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chemistry for kids
The Unlvenlly of Southwanern Loulslana Lafayene. LA 70504
The Scientist-in-Residence Program A Chemistry-Based Outreach Initiative Paul ~elter,' Ken Hughes, Anne Murphy, Kathleen Condon, Paulette Heil, Michael Lehman, David Netz, and Travis Wager Science Outreach Office,University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Oshkosh. WI 54901
The rnotiuation to learn. The need to know more. The l o w of mising questions. Thepleasure in working togethec We have presented programs, which reflect these ideas, in past issues of this Journal, and others (14).For the p a s t t h r e e years, we have been involved i n schools throughout Wisconsin a s Scientists-in-Residence (SIR) for a series of intensive one-week programs that, effectively, inundate individual schools with science. The program, which is largely chemistry oriented, has been well received, because the students have fun learning by doing science, the teachers have separate inservice time, and parents and children work together so that they enjoy science a s a family. Each program also requires a week of time from five UWO science education and science majors, so, as young Scientists-in-Residence, they get a sense of the pleasures and pains involved with teaching science, usually a t the elementary level. Development of the Scientist-in-Residence Program In Wisconsin, the "Artist-in-Residence" concept has long been popular. I n this art-related week, students meet with one artist (painter, musician, or storyteller) once or twice durinn the week. often with a n additional all-school assemb6 program i s a n added motivator. I n 1990, the Science Outreach Office was contacted by a n area elementary school principal who wanted to have a similar schedule, but involving science rather than art. We agreed to develop such a program only if we could modify it so that we could have a Droeram of total immersion in ~hvsicalscience that would i k & e UWO science and educitibn students doing science with the elementary students, their responsible adults, and teachers. The result was the week-long Scientist-in-Residence (SIR) program which, typically, involves two faculty (Kelter and Hughes), one secretary (Murphy), five student "scientists," two minivans worth of grocery store supplies, and a love of children.
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Goals of the One-week Elementary School Program to help students learn that science is fun; to motivate curiosity in students; to help students learn some principles of physical science; show students why physical science is important for them tc know;
'Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: Depaltment of Chemistry University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln. NE 68588.
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Journal of Chemical Education
to serve as a model of science teaching for elementary-level teachers, many of whom shy away from teaching science because they are uncomfartahle with their low level of science knowledge; to give students and parents an opportunity to do science together; and to make some money for the Science Outreach program. Scheduling the SIR Program The primary reason for having such a n intensive oneweek Droeram. rather than one that is s ~ r e a dover. for example, a n entire semester, is the limited availability of UWO students, whose primary responsibility is their own coursework. This leaves about six weeks between January and June of each year when our students have free time to teach: a three-week interim between semesters in January, spring break, and two u,eeks after rhe spring semester ends in May. All six weeks uere f i l l d with SIR p r q p m s in 1992 and 1993 The I W O studcnt scientiqts must maintain a minimum 3.2 grade point average and be a t least juniors majoring in a science or in science education. Four of our five 1992-1993 SIR students are now in graduate school, three in chemistry. The other is finishing her undergraduate chemical education degree. The fee for the program varies, depending upon the amount of travel time involved. Schools that are so far away a s to require us to stay a t a hotel are charged about twice a s much as local schools. We pay each of our student scientists from $250 to $350 for the week, depending upon the travel involved in the program. Miscellaneous supplies, including such things as red cabbages (acid-base chemistry), sheets of frosted brownies (for a "mining the earth" activity), and cornstarch (oobleck), cost about $600 for a school with 500 students. Travel. including vehicle use fees and gas, can be $300 or more. we add o n a n additional fee for administrative costs. State and federal Eisenhower funds generally pay for a t least half of all programs. The local PTO's andlor state funds usually pay for the other half. Financially well-off school districts have the PTO pay for the entire program. Poorer school districts will use federal funds, and if there is a n inactive PTO, or one that just cannot afford to pay, we generally will lower our fee accordingly. We have done SIR programs in both wealthy and poor areas of cities. Although the fund-raising aspect is important, it is not the final arbiter of our scheduling. We work on a first-come, first-served basis. &
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The General Plan Once the program dates and financial details are agreed upon, we tailor the in-class schedule to the specific needs
Table 1. Examples of SIR ChemistryIScience Activities Activity
Description/concept
Grade In Classroom
Floating Foods Plant Stems Water Flowers Colors in Sunlight Oobleck Mining for Chips
Shake, Rattle & Roll
Foods with a high water content (e.g., carrots, potatoes, etc.) will sink in pure water but will float in more dense salt water. Stalks of celery are placed in colored water to show how plant stems obtain their food and water supply. When paper'Ylowers" with folded petals are floated on water, the petals open due to water rising in the tiny capillary plant fibers of paper, thus simulating the effect of adding water to a wilting plant. Drops of several different food colors on milk do not mix until several drops of dish washing detergent are added to the milk. A m xare of cornstarch ano water becomes more VISCOLS (tnlcker)as more pressdre s applled, an0 ess v s c o ~ s(rdnny) wlln less pressLre. 1h.s dlsplaylng propenles of oolh a sollo an0 a qdlo Frosted, walnut-filled brownies represent a microsection of the earth's surface, with the frosting representing vegetation and the walnuts simulating buried resources. Using a wooden splint, toothpick or small spoon as a "probe", each student is asked to '"extracr' as many resources as possible and then return the "earth to as close to its original condition as possible. Tne senses of nearlng an0 smell are (separately, used to palr up slJoents w lh the same so~ndlsme n lhetr fdm canister, an0 lhen lo loenttty tne so-rce of tne somo sme I
"Elecfishity" Acids & Bases
A Straw, string, and inflated balloon are used to attract paper 'Yish" by generating static electricity. Red cabbage jdlce 1s prepare0 an0 Lseo as the In0 cator to test and c assdy varlous noLseho d sol ds and l t q 0s ~ as aclo c, baslc or nedlra
Balloon Magic
When solid baking soda (contained in an uninflated balloon attached to the top of a glass or plastic bottle) is added to vinegar (in the bottle), the balloon is inflated by the formation of a gas (C02).
