Class: 7th Grade Science

Date(s): 03/03/2015 04/08/15

Standards and Benchmarks: S1.B1; S1.B2; S2.B1
Content Objectives:
Density
Buoyancy
Intrinsic vs. extrinsic properties
Air is made of matter, so it takes up space and has mass.
Student Goals:
Below are the goals that my lessons will promote. The result is that students will do the
following both inside and outside of the classroom:
1. Students will demonstrate a deep & robust understanding of STEM content and apply
that knowledge wherever possible.
2. Students will be confident, curious & open-minded individuals.
3. Students will support their position by using factual evidence & make informed
decisions.
4. Students will communicate and collaborate critically and effectively through written and
verbal methods.
5. Students will think critically and use problem-solving skills.
6. Students will be active and respectful members of their communities.
7. Students will use technology appropriately.
8. Students will use creativity and imagination.
9. Students will demonstrate a strong understanding of the nature of STEM.
10. Students will be autonomous, self-motivated learners who will develop goals and utilize
resources to seek out information to become lifelong learners.
Materials Needed:
regular and diet soda cans
water basin
water
Reading assignment

various sponges
various wood blocks
various metal blocks
Gas Law Stations

marbles
ping pong balls
whiffle balls
Rainbow Lab

Demo Materials (Cartesian divers, egg drop, ballons in bottles, density box)

Instructional Sequence:

baseballs
rocks
paperclips

Exploration
1) Cans Discrepant event (10 minutes)
Thinking about your experiences with pop-filled coolers on hot summer days, what do
you think will happen if I put this [regular] can of pop in the water-filled tub at the front
of the room?
*Write prediction and explanation in journal
Place regular can in tub
How would you explain what happened to the can?
Taking into account what you just observed, what do you think will happen when I put
this can into the tub?
*Write prediction and explanation in journal
Place diet can in tub
What are some ways we might explain what we just observed?
What simple rule do you think explains whether things sink or float?
[heavy things sink, light things float]
How might we test these ideas?
2) Exploration float or sink predictions (30 45 minutes)
What types of things do you think might affect whether an object sinks or floats?
[weight, mass, size, shape, texture, structure, material, etc.]
(weight vs. mass?)
If you really want to apply your explanation to all situations, how many objects do you
think you should observe?
[approx. 8-12]
In order to make your explanation as useful as possible, what should be the case about
the types of objects you test?
[variety]
Groups of 2, collect objects -> make detailed observations and/or measurements of all
characteristics you think are necessary from the list on the board
Predict sink/float, and justify using your observations/measurements
3) Exploration float or sink testing (20 minutes)
Now that youve made initial observations, how might you go about testing the
predictions youve made?
Where might be a good place to record your findings?
What are some ways you could share your findings with the class?
Why might this be valuable?
What information do you think is worth sharing?
students fill in as they finish testing
4) Exploration float or sink analysis (30 minutes)
What are some similarities among objects that float?
What are some similarities between the objects that sink?

[heavy vs. light, empty space, etc.]

What happened to the wood blocks when you placed them in water?
What was similar about these blocks? [material]
What was different about them? [size, weight]
What happened to the steel pieces when you put them in water?
What similarities and differences exist among these pieces?
So how accurate do you think it is to say that heavy things sink?
What happened to the small (equal-sized) pieces of steel and wood when you put them
in water?
If this is the case, what can you say about the effect size has on whether an object
sinks or floats?
Why do you think the steel piece sank and the wood piece floated if theyre both the
same size?
[steel was heavier]
If thats the case, what would we have to do to make the wood block have the
same mass as the iron block? So what would you say about the amount of stuff (mass)
in the iron block compared to the amount of stuff in the wood block of the same size?
*Draw
Concept Development
5) Concept Development Defining Density (5 minutes)
On board:
Whether an object floats or sinks depends on how tightly packed its material is.
This property is called density -- the amount of stuff packed into a given amount
of space.
Whats a word we could use for amount of stuff? -> replace with mass
amount of space? -> replace with volume
6) Concept Development Reading assignment
7) Concept Development Mathematical Definition (15 minutes)
Density = mass/volume (love equation)
Whats the mass of the wood block?
How might we determine its volume?
So whats its density?
How do the volumes of the wood blocks compare? [one is double the other]
How do their masses compare? [one is double the other]
If thats the case, how would you say their densities compare? [same]
8) Find the densities
Find the densities of all the objects that you analyzed in the last activity
*Demo how to use water displacement

b.

c.
d.
e.
f.

i. Record them in your journal (5 columns; item name, mass, volume, density,
sink/float)
When you find the density of the object, plot it on the mass-volume graph up here,
and write the value for the density next to the dot.
i. If the object sinks, place a red X, and if it floats, place a green X
What do you notice about the graph?
Why do you think all of the reds are above all of the greens?
What do you think that represents?
i. How do we determine whether something sinks or floats in water?
What do you think the slope of the line that Tommy drew yesterday represents?
i. (density of water; 1g/mL)
ii. What is the value of the density of water then?
iii. What is a general rule that we could come up with about whether an object
will float or sink in water?
1. Objects float if their density is less than water, sink if more

