Experiment 2

Think about any difficulties you may have had conducting Experiment 2. Now think back to elementary school, and imagine what difficulties you would have had with these activities at that age. In a discussion board posting, describe what problems you think elementary students might encounter conducting these experiments; especially problems related to observation and measurement. Discuss how you, as a teacher, would help students overcome these problems and achieve mastery.

In Experiment 2 you were asked to calculate the density of a bolt. For many reasons this activity, as presented, would be inappropriate for all but the most advanced elementary age students. For the second discussion posting in this unit, create an experiment in which you teach the concept of density to elementary students. Include directions, methods, introductory language you might use, questions and any other content you believe to be valuable. In addition, provide a rationale for why your experiment would be more appropriate for elementary students than the one in Experiment 2.