Day One in Chemistry goes on and on. Some groups fly through the introductory activities; others do not. I have a list in my lesson plan with titles I check off as we work through labs or lessons. Here is the list.
1. Start with Measures or Metric Measurement. Here is Measuring with Metric, which has metric prefixes and a little instruction. We use a mnemonic Kids have dropped over dead converting metrics. We add ‘many’ kids for Mega.
2. I have used this Accuracy vs. Precision lab. It’s simple and requires only red, Solo cups, ruler, and sponges. My husband usually has a spreadsheet lesson to help kids organize data. Rob was a financial controller; he knows his way around a spreadsheet. The kids also do a Koolaid lab. The kids convert a recipe for two quarts of Koolaid into one 3 oz serving. This post has a video and detailed instructions.
3. Next we do It’s All About Density. At the same time, we use calipers, ruler, determine volume by measurement vs. displacement, and drive home accuracy and metric measures. The kids calculate Percent Error.
4. Finally, the kids do several observation labs. First is Observations of a Burning Candle or this lab with better instructions and a reference to Michael Faraday’s famous observations. Here is a 200 page guide. Yes, really. Secondly, we do Reaction in a Bag. This version ties the observations to the scientific method.
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