OpenSciEd Unit 6.2 · Lesson 02 · 2.A
Look for: how the changed part of the system affects th…
From Teacher Edition
Facilitation guidance from the lesson plan — what to notice in student thinking and how to respond while teaching.
Building towards
2.A.2 Plan and carry out an investigation to gather evidence to answer scientific questions about how parts of the cup system relate to the temperature change of the liquid inside.
What to look / listen for
how the changed part of the system affects the mechanism the students believe is causing the drink to warm up
whether they controlled the variables they needed to control and how close their group got to manipulating only 1 variable
What to do
Use this time now and while students are carrying out the investigations to circulate among each group. When you circulate, use the following probe questions to elicit student thinking:
What did you keep the same as the other cups? Why was this important?
Which cup from the original 2 cup systems did you want to compare against? What did your group decide to change?
How do you think changing this part of the system will affect the temperature change of the liquid inside? What do you think this part does to slow down temperature change?
Stop the investigation after 15 minutes. Remind students to clean up and return all materials, except for their cup. Do not throw the cups away. Each group should keep and label their cup “Testing Cup Features” along with a group name or number. These cups will be used again on day 2 and also in Lesson 3.