TESLA Water 2011

EvaporationLesson 4

The Big Idea of this Investigation

Water, which covers most of Earth's surface is the only substance on Earth that is found naturally in all three states of matter. Water can change from one state to another depending on the amount of heat that is added or taken away from it.

ENGAGING SCENARIO

The Aquatic Center really liked your information about properties of frozen water. They would like for you to now try out some activities for another part of the field trip events they are planning. A worker is trying to find out why water seems to disappear when she leaves containers of water outside, or in the sun, or how wet towels become dry when they are left in the air.

Again, they have sent us some materials and printed information that may help us figure this out. They also need us to keep accurate records and labeled drawings in our science notebooks so we can send them a report when we finish the activities.

• What is the problem we need to solve? • What do we need to investigate?

Kit Inventory

• What color/shape is the object?• Where have you seen this object before?• What do you think we will use this for in the unit?

These are the objects that have been sent to us by the Aquatic Center. I have put them in this large bag. Let’s see if we can identify them.

Focus Question (What is the problem?)

What happens to wet towels and buckets of water when they are left out in the sun or air?

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Discuss with your group of scientists a possible focus question for this investigation.

Prediction (related to the focus question)

I think that when wet towels or buckets of water are left out in the sun, or air, the water will…

I think this because…

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Assessing our Prior Knowledge

• What do we already know about this topic?• When it rains and the street gets wet, who dries the street?

Our Plan

1. Plunge two paper towels into a container of water.2. Remove and squeeze most of the water from each of the towels.3. Place the two towels in two separate cups on a balance.4. Add enough water to the lighter towel until balance is achieved.5. Place a dome lid on one of the cups and a second dome lid under

the other cup.

What happens to wet towels left out in the air?

What do you think will happen to the towels and balance when we return to school tomorrow?

Collecting DataScientists always try to make careful observations.

Wet Towels on a Balance: Day One

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Wet Towels on a Balance: Day Two

CupCupDome Lid

Dome Lid

Balance

Making Meaning Conference

Why do you think one of the paper towels feels dry and the other is still damp?

What happened to the balance and wet paper towels in the cups?

What do you think caused one cup to go up and one cup to go down on the balance?

New VocabularyEvaporation: The paper towel exposed to the air dried out. The water that used to be in the towel went into the air in a process called evaporation.

Water Vapor: When water evaporates it changes into an invisible gas called water vapor. Water vapor is still water, but it is no longer a liquid. The tiny particles of water are so small they become part of the air.

Claims and EvidenceUse your own words, or words from the word wall, to help

you complete the following sentences in your science notebook.

I claim that the wet paper towel dried out in the air because...

______________ are tiny particles of water made when water changes from a liquid to a gas.

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Activity II:

The Aquatic Center is very pleased with what we have learned about evaporation and water vapor. They would also like us to help them figure out where to place wet towels so that they will dry quickly.

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Focus Question (What is the problem?)

Where can we place wet towels so that they will dry quickly and slowly?

Discuss with your group of scientists a possible focus question for this investigation.

Prediction (related to the focus question)

I think if we place the wet paper towel ________________ it will dry quickly because…

I think if we place the wet paper towel ________________ it will dry slowly because…

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Our Plan

1. Use a syringe to put 50-ml of water into 4 separate cups.2. Label each cup with a sticky note A, B, C, or D and include your

group name.3. Each group will place there labeled cups with other groups cups on

a tray. Tray “A”, “B”, “C”, and “D”

Brainstorm 4 very different locations the class can place their trays:• Where shall we place our cups for a fast-evaporation location?• Where shall we place our cups for a slow-evaporation location?

4. Each day we will monitor the temperature at each evaporation location. Once in the morning, and once in the afternoon.

Evaporation Rates:

Collecting DataScientists always try to make careful observations.

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Collecting Data

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End of Day 4:

Seriate your 4 cups by the amount of water left from heaviest to lightest. Seriate means to place in order by a series. You can use a balance to find compare the weight of each cup.

Record your results in your science notebook and draw a labeled diagram of your seriated order of cups.

Cup ___ Cup ___Cup ___Cup ___

Making MeaningIn which cup did the least evaporation occur? What was the temperature at this location?

Can we find a pattern between air temperature at the location and the amount of evaporation?

In which cup did the most evaporation occur? What was the temperature at this location?

Where would you recommend the Aquatic Center place wet towels so that they will dry out the fastest?

Claims and EvidenceUse your own words, or words from the word wall, to help

you complete the following sentences in your science notebook.

I believe the Aquatic Center should place wet towels in ____________ locations for them to dry out the fastest.I know this because…

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Activity III:The Aquatic Center really liked the information you gave them about where to place wet towels to dry the fastest. They have also noticed that water left out in containers tends to disappear and they would like to know if the type of container they use could help water evaporate faster.

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Focus Question (What is the problem?)

Does water evaporate faster from different containers?

Discuss with your group of scientists a possible focus question for this investigation.

The Aquatic Center has sent us 4 different types of containers to test. A graduated cylinder, dome lid, flat lid, and beaker.

New Vocabulary

Surface Area: When water is in a container, the area of the water touching the air can be called its surface area.

Can we seriate our 4 different types of containers by surface area? If we placed water in each container which would have:• The greatest surface area?• The least surface area?

Prediction (related to the focus question)

I think that water will evaporate the fastest from the _______________ and slowest in the _______________.

I think this because…

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Our Plan

1. Collect and place 4 different containers on your groups science tray.

2. Find a location in the room where the tray will be undisturbed for 2-4 days. Use a sticky note to label your tray with your groups name.

3. Using a syringe, transfer 25ml of water to each of the 4 containers.

4. We will leave the containers in the room for 2-4 days until the water from one container is almost evaporated.

Surface Areas and Evaporation Rates:

Collecting DataScientists always try to make careful observations.

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Graduated Cylinder Volume of Water: 25ml

Dome lid Volume of Water: 25ml

Flat Lid Volume of Water: 25ml

Beaker Volume of Water: 25ml

Day One:

Graduated Cylinder Volume of Water: 25ml

Dome lid Volume of Water: 25ml

Flat Lid Volume of Water: 25ml

Beaker Volume of Water: 25ml

Day _____:

Making MeaningWhich container had the least amount of water left? Which container had the greatest amount of water left?

Can we find a pattern between surface area of containers and the amount of evaporation?

What type of containers would you recommend the Aquatic Center use if they want water to evaporate quickly?

Claims and EvidenceUse your own words, or words from the word wall, to help

you complete the following sentences in your science notebook.

I claim that water evaporates faster in containers with the greatest ______________ and slower in containers with the _______________. I know this because…

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Reflection/ConclusionRevisit your original prediction and respond to one of the following stems:My prediction was accurate or was not accurate because…..

I wish to revise my prediction because…

My original thinking has changed because…

What did you learn…?

What really surprised you…?

What new questions do you have…?

What would you like to know more about…?

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