Brad Coleman ELD376 Fall 2013 Science COW

COW Sink or Float? Problem: Will certain objects float or sink when placed in water? Background: You know that some objects float in water, and some sink, but do you know why? Scientists must be able to determine whether an object will sink or float without testing it in the water. Think about it: companies cant build a large, expensive boat only to test it in the water and have it sink. That would be a huge loss of time and money. They must know the boat will float before ever putting it in water. The density of an object determines whether it will sink or float in any liquid. Density is the measure of how solid an object is. Knowing the density of an object helps both scientists and everyday people determine which objects will float in different liquids, and which will sink. The Problem: You are the captain of a small boat carrying various supplies. As you come close to shore, a small leak forms. You have approximately an hour until your small boat sinks. You have a lifeboat, but cant carry all of the supplies. You decide to take the supplies that would sink in water with you on the lifeboat, and throw any supplies that will float overboard in hopes that it floats to shore. It is up to you to figure out which of the following items will float in water, and which will sink: Paperclips Wooden building blocks Apples Buttons (Made from Nylon)

Directions: Make a prediction for whether each of the items listed above will sink or float when placed in water To solve this problem, you will need one of each of the four items above, as well as a container filled with water Place each object, one at a time, in the container of water o Observe whether each object sinks or floats and record your findings Compare your predictions to your results. Then, using the chart that provides the density of each object, explain how you think density determined whether each item would sink or float o Paragraph form, 5-7 sentences Compare your results and explanations with your fellow classmates

Name: _____________________________

Date: _______________________

Paperclip

Density

6.52 g/cm3

Wooden Building Block .46 g/cm3

Apple

Button (Nylon) 1.13 g/cm3

Water

.641 g/cm3

1.0 g/cm3

Item Paperclip

Prediction (Sink/Float)

Experiment Result (Sink/Float)

Wooden Building Block

Apple

Button

Explanation: Compare your predictions to your results. How does the density of each object determine whether it will sink or float? Hint: Pay close attention to the density of water when giving your explanation

Rubric
How you will be scored

Requirement Name Date Predictions

Point Value: 3

Point Value: 2

Point Value: 1 Name is on paper Correct date is on paper Predictions for experiment are made

Experiment Results

Experiment was completed and all results are written

Accuracy of Experiment Results

Explanation Given

Compares predictions to results, gives logical reasoning for results, paragraph form, meets length requirements

Compares predictions to results, gives unsatisfactory reasoning for results, paragraph form, meets length requirements

Explanation Accuracy Total

Experiment was partially completed and/or results are not complete Whether each Whether one object floats or or more object sinks is floats or sinks correctly is incorrectly determined determined Does not Does not compare compare predictions to predictions to results, gives results, gives unsatisfactory little or no reasoning for reasoning for results or no results, reasoning at incorrect all, incorrect form, does not form or does meet length not meet length requirements requirements Reasoning for Reasoning for results is results is correct incorrect

Point Value: 0 Name is not on paper Correct date is not on paper Predictions for experiment are not made or incomplete Results for the experiment are not given

Your Score

/10

Name: GREAT ANSWER SAMPLE

Date: ______11/22/13_________

Paperclip

Density

6.52 g/cm3

Wooden Building Block .46 g/cm3

Apple

Button (Nylon) 1.13 g/cm3

Water

.641 g/cm3

1.0 g/cm3

Item Paperclip

Prediction (Sink/Float) Float

Experiment Result (Sink/Float) Sink

Wooden Building Block

Sink

Float

Apple

Sink

Float

Button

Float

Sink

Explanation: Compare your predictions to your results. How does the density of each object determine whether it will sink or float? Hint: Pay close attention to the density of water when giving your explanation My predictions were all wrong compared to my results. I thought the small, light objects would float and the larger, heavy objects would sink. Instead, the opposite happened. The paperclip and button sank in the water, while the wood block and the apple floated. I think this has to do with the density of water, which is 1.0 g/cm3. If an object has a density higher than waters density, it will sink, like the paperclip and button. If the objects density is lower than waters, the object will float, like the wood block and apple did.

Rubric
How you will be scored GREAT ANSWER SAMPLE Requirement Name Date Predictions Point Value: 3 Point Value: 2 Point Value: 1 Name is on paper Correct date is on paper Predictions for experiment are made Experiment was completed and all results are written Point Value: 0 Name is not on paper Correct date is not on paper Predictions for experiment are not made or incomplete Results for the experiment are not given Your Score 1 1 1

Experiment Results

Accuracy of Experiment Results

Explanation Given

Compares predictions to results, gives logical reasoning for results, paragraph form, meets length requirements

Compares predictions to results, gives unsatisfactory reasoning for results, paragraph form, meets length requirements

Explanation Accuracy Total

Experiment was partially completed and/or results are not complete Whether each Whether one object floats or or more object sinks is floats or sinks correctly is incorrectly determined determined Does not Does not compare compare predictions to predictions to results, gives results, gives unsatisfactory little or no reasoning for reasoning for results or no results, reasoning at incorrect all, incorrect form, does not form or does meet length not meet length requirements requirements Reasoning for Reasoning for results is results is correct incorrect

10/10

Name: OK ANSWER SAMPLE

Date: ______11/22/13_________

Paperclip

Density

6.52 g/cm3

Wooden Building Block .46 g/cm3

Apple

Button (Nylon) 1.13 g/cm3

Water

.641 g/cm3

1.0 g/cm3

Item Paperclip

Prediction (Sink/Float) Sink

Experiment Result (Sink/Float) Sink

Wooden Building Block

Sink

Float

Apple

Float

Float

Button

Float

Explanation: Compare your predictions to your results. How does the density of each object determine whether it will sink or float? Hint: Pay close attention to the density of water when giving your explanation Some of my predictions were right, but some were not. I got the paperclip and the apple right, but I got the wooden building block and the button wrong. I think the reason the paperclip and the button sink is because they are made from plastic and metal, two materials that sink in water.

