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The Granite Lab is the wet lab of the Science Center. Exceptionally well stocked with professional glassware, microscopes, scales, lighting, counter top equipment and safety gear, it provides a wonderful extension for our science classrooms.
Current projects in the Granite Lab:
Rainbow Lab
Rainbow Lab
September 2025
As an introduction to the Chemistry Lab, 6th graders experiment with measurement. The word of the day is 'meniscus'!
Density, Density, Density
Density, Density, Density
September, 2025
Does shampoo float? What is the relationship between density and floating and sinking in water? Does the amount matter when it comes to the density of a substance?
Students answered these questions, and generated questions of their own while we worked through a series of investigations involving density.
Massachusetts STE Standards:
6.MS-PS1-7(MA). Use a particulate model of matter to explain that density is the amount of
matter (mass) in a given volume. Apply proportional reasoning to describe, calculate,
and compare relative densities of different materials.
Lego chemical reactions
Lego chemical reactions
October, 2025
6th graders investigate the question 'What defines a chemical reaction?' During the wet lab, students combine chemicals and observe a reaction. Student pairs are then asked to choose among the chemicals used in the first chemical reaction to make two more mixtures/reactions. The goal of these experiments is to determine which combination of materials creates a temperature change (heat), a color change (yellow), and which combination produces a gas.
The key understanding of the lab is that not all chemical reactions create heat, a color change or a temperature change. The one thing that all chemical reactions have in common is that a new substance is produced.
On the second day of the lab, students tackle separating the solution of products from the reaction. Using the property of solubility, students use filter paper to separate salt and chalk. Lego bricks are used to model the reaction at the molecular level, demonstrating how atoms can be combined to make a multitude of compounds, each with unique properties. Modeling the reactants and products lets students visualize the Law of Conservation of Mass which states that in any chemical reaction, mass is conserved.
A final day of investigation involves looking at the salt crystals under the microscope and shaping the chalk into a usable stick.
Massachusetts STE Standards:
6.MS-PS1-6. Plan and conduct an experiment involving exothermic and endothermic chemical reactions to measure and describe the release or absorption of thermal energy.
6.MS-PS1-8(MA). Conduct an experiment to show that many materials are mixtures of pure substances that can be separated by physical means into their component pure substances.
8.MS-PS1-1. Develop a model to describe that (a) atoms combine in a multitude of ways to produce pure substances which make up all of the living and nonliving things that we encounter, (b) atoms form molecules and compounds that range in size from two to thousands of atoms, and (c) mixtures are composed of different proportions of pure substances.
8.MS-PS1-5. Use a model to explain that atoms are rearranged during a chemical reaction to form new substances with new properties. Explain that the atoms present in the reactants are all present in the products and thus the total number of atoms is conserved.
investigating Air pressure
investigating Air pressure
October, 2025
Air moves from areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure. 8th graders create pressure differences to demonstrate the force of air.
Don't try this at home!
WHAT IS A WAVE?
November, 2025
6th graders experiment with mechanical waves in a fluid. Can you explain the behavior of the pom poms?
Massachusetts STE Standards:
6.MS-PS4-1. Use diagrams of a simple wave to explain that (a) a wave has a repeating pattern with a specific amplitude, frequency, and wavelength, and (b) the amplitude of a wave is related to the energy of the wave.
light wave mini golf
light wave mini golf
November, 2025
Season three of Light Wave Mini Golf in the Granite Lab! 6th grade Science teacher Lisa Warren helped create this challenging activity to reinforce student understanding of wave reflection. Team members work together positioning mirrors to reflect light waves around and through obstacles at each hole. Each team brought its own strategies to the course, where teamwork is key.
Massachusetts STE Standards:
6.MS-PS4-2. Use diagrams and other models to show that both light rays and mechanical waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
Clarification Statements:
• Materials may include solids, liquids, and gases.
• Mechanical waves (including sound) need a material (medium) through which they are transmitted.
• Examples of models could include drawings, simulations, and written descriptions.
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