GRADE 8

Models of Simple Circuits

One question we had in our science unit early on was how do flashlights work. We built flashlight models out of batteries, wire, and light bulbs. We also used a hand generator in place of the battery and a motor in place of the light bulb to discuss more generally how circuits work. One thing we noticed that surprised us: When we connected the hand generator with a battery (which wasn't something we'd initially planned to do), the crank on the generator moved slowly. We wondered why this happened. We also still aren't sure how batteries work. So, we'll investigate both of these things next.

Unit 1 Driving Question Board

In science, we kicked off our first unit. The problem: How can we charge an electric device when the power goes out? One scenario involves a rescue worker trying to keep her flashlight charged in a cave. There's no outlet, no extra battery. We explored an online simulation with different kinds of energy, kinetic and potential. Then, we asked some questions to determine what parts of the system we want to learn more about. We added our questions to a Driving Question Board. We're going to use these questions to decide what to do next in our unit.

Models of Mystery Tubes

In science, we continued learning about how scientists try to explain things—and something they can only observe things indirectly. We pulled on four strings that stuck out of mystery tubes. We couldn't see inside the tubes. Based on how the strings moved when we pulled them, we developed hypotheses about what's going on inside each tube. Then, we decided to build models with paper towel tubes, yarn, and hole punches to test our hypotheses about how the tubes work. We had to agree on what was happening without opening up the original tubes.

Whiteboard Models of a Slinky Phenomenon

In science, we started the year by trying to explain a very surprising phenomenon: When you hold a slinky in the air and release it, the bottom of the slinky stays in place while the top collapses on top of it. Not everyone saw this happen; so, we decided a stop motion video might help us all see it more closely.

We practiced drawing our observations on white boards. Then, we added arrows and words to try to explain what we saw. Our initial models were only drafts. We shared our models with one another, decided on some common features that we could agree on, and discussed what we still didn't understand.

Scientists use models and work with one another to explain things that happen in the world. They ask questions to drive further investigations and come to consensus about what they figure out.