Wow! What a great time we all had on Friday learning about the five different types of chemical reactions, and what makes a reaction "chemical". My students were able to list the four characteristics of a chemical change without blinking an eye!
We began the day by trading classrooms with Ms. Amaro, the other 8th grade science teacher. Her classroom is bigger and really gave us room to spread out and not feel like a can of sardines. I organized each class in groups of five...Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo (appropriately named, right?) and off we went. We connected by skyping our session with the scientist, Mrs. Gribben. Her job was to perform five experiments and our mission was to choose the type of chemical reaction, identify the reactants and products, and make sure the chemical equation was properly balanced. It was a real team effort and she had some great experiments!
We were able to watch our lab professor coat a clear mason jar with two clear liquids and watched as it turned into a mini mirror. We saw what happens when magnesium is burned (a fluorescent blue light appears!). We watched in amazement as she made elephant toothpaste (hydrogen peroxide decomposing into water and oxygen gas). We got to see what happens when magnesium is put into hydrochloric acid (acid that is in our stomachs). No wonder all the food we eat is digested so quickly! We observed what happens when lead nitrate combines with potassium iodide. And finally we watched in amazement when ethyl alcohol was lit on fire (boom!).
At the end of the day, my students were able to clearly define the different types of reactions. They understood that all chemical reactions bear similar qualities but can be drastically different at the same time. I'm happy to report that we had NO technological difficulties, thanks to our fabulous education technologist, Tanna Fiske. She stayed in there with us the whole day on "stand by" and even stepped in to be our photographer and videographer.
It really was a great day! Below are some photos of my students interacting with the lab as well as the coolest video made by Tanna Fiske, summarizing the whole day.
Enjoy!
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