So far I have focused on technology, classroom jobs, parents, and ideas under five dollars to help bring science into the classroom. As I was creating these I thought about work I have done with kids and when I was in Elementary school. A couple things came to mind; 2 liter bottles, toilet paper roles, paper towel roles, and egg cartons. These objects came to mind because we always had tons of these lying around from parents bringing them in. These are items parents are always buying and happy to bring in when they are done because they would have just gotten thrown away anyway. Within the first week of school the teacher should ask for parents to send these items to school with their kids because all of these can be used in science. The one item I am going to focus on is the 2 liter bottle.
The first activity you can do with a 2 liter bottle is called ecosystem in a bottle. The materials you will need for this activity include scissor, 2 liter bottle, potting soil, water, seeds (whatever you want to plant), different insects and rocks. The bottle should be cut in half and rocks, soil and seeds should be added in that order. The seeds should be added by poking a hole in the soil and then covering it back up. The ecosystem should then be watered. Add the insects once the seeds start to grow, and replace the cover.
The second activity you can do is to create smog. For this activity you need the 2 liter bottle, a match, a bag with ice and some water. First cut off the very top of the 2 liter bottle and add about two inches of water. Next light a match and hold it in the bottle for a couple of seconds before dropping it into the water. Then put the the bag with ice over the top to close off the bottle, you will start to see the smog in the bottle. After about thirty seconds take off the bag with ice and smog will appear again but this time above the bottle in the air.
The last activity is called a tornado in a bottle. For this activity you will need two 2 liter bottles, water, bottle connectors, food coloring and glitter or confetti (optional). Water is placed in one of the two bottle about 3/4 of the way full (at this point food coloring and glitter or confetti is added it wanted). Next place the other bottle facing the first bottle with the mouth parts touching and connect them with a bottle connect. The students can then shake the bottle in a circular motion and watch the tornado form.
Websites used:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/tornado-in-a-bottle.html
http://www.good-science-fair-projects.com/ecosystem-in-a-bottle.html
http://www.funlessonplans.com/science_lesson_plans/smog.htm
Jen-These ideas are great! I remember doing the tornado in a bottle when I was in grade school! When you do activities like this in a classroom I really think it helps get the main ideas and concepts accross to the students better than if you would just lecture about it and or just show them a video clip or something else. By actually doing this activity in grade school it helped me to remember the main concepts of the lesson way better than if I would have just been told about tornados.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas! With the school budget cuts I think it is very important to really use what you have around you and incorporate that in your lessons. There are so many different things you can use for a variety of different lessons. Going off your 2 liter bottles... I once saw in a 5th grade class 2 liter bottles being used as ecosystems! They were filled with water and land. In the water were tadpols and on land were little frogs! It was awesome! Another way to cut costs in general would be to ask local companies or business' to donate anything you need! For example when I taught a lesson on teeth hygiene I contacted my denist from my home town and he donated toothbrushes for the entire class! The students loved it!
ReplyDeleteThese are really great ideas. I think engaging, hands on activities are a necessity in the classroom. I think it's really important for teachers to remember the purpose of their activites. So many teachers fall into these fun and exciting lessons and forget what their purpose it for the activity. I also really liked that you talked about the low cost of these activities. Budget is a serious issue for schools and teachers today. These activites would make a great resource in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteWow, these are really great ideas for activities students could do to learn about different topics in science. I really liked the creating an ecosystem in a bottle activity. This would be a great way for students to learn about topics such as plants as well as how various organisms survive in different environments.
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