I thought I'd give you a peek into a science concept we've been learning about recently.
We've been learning all about air. Specifically, we've been thinking about the following ideas:
We've been learning all about air. Specifically, we've been thinking about the following ideas:
- air is all around us
- air takes up space
- scientists revise their thinking to change their understanding of the world
To start, I showed students this plastic bottle with a balloon inside and asked them,
"What do you think will happen when I try to blow up the balloon?"
Students drew a model of their hypothesis in their science journals.
"What do you think will happen when I try to blow up the balloon?"
Students drew a model of their hypothesis in their science journals.
Then, after much anticipation, I finally attempted to blow up the balloon. To our great surprise, the balloon would not inflate! We discussed what we were seeing, why it might happen, etc. Students eventually came to the conclusion that the balloon would not inflate because there was air in the bottle, so there was no room for it to inflate.
Thinking about this, we used the items below and buckets of water to explore air bubbles.
Thinking about this, we used the items below and buckets of water to explore air bubbles.
We had more discussions and experiences with air such as going outside to feel the wind, reading stories about air, etc.
Finally, it was time for us to revise our thinking. I told students that scientists often need to revise, or change, their thinking after they observe something. We've observed air, and we can use our knowledge to explain why the balloon wouldn't inflate. So, we went back to our science journal and did a second model, one that reflected our new thinking.
Finally, it was time for us to revise our thinking. I told students that scientists often need to revise, or change, their thinking after they observe something. We've observed air, and we can use our knowledge to explain why the balloon wouldn't inflate. So, we went back to our science journal and did a second model, one that reflected our new thinking.
We used these student models to make a class model altogether. Then, we went back to revise our models a third time.
Finally, and this was our favorite part, we used our knowledge about air to explain how this toy worked!
Manuel noticed that his toy used air to make it move, so he brought it in for us to think about! It was loads of fun and a great way to apply our thinking about air!