Week 4 Lab

 

1. The big question addressed in lab, and a description of what you did.

In the lab this week, the big question addressed was "How can we support elementary students in learning about matter and its behavior? In Lab this week, all the questions revolved around how we can use the particle model of matter to explain a number of different concepts. The concepts consisted of "Why does a plunger stick to the table after you push it?" "Why does ice melt faster on metal than on wood?" and "Why do cold drinks get water droplets on the outside?" These questions drove the rest of our lab and made me think critically about understanding these concepts and being able to explain them. First, our table groups got together and went over our initial ideas of the States of Matter. We wrote down different characteristics of the three states we are covering, then we showed particle models of each state and explained why solids, liquids, and gases have different characteristics. After that, we then went to the Concord Consortium and completed a set of activities about the different states of matter, giving us a deeper understanding on top of our knowledge. I found all of the modules we did from that site to be beneficial in my understanding of particles and their interactions throughout the three stages. Finally, we saw a demonstration of how to create our own flip books and were asked to create flip books, helping to explain why something is happening. For example, our group made a flip book to help explain how we can use a particle model to explain why cold drinks get water droplets on the outside. 

2. A description of what you learned in Thursday's lecture.

In the lecture on Thursday, I learned many valuable concepts of matter that will help with the chemistry assessment.  I learned that temperature plays a vital role in the movement of particles within different substances and how it affects objects. Temperature is the measure of how quickly particles in a substance move, and when we change the temperature of a substance, it can lead to that substance's expansion/contraction or different phase changes. I learn that expansion/contraction is determined by whether the particles speed up or if the particles slow down and clump together more. If an object's particles speed up, the object is going to expand, whereas if an object's particles slow down, the object is going to contract. Then I learned more about phase changes in matter, and how particles can get moving so fast to the point where they overcome the attractive pull keeping the particles together, which usually results in melting or boiling. The temperatures for melting and boiling points are simply determined by the strength of particle attraction that an object has. We then went over a series of questions that got me thinking about why something is happening. For instance, "Why is ice less dense than liquid water?" or "Why does water evaporate even below its boiling temperature?" These questions drove me to further research, which helped me understand and learn different concepts about matter. 

  

3. Answer questions about the weekly textbook reading

1. What did you learn?

The reading helped explain that the states of matter, solid, liquid, and gas, are determined by how molecules behave, specifically their speed and how strongly they are attracted to each other. Temperature influences molecular speed, pressure, mass, and the strength of molecular interactions, and all affect whether a substance is a solid, liquid, or gas. The reading also points out that models such as magnetic balls can help visualize how molecular behavior changes with speed and interaction strength

2. What was most helpful?

The analogy using magnetic balls to represent molecules was especially helpful. It made the abstract concepts of particle motion and interaction much more concrete by showing how changes in speed and attraction can lead to different states of matter.

3. What do you need more information on?

It would be interesting to read and learn about the more complex states of matter, like plasma, superfluids, and Bose-Einstein condensates. Even though they don't relate to my future teaching practices, it would still be interesting to learn more about these states and how they're different from solid, liquid, and gas.

4. What questions/concerns/comments do you have?

A question that came to me while reading this article was, "How do teachers adapt these models for students with different learning needs, and how effective are these models compared to computer-based simulations for visualizing states of matter at the particle level?