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SCIENCE FAIR WARM-UP» Learning the Practice of Scientists «

Grades 7–10» Learning the Practice of Scientists «

Grades 7–10

John haysomCopyright © 2013 NSTA. All rights reserved. For more information, go to www.nsta.org/permissions.



Grades 7–10

Copyright © 2013 NSTA. All rights reserved. For more information, go to www.nsta.org/permissions.

Arlington, Virginia



Grades 7–10John haysom

Arlington, VirginiaCopyright © 2013 NSTA. All rights reserved. For more information, go to www.nsta.org/permissions.

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Copyright © 2013 by the National Science Teachers Association.All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.16 15 14 13 4 3 2 1

NSTA is committed to publishing material that promotes the best in inquiry-based science education. However, conditions of actual use may vary, and the safety procedures and practices described in this book are intended to serve only as a guide. Additional precautionary measures may be required. NSTA and the authors do not warrant or represent that the procedures and practices in this book meet any safety code or stan-dard of federal, state, or local regulations. NSTA and the authors disclaim any liability for personal injury or damage to property arising out of or relating to the use of this book, including any of the recommendations, instructions, or materials contained therein.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Haysom, John, 1938- Science fair warm-up. Grades 7-10 : learning the practice of scientists / by John Haysom. pages cm Includes index. ISBN 978-1-936959-21-1 (print) -- ISBN 978-1-936959-70-9 (e-book) (print) 1. Science projects--Juvenile literature. 2. Science--Experiments--Juvenile literature. I. Title. Q182.3.H392 2013 507.8--dc23 2012034085


bE safE! vii

2 starting Points 1

11. Paper Helicopters 3

12. What Makes Seeds Grow? 4

13. Check Rust 5

14. What Makes Sow Bugs Move? 6

15. Bouncing Balls 6

16. Louis Braille’s Invention 7

17. Archimedes’ Screw 8

18. Electric Cells 9

19. The Right Nail for the Right Job 10

10. Suffocating Candles 10

11. Women Can! Men Can’t! 11

12. Smoking Chimneys 11

13. Acid Rain and Pollution 12

14. Life on the Moon 13

15. Falling Leaves 15

2 an ovErviEw of thE naturE of sciEntific inquiry

What Do Scientists Do? 17

3 sciEncE without numbErs Looking for Similarities and Differences 21

4 thE numbErs gamE Are Some Measures Better Than Others? 25


18 variablEs and thEir controlsFinding Out How Much It Matters 29

18 ExPErimEnt dEsignDesigning Good Apparatus 33

18 sourcEs of Error Searching for Errors 37

18 making sEnsE of your rEsults Graphing Your Data 39

19 ExPlanations Getting Explanations That Fit 45

10 sharing your findings Writing Your Report 51

11 Judging ProJEcts Suggesting Improvements 55

12 gEnErating idEas for ProJEcts Ideas All Around You 59

aPPEndix Science Fair Project Judging Criteria 61

indEx 63


science Fair Warm-Up, Grades 7–10: LearninG the practice oF scientists vii

Be Safe!As you embark on your science fair adventure, some of the steps and activities will be new to you. Keep yourself and your classmates safe by studying this list of safety precautions.

1. Do not touch animals unless instructed to do so by your teacher. Otherwise, you should stick to observing them.

2. Use caution when working with sharp objects such as scissors, razor blades, electrical wire ends, knives, and glass slides. These items can be sharp and may cut or puncture skin.

3. Wear protective gloves and vinyl aprons when handling animals or working with hazardous chemicals.

4. Wear indirectly vented chemical-splash goggles when working with liquids such as hazardous chemicals. When working with solids such as soil, metersticks, and glass-ware, safety glasses or goggles can be worn.

5. Always wear closed-toe shoes or sneakers in lieu of sandals or flip-flops.

6. Do not eat or drink anything when working in the classroom or laboratory.

7. Wash hands with soap and water after doing activities dealing with hazardous chemicals, soil, biologicals (animals, plants, and so on), or other materials.

