OpenSciEd 6.2, Lesson 8: Investigating Light's Effects (Vernier Powered, Guided)
Task
Use this Vernier-Powered Tuva Investigation with the Grade 6 OpenSciEd curriculum during Unit 6.2, Lesson 8. Tuva has digitized the Investigating Light's Effect on Warming Up Water handout used in Part 2 and Part 4. Student groups collect the water temperatures with Vernier Go Direct Temperature Probes. Each group will need 2 Go Direct Temperature Probes and a computer running Chrome or Edge, the two browsers that can connect to a probe. This is not a standalone lesson. Use it alongside the OpenSciEd Teacher Edition to guide overall instruction and collaborative sensemaking. Where This Investigation Fits into the Storyline In the last lesson, students developed models to represent how light, heat, or cold (i.e., energy) might be interacting with the system to cause the temperature change. They also determined ways to test their ideas. In this lesson, students conduct their investigation, measuring temperature and light for four cup types. When to Use Tuva Day One Complete Part 1 (Navigation) outside of Tuva. (Use pages 6–7 of the OpenSciEd Teacher Edition.) Have students open this Tuva Investigation before beginning Part 2. Steps 1–5 cover the materials, the lamp and dark-space setup, connecting the probe, and getting the first cup collecting. Steps 6 to 10 cover the prediction, the class light measurements, the second cup, and the graph of both cups. Tuva's instructions replace the Investigating Light's Effect on Warming Up Water handout, but they do not replace the instruction interspersed. Use the OpenSciEd Teacher Edition for guidance on explanations and demonstrations to scaffold the experience. (Use pages 8–12.) The two fifteen-minute probe runs are the window for the class light measurements. Students take the incoming light readings during the first run and the reflected and transmitted readings during the second, returning to their station in between to start the second cup. Students enter the class light readings and their own temperature changes into the data table in Steps 11 to 13, and calculate the percentages of light reflected and transmitted in Step 12. At the end of the class, have each group submit their data to you. Day 2 Have students reopen their Tuva investigation during Part 3 (Navigation). Use the Teacher Edition for suggested prompts. (Use page 13.) Complete the first half of Part 4 (Analyze Data From Light and Temperature Investigation) using Tuva. In Steps 14 to 17, students will enter the rest of the class's data into their table, graph it, and write notice and wonder statements. What Happens Next The latter half of Day Two, Part 4, will be conducted off of Tuva. Students share their noticings and wonderings during a whole-class building understandings discussion. (Use page 15–16 of the Teacher Edition for facilitation tips.) Parts 5 and 6 will not use Tuva either.
In the last lesson, we talked about how light could affect the temperature of water inside a clear plastic cup. We thought about light as a source of energy that could transfer into the cup. We created models to show how light might interact with different cup surfaces. Now we are going to test those ideas. Do you think light warms up water in an opaque cup the same way it does in a clear plastic cup? In this investigation, you will be answering: Does light affect the temperature of the water inside the cup system? How does the cup surface affect how light warms up the water inside 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