Cut index cards

1. cut two index cards into 1"X3" strips. the strips are not reusable, so cut one strip per group.

Water Sources

1. you will need room temperature water (about 22 degree celsius), hot water from the tap (about 45 degree celsius), and ice water (close to 0 degree celsius). Vacuum bottles and/or ice chests are useful for maintain water temperatures. A coffee pot or a hot plate can be used to heat water. Caution students to be careful with hot water. For room temperature water, fill a pitcher from a faucet and let it stand for an hour.

prepare green room temperature water

1. green water is used in the student made thermometers. Put 30 drops od green food coloring in a dispensing bottle and fill it with room temperature water. Screw the lid on tightly. The dispensing bottle holds enough water for eight glass bottles.

Practice assembling a thermometer

1. make a thermometer using a glass bottle, rubber stopper, plastic pipe, and piece of an index card.

2. Insert the plastic pipe securely in the large end of the rubber stopper. It needn't go clear through. (You can assemble the pipe and stopper in advance to facilitate assembly during the activity)

3. Use a dispensing bottle to fill the glass bottle almost full. (use green room temperature water during the activity)

4. Adjust the water level in the pipe so that the top of the column is in the middle of the pipe. To do this, gently wiggle the stopper out of the bottle a bit.

5. attach a piece of index card to the pipe with two small pieces of transparent tape

6. Mark the water level on the card and label it "R" for room temperature

7. Fill a large cup with about 150 mL of cold water. This should fill about a third of the large cup. Immerse the bottle in the cup of water. Observe. Repeat with hot water,

Focus Question: What is the effect on water when it gets hot? cold?

1. tell students that the water investigation is going to shift to an inquiry into the cause-and-effect relationships between water and temperature.

2. write or project the focus question on the board and say it aloud.

introduce the room temperature water

1. hold up the dispensing bottle. Tell students that it is filled with green room temperature water.

Introduce the bottle-and-pipe system

1. tell students, "I want you to work with your group to make a piece of equipment to investigate what happens to water as it warms and cools"

Assemble the bottle-and-pipe system.

1. have getters pick up the materials. When students have assembled the paper and stopper and attached the index card, visit each group and fill the glass bottles with green water.

2. when students push the pipe and stopper assembly into the bottle, green water should rise no more than halfway in the piper. if the green water fills to rise high enough in the pipe, students should remove the pipe and stopper assembly and get a little more green water.

3. if the water rises to high, students should push the stopper deeply into the bottle, causing water to spill out of the top o the pipe. They can carefully ease the stopper out of the bottle a bit until the water level is good. Once the water level is acceptable the stopper should not be touched again.

Mark the starting water level on the card

1. have students mark the height of the water in the pipe right away. On the card (not the pipe), have them record the starting level of the water in the pipe and Lebel it "R". Caution students not to pick the system up by the pipe at any time.

Warm the bottles

1. distribute a large cup one-third full of hot water to each group. have starters out their bottles in the cups. Observe for 3 minutes.

2. after 3 minutes, starters should make an "H" on the card, noting the highest level reached by the green water in the pipe

Introduce Expand

1. tell students, "As water gets warmer, it expands. When water expands, it takes up more space so it has a greater volume. When the water got hot, there wasn't room for the expanded water in the bottle, so I pushed farther up into the pipe.

Investigate ice water

1. have getters get a larger cup one-third full of ice water and continue the inquiry. After 3 minutes, ask reporters to write "C" on the card, marking the lowest level to which the green water descended in the pipe. Each students should record their observations in their notebook sheet.

Introduce contract

1. after students report their observations, tell them, "as water cools, it contracts. When water contracts, it takes up less space. When the water in the bottle takes less space, the water level goes down in the pipe.

Clean up process

Students will be able to calculate the mean, median, and mode of weather data.

Students will analyze and compare weather patterns in different locations.

Students will communicate their findings and data effectively.

Mean

• the average value of a set of numbers

Median

• the middle value of a set of numbers when they are arranged in order

Mode

• the number that appears most frequently in a set of numbers

Weather data

Central tendency

Variability

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