OpenSciEd 6.2, Lesson 5: Water Droplet Investigation
Task
Use this Tuva Investigation with the Grade 6 OpenSciEd curriculum during Unit 6.2, Lesson 5 to replace the Water Droplet Investigation handout provided in Part 3 and the Cold Lemonade on a Hot Day exit ticket utilized in Part 5. Tuva is used to deepen data sensemaking; it is not a standalone lesson. Use it in tandem with the OpenSciEd Teacher Edition to guide overall instruction and collaborative sensemaking. Where This Investigation Fits into the Storyline In the last lesson, students tested how a lid affects the temperature and mass change of a hot liquid in a cup. During this lesson, students investigate where the water droplets forming on the outside of a cold cup come from by measuring mass change and checking whether the droplets are colored. They use this evidence to argue that the water comes from the air outside, not from inside the cup. When to Use Tuva Use this Tuva Investigation after completing Part 1 (Navigation) and Part 2 (Plan the Water Droplet Investigation). Have students pull this Tuva Investigation up on their computers before Part 3. Students will use Tuva to record predictions, follow the investigation procedure, collect mass and color data, create a graph, and analyze class data to find patterns. Please note this is a departure from the original OpenSciEd lesson structure. The original lesson does the entirety of this lesson as a whole-group demo in two separate parts. In this Tuva version, students work in small groups and collect the temperature and color data simultaneously. During the Scientists Circle (Part 4), students can use the data visualizations they created in Tuva to communicate about patterns they noticed. (Use pages 12–15 of the Teacher Edition to facilitate the discussion.) What Happens Next After the discussion, students return to Tuva to submit their responses to the Cold Lemonade on a Hot Day Assessment digitally. (Some students may prefer to complete the exit ticket on paper. Consider having a few hard copies available.)
In our last lesson, we found that a completely closed cup system did not lose mass the way an open system did. We figured out that a lid stops water particles from leaving through the top of the cup. In earlier investigations, we noticed that water droplets keep forming on the outside of cold cup systems. We wondered where that water is coming from. In this investigation, you will try to find out whether the water droplets came from inside of the cup or outside of the cup. Click Next to continue.
Topics and standards: Physical Science, MS-PS3-4, MS-PS3-5, MS-PS3-3, MS-PS1-4, MS-PS4-2, Grade 6, OpenSciEd, 3.2.6-8.B, 3.2.6-8.M, 3.2.6-8.N, 3.2.6-8.O, 3.2.6-8.R