Rubric
How you will be scored OK ANSWER SAMPLE Requirement Name Date Predictions Point Value: 3 Point Value: 2 Point Value: 1 Name is on paper Correct date is on paper Predictions for experiment are made Experiment was completed and all results are written Point Value: 0 Name is not on paper Correct date is not on paper Predictions for experiment are not made or incomplete Results for the experiment are not given Your Score 1 1 1

Experiment Results

Accuracy of Experiment Results

Explanation Given

Compares predictions to results, gives logical reasoning for results, paragraph form, meets length requirements

Compares predictions to results, gives unsatisfactory reasoning for results, paragraph form and/or meets length requirements

Explanation Accuracy

Experiment was partially completed and/or results are not complete Whether each Whether one object floats or or more object sinks is floats or sinks correctly is incorrectly determined determined Does not Does not compare compare predictions to predictions to results, gives results, gives unsatisfactory little or no reasoning for reasoning for results or no results, reasoning at incorrect all, incorrect form, does not form or does meet length not meet length requirements requirements Reasoning for Reasoning for results is results is correct incorrect

1 Missing one result (button) 1

2 Could have been explained better Short

0 Incorrect Explanation 7/10

Total

Name: POOR ANSWER SAMPLE

Date: _______________________

Paperclip

Density

6.52 g/cm3

Wooden Building Block .46 g/cm3

Apple

Button (Nylon) 1.13 g/cm3

Water

.641 g/cm3

1.0 g/cm3

Item Paperclip

Prediction (Sink/Float)

Experiment Result (Sink/Float) Sink

Wooden Building Block

Float

Apple

Float

Button

Sink

Explanation: Compare your predictions to your results. How does the density of each object determine whether it will sink or float? Hint: Pay close attention to the density of water when giving your explanation The paperclip and the button sink because they are heavier. The wooden building block and the apple float because they are lighter. In water, the heavier the object is the faster it is going to sink. If the object is light enough, it will just float there.

Rubric
How you will be scored POOR ANSWER SAMPLE Requirement Name Date Point Value: 3 Point Value: 2 Point Value: 1 Name is on paper Correct date is on paper Predictions for experiment are made Experiment was completed and all results are written Point Value: 0 Name is not on paper Correct date is not on paper Predictions for experiment are not made or incomplete Results for the experiment are not given Your Score 1 0 No date 0 No predictions 2

Predictions

Experiment Results

Accuracy of Experiment Results

Explanation Given

Compares predictions to results, gives logical reasoning for results, paragraph form, meets length requirements

Compares predictions to results, gives unsatisfactory reasoning for results, paragraph form and/or meets length requirements

Explanation Accuracy

Experiment was partially completed and/or results are not complete Whether each Whether one object floats or or more object sinks is floats or sinks correctly is incorrectly determined determined Does not Does not compare compare predictions to predictions to results, gives results, gives unsatisfactory little or no reasoning for reasoning for results or no results, reasoning at incorrect all, incorrect form, does not form or does meet length not meet length requirements requirements Reasoning for Reasoning for results is results is correct incorrect

1 No predictions to compare Explanation flawed Short

0 Incorrect Explanation 5/10

Total

In the poor answer sample, there is much to be improved on. To start, the student in the example omitted the date on the paper. The date is important in case a teacher, student or parent wants to refer back to this specific activity at a future time. The student then fails to make any predictions. Predictions are important when performing experiments. Making a prediction begins the thinking process for the brain, and explores as many possibilities one can think of. Predictions are also very helpful in understanding the solution and concept, because the student can compare the actual results with your predictions. This can potentially help clear up any misconceptions the student had, made evident through their prediction. This sample student, while performing the experiment correctly, gave a poor explanation for his or her results. They had no predictions to compare their results to. Their reasoning is comprehensible for an elementary student, however, it is a very basic line of thinking, and the reasoning is off. The student states the items that sink are heavier, although in most cases and apple and a wooden block will have a greater mass than a paperclip and a button. It would seem that this particular student confused mass and density to be the same concept, something the teacher would need to assist with to make clear. Their explanation is also repetitive. The student essentially states twice that heavy objects will sink and light objects will float. The response also does not meet the length requirement that is clearly stated in the directions. Since the explanation was incorrect, a final point was deducted from the grade, leaving the student with a subpar 5/10. It seems as if this student either A) did not make an effort to complete this assignment correctly or B) does not understand the basic idea of density. In either case, the teacher should talk privately with the student.