Learning About Scientific Inquiry

As an introduction to science studies, the 1B class made a booklet entitled: “I Am a Scientist.” Their booklet explains ​what scientists do in their jobs. Students wrote down that a scientist “…wonders (makes predictions), observes, measures, uses their five senses, and does experiments.”

Their first experiment was based on the activity of “wondering.” The class wondered what would happen if something was frozen. They watched their teacher, Mrs. Ryan, fill a cup with water and drop in a Milky Way ​mini candy bar and some plastic game pieces. Each student was asked to predict what they thought would happen to the contents when the cup was placed overnight in the freezer.

Then, each of them went home and picked something to freeze. The next day, they gave presentations at the front of the class to share their results, either bringing in the frozen object or emailing pictures to the teacher.

Many students froze plastic toys including a small saber-tooth tiger. Another student froze a sting ray toy that should have grown larger once place in water, but the freezing process kept it from expanding. One child even froze a small zipper pouch.

A big transformation occurred when a student froze a piece of Starburst candy​. The next morning, his Starburst candy was almost completely gone and the ice block had turned pink and sweet. His experiement helped the class to learn that some solids dissolve in water.

Clairbourn School, 8400 Huntington Drive, San Gabriel, (626) 286-3108 or visit www.clairbourn.org.