Sugar Phenomena Introduction
The below videos show the process that students observed in class. This is the process that they will need to explain by the end of the unit.
What should you do if you missed this class / these classes?
DO
Watch the videos below
Look at the picture of the notebook and study the observations that were made by students in the class - Basically MAKE SURE you get to see what everyone else got to see.
Read the information about the initial explanation (at the bottom of the page)
Read the guiding questions at the bottom of the page and THINK about them for a few minutes
Go to Google Classroom and do the initial explanation - remember you are not expected to understand how this works yet but you need to start thinking about it.
DO NOT
Look up information about this. This class is about the process of science, developing thinking skills, and constructing explanations. It is not about answers. If you look up information you will still need to explain the process using only the evidence from class.
Class Activities
IMG_1171.MOVStudent Experiment - Close Up
IMG_1104.MOVStudent Experiment - Sugar on a hot plate
This video shows sugar being heated in a flask
"White Powder" After.MOVAfter being on the hotplate for a very long time, this is what remains.
Student Observations of the Phenomena.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the unit, use the following observations to develop an explanation of the phenomena.
BEFORE
There is a white substance at first (sugar)
DURING
The temperature is increased (thermal energy is added) to the sugar by the hotplate
This means the particles that make up the sugar are increasing speed
After some time the following things happen:
Water appears
There are bubbles (small at first then larger)
There is a color change from white to brown to black
AFTER
There is a dry, hard, somewhat shiney, black-colored substance
Initial Explanation
Based on the observations listed above ( also shown in the videos), and some class conversation, students were asked to attempt an initial explanation. An initial explanation a incomplete explanation but serves as a "mental starting point" that will be updated throughout the unit as new understandings are developed in following activities.
The form below will be used throughout the year not only for the initial explanation but also for the activities to follow. Please ask your child to show you their work on these reflections via Google Classroom .
Guiding Questions For Your Initial Explanation:
Is there any science that you learned last year or in 6th grade that can help you understand some of these observations? Think Tanker Phenomena, Hurricane Phenomena, Happy-Sad Ball Phenomena.
Water is appearing on the walls of the flask. Where might that have come from and what might that mean?
The color is changing and the smell is changing. What might that mean about the process in the videos?