 9 September 2009 • Journal of Chemical Education
1021
