Biology/Chemistry
What
Objects Sink and What Objects Float
|
Michael
Young |
Jane
A. Neil School |
|
8816
S. Wabash |
8500
S. Michigan |
|
CHICAGO
IL 60619 |
CHICAGO
IL 60619 |
|
(773)
488-4621 |
(773)
535-3000 |
Objective(s):
The
objective of this mini-teach is to explore the problem of why certain objects
sink and why certain objects float with Severe and Profound Non-categorical
Special Education students.
Materials:
For
an individual up to a group of five students you will need an aquarium or a
large bowl of water to test objects, such as: small rocks, plastic boats,
apples, nails, wood, eggs, or crayons.
Strategy:
Have
the student or students try to predict what will happen if they pour the cup of
rocks or sand and gravel into the aquarium or bowl which is filled with water.
Next have the student or students pour the rocks or sand and gravel into the
aquarium or bowl and observe what happens. (Note: some of the students may need
help such as hand over hand assistance, or gestures.) Next have your student or
students try to predict what will happen when a plastic boat a rubber ball or a
block of wood is placed into the aquarium or bowl filled with water. Your
student or students should now place the plastic boat, rubber ball or block of
wood into the aquarium and observe what happens.
Performance
Assessment:
The
performance assessments that I use for students with such severe disabilities
are teacher observation, their ability to follow directions, their enthusiasm
and their willingness to learn. Students should try to the best of their
abilities to perform this experiment to see which objects sink and which
objects float.
Conclusions:
References:
Complete
Book of Science
Grades
1- 2
American
Education Publishing
Ashland,
O.H. 44805
Discovering
Density
Great
Explorations in Math and Science
(GEMS),
Lawrence Hall of Science,
University
of California at Berkely, 1988, 91, 93