9) Other Liquids
a. To what extent do you think this rule would apply to objects sinking or floating on
other liquids? Would all the same objects still float?
b. What would a graph of a denser liquid look like?
10) Plate Tectonics Application
a. Going back to plate tectonics, if the plates are floating on top of the mantle, what
must be true about the densities?
11) NOS Discussion
a. How does this activity illustrate that data does not speak for itself?
b. What other nature of science ideas may this activity illustrate?
12) Density of a Single Material (3/24/15)
a. Rip in half. What is the density of the two pieces?
i. What would the molecules inside the materials look like
ii. Why would they look exactly the same?
13) Density and Temperature Predict Observe Explain
a. Similarly to these pieces of cardboard, when we had our density graph on the board,
we determined that waters density remains constant no matter the volume or mass
b. I want you to take a minute to predict what you think will happen in the next
scenario.
i. Please do not share your ideas outloud, this needs to be done individually in
your notebook
ii. I have two cups of water, the blue water is cold water, and the red water is
warm. They have the same amount of food dye in each cup, and the same
amount of water.
iii. In your notebooks, record: What you think will happen when I lift the middle
divider?
c. Okay, record your observations after I pull out the middle piece

d. Place divider back in, separating after the box has leveled out
e. I have a third cup of water that is room temperature. What do you think will happen
to the side that I pour it into?
i. Now I am going to remove the divider again, what do you think will happen
now?
f. Now I want you to record your explanation as to why you made these observations
i. 1) The first mixing of the red and blue
ii. 2) The adding room temp water to one side
iii. 3) Final mixing
g. Share your ideas with your groups and create a group explanation to write down on
the white boards
h. Okay, each group needs to quickly summarize their ideas
a. What would happen to your critical thinking if we accepted that magic was
the reason?
b. Why should science not accept magic or supernatural explanations?

14) Density and Pressure Cartesian Divers

a. I have here a bottle full of water
b. Watch what happens when I squeeze the bottle.
i. Write down why you think this is happening
ii. Share your ideas with your partners
iii. What do you think happens when I squeeze?
c. How can we revise our claim about what the density of a single material always is,
based on these last three activities?
i. A single material has the same density unless it changes temperature or
pressure
15) Air takes up Volume Balloon in 2 liter
a. Have a balloon inverted into a 2 liter, and ask a student to blow it up
i. Whats going on here, why cant you blow it up? Talk with partners
b. Here try this one (hand the students a bottle cut in half with inverted balloon)
i. Why was the second one so much easier to blow up?

**Resuming Thursday 3/26**

16) Pressure and Temperature Egg drop
a. Alright, here I have a glass bottle and an egg. The egg is too big to fit through the
top of the bottle. I am going to light a strip of paper on fire, drop it into the bottle,
and put the egg on top. Record in your journals silently, what you think is going to
happen.
b. Be ready to record observations about what occurs

c. Okay, in your small groups, I want you to try and come up with an explanation to
why the egg fell into the bottle.
i. Why do you all think this?
ii. Think about what happened in the last few activities today. How can you use
these ideas to help explain
d. Now you are tasked to come up with an idea of how I can get the egg out of the
bottle, all in one piece
Get ready before class:
-have a few of the eggs In jars, have hot water in the coffee pot, load video
How to get the egg out
1) Video: This video shows the same thing happening, but uses boiling water to heat
the air inside
a. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8_UVwvMfNA
2) Knowing what we learned about how the egg gets sucked into the bottle, I want
you to talk with the people at your tables to determine how we can get the egg out
a.

Paper sheet ruler break

1) Wood
a.
2) Wood
a.

stick on table
What will happen if I karate chop the stick?
stick with folded newspaper
Lets use a piece of newspaper to secure it. Now what do you think will
happen?
3) Wood stick, unfolded newspaper
a. Last try, I now have an unfolded paper. What do you expect will happen?
i. Talk with your table about what might have been the reason

NOS
2) To what extent did you collaborate in these activities over the past few days?
a. How do you think having different perspectives of the same problem helped
you?
b. How do you think scientists benefit from working together?
3) Why is it not okay to accept that magic was the reason for the egg being sucked in,
or for the ruler breaking?

17) Gas Behavior Investigation (1.5 hours)

a. Set up stations with the following activity at each
i. Station 1: Using two straws: Put two straws in your mouth. Put
one straw into the water, and leave one straw open to the air.
Try to draw water up the straw. Describe what happens and try
to explain why that might happen. Cut one of the straws with a
scissors up the middle to half. Now try to drink from the water
with one straw. Describe what happens and why that might
happen.