Dancing Spaghetti
Uncooked popcorn and small pieces of uncooked spaghetti alternately rise and sink in a baking sodalvinegar mixture.
Polymers
Varlous n nos of "sl me" are prepared and properbes s t ~ ed o oy LS ng e !her gLar gum or polyv ny alconol polymers and a satdaleo borax solmon as tne b ndlng agent
Electricity
Aconductivity apparatus (9-V battery, resistor, and LED) is used to test and classity various solid and liquid foods and other household items as good conductors, poor conductors or non-conductors.
Skewering a Balloon
An o led, wooden %ewer can be nseneo s~ccessfdly tnroLgh an inllaled. tteo balloon w thou breamg 11. 11 the snewer s nsened lhrougn tne lwo parts of tne balloon tnat are no1 l ~ l l y strelcneo, .e., wnere tne oa oon s t ed and me oppos le eno of the balloon A solution of polyvinyl alcohol in water (food coloring optional) is mixed with a saturated borax solution to produce a "slime" whose properties can be investigated. The s~perabsom~ng polymer, soo Lm po yacrylale, is extracted from a smal port on of the I n ng of a commerctal olaper an0 adoed to water, formlng a gel The ge w II oecome a l f qd~aga n by ncreas ng !he elsctrolyle concenlrallon re g taole sa I) aro-no the ge. due lo osmosls -
Parent-Child Night
Polyvinyl Alcohol Slime Waterlock & Diapers
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o f t h e school. The scheduling goal i s t o have every student in t h e school participate in a t least one period of science each day with one scientist-in-residence. In general, each o f o u r five student scientists a n d t h e U W O faculty teach t h r e e 45-minute m o r n i n g classes p e r day for four days. There i s a 15-minute break in between each class for movi n p materials between classes. The r e s u l t i s a t o t a l o f 72 cl&ses t a u g h t during t h e S I R week. K e l t e r leads three add i t i o n a l special sessions. The f i r s t i s a n evening workshop for adults a n d children, where students b r i n g one o r m o r e responsible adults (often. but bv n o means always, t h e pareni) a n d w e a l l do science together. T h i s year's S I R p r o erams h a d ~ o l v m e r sas t h e i r theme. We h a d attendees ~ u t skewers t h i o u i h balloons w i t h o u t p u n c t u r i n g them, m a k e ~ o l v v i "n valcohol-borax l slime. a n d w o r k w i t h disposable diapers t o isolate a n d investigate t h e sodium polyacrylate. T h e second i s a n afternoon teacher in-service p r o g r a m dealing with a physical science o f t h e i r choice. Finally, a "fun w i t h chemistry" show for t h e e n t i r e school ends t h e week. F e e l free t o w r i t e t o u s for past in-class schedules. The activities t h a t w e do d u r i n g t h e S I R week are gradelevel appropriate a n d fit in with t h e Wisconsin Departm e n t of Public I n s t r u c t i o n c u r r i c u l u m guidelines f o r elementaw-level science. Especially . imp .o r t a n t i s t h e need t o relate each activity t o a n issue o f social o r technological importance, such as a n oil-water wave bottle t o o i l spills.
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Table 2. Example Demonstrations for "Fun With ChemiStry" Showa Elephant Toothpaste
Catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide
Fire Cannon
Combustion of ethanol
Polyurethane Foam Glove
Preparation of a polymer Formation of starch-iodine complex
Iodine Clock Orange Juice - Powered Clock
Magnesium and copper in orange juice form a battery to power a clock Six-beaker Ex~eriment Georoe Gilbert's rainbow activiiy with acid-base indicators (8) "see shakhashin (7) far a complete procedure and safety discussion on many of these.
T h e activities come f r o m a v a r i e t y o f sources, i n c l u d i n g t h e WonderScience magazine (51, o u r o w n in-house publication (61, articles f r o m t h i s J o u r n a l cited above, a n d activities adapted f r o m friends, relations, a n d kind people we've m e t along t h e way. The l i s t o f activities along w i t h general descriptions a n d concepts, are given in Tables 1a n d 2.
