Ocean Experiments5th Grade - October

Activity Helpers to Do: During the presentation set up the 3 stations as noted below Determine who will work which station and review the activity and goal Rotate stations every 7-10 minutes allowing for student hands-on experience

Station #1 – Salinity/Buoyancy: How the ocean’s salinity affects an object's ability to float.

Set Up Station for Teams of 2-3 studentsSmall clear jar with marked water line – 1 per team

Pony beads - about 20 per teamSalt

Tablespoon*Strainer for draining water/capturing beads at the class sink

*Plastic water container *Plastic tablecloth / Few Classroom Paper towels

*Hot Water Kettle – For adult use onlyADVANCE PREP: Fill Kettle HALF way with water then pre-heat.

Just before the experiment starts, add WARM tap water(water must be WARM enough for salt to dissolve quickly but safe to the touch)

Experiment:

Explain to the students that the more salt there is in water the denser it is.

ASK: “Do you think the density of seawater affects an object’s ability to float (buoyancy)?”

Let’s do an experiment and see.

Add water to the marked line. 

Students:o Drop the pony beads into the water and gently prod them until they settle to the

bottom. Remove any beads that won’t sink and drop in again or set aside.o Add a ½ tablespoon of salt to the jar.

o Count to 60. Observe for signs of floatation.

o Repeat steps until the pony beads slowly float. (About 1-2 TB are needed)

After counting, if beads are not rising fully, students can gently swirl the jar or stir the spoon

to slowly mix.

ASK: What does this show us? It is easier to float in saltier water.

When finished, students can empty jars at the sink (another station needs the sink too).

Updated 10/8/19

Station 2 - Salinity:   How salt content affects the weight of seawater

Set Up Station for Teams of 2-3 studentsTwo clear plastic cups – per team

One tablespoon – per teamSHAKE the Container of red salty “ocean water”

Container of blue “freshwater” Plastic tablecloth / Roll of paper towels

Laminated activity “how to” visual for guiding the students

Experiment:

Using the visual, explain:o The more salt there is in water, the heavier the water is.

o For the activity students will layer two types of water: salty and freshwater.

o Salt has been added to the red water to represent salty ocean water.

o The blue water represents fresh/non-salty water.

Using the visual, review ALL activity steps BEFORE they pour the water as students can

get eager and jump ahead. Recommend using an instructor set of cups and a spoon to

demonstrate SLOW pouring over the spoon or use one of the team’s set.

STEPS:o Students fill to the marked lines, one cup with the red water and

one with blue.o One student holds the spoon against the inside of the RED cup.

(See Photo)o One student VERY slowly dribbles the blue water onto the spoon.

o If the water is added too fast, the layers will mix and the experiment will fail .

Explain to the students that the more salt there is in the water the denser/heavier it is.

Heavier water sinks to lower levels. Freshwater is less dense and settles on top of denser

water.

When finished, students can empty cups at the sink (another station needs the sink too).

Note: Please save any colored water for future classes. Please rinse and dry items and place all supplies back in the appropriate bag/box, collect the presentation, activity and log in instructions and return the Activity Bag to the Teacher workroom. Thank you!

Updated 10/8/19

Station 3 Part 1 - Pressure  Materials Per Student

SyringeONE Marshmallow

Thin Marker

Experiment:

Explain to the students that they will experiment with increasing and decreasing pressure

environments. Ask the students “have you ever been diving in a pool or flown in an

airplane? What happens to your ears?” They are affected by the changing pressure levels.

Steps:

Each student gets ONE marshmallow.

Ask them to draw a face on the marshmallow.

Give the syringe, tell them NO squishing or the syringes won’t work for next group.

SAY: to demonstrate a LOW-pressure environment:o put the marshmallow into the syringe.

o push the plunger until it’s SLIGHTY touching the marshmallow (NO squishing).

o put your finger over the tip.

o while looking at the marshmallow face, slowly pull the plunger out as far as it can

go and watch the marshmallow (it will swell).

SAY: to demonstrate a HIGH-pressure environment:o remove the plunger from the syringe.

o leave the marshmallow inside.

o cover the tip of the syringe and replace the plunger.

o look at the marshmallow face.

o without letting any air escape from the tip, press hard and watch the marshmallow

(it shrinks).

Discussion points: What happened to the marshmallow under high-pressure? It shrinks.

What do you think would happen to your body if you tried to dive to the Mariana Trench where there is extreme high-pressure? Your lungs would collapse/implode.

What would happen to your body in an extreme low-pressure environment? At low pressure, gases escape from liquids much more easily. If you were in an extreme low-pressure environment, your body would start to boil. Fortunately, it’s not likely you’ll be visiting these environments, but the science is fun!

Updated 10/8/19

Station #3 Part 2 – Coral

MaterialsCoral Piece(s)

TALKING POINTS:

ASK: Who remembers what coral is? (Prompt if necessary, is it a rock? Is it a plant?)

Right! Coral is a living creature that builds rock-like structures as they grow.

This is an example of a coral structure - PLEASE HANDLE WITH CARE – the coral is sharp and belongs to a school parent.

As you pass it around, look closely at the structure and the tiny designs; it looks kind of like a little tree… but it is not! The coral builds this beautiful, fancy, structure piece by piece with the help of little algae. Coral continually grows and dies, building reefs all around the world.

You can see coral up close yourself on a snorkeling or scuba trip. Even though coral is always growing and building it is not a good idea to take any from a reef –coral builds very slowly so it could take years and years to replace what just one person takes.

Since many people like the beautiful structures though, there are now people who grow coral in tanks. These coral “farmers” make it possible to buy a piece (instead of taking it from a reef) for display or to use in a fish tank. Coral farmers also provide coral for reef restoration projects!

Note: Please dry items and place all supplies back in the appropriate bag/box, collect the presentation, activity and log in instructions and return the Activity Bag to the Teacher workroom. Thank you!

Updated 10/8/19