Friday, September 26, 2014

Is Mass Created or Destroyed? That is the Question

We started the school year off in chemistry by studying matter.  One characteristic we can describe about any substance is the amount of matter it contains, otherwise know as mass.  Our GPN Chem Squad investigated six different instances in which a substance was changed to see if the mass also changes.  The first piece of matter we examined was steel wool.  The initial mass of the wad of steel wool was compared to the mass after we stretched it out.  Overall our squad's results showed that this change in a substance's shape did not affect the mass.  Through discussion, we discovered that the groups who did see a slight decrease in mass could be explained by small pieces of the steel wool falling off as it was pulled apart.  Our second investigation was to determine if the mass of ice changes as it melts into water.  Again, our squad's data showed zero change in mass and we concluded that there should not be any increase or decrease in mass with any phase change.  The third portion of our investigation was quite interesting because I had never seen 2 clear liquids mixed together to create a solid.  When we poured the two solutions together, the liquid immediately turned cloudy.  Even though we had created a new substance, there was still no change in the mass.  Next we reexamined the steel wool, but this time to determine if the mass of wool would change if it was heated with the Bunsen burner.  As we heated the wool, I noticed a black coating that formed on the outside.  As we examined our data during the discussion, many of the groups had no change in mass and a few had a slight increase in mass.  Mrs. Lee pointed out that the black coating that formed was a new substance and that we should of each seen an increase in mass.  So then we tried to figure out why so many groups did not get this result.  A few people noticed small pieces flying off as they were heating that did not fall into the tray which could explain our results.  Then Mrs. Lee asked the class where the coating came from.  Someone suggested that the oxygen in the air reacted with the steel wool and created this new substance.  Next we moved onto to dissolving substances in water.  First we tested sugar and found zero change in the mass.  Lastly we dissolved alka seltzer in water.  Most groups again found no change, but there were a few that recorded a decrease in the mass.  When we dissolved the tablet I noticed gas bubbles forming.  Our squad realized that if the cap was left off the container, the gas escaped and this would explain the decrease in mass.

As a result of this experience I learned that the mass of a system should be the same
Paukrus, Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier.
May 9, 2013 via Flickr.  Attribution License.
before and after as long as nothing is allowed to enter or leave the system.  This conclusion is in line with the Law of Conservation of Mass which according to this resource was developed by Antoine Lavosier.  This first experience in chemistry was interesting and I am looking forward to the rest of the year with the GPN Chem Squad! 



Sunday, October 6, 2013

Team CHemIKazEs Density Dunk

Density is an important concept in the study of chemistry.  It carries a significant physical meaning that relates the amount of mass or "stuff" an object possess to the volume or the amount of space the object occupies.  Yet this unique property of matter is often separated from its physical meaning and simplified to a mathematical formula.  Most, if not all students are exposed to the concept of density as early as elementary school and bring certain prior knowledge to my classroom.  As we begin our study of matter and I pose the question "What is density?" almost immediately a hand shoots up and a student proudly tells me "D = M over V" or "Density breaks my heart".  But upon questioning further, very few students understand this physical property of matter.  

After realizing I was partly to blame for the fact my students felt density was just another equation to memorize and use, I reflected on my practices and decided to do things differently this year.  And my students and I embarked on a meaningful and exciting study of density which culminated with a team project called the Density Dunk.

















Saturday, September 7, 2013

Blogging in the Classroom?

Over the past year, I have been amazed by the web resources and technology tools I have learned about in my master's of educational technology courses.  During the summer months, I began planning for the new school year and how I would implement certain tools with my students.  Each time I sat down to plan, I became overwhelmed by the number of tools and possibilities.  Even though the web provides educators and students the opportunity to learn and collaborate without physically being in the same room, in certain cases I think a face to face meeting is the best way to discuss new ideas.  A certain colleague came to mind who just happens to be the 2013-2014 Michigan Teacher of the Year, Gary Abud.  I would definitely call Mr. Abud a technology guru at Grosse Pointe North High School and so when I was feeling overwhelmed, I reached out to him to set up a meeting.  I was fairly certain which web tools I wanted to implement in my classroom and in what capacity, but I wanted to talk to someone that is familiar with these resources and hear about what works well and possibly sidestep certain landmines.  We spent a few hours talking about various tools, but the bulk of our conversation focused on blogging.
Chan-Norris, Jesse, "blogger_shirt_2k" March 7, 2011 via Flickr, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License.
I had been considering the role of homework in my classroom, and was interested in replacing this more traditional format with student blogs.  I would like my students to spend their time outside of class reflecting on their experiences and learning in our classroom instead of on "homework".  After my conversation with Mr. Abud and some personal reflection I have decided to ask my chemistry students to create a weblog.  Prior to posting, I will provide the students with the opportunity to look at examples, observe the process, and then guide students as they begin blogging.  Students will ultimately be required to post to their blog each week.  Topics could include their reaction to an experience in class, summary and synthesis of assigned readings, reflection on their learning, results of experiments...the possibilities are endless.  I will check the blogs weekly for completion and then ask my student to submit their best work blog twice per quarter for my review and feedback.
Possibly at the start of second quarter, once the students have become comfortable with blogging, each student will be assigned to a group of 4 and be required to comment on the blogs of their peers.  I am still working hard to get this project up and running, but I am very excited about the possibilities for teacher and student learning as well as the resources and support from other educators listed below.  So let's get blogging!


Abud, Gary.  (September 20, 2012).  Student Blogs for Reflective Writing.  [Web log comment].  Retrieved from http://abud.me/reflective-learning-blogs/
Davis, Susan Lucille.  (October 22, 2012).  10 Reasons Why I Want My Students To Blog.  Retrieved from http://gettingsmart.com/2012/10/10-reasons-why-i-want-my-students-blog/
Richardson, Will.  (2010) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Ripp, Pernille.  (May 28, 2011).  14 Steps to Meaningful Blogging.  [Web log comment].  Retrieved from http://pernillesripp.com/2011/05/28/14-steps-to-meaningful-student-blogging/ 
SAGA Educators (January 4, 2013).  Get Your Students Blogging in 2013.  Retrieved from http://sagaeducators.org/2013/01/04/get-your-students-blogging-in-2013/.