Volume 71 Number 10 October 1994
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Table 3. Teacher-Administrator Evaluatlons of SIR Program
Scientist-in-Residence Student Evaluation For each of the following statements,circle: 5 if you really agree; 4 if you agree a rile; 3 if you're not sure; 2 if you disagree a little; 1 if you really do not agree at all.
Scientist-in-Residence Teacher-Administartor Evaluation For each of the followingstatements, circle: 5 if you really agree; 4 if you agree a little; 3 if you're not sure; 2 if you disagree a little; 1 if you really do not agree at all. RESULTS
1. I learned science as a result of the SIR program. 2.1 learned almost nothing about teaching science
as a result of the SIR program. 3. 1 have taught more science as a result of the SIR program. 4. 1 feel less comfortable with science as a result of the SIR program.
[4.3f 0.81 [I .5 f 0.91
3.1 do NOT need to know science. 4. 1 do NOT like science vely much.
[1.4f 0.11 [ I S f 0.21
N=361
[1.3 f 0.81
Regarding Program Effectlveness-Evaluations The SIR program has many different goals and serves several audiences. To assess the teachers' perceptions of the program and its effect, we distributed a s w e y about two weeks after completing each program. The survey and combined results for four of the 1993 SIR programs are given in Table 3. Forty-one out of 48 teachers, or 85%, were female. This number just matches the national elementary school average. The teachers had a broad range of science backgrounds, yet the results for question #1 indicate that almost all (45 of 48) teachers felt they *learned science" as a result of the SIR program. The response to question #2 (stated in the negative) indicated that most teachers (41of 48) learned something about "teaching science" as a result of the SIR program. On the average, there was no shortterm impact on the amount of science taught in class, as is reflected by the results in question #3. Only two out of 48 teachers felt "less comfortable" with science as a result of their SIR experience. We assume the strong negative response to question #4 (mean = 1.3, where 1.0 = total disagreement) reflects an increase in comfort with science as a result of the program. We note without interpretation that the most positive results for each evaluation question were received in the school that had by far the largest number of economically disadvantaged children of the four schools. Teacher comments reflected the positive view of the program. According to the teachers, improvements to be made include relaxing the pace a bit, and making sure that we use an age-appropriate discussion when working with kindergarten students.
Journal of Chemical Education
RESULTS 1. I learned a lot during the SIR week. [4.7f 0.21 2. 1 like science more as a result of the SIR week. [4.3f 0.41
[3.1 f 1.01
Whenever undergraduates do science activities with classes of 30 or more, there is a chance that safety will be compromised. We minimize the chances of an accident by discussing possible problems with classroom teachers in advance, hy extremely close supervision of the children, providing safety goggles when necessary, and by doing activities that are not expected to be hazardous.
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Table 4. K-5 Student Evaluations of SIR Program
Concurrently with the teachers'survey, we distributed a different survey to assess the K-5 students'perceptions of the SIR program. The survey and results for a typical SIR program in 1993 are given in Table 4. The results for question #1 indicate that most of the students (290 of 361) really learned a lot during the SIR week. As far as their attitude toward science after the week's activities (question #2), again the majority of the students (227 of 361) really agreed that they liked science more. The strong disagreement with question #3 (mean = 1.4, where 1.0 = total disagreement) indicates that the KG5 students do know that science is important and is part of our everyday life. While the disagreement with question #4 is not quite as strong as in #3, the vast majority of these students do like science (277 of 361 circled response 1, or did not agree at all with the negative statement). One of our goals of the SIR program was to have the young people understand that men and women do science. Of our five student assistants in 1993, there are two women and three men. In 1994, there will be five women and no men. As part of the student surveys, they were to draw pictures of a scientist. In general, the students drew pictures of the UWO scientists-in-residence,whether male or female, who were in their classroom for the week. Summary Given the limits on the time that college students can spend on this type of effort, the written, oral, and auecdotal evaluations indicate that an effective SIR program independent of social, ethnic, and financial factors can be organized by the chemistry-physical science department of almost any college, for presentation at virtually any elementary school. Literature Cited 1. Kelter, P B.: Paulson, J.R.;Benboa A J. Chem. Educ. lm,67,892-895. 2. Kelter, P 6.:Psulsoo, J. R. J Clum. Edve 1888,65,1085-1087. 3. Jacob, K; Kelter, P,Hughe., K J Sci. noeh Educ 1891.2.53-36. 4. Kclter, P,Hughes, K; Murphy,A. SchS". and Math. 1892,92,366-369. 5 , Wtite toAnnB~nbom,ACSoffice ofReHigh School Menee at ACSHeadqualterafor orderhginformation o m n d o e rn in f~ g o a tin d ~ p n ro n c eWwwdpdpScieroro. 6. Kelter. P B. Physuol Scienc~Actiuifie* fuoluolK4h Or& ?&ocheoche, 4th d.;Uni~mity of Wireonsinahkosh. 7. Shakhaahiti, 6. 2. Chemical Domonatmtio;, Univ of Wiwiwiin h s s : M a d l s o ~WI. 1983.1992: 1hlI-4. 8. Kelteq P B. Favorite Clumlml &manatmtiowi; Ucuersiry of Wismnsin: Oshkosh, WI, 1989.
