Week 14- Particles

 What question are we investigating?

For the fourteen week of Science Methods I, we would continue with the question: “How can we support elementary students in learning about matter and its interactions?”. We also would look at the question “How can we use a particle model to explain…?” We firstly did this through creating a model for the plunger stick to explain the particles involved with it. We also did this in small groups by creating flip videos over things like ice melts or cold drinks with water droplets. Then we would talk in lecture more about this concept.

What did we do in lab to investigate this question?

The teacher explained by reviewing everyone over the plunger stick and what happened when we put it on the table vs. the paper. He would ask everyone in small groups to create models to explain what happens with the particles when you put the plunger stick on the table vs. the paper. My small group would think it has to do with pressure for these two different objects to put the plunger stick onto. We believed that on the paper it would give the particles more room to move while for the table the particles don’t have as much room to move around. Then we would talk with another small group to see how their ideas were similar or different in their models compared to ours. This would allow my small group to see how we still have ways to improve the model over the plunger stick and it’s just the beginning when creating it. This would help when we created a flip video to talk about how the water droplets happen on a cold drink. This would allow us again to find out more about particles and what happens within them. 

What did we figure out?

Another important part would be in the lecture and talking more about particles. This would start out by doing a prob and asking why a thermometer’s temperature increases on the stick. We would learn as a whole group that changing temperatures can have expansion, contraction, or phase changes. This would happen by particles speeding up and spreading out. While the opposite can be true with particles slowing down and clumping down. An example of too much of this can be the roads in Iowa and having a lot of cracks with them. For phase changes this would happen by having fast moving particles that overcome the attractive pull that is keeping the particles together. There are two examples of this which are melting and boiling. For melting the particles break free from rigid structure into a solid. While for boiling the particles are breaking free from attraction of other particles. This eventually would help us as a whole group see the particle model of matter. Some of the factors are they are in constant motion, they collide with each other or surrounding surfaces, and attract each other to varying degrees. 

What are new or remaining questions after the investigation? 

This lab taught me about the different ways of thinking about particles and how they are able to move. It also would help me to learn more about different substances like melting and boiling to see how they are different based on how the particles interact. This would be done through watching  the stipulations during the discussion and lecture part in this class periods. It would give me a clearer understanding to see what is happening within the particles and to see when it’s melting vs. boiling.