ELA

What is PBL?

First of all,PBL stands for project based learning. A project in which students go through an extended process using their twenty-first(21) century skills to solve a problem. This type of project requires each student to collaborate, communicate, and to think critically. It is a project which is designed outside of each students comfort zone so that they will be able to go above and beyond and explore something new. A time or task in which can later help a student work connect to a real life problem. These type of projects require a lot of the students knowledge and require them to be on constant research. It is a project that not only involves and revolves around schoolwork but also refers to real life issues and allows students to interact with the world and other people.

What is my PBL?

The topic I have chosen for my project is on the subject of chemistry. The name of my project is separating solutions a project in which there will be a homogeneous substance which will divide into two. Homogeneous means something that is two of the same kind, practically meaning that they are mixed as one whole. IT is like when you have a blue liquid and then you have a red liquid; when you mix both of them a new color, purple, will form. A homogeneous mixture in which one now has to figure out how to separate. In many other projects they separate solutions either by distillation, to separate by either boiling or heat, or by extraction, to take out by force. In this project the substances will separate with the help of potassium carbonate.

How did I do my PBL?

First of all, I had to gather all my materials and get an apron, goggles, and gloves. After that I headed over to my station and began with pouring one hundred and fifty milliliters of water and ethanol, separately, in a six hundred milliliter beaker. Then i got food coloring, two different colors, on red and the other blue. I placed three drops of each and then stirred the substances to form a homogeneous substance. Afterwards, I started placing in twenty-five grams of potassium carbonate into the substance and mixed it until it dissolved . I kept on adding small portions of the chemical by twenty grams until both the volumes of the colored and clear substance were equal. At the end half of the substance should have been purple and the other half clear. In which in fact it was.

Did I find my PBL hard?

To be honest, this project was very simple and easy. I had no hard time with it unlike last year that was just crazy. This year was very simple and organized. The only time i had a hard time in with was reaching the six-hundred milliliter beaker since i am short but thankfully I received help from one of my other classmates. Another thing that i found difficult was when i started pouring the potassium carbonate powder when i was weighing it. The powder were like really little balls. The gloves i think had electricity or something and so as i was pouring the potassium carbonate it was attracting the little balls. At first making a spill but then I found a solution to it. I kept on doing my project calmly. After all , the project was not hard at all. At maximum it took me forty five minutes to an hour in doing my project for it was only five steps long.

What I find interesting about my PBL?

The thing I found most interesting about my PBL was on how the potassium carbonate after mixing it into the homogeneous substance just kind of split both solutions in half. I really like the color it made it glow. It looked like a glowing type of purple or blue. It was like that dark blue color of Gatorade. I really do not know if the substance glowed because of the sun coming from outside or if it was supposed to do that naturally. I am still shocked by the fact that just stirring the solution with the potassium carbonate could do such thing. I did not know that. I guess we do learn new stuff every now and then. Another thing I found interesting about this was that while i stirred it and placed more and more potassium carbonate in it, the beaker became warmer and warmer. I ask myself if it was my imagination or what was happening.

How did my chemistry knowledge help with my PBL?

My Chemistry knowledge did help me out throughout this project. Firstly, starting with the safety issues and all that stuff. Secondly, recently in chemistry class we were learning how to name the molecules. When I looked at the substances I was using I could relate it to how they were written in an element form in the periodic table. From there i could tell if they were reactive or non-reactive. It also helped me to know where they were located and if they were a covalent or ionic bond. We recently learned all this stuff two or three weeks ago and i was and am good at it. This project could also help me with chemistry, with both things being related to chemistry. I can relate them.

Did I enjoy my PBL? Do I think I made a good decision with making this decision?

At first, when I had chosen my PBL project I was not so sure if i wanted that to be my project. I thought on how i really did not have a lot of sources in separating solutions that i remember of. I also did some research and found no project related to this type. Mostly all i found was a separation f water and oil, salt and water, or sugar with water. Once I started doing my project I became very interested not only with the colors of the substance but with what was happening within the project. It was something really interesting in which I will do further research to see what exactly and specifically happened. I really enjoyed this project especially because I like conducting projects. I also enjoy hands on activities.

Did my PBL turn out right or the way it was supposed to?

Within my knowledge, my project turned out the way it was supposed to because i followed the procedures correctly and got the final result as I imagine I was supposed to. In the end, as I have stated both solutions were of equal volume, one being clear and the other purple. While going through the steps everything turned out as said on the procedures. I have completed all of the tasks and background research, and now finally I have done the actual PBL. Now all I have to do is put everything together to make the project complete. I have to put in my knowledge with my work and then everything will be put into a whole. I also have visuals, pictures, in which I will include to make a clearer explanation. Everything turned out the way i planned and was organized well.

Did I receive any outside help?

For this project, even though it was easy i had to receive a bit of help from others. It was nothing extreme it was all just simple stuff like taking pictures of the procedures as I was doing the project. The other bit of help I received was with the materials. Some of them had really funny names and I was totally lost in what they were. Practically all the help that I needed to complete this project was from my friend taking the pictures and my chemistry teacher. The chemistry teacher helped me with identifying the materials and other sorts of funny or weird directions that came in the project in order to complete it. As i have said before the project was short and it was fairly easy, there was nothing complicated to it.

How did I gather my outside research?

My outside research came both from the internet and my science knowledge. My background information as I was researching were similar topics to the one I had. Many of in which I found were of the separation of salt and water, sand and water, sugar and water, etc. Within these projects the solutions/ substances separated by either vaporization, extraction, or distillation. I began to research in depth what each one of them were and led from there. This helped out my observations be more accurate now that i had a knowledge in depth of what could of had happened withing the project for the solutions to separate. The research, my knowledge in knowing what the substances were and whether they were reactive and non-reactive will help me create a more sophisticated conclusion. A conclusion in which the whole project will be fit together and be put as a whole.