General Teacher Instructions:

Students will be working in groups of 4 - 6 for the experiment/activity part of this exercise. The following suggestions are offered to facilitate administration of the exercise.

• Students need to be ready to work as soon as the period begins.
  
  
• Group assignments should be made in advance.
  
  
• The materials should be set out at each lab station, if possible.
  
  
• A central supply area, if needed, should be easily accessible.
  
  
• The supply area should have any supplies from the kit that were prepared by the teacher as well as all of the school-supplied materials necessary for the experiment.
  
  
• All the supplies should be clearly labeled.

• 2-gallon container
• 50 steel washers
• 3 pieces of aluminum foil, 15cm x 15cm, per group

• triple beam balance or scale
• 1 metric ruler per group
• 1 pen or pencil per student

National Science Education Standards:

8 A SI 1: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry: Grades 5-8
1.4 Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence. Students should base their explanation on what they observed, and as they develop cognitive skills, they should be able to differentiate explanation from description — providing causes for effects and establishing relationships based on evidence and logical argument. This standards requires a subject knowledge base so the students can effectively conduct investigations, because developing explanations establishes connections between the content of science and the contexts within which students develop new knowledge.

1.8 Use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry. Mathematics is essential to asking and answering questions about the natural world. Mathematics can be used to ask questions; to gather, organize, and present data; and to structure convincing explanations.

8 B PS 1: Properties and changes of properties in matter: Grades 5-8
1.1 A substance has characteristic properties, such as density, a boiling point, and solubility, all of which are independent of the amount of the sample. A mixture of substances often can be separated into the original substances using one or more of the characteristic properties.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics:

MEAS2: Apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine measurements:
Grades 6-8 k. select and apply techniques and tools to accurately find length, area, volume, and angle measures to appropriate levels of precision
Grades 6-8 o. solve simple problems involving rates and derived measurements for such attributes as velocity and density

DAP2: Select and use appropriate statistical methods to analyze data:
Grades 6-8 e. find, use, and interpret measures of center and spread, including mean and interquartile range

DAP3: Develop and evaluate inferences and predictions that are based on data:
Grades 6-8 e. use conjectures to formulate new questions and plan new studies to answer them

PS1: Build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving:

CNX1: Organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication:
Grades 6-8

COM1: Organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication:
Grades 6-8

Special Directions for Teacher Setup:

Each group of students will use a container of water to test the boats. The process will be expedited if the containers of water are in place when the students arrive. Note: Do not fill the containers to the top, because students will need to retrieve the boats and washers from the bottom of the container. Also, while each group will not need its own scale, every group should have easy access to one.

Safety:

• Be careful.
• Teachers and students should always exercise appropriate safety precautions and utilize appropriate laboratory safety procedures and equipment when working on science performance tasks.