8. Use caution when working with clay. Dry or powdered clay contains a hazardous sub-

stance called silica. Only work around and clean up wet clay.

19. When twirling objects around the body on a cord or string, make sure fragile materials and other occupants are out of the object’s path.

10. Use only non-mercury-type thermometers or electronic temperature sensors.

11. When heating or burning materials or creat-ing flammable vapors, make sure the ventila-tion system can accommodate the hazard. Otherwise, use a fume hood.

12. Select only pesticide-free soil, which is avail-able commercially for plant labs and activi-ties.

13. Many seeds have been exposed to pesticides and fungicides. Wear gloves and wash hands with soap and water after any activity involv-ing seeds.

14. Never use spirit or alcohol burners or pro-pane torches as heat sources. They are too dangerous.

15. Use caution when working with insects. Some students are allergic to certain insects.Some insects carry harmful bacteria, viruses, and other potential hazards. Wear personal protective equipment, including gloves.

16. Immediately wipe up any liquid spills on the floor—they are slip-and-fall hazards.


25science Fair Warm-Up, Grades 7–10: LearninG the practice oF scientists

Chapter 4:

The Numbers Game* * a r e S o M e M e a S u r e S b e t t e r t H a n o t H e r S ?

Which Magnet Is Strongest?Marie and Monique had read about how you could make magnets by putting iron filings in a test tube and stroking the tube with a regular magnet.

They wanted to make the strongest magnet possible and had various ideas for how to do so. They wondered whether the number of times you stroked the tube made a difference. They wondered whether the size of the filings made a difference. They wondered whether they could

magnetize the filings by putting the tube in an electromagnet. They wondered about other pos-sible features. But they were stuck. How were they going to measure the strength of the magnets they made?

Help for Marie and MoniqueSee what you can do to help Marie and Monique. Here’s a good way to start:

1. Obtain two magnets whose strengths are about the same. Mark the magnets A and B. Your task is to find out which magnet is stronger.

2. Devise and perform as many tests as you can. You may find some of the following materials useful: paper clips, plotting compass, nails, string, plastic squares, steel balls, iron filings, a spring balance, elastics, a ruler, washers, and modeling clay.

3. Record your results in a simple chart. First, describe each test in a few words or by drawing a picture. Then record the observa-tions or measurements you make for each of the magnets. Which magnet appears to be stronger?

Electromagnet


26 nationaL science teachers association

Chapter 4

No wonder Marie and Monique had dif-ficulty. That wasn’t so easy, was it? To help you get your thinking straight, try writing them a letter about your experience. Tell them which test you thought was best and try to explain why.

Marie and Monique Talk to a ScientistMarie and Monique received many ideas for tests, and because they couldn’t make up their minds about which test was the best, they decided to ask Dr. Smith at the local research laboratory.

Marie: We tried numerous things to start. We tried picking up iron filings. We tried spin-ning the compass. We tried pulling a nail off the magnets. But we couldn’t decide which magnet was stronger.

Dr. Smith: Those were interesting ideas. But you can’t rely on your senses. It often helps to put a number on things. Did you develop any of those ideas?

Monique: Yes! We tried magnetic wrestling with iron filings. You pick up some filings with one magnet and see if the other one can pull them off.

Mag

net

Magnet

Compass

Magnet Magnet

Iron filings

Dr. Smith: That’s ingenious! It might help you decide which magnet is stronger. But simple comparisons aren’t enough if you’ve got lots of magnets to test. What else did you try?

Marie: Well, we found that a magnet could hold a whole string of paper clips. We counted how many each magnet held.

Dr. Smith: Now we’re making prog-ress! First, you can measure strength in terms of the number of clips, and second, you can carry out the test on any magnet you make. How did that work?

Marie: Well, when I did it, the red magnet held seven clips and the blue one held five.

Monique: But when I checked it, it was the other way around.

Dr. Smith: Oh! That’s a problem, isn’t it? You were smart to check it! When scientists mea-sure something, they always check to see if their instrument is reliable. If it is reliable, they will get the same reading each time. Did you try anything else?

