First Graders Learn Oil and Water Don't Mix

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In spite of a lesson plan that included the use of oil, water, and honey, the students of Miss Davies’ first-grade class at  Burton Valley Elementary School were not being taught how to cook.  Instead, they were enjoying the second session of the LASF class entitled “What’s the Matter?.”  Twenty excited children were brought to attention by LASF instructor Lesah Ross, who  began by issuing a spell that would turn the twenty eager children into scientists for the duration of the hour. 

          Thus prepared, the first item on the menu was a review of the first session’s material.  “What is matter?” Mrs. Ross asked the class. Numerous confident hands were raised, and the answers given showed that they had paid attention: “Everything you can see, touch, and feel is matter.” She also reminded them that matter can be solid, liquid or gas.

          In the first session, the students had focused on solids, pretending to be molecules, and forming solids by standing close together. They learned that molecules in a solid can move but that the shape doesn’t change.  They had been not only scientists, but also detectives, studying different types of solids and recording the physical properties of each.

          The class now focused on liquids. Since the molecules in a liquid move freely, unlike those of solids, the students were taught liquids take the shape of any container. Mrs. Ross demonstrated that the liquid in a cup takes the shape of the cup, but that the liquid in a cylinder takes the shape of the cylinder.

          Beginning with work sheets, each student made his or her best guess as to which liquid -- oil, water, or honey -- would end up on top. An important objective of the “best guess” lab sheet was for the students to understand that scientists often make guesses that turn out to be wrong until they get a right answer.  

          Finally, the hands-on portion of the lesson arrived. Each team was given its cup of oil, and the students in the teams took turns carefully measuring three cylinders full of water (colored blue for contrast) to add to the cup. Although many of the first-graders behaved like molecules themselves, asking for the honey to be added, they patiently observed their cups until the molecules of the three liquids settled into their respective layers. The class as a whole reviewed how their best guesses matched the results of the procedure. (For those curious to know how the layering turned out, honey sank to the bottom, water stayed in the middle, and oil floated on top).

          The fun and learning were not yet complete. The teams received grains of rice, beans, toothpicks, and paper clips, which they added to the cups. Patience was again in order as the children waited for the various objects to sink or float within the layers. Close inspection was required in some cases to determine where exactly the items had ended up, with more than one student nearly eyeball-to-cup to get an accurate observation. 

          The day’s experiment having been concluded, Mrs. Ross tantalized the group with a sneak preview of the third and final session of “What’s the Matter?.” Students will learn various facts about gasses, including that although gases take the shape of their containers, they can also move freely to fill containers of any size. As with all LASF science programs, the session will include both instructor demonstrations and hands-on explorations by the students, who gain important knowledge of the fundamentals of science in interesting and age-appropriate ways. Mrs. Ross finished by letting the class in on a secret:  they could stay scientists every day, not just during LASF lessons!

          All Lafayette elementary-age students enjoy LASF science classes, receiving 5 or more hours of instruction throughout the school year, depending on grade.  Unit topics are aligned with the state of California’s Standards and Benchmarks, and cover such areas as  science tools, the senses, chemistry, and the human body. Lesah Ross is just one of a group of dedicated professionals who bring these subjects to life. Remember to ask your child to tell you about LASF lessons in his or her classroom.     

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