Science is for Kids

The video in this post takes a look at the molecular level explanation for why we write balanced chemical equations.  It comes down to understanding the Law of Conservation of Mass. Simply put, this law says that mass (matter) can't be created and it can't be destroyed in a chemical process.  Though matter can be created/destroyed in a nuclear process, that is a discussion for a future post. This video supports learning of NGSS HS-PS1-7.

- I really like this simulation for illustrating how static electricity works.  Try doing this with the sim. 1. Choose a single balloon 2. Grab the balloon with the mouse and then rub it on the sweater to charge the balloon. 3. Drag the balloon a small distance from the sweater and release it. 4. Drag the balloon close to the wall and notice what happens to charges in the wall. 5. Release the balloon close to the wall and see what happens. Play around with the sim and see what other things you can discover!

This video uses the Flash Animation " DNA Workshop " from PBS to illustrate the central dogma of molecular biology.  The video supports NGSS HS-LS1-1 . The central dogma explains how stored genetic information (genes) is retrieved and used by cells to produce proteins that are responsible for an organisms traits.  It can be summarized as follows: Attribution:  Dhorspool at en.wikipedia [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

This video shows a classic lab examining the effect of concentration of reactants on the rate of a chemical reaction.  This video supports NGSS HS-PS1-5 . In this experiment solutions of sodium thiosulfate and hydrochloric acid are combined in a beaker.  The reaction produces a precipitate which eventually makes the liquid turn cloudy.  The reaction beaker is placed over a piece of paper with a letter "X" printed on it.  The reaction is said to have gone to completion when the "X" can no longer be seen through the liquid in the beaker. I have used this video as a warm up or as a flipped lesson which has students make observations, record data about the reaction time for the trials, create a graph and form a conclusion about the effect concentration has on the speed of a chemical reaction. This lab was originally published by Flinn Scientific as a Chem Fax!  Use this link to see the full description of the experiment.

HS-LS1-4:  Use a model to illustrate the role of cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation in producing and maintaining complex organisms. The video shown below was filmed using a hand-held HD camera mounted on the microscope eyepiece.  The video can be used to have students identify cells in different phases of the cell cycle.  

NGSS  HS-PS2-4 :  Use mathematical representations of Newton’s Law of Gravitation and Coulomb’s Law to describe and predict the gravitational and electrostatic forces between objects. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on both quantitative and conceptual descriptions of gravitational and electric fields.] A demonstration like the one shown in the video can spark dialogue by students to discuss how the gravitational force and electric forces compare.

NGSS HS-PS2-4 :  Use mathematical representations of Newton’s Law of Gravitation and Coulomb’s Law to describe and predict the gravitational and electrostatic forces between objects. Class started by trying to identify Cause and Effect relationships in the video below. Our next activity was an in class demonstration using a balloon, cloth and small pieces of paper.  The goal of the demo was to jump start thinking about how gravity and electrostatic forces can be compared to each other. Students completed a jig-saw activity to compile notes for Newton's Law of Gravitation and Coulomb's Law. I took pictures for each class and will share in their stream on Google Classroom.