Monique: Yes, we tried to measure how many squares of plastic we could slip between the



4the numbers Game

Magnet

Paper

Thumbtacks

magnet and the thumbtack before the thumb-tack fell off.

Marie: They both held the same. Perhaps they were the same strength after all.

Dr. Smith: They were probably very close. Your instrument couldn’t detect a difference—it wasn’t sensitive enough. Can you think of a way to increase sensitivity?

Marie: How about using thinner plastic?

Monique: Or how about paper?

Dr. Smith: Good ideas! They would both be worth trying.

Monique: Do you have any ideas?

Dr. Smith: Well, let me think. Here are a few worth exploring:

• Getacompassandlineitupwithnorthandsouth. Measure how much the needle is

Magnet

Compass

10 cm

Magnet

Wooden ruler

Paper clip Rubber band

Tack

Magnet

Thread

Thin copper wireNeedleEraser

deflected when you place your magnet a set distance away (e.g., 10 cm) along the east-west axis.

• Threadapapercliponaweakrubberband.Measure the stretch of the rubber band when the magnet and the clip break apart.

• Measurehowcloseyoucanbringthemagnetbefore the needle starts to move.

Why don’t you try these suggestions? You will have to play around a bit to get them to work. Then you will have to test them for reliability and sensitivity.



IndexAAcid Rain and Pollution, 12Air pressure, 47Air resistance, 19Aircraft Launcher design, 36Alchemy, 22–23Allergies, viiAmazing Can experiment, 46Animals, viiApparatus design, 33–36Aprons, viiArchimedes’ Screw, 8Are Some Measures Better Than Others?, 25–27Aristotle, 18

BBalloon Propulsion apparatus design, 36Bar graphs, 40, 42, 44Bernoulli, 47Bouncing Balls, 6Braille alphabet, 7Brainstorming ideas, 59Bubble solution experiment, 33–35

CCandles, suffocation of, 10, 37–38, 45Check Rust, 1, 5, 16Chemical experiments, 22–24Chemical-splash goggles, viiChimneys, 11, 16, 49Christmas tree needle fall experiment, 44Clay, viiCold fusion, 54Color versus growth experiment, 56–57Conant, J. B., 20

DDesigning Good Apparatus, 33–36Developing an idea, 60

Discoveries, 48Displaying Your Project, 10, 12Do Fish See in Color? experiment, 24

EEating and drinking in lab/classroom, viiEinstein, Albert, 20Electric Cells, 9Error sources, 37–38, 43Experiments, 19–20, 49

chemical, 22–24controlled, 34–35, 37, 38, 51, 61design of, 33–36devising, 2, 34, 48graphing data from, 39–44repeatability of, 34, 35, 38, 53–54sources of errors in, 37–38, 43variables and their control in, 29–31, 34, 37–38,

57writing reports of, 51–54

Explanations, 18, 45–49confirmation of, 48modification of, 47predictions and, 46–48revision of, 48

FFalling Leaves, 15Falling objects, 17–19Fertilizers, 30Fleming, Alexander, 48Fume hoods, vii

GGalileo, 18–19Galvani, Luigi, 9Galvanometer, 9Generalizations, 46Generating ideas for projects, 59–60


64 nationaL science teachers association

Index

Gloves, viiGoggles/safety glasses, viiGraphing Your Data, 39–44Guiness Book of World Records motorcycle

stunting, 29–30

HHand washing, vii, 21Heat sources, viiHeating and cooling experiment, 30–31Helicopters, paper, 3, 31

IIdeas All Around You, 59–60Inquiry, scientific, 17–20Insects, vii

sow bug movement, 6, 16

JJudging projects, 55–57

criteria for, 61–62

LLavoisier, Antoine, 23Law of conservation of energy, 46Leaf falling, 15Library research, 40Life on the Moon, 1, 13–14Looking for Similarities and Differences, 21–24Louis Braille’s Invention, 7

MMagnets, 25–27Measurements, 25–27, 34Moon, plant growth on, 1, 13–14Motorcycle ramp design, 29–31

