E2K
students are presented with a weekly challenge based on a scientific
principle. Our 6th graders began the year learning
how to sort matter that were solids. They investigated how they could use
the properties of solid matter to separate complex mixtures. Ideas
included, size, color, melting and freezing to accomplish this task. In
the next activity they needed to answer the burning question: Is a
Crayola Black marker really black? Ask your E2K scientist how they
accomplished this separation through chromatography. The 6th graders
used their new techniques to become CSI detectives and solved
the case of the fraudulent bank check.
In the last challenge of
this unit the students were faced with a lifesaving challenge. The scene
was set as a class picnic on an Island. In the story one of the students
was dehydrated and needed to drink something quickly. Problem was that
there was only one bottle of fruit punch left and the student was allergic to
red food coloring. Our E2Kers using their knowledge of how to separate
different materials from each other, got to work and created filters out of the
materials on the island.(Sand, charcoal from the BBQ, empty plastic water
bottles and a first aid kit) They were so excited when they achieved their goal
and saved their friend! Britta filters couldn’t have done it better!!
In
the next unit the students investigated friction and air resistance while
building a time pieces out of balloons and beads. The challenge was to
build a reliable 30 second time piece. They realized by decreasing the diameter
of the opening of the balloon they could reliably control the flow of
air. They were then faced with another time challenge but this time they
could only use a roll of masking tape! The students rolled and built
ramps that would last 30 seconds and then thought of pendulums! Each team
developed their own design. The variations were amazing!
The 7th graders
participated the 2014 Virtual International Science competition During the competition the students were asked to create experiments and answer questions
in a timed environment. The students did
an amazing job collaborating their data and sending their results to Israel via
Skype. Although they didn’t win the competition, they did win big in
cooperation and team work!
7th
grade also needed to make the perfect cup of tea for a cantankerous boss using
the principles of thermodynamics! In
an extension of this students investigated exothermic and endothermic chemical
reactions. In one of the reactions the students were able to extract
copper from copper chloride through a
single replacement reaction with aluminum. The copper is now drying
waiting to be used in a future experiment. These inquiries also allow the
students to see the importance of planning and precision when executing
experiments.
Other
building challenges included how to build a mechanism to measure
weight.
Using Slinkys, pipe cleaners, skewers rulers, marbles and other assorted items,
the students had to think outside of their preconceived ideas of
scales and balances creating one of their own. Through trial and error
the students “gravitated” towards a solution!
