GEMS project

5E Lesson Plan #1

AUTHORS’ NAMES: Stephanie Davis

TITLE OF THE LESSON: Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere!

TECHNOLOGY LESSON: No

DATE OF LESSON: Monday, First Day of Bubble Festival

LENGTH OF LESSON: 50 minutes hour / about 1 hour

NAME OF COURSE: 3^rd grade Science

SOURCE OF THE LESSON:

Book: Bubble Festival: Grades K-6; pages 54-58
WebPages:

http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Science/bubbles.html
http://www.educ.drake.edu/sci_ed/elem_sci/phys/Bubbles/bubblelesson_plan.ht
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art32505.asp
http://www.col-ed.org/cur/sci/sci53.txt

TEKS ADDRESSED:

112.5. Science, Grade 3.

(1) Scientific processes. The student conducts field and laboratory investigations following home and school safety procedures and environmentally appropriate and ethical practices. The student is expected to:

(A) demonstrate safe practices during field and laboratory investigations;

(2) Scientific processes. The student uses scientific inquiry methods during field and laboratory investigations. The student is expected to:

(A) plan and implement descriptive investigations including asking well-defined questions, formulating testable hypotheses, and selecting and using equipment and technology
(B) collect information by observing and measuring
(C) analyze and interpret information to construct reasonable explanations from direct and indirect evidence
(D) communicate valid conclusions

(3) Scientific processes. The student knows that information, critical thinking, and scientific problem solving are used in making decisions. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze, review, and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and theories, as to their strengths and weaknesses using scientific evidence and information

(4) Scientific processes. The student knows how to use a variety of tools and methods to conduct science inquiry. The student is expected to:

(B) demonstrate that repeated investigations may increase the reliability of results.

(6) Science concepts. The student knows that forces cause change. The student is expected to:

(A) measure and record changes in the position and direction of the motion of an object to which a force such as a push or pull has been applied

110.5.English Language Arts and reading, Grade 3.

(14) Writing/purposes. The student writes for a variety of audiences and purposes and in various forms. The student is expected to:

(A) write to record ideas and reflections

(15) Writing/penmanship/capitalization/punctuation. The student composes original texts using the conventions of written language such as capitalization and penmanship to communicate clearly. The student is expected to:

A) gain more control of all aspects of penmanship

(20) Writing/inquiry/research. The student uses writing as a tool for learning and research. The student is expected to:

(A) write or dictate questions for investigating
(B) record his/her own knowledge of a topic in a variety of ways such as by drawing pictures, making lists, and showing connections among ideas

CONCEPT STATEMENT:

What is a bubble?

· A bubble is a thin film of liquid that surrounds a pocket of air. A bubble doesn’t have to be made of any particular liquid; however, most of us know “bubbles” as a mixture of soap, glycerin and water. We add the soap and glycerin because water alone isn’t flexible enough to wrap around air. Soap and glycerin are bendable but are thick and too heavy to make large bubbles. Adding soap and glycerin to the water makes the water bendable, and the water thins the soap and glycerin out enough to become lighter and make large bubbles

· Bubbles are bits of air or gas trapped inside a liquid ball. The surface of a bubble is very thin. Bubbles are particularly fragile when a dry object touches them. That's because soap film tends to stick to the object, which puts a strain on the bubble. So if you want your bubbles to last longer, keep everything wet, even the sides of the straw.

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES:

At the completion of this lesson:

Students will have completed the scientific method through the use of bubbles in groups. They will have asked a question, determined possible solutions, devised various experiments, carried out their experiments, and come to a conclusion.
Students will have discovered that force can change the direction of a bubble.
Observe bubble movement and shape
Observe that warm air rises.

RESOURCES:

The recipe for a large batch of bubbles:
1 gallon of water
4 cups liquid soap (non-antibacterial works best, use soap you would use to hand-wash dishes like Dawn)
1/8 cup glycerin (found at drugstores in the moisturizer aisle)

What you need for one group station (There will be six stations):

· 1 or 2 cottage cheese or butter containers filled ½ way with soap solution

· Each station will be at one large table

· 6 Straws

· 6 bubble wands

· Floor covering for traction like carpet, drop clothes, newspaper, or butcher paper

· chalk or white board and writing utensil

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS:

Students will be working with soap solution. Keep the soap solution away from their face, (eyes and mouth especially). If soap solution does enter the student’s eyes or mouth, the student should splash water in their eyes or mouth to rise away residue.
The soap solution will also make the floor area slippery. Great caution should be taken during set-up to avoid students from falling. Use of carpet, drop clothes, newspaper, or butcher paper may help to increase traction. Having cones or caution signs around activity areas will help remind students to take precaution. Do not run. Don’t even walk fast.