NNails for different materials, 2, 10, 31Newton, Isaac, 53North America Space Research Institute, 14

OOxygen, 23

PPaper Helicopters, 3, 31Partners for projects, 1, 2Pendulums, 18, 30, 46Penicillin, discovery of, 48Personal protective equipment, viiPesticides, vii, 59Phlogiston theory, 23Plants

effect of colored light on growth of, 56–57fertilization of, 30growth on the Moon, 1, 13–14seeds, vii, 4, 60

Poincaré, J. H., 20Point graphs, 40–43, 44, 45Pollution, 12Predictions, 46–48Prisms, 53Problem solving, 54Publication in science journals and books, 49, 53,

55

RReports

editorial evaluation of, 55writing of, 51–54

The Right Nail for the Right Job, 2, 10, 31Rolling cans experiment, 51–52, 54Rust prevention, 1, 5, 16

SSafety precautions, viiSauerkraut making, 59Science

definition of, 17, 19–20history of, 49

Science fair projects, 1difference among science, technology, and

engineering problems for, 16displays of, 10, 12generating ideas for, 59–60getting help with, 2judging of, 55–57, 61–62


Index


selecting partners for, 1, 2sharing findings of, 51–54Starting Points for, 1–15

Science journals and books, 49, 53, 55Science of Table Tennis experiment, 39–43Scientific discoveries, 48Scientific inquiry process, 17–20Scientific predictions, 46–48Seeds, vii, 4, 60. See also PlantsShape of a Pile of Sugar experiment, 24Sharp objects, viiShoes, viiSlip-and-fall hazards, viiSmoking Chimneys, 11, 16, 49Soils, vii, 21–22Sow bug movement, 6, 16Space North America, 14Speed of falling objects, 17–19Spinning Top design, 36Starting Points, 1–15

Acid Rain and Pollution, 12Archimedes’ Screw, 8Bouncing Balls, 6Check Rust, 1, 5, 16Electric Cells, 9Falling Leaves, 15Life on the Moon, 13–14Louis Braille’s Invention, 7Paper Helicopters, 3, 31The Right Nail for the Right Job, 10, 31Smoking Chimneys, 11, 16, 49Suffocating Candles, 10, 37–38, 45What Makes Seeds Grow?, 4What Makes Sow Bugs Move?, 6, 16Women Can! Men Can’t, 11

Suffocating Candles, 10, 37–38, 45Swinging bob experiment, 46

TTable tennis balls experiment, 39–43Thermometers, vii, 18

UUncontrolled variables, 37–38, 57

VVariables and their controls, 29–31, 34, 37–38, 57Ventilation system, viiVolta, Alessandro, 9

WWhat Makes Seeds Grow?, 4What Makes Sow Bugs Move?, 6, 16What scientists do, 17–20Women Can! Men Can’t, 11Writing Your Report, 51–54




Grades 7–10

Grades 7–10PB328X3ISBN: 978-1-936959-21-1

Even science fair enthusiasts may dread grappling with these two questions:

1. How can you organize many students doing many different projects at the same time?

2. How can you help students while giving them the freedom of choice and independence of thought that characterize genuine inquiry?

Answer these questions—and face science fairs without fear—with the help of the Science Fair Warm-Up series. To save you time, the materials are organized to grow more challenging and encourage independent study as students progress through the grade levels. To help you meet your teaching goals, the series is based on the constructivist view that makes students responsible for their own learning and aligns with national standards and the Framework for K–12 Science Education.

This book, for grades 7–10, develops the ideas about practices that students learn in the first book. Students will also find problems that are much more cognitively demanding. In addition to offering original investigations, the book provides problem-solving exercises to help students develop the inquiry skills to carry the projects through.

Science Fair Warm-Up will prepare both you and your students for science fair success. But even if you don’t have a science fair in your future, the material can make your students more proficient with scientific research.

“An exciting publication that engages students and fills a need for innovative and conscientious teachers. Students and teachers are likely to encounter real science with the ideas, approaches, and questions the materials encourage.” —Robert Yager, Professor Emeritus at the University of Iowa and past president of NSTA


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