Separation of Mixtures by 6v

In grade 6 we finished our Elements, Compounds and Mixtures unit with some practical work of separating mixtures. Filtration and evaporation were familiar to students. They could easily explain how they would recover salt from saltwater using evaporation. It was a little trickier to describe how they would recover water from saltwater. These boys built a simple desalination plant. After a lot of problem solving, they were able to recover some fresh water. 

We also tried separating the colors of a pen using chromatography. Water worked well for most pens but we also tried some other solvents. 

Magnets

Grade 3 is completing a unit called Bright Sparks. In their classroom they learned a lot about circuits and conductors and insulators. In IPC lab we investigated static electricity and magnets. The magnet lesson was fun. We made predictions about what objects were attracted to a magnet and which objects weren't. We discussed the fact that all things attracted to a magnet are metal but that not all metal is attracted to a magnet. We looked at strong and weak magnets and opposing forces. A strong magnet could lift up the scissors because the magnet force was bigger than the force of gravity. Weaker magnets couldn't pick up the scissors because gravity "won". This reminded some students of building boats and buoyant force.

We finished the lesson by making the scissors into a temporary magnet and making an electromagnet. We talked a little about the relationship between electricity and magnets.

I showed the students my "magical tube of science". Come try if for yourself or watch this clip. Or watch the clip and then come try.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqdOyxJZj0U

Here are some related learning goals.

2.35 Know about the principles of magnets and magnetic and non-magnetic materials

2.39 Know that forces differ in size

2.38 Know that forces have direction

End of term wrap-up

From the looks of this blog we haven't been doing much in the science lab. The truth is we have been very busy. End of term brings busy times for everyone. We are all in need of some rest and relaxation over the holidays. Here is a photo dump of some activities we have been doing.

Grade 7 students measured the pH of different liquids using different indicators. (Acids and Bases unit)

Our Bright Sparks from grade 3 have been investigating static electricity in the lab. Some groups made paper snakes and charmed the snakes with their recorders. (And some static electricity of course.)

This may look like a grade 6 student but it is really Willem Einthoven who won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1924 for inventing an EKG machine. Wouldn't the real Einthoven be surprised to find out that a grade 6 student at SIS in 2015 can do an EKG in school using a simple data logging EKG probe. 

Another Nobel Laureate Takaaki Kajita, winner of the year's Nobel Prize in Physics.

 Paul Modrich and Frederick Sanger

Sir William Ramsay and John O'Keefe