Lesson Materials

Per Class

• chart paper

• markers

• Driving Question Board

• initial consensus model

• 6-quart-tub

• 2-L soda bottle with bottom cut off and part of the top cut off

• paper towels

• cold gel pack

• related Frost Demonstration setup

Per Student

• highlighters

• science notebook

  • Reading: What Are Clouds?

  • Explaining a Related Phenomenon

Prep

Review 

• Lesson Plan

• Slides

• Answer keys 

Prepare 

• Advance preparation: Watch Investigation Set Up OSE to preview the materials and procedures used in this investigation.

• Put all the gel packs in the freezer the day before the lesson, each inside its own ziplock freezer bag.

• Setup: Have hot (100℉–120℉) water ready to pour into a small container or cup. If your school has a hot water tap, this is sufficient. If not, you can use an electric kettle to heat the water.

• For the class demonstration, put these materials in a 6-qt tub to carry easily to and from your demonstration area:

  • 2-L soda bottle with the bottom cut off and part of the top cut off

  • Small container or cup for holding hot water

  • paper towels

• Take a cold gel pack out of the freezer when you are ready to do the demonstration for each class and add it to the tub. Plan to return it to the freezer right after the demonstration, since they take a while to get cold enough (−8℉) for ice crystals to form on them rather than water droplets.

• Safety: You work with hot water in this demonstration. Although students do not directly handle the hot water, they stand (or sit) close enough to the demonstration to observe both the setup and the results. Therefore, you must exercise caution. You only need enough hot water to fill the small container, and you do not need to heat the water to a temperature greater than about 120℉.