Looking for an Experiment about water

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around finding an experiment related to the water cycle that can help primary school students understand why water does not pass through solid objects, specifically a wooden board. The original poster describes an experiment involving heat, ice, and a wooden board that led to misconceptions among students.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the need for an alternative experiment that clearly demonstrates the concept of water not passing through solids. Suggestions include modifying the existing experiment and exploring different setups to clarify the misunderstanding.

Discussion Status

The conversation is ongoing, with some participants offering alternative ideas while the original poster emphasizes the need for a completely different experiment as requested by the teacher. There is recognition of the challenge in conveying the concept effectively to young learners.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the teacher has specifically requested an experiment that addresses the students' misconceptions about water movement and has mentioned the concept of opacity, although its relevance is not fully understood by all participants.

mmcoelho
My Science teacher showed us an experiment about the Water Cycle and the interpretation kids (from primary school) had made about it.

I haven't found a link with the actal experiment, but I'll try to describe it.

There was a pot on heat, a hair drier pointing to it in direction to a wooden board and on the top of the wood board, there was ice.

The result was that the ice melted and it started "raining".


Most kids thought the water went through the wooden board and simply showed up in the other side.

Because of that, our Science teacher has requested us an experiment to help them understand that the water doesn't go through the solid wooden board...

I've been searching in the net but I'm not a native speaker, so I'm having difficulties in finding one. Can you help? Thanks,

Maria,
Portugal
 
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Originally posted by mmcoelho
Because of that, our Science teacher has requested us an experiment to help them understand that the water doesn't go through the solid wooden board...
Why not try the experiment without using a board? Instead of putting the ice on a board, put the ice in a metal pot.
 
Thanks for your answer ;-)

The problem is that my teacher wants a different experiment :-( and not a change in the original one. She said the kids had trouble understading the the water simply doesn't go through objects and asked for an experiment that cleared the kids doubt once and for all. She mentioned opacity (although I didn't understand the relation)...

TIA

Maria
 
Yes that's the way kids think. When you take a cold (closed) bottle out of the fridge, drops of water will form on the outside of the bottle. If you ask the kids why is this, they will say it comes from the inside. So, to prove it doesn't come from the inside but out of the air, next you use an empty bottle...
 
Thanks! It's a good idea!

Maria
 

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