The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project
Introduction to Scientific Inquiry
Introduction to Scientific Inquiry
An 8th Grade STEM Lesson
Isabelle Harrison
January 2023
Notes for Teachers
This lesson was completed in one 90 minute session in an after school STEM club. It can be split into two 45-minute class sessions by conducting the investigation on day 1, and analyzing data on day 2. Students can bring in their choice of juice or soda for this investigation, or the teacher can provide it.
List of Materials
Standards
Physical Science:
8.P4U2.5 Develop a solution to increase efficiency when transferring energy from one source to another.
8.P1U1.2 Obtain and evaluate information regarding how scientists identify substances based on unique physical and chemical properties.
Mathematical Practices
MP.5 Use appropriate tools strategically.
MP.6 Attend to precision.
Objective(s):
Today we will investigate the transfer of energy between objects.
Students will be able to explain the transfer of energy between a colder object and a warmer object.
Students will be able to graphically show a collection of data to explain how heat energy is transferring through a system.
Agenda (90 minutes)
Opening
What do you notice / know about slushies?
Students will then work together to create a question to explain the phenomenon (how slushies are made).
Questions should be scientifically based, testable, and extensive enough that students will need to conduct several investigations to answer the question.
Let the students come up with their own questions, but aim them towards “what systems cause the slushy to be frozen in small crystals of ice?”
Information Gathering
A slushy is a dense, ice-cold beverage that resembles the thickness of melting snow. Slushies can be made in two ways: You can flavor finely crushed ice or you can alter the freezing process of flavored water so that loose, icy crystals form. Shaking the liquid while keeping it at the freezing point does just that.
Class Question - Copy into Notebook
Investigation
Your group is in charge of your investigation to answer our class question.
Materials at your disposal:
Keep Track of your Data
Your data should be collected in your notebook in a data table.
Data should include:
Only change one variable! (ex: don’t change the type of bowl if you also change the type of cup).
Investigate!
Use your materials to answer your question.
After we all have slushies, we will graph our data.
Graph your Data
You should have gathered temperature and time data.
Assessment
In your notebook, under your graph, please write 3-4 sentences explaining how a slushy gets its texture. Look at other group’s data - if you could redo your experiment, which material would you use instead and why?
Design a new slushy machine that would allow for faster freezing time than a traditional machine. Your machine must freeze a liquid by utilizing a reservoir of salt and ice, and allow for stirring/spinning, but cannot resemble the current traditional slushy machine.
Differentiation
One way to differentiate in this lesson is to allow students to experiment with one material, then create a class data set.
Another option is to assess through experimental design and procedures as opposed to a mechanical design component.
Remediation
Extension/Enrichment
Students who are successful right away can experiment to see how cold the ice / rock salt mixture gets, and apply that knowledge to why roads are salted when weather conditions create ice.