Week 4: April 27 - May 1

Learning Goal:

I can create a rainbow in a jar to show density. Watch this video to understand about density and what you are going to be doing: Rainbow in a Jar

Estimated Time for The Week:

30-60 minutes

Type of Lesson:

Density

Materials:

• 1 Jar
• 1/2 cup blue dishwashing liquid
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• Food coloring
• 5 spoons
• 5 bowls for mixing

Learn & Practice:

Problem: How can we use chemicals to make a rainbow in a jar?

1. Make your purple layer by mixing 1/2 cup of the light corn syrup with 1 drop of blue and 1 drop of red food coloring.
2. Carefully pour it into the bottom of your jar.
3. Carefully pour the blue dish soap down the side of the jar.
4. Mix 1/2 cup of water with 2 drops of green food coloring.
5. Carefully pour in your green water down the side of the jar.
6. Gently pour 1/2 cup olive oil down the side of your jar.
7. Mix 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol with 2 drops of red food coloring.
8. Carefully pour the red rubbing alcohol down the inside of your jar.
9. Being careful not to disturb your liquids, set your jar down on the table and enjoy your rainbow!

Results:

You should have produced a beautifully layered rainbow in a jar with distinct lines that separate each layer of liquid without them mixing.

Why?:

So what keeps all these layers all separated from each other? It’s how dense, or heavy, each liquid is. The corn syrup is heaviest, and sits nicely on the bottom. The dishwashing soap is not quite as heavy as the corn syrup, but it’s heavier than the olive oil, and so on.

Layering them from heaviest to lightest from the bottom up ensures that the rainbow maintains its distinct lines.

1. What if you had added the layers in the reverse order?
2. Would you still see a rainbow? Try it.
3. What if you changed the colors around but added each liquid in the original order? Go for it.
4. What happens if you mix your rainbow with a spoon? No matter which new experiments you attempt, be sure to record your results to learn even more about density.
   • Share your answers with your teacher using google classroom, seesaw, or email it to them

Extension:

1. Use the same liquids as above and choose some objects to see what will float or what will sink in the liquids. Explain what you explored.
2. If you finish this assignment, and want to continue to do more science, then continue with this. In the beginning of the school year, we discussed the different phases of the moon. This would be an additional skill that would be worth reviewing. Below is a link that allows you to journal and track the phases each night. It is not required, but might be fun for the students who really enjoyed the Earth and Sun Foss unit: Moon Phase Journaling

Learning Goal:

I can think like a forensic scientist gathering and analyzing evidence at home to solve a crime.

Estimated Time for The Week:

10-15 minutes of preparation; 40-60 minutes

Materials:

• Optional materials provided online at the link below or you can create your own - both options are provided below, Discovery Pages and Discovery Handouts:
• Rozzy Clues - You can print out the attachment or make your own set of footprints and crumpled note (with paint on it).
• Suspect Profiles - You can print or simply read aloud from the page.
• Crime Scene - You can print out the form or use notebook paper to draw a picture of the crime scene and write down clues.
• Forensic Scientist Answer Key - do not print or view until you determine the culprit by following the clues. Otherwise, you have no mystery!
• You will also need to gather the following items:
• Hair tie
• Car key
• Baseball or tennis ball
• You can add any other items to the designated area to help it look like a crime scene (yellow crime scene tape, orange cones, duct tape, other items as distractor clues to mislead the investigation).

Adventure Description:

A group of ten year olds are about to have an ice cream and pizza party for having awesome behavior all week! Their pizza and ice cream were delivered in the morning and are being stored in the refrigerator and freezer until lunch. It is now time for lunch and the pizza and ice cream are missing from the refrigerator and freezer. Who took their treats?!

If you want to, document your experience as you go and upload your work through photos or video to Class Dojo, Seesaw, Google Classroom, or whatever format you are using for your teachers to see!

Most importantly, HAVE FUN!!

*Important: Parent Set Up (10-15 minutes)

1. Take a look at some ideas for your crime scene on Slide #8.
2. Create a design either inside or outside and mark it off with duct tape (or another item). This will serve as the “crime scene.”
3. Now it’s time to place the clues in the designated area. Scatter the following items around the crime scene: hair tie, car key, baseball (or tennis ball) and other distractor clues.
4. Put the following Rozzy Clues under Discovery Handouts on the ground in the crime scene: footprint of shoes, crumpled note.
5. Print out Forensic Scientist Answer Key under Discovery Handouts with notes on what each clue means and the answer to who stole the ice cream and pizza.

Learn & Practice: Procedure

Click here for the Google Slides with pictures that go with this lesson!

1. Background: Forensic scientists are scientists who collect evidence from crime scenes and analyze it to help police solve crimes. Forensic scientists use chemicals and other tools to find evidence and write reports to record their findings.
2. Looking for Clues at the Crime Scene (20 minutes): Go to the designated crime scene where the clues are. Do NOT touch any of the clues because that may contaminate or accidentally destroy the evidence. Forensic scientists look for evidence and clues. Look for clues and fill out the Crime Scene under Discovery Pages with notes and pictures about possible evidence.
3. Analyzing Clues and Suspect Profiles (15-20 minutes): Read through and review the Suspect Profiles under Discovery Handouts.
   • Suspect 1: Benjamin, Student, Police received this information: Allergic to milk and cheese, likes to play sports, and Mom drives him to school
   • Suspect 2: Mr. John, Librarian, Police received this information: Takes the bus, likes pizza but not really a fan of desserts, and plays baseball
   • Suspect 3: Miss Jen, Art Teacher, Police received this information: Drives a car to work, going shopping after work, and has long hair
   • Suspect 4: Sarah, Student, Police received this information: Dad drives her to school, likes pizza, and was in art class that morning
   • Write down notes about the clues you have found and how they relate to the profiles. Remember that some clues can be misleading or not mean anything at all!
   • Consider who you think stole the pizza and ice cream and write down a few reasons why. Once you think you have the answer, ask a family member to check the Forensic Scientist Answer Key under Discovery Handouts or on Slide #15 to see if you are correct.
   • If they agree that you have figured out the mystery, use the key to explain what each clue meant and how you figured out the culprit.
4. Check the Google Slides for the answer!
5. Extension:
   • Complete Writing Extensions with a new mystery.
   • Write your own alternate mystery, set up your own crime scene, and provide clues. Have your family members try to solve it.
   • Read more about Forensic Scientists at this link? What is Forensic Science?
   • Watch this Forensics video to learn more about Forensic Scientists and solve another mystery.