Instructor Side
JCE Classroom Activity: #9
The Science Mentor An Adventure in Chemistry Education by Amy Huseth, Institute for Chemical Education, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706
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This activity is designed to be an independent project for high school chemistry students. Both the balloon demonstration and Alka-Pops activity were adapted from Super Science Connections (1). Students will have the opportunity to teach younger children (grades K–4) that science is fun and exciting. This will be a rewarding experience for both younger and older students. Elementary students will benefit by having additional “science time” with someone with whom they can identify. High school students will reap the rewards of cementing in their minds basic scientific principles and concepts, and knowing that they helped young children enjoy science!
photo: Institute for Chemical Education
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About These Activities
Integrating the Activity into Your Curriculum There are several ways to institute a science mentor program. You can connect a high school student to an elementary student so that they work together on a one-to-one basis after school. Or, you can have all your students put together a one-time activity show. However, an ongoing program will have longer lasting effects. ICE’s recommendation for implementing this program is to connect with an elementary classroom teacher and develop a schedule for science mentors (the high school students) to go into the elementary classroom throughout the school year. Pairs or groups of students work best, as there will be more mentors to assist and supervise the students. In order for this program to be successful, mentors need to remember to keep the chemistry simple; young children cannot understand such intangible concepts as atoms or energy—they have ideas about these concepts, but will not understand them in the realm of chemistry. Mentors need to keep in mind that although children’s learning capacity is great, they cannot comprehend the complex topics covered in high school. It is a good idea to keep the National Science Education Standards (2) and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Benchmarks (3) in mind when having chemistry mentors perform activities with younger students. One NSE standard that applies to the activity on the reverse page is “Materials can exist in different states—solid, liquid, and gas. Some common materials, such as water, can be changed from one state to another by heating or cooling” (NRC, 1996) (2). It is also important that the activities be hands-on. Research has shown that children learn best when actively engaged in the topic. It is essential that mentors spend adequate time preparing and understanding their demonstration and activity. Mentors must be equipped to answer the numerous questions that younger students might ask. Several other topics can be explored that will also complement the high school curriculum: cabbage-juice indicator (acids and bases); gluep or slime polymers (carbon compounds and organic reactions); “Thwarting and Thawing” from Super Science Connections (water and aqueous systems); and making gold pennies (metals and nonmetals). There are several publications and World Wide Web sites dedicated to hands-on science activities that will be of great assistance in this endeavor. Have fun teaching your students to teach others!
Literature Cited 1. Smith, J. Super Science Connections; Institute for Chemical Education: University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 1995. 2. National Research Council. National Science Education Standards; National Academy Press: Washington, DC, 1996. 3. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Benchmarks for Science Literacy. Project 2061; Oxford University Press: New York, 1993.
More Information 1. Sarquis, A. M.; Sarquis, J. L. Fun with Chemistry, Vol.1, 2nd ed.; Institute for Chemical Education: University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 1995. 2. Sarquis, A. M.; Sarquis, J. L. Fun with Chemistry, Vol. 2; Institute for Chemical Education: University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 1993. 3. Sarquis, J. L.; Sarquis, A. M.; Williams, J. P. Teaching Science with Toys: Chemistry Activities for Grades K–9; Terrific Science Press: Miami University Middletown, OH, 1994. 4. How Big is the Balloon? J. Chem. Educ. 1997, 74, 1328A.
This Activity Sheet may be reproduced for use in the subscriber’s classroom. JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 75 No. 5 May 1998 • Journal of Chemical Education
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JCE Classroom Activity: #9
Student Side
The Science Mentor An Adventure in Chemistry Education by Amy Huseth, Institute for Chemical Education, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706 Remember back to when you first learned how exciting science could be? Perhaps there was someone who guided you along the way. Working to help young children become interested in science can be a fun and rewarding experience. You will be amazed by their eagerness to learn and their ingenious responses. Using household materials, you can help children perform simple experiments demonstrating everyday science concepts, such as gas and pressure. What follows is a sample demonstration and activity that you can use with elementary students. Don’t be afraid to discover and develop activities on your own. Be sure to consult your instructor before trying any new activity. Watch out; you might learn something too!
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Blow up the Balloon Demonstration To introduce the Alka-Pops activity, show students how gas can be created by adding two compounds together and how the gas can blow up a balloon. Take a small bottle (the opening must be small enough so that a balloon can fit over it) and add 1-2 spoonfuls of water. Crush a tablet of seltzer antacid, and put it in the balloon. Stretch the balloon opening over the opening of the bottle; be careful not to allow any of the antacid into the bottle. Raise the balloon so the antacid can fall into the bottle. Ask the students to observe what is happening and hypothesize why the balloon is blowing up. Alka-Pops Activity For this activity you will need a package of antacid, water, and a film canister (clear canisters work the best) per child. To insure proper safety, make sure the students do not point the canisters at anyone, and do not let them stand directly above the canisters. This activity is not recommended for children under 5. Take care that children do not put the tablets in their mouths. __1. Instruct the students to put 1–2 spoonfuls of water into a film canister. __2. Have them add 1/2 tablet of seltzer antacid to the canister and quickly cover the canister with the lid. Let them repeat this procedure until their seltzer tablets are gone.
Questions __1. Listen carefully, do you hear anything? Did you see anything happening in the canister before you put the lid on? Why does the lid pop off the film canister?
Discussion
More Things To Try There are many activities that you can do with a child to demonstrate pressure. You can build a Cartesian diver, suck an egg into a bottle, or pop a penny off the top of a bottle. The Web sites listed below contain all the directions and explanations you need for these experiments.
Information from the World Wide Web 1. Hey, Marshmallow Face!: http://www.pbs.org/ktca/newtons/tryits/13/sci_try.html 2. Pressure: http://nyelabs.kcts.org/nyeverse/episode/e42.html 3. Pop a Penny: http://www.pbs.org/ktca/newtons/tryits/9/9scitry.html 4. Cartesian Divers: http://www.ktca.org/newtons/15/scuba.html
All Web sites accessed March 1998
This Activity Sheet may be reproduced for use in the subscriber’s classroom. 528B
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 75 No. 5 May 1998 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
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The solid seltzer tablet has two main ingredients, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda, NaHCO3) and citric acid. These do not react with each other when they are solids, but when dissolved in water, there is a chemical reaction between them. One of the products of the reaction is a gas, carbon dioxide (CO2). In the Blow up the Balloon Demonstration, the system is closed. The gas that is produced cannot escape. As more and more carbon dioxide gas is formed, it increases the pressure inside the balloon. Because the balloon is elastic, it can expand. The balloon blows up. In the Alka-Pops Activity, the carbon dioxide is trapped in the canister, exerting pressure on the interior walls and lid. Neither of these can expand very much, so the pressure inside increases. When the pressure inside becomes too great, the lid pops off (it is the weakest part of the canister) and the gas rapidly escapes. The pressure is released as both sound energy and energy of motion—the movement of the lid.