ii. Station 2: Balloon in bottle: Dip the cotton swab into the
rubbing alcohol (You dont need much rubbing alcohol). Wipe
the surface of the balloon. Wait until the balloon is dry, then try
to blow the balloon up inside of the bottle. Draw a picture to
explain your observations. When you are done, wipe down the
outside of the balloon with rubbing alcohol again.
iii. Station 3: Syringes: Seal the end of the syringe with your
thumb. Push on the syringe with your thumb sealing the end.
What happens to the volume of a gas as you increase pressure?
What happens if you let go of the plunger at high pressure?
Why do you think this happens?
iv. Station 4: Lungs: DO NOT try to blow up this balloon. Gently
squeeze the bottle, write down your observations. Why does
the balloon inflate when you unsqueeze the bottle and deflate
when you squeeze the bottle? How might this be like your
lungs? Draw a picture in your attempt to explain.
v. Station 5: Picking up water: Place a straw in the cup of water.
Put your finger over the open end. With your finger still over
the end, pick the straw up out of the water. Release your finger.
What was holding the water in the straw? Explain and draw a
picture of your thoughts.
vi. Station 6: Test tube and beaker: Fill up the test tube and
beaker with water. Hold a finger over the test tube and put it
upside down into the beaker. What do you think causes the
water in the test tube to stay above the water level in the
beaker?
vii. Station 7: Test tube and wax paper: DO THIS OVER THE BIG
SINK AT THE BACK OF THE LAB TABLES. Fill the test tube
completely full with water. Place the piece of wax paper on top
of the tube and press down to make a seal. Holding the wax
paper on, turn the test tube upside down and carefully let go of
the piece of wax paper. Why do you think the wax paper
doesnt fall? Explain your thoughts.

Application
18) Application Oil, corn syrup, & water assessment (15 minutes)
In what order do you think the layers will form when water (1), corn syrup (1.33), and
oil (0.92) are added to a test tube?
What measurements could you make to support your prediction?
How important do you think the amount of each liquid is?
Attempt to layer

How do you know whether or not your prediction was accurate?

How does this activity illustrate the idea that no true authority figure exists in
science?
19) Application Rainbow lab planning (15 minutes)
4 solutions on table ->
Made solutions of salt water yesterday, each with a different density
What are some ways we could compare the densities of these solutions?
[Mass/Volume; mix; pour one on another; use objects of known density]
This task is possible without using a balance or scale. How
could you do this?
Groups of 2 -> begin developing a procedure (draw a flowchart)
In general, what potential safety issues might arise from mixing unknown
solutions?
Why is it probably OK in this case?
Instead of walking back and forth to the sinks to dump your solutions, how might
you save some time?
How will you remember all your tests and observations?
Must give written, physical, and verbal evidence for whatever conclusion
you reach!
20) Application Rainbow lab testing (20 minutes)
Begin testing with partner
How might the way youre combining the solutions cause unwanted mixing?
How could you add, say, Soln A to Soln B in a way that would minimize
mixing?
What did you observe when you put A on B?
If thats the case, what else might you try?
Conclusions
1) What do you conclude about the densities of the solutions?
2) How does your data support your conclusion?
3) How does the fact that I did not tell you if you were correct relate to the way
scientists gain confidence in their ideas?
21) Application Rainbow lab discussion (10 minutes)
What conclusion did you reach regarding the densities of these solutions?
-> consensus
Now that you and your classmates have compared conclusions, how has your confidence
in your conclusion changed?
How does your experience illustrate the importance of consensus in science?
Now that youre confident that you know the relative densities, what could you do to be

more precise in your comparison of the solutions densities?

How might you determine the density of each solution?
How many times do you think you need to do each measurement to be
confident in your results?
22) Application Rainbow lab phase 2 (20 minutes)
Measurements, calculating density of each solution
compile results on board
What do you notice about your data?
Taking all your data into account for this solution, what do you think the density of this
solution really is? How does your decision reflect the role of consensus in science? What
other NOS ideas does this illustrate?
23) Application Rainbow lab phase 3 (20 minutes)
Without making any measurements, how might you estimate the density of this
unknown solution of salt water?
analysis (no measurement) -> consensus
24) Application Rainbow lab conclusion (20 minutes)
If you could look at these solutions at the atomic level, what do you think you would
see? (More dense = Molecules closer together; Larger Molecules)
Thinking back to how the solutions were layered in your test tubes, how would
you explain the densities at the atomic level?
Side by side on a separate sheet: conclusions regarding relative densities based
on layering; quantitative density values; drawings of how the liquids might
compare at the atomic level
Rationale of Lesson Sequence
The Density and Gas laws unit is an incredibly abstract unit for students, and relies heavily on creating
common concrete experiences for the students to experience. Each demonstration or activity builds on
the previous and relies on the students ability to make connections from past experiences to current
activity.

Density Assessment

Names ____________________________
Date ______________________________

On #1 and #2, be sure to clearly label measurements and information, and show your work!
1. Choose an item from the demo table. Using the equipment available to you, determine the density of
the item you chose. (5 pts)

2. What is the density of the clear, colorless sugar water solution at the front of the classroom? (5 pts)

3. After the entire class has finished working, hold a class discussion to increase your confidence in the
density you reported on #2 if necessary, make changes to the work you did with your partner,
but make these changes in a different color and explain why the changes were necessary. (5 pts)

4. How does your work on #3 illustrate the role of consensus in science? Why might scientists do
something similar in their work? (5 pts)

5. Chunks of steel sink in water. Many ships are made of steel. Taking into account the scientific ideas
youve learned in class, explain why ships are able to float. (5 pts)

S4.B2: ___ / 15
S6.B2: ___ / 10