SUPLEMENTARY MATERIALS, HANDOUTS:

· See attached Bubble Mania worksheet and Assessment rubric

Engagement

Time: 10 min.

What the Teacher Will Do

Probing Questions

Student Responses

Potential Misconceptions

Enter the room blowing bubbles to grab the students’ attention..

Ask what you are doing and what the students know about bubbles

Blowing bubbles. Fun, float, made of soap. [Discuss various questions about bubbles, writing ideas on the board.]

Exploration		Time: 20 min.
What the Teacher Will Do	Probing Questions	Student Responses Potential Misconceptions
Put the students into groups, by counting off or another method.	[4/5 students at each station]
Teacher will ask questions to make sure students understand the activity.	What is the very first thing that must be done?	All surfaces must be wet
Teacher will allow students to observe bubble creation and patterns in small groups at their stations. (Activity 1 of the Bubble Festival book)	Can you make bubbles with your bare hands?	Yes, [as long as they are wet, some of the best bubbles are made with fingers, hands, and arms. Use of an “okay” sign (make a circle with thumb and forefinger) dip it bubble solution, and blow through the circle.]
	Will the bubble last for a few seconds or a few minutes?	Only a few seconds
	When you blow bubbles do they look any different??	A full circle instead of a ½ as on the table.
	Can you make a line of bubbles down your arm?	Yes, with the use of a straw.
	How many people can blow into the same bubble?	Only one. [no, they can all blow into the same bubble if using all wet surfaces and blowing gently.]
	What’s happening to the bubble as you squeeze it?	It pops. [If hand is wet it will form around hand, if dry it will pop]

Explanation		Time: 10 min.
What the Teacher Will Do	Probing Questions	Student Responses Potential Misconceptions
When all the groups have experimented, call the class back together to discuss their findings. Go through the worksheet together, talking about a few successes, frustrations, and conclusions discovered. Finally, connect the material to force, and warm air rising.
Teacher will explain force.	Can you move a bubble?	No. [Yes-If I blow it, the force from my breath pushes the bubble through the air. If I blow a bubble on a surface such as a table or body part with a straw it will move a little if the surface is wet. If I keep blowing additional bubbles beside it, then the additional bubbles will push it with use of force. ]
Teacher will explain warm air rises.	After blowing bubbles in the air, which direction did the bubbles go? What conclusion do you reach?	[Discuss temperatures in your lungs and outside where you blow bubbles. You blew warm air into the soapsuds. Warm air rises.]

Elaboration		Time: next day
What the Teacher Will Do	Probing Questions	Student Responses Potential Misconceptions
Continue to the next unit lesson the following day. Bubble Shapes Bubble Measurement Bubble technology	Can bubbles be different shapes?	Bubbles can take on whatever shape the object it is blown through is. [They are always round because they are "lazy", the water and soap solution will always make the shape that is most easily formed and held. While it is possible to stretch round bubbles into other shapes (try it, hint: coat your fingers with glycerin first!) bubbles will always be blown in round shapes and will always revert back to a round shape when the secondary manipulation stops.]
	How can you measure a bubble or bubbles?	Ruler. [unifix cubes, hands, rubber bands, string, popsicle sticks, almost anything dipped in solution first, but works best with plastic items.]
	Can you use that object in a different way to create a bubble?	Yes, I’ll try blowing through it or waving it in the air.

Evaluation		Time: 15 min.
What the Teacher Will Do	Probing Questions	Student Responses Potential Misconceptions
Teacher will demonstrate how to set-up journal for Bubble festival. It will be written in after each bubble activity for the entire week unit.	(See handout: Bubble Mania)	[Each page will include questions like the ones on the Bubble Mania worksheet and include a drawing of their experiment/discoveries found.]
Teacher will allow students to finish answering the questions from their handout and draw relevant pictures in their journals. The teacher will walk around and make sure each student is completing journal daily.
Students will turn in their journals when they are complete at the end of the unit for the teacher to grade.	(See attached assessment rubric)
The class will come together and discuss what was learned at the end of the lesson each day and also for an overall evaluation of the entire unit on the last day.