Oobleck

Niki Diestel and Mary Ennis

                For my clinical interview, I chose to ask my student(5th grade female) different questions about the states of matter and properties of objects.  I chose this topic because it is something that is important to understand in order to get the most out of Oobleck.  After reading the teacher’s guide, I realized that children can get very confused about the states of matter.  They can also get confused when they have to name properties.  I wanted to find out what my student knew about the states of matter and what she knew about naming properties.
                I held the interview in my students home and instructed her to answer the best she could.  I informed her that there were no right or wrong answers.  I gave her plenty of time to answer each question.  She stated that science is her least favorite subject because it is the subject she knows the “least” about. 

Interview questions and answers:

1.) What do you know about the states of matter?
       They are gas, liquid, and solid.  You can’t drink gas because it is poisoned air.  You can drink liquids as long as the aren’t poisonous.  You cannot drink solids. Solids are objects that are not hollow.

2.) How can you tell what state of matter an object is in?
      Well, gas is a gas because you can’t see it.  You can see a solid and a liquid.  Liquids slosh when set down.  Solids stay solid and don’t rock.  You can knock on something to know if it is solid or not. 

3.)What are the properties of this apple?
       (didn't know what “"properties"” meant. I told her the properties of a fork then she answered) An apple is a core with seeds. It is sticky,red then yellow, and the fruit part has good nutrients.

4.) Can an object have more than one state of matter?
       Yes.  Glass starts as a liquid that has been heated by a fire.  The more it’s blown, the harder it gets. 
5.) Can you think of any other objects that might have more than one state of matter?
       Nope.
6.) (I showed her some Oobleck and let her feel it and look at it, then I asked her…)  What would you classify this substance as?
A solid. The liquid doesn't stay wet enough on my hand for it to be  a liquid so it must be a solid.

7.) what do you think would happen if we melted it?
     It would become liquid.

Analysis:

The student seemed to have a clear understanding of matter at the beginning of the interview.  She was very set in her answers and  I could tell she truly believed that glass was the only substance that could be both a solid and a liquid.  I definitely think she could benefit from the entire Oobleck lesson.  She had many questions about the interview questions.  When I answered some, she still couldn't believe that any object(other than glass) could have properties of more than one state of matter.