Second Grade Scientists Making Rain

Second graders read a science experiment and learned about and practiced sequencing for science and reading this week.

Here is a second grade scientist's summary of the experiment we read about and then conducted:

The second grade scientists then conducted the experiment and made observations:

Then the scientists wondered and were curious and brainstormed how they could change ONE thing in the experiment to see what happened.  They learned that the one thing you change in an experiment to see what happens is called a VARIABLE, and that it is very important to only change ONE thing per experiment.  They created a supply list, and wrote out step-by-step instructions for their own experiment.

Then the scientists conducted their experiments.  It was really tricky to resist the temptation to add a bunch of other stuff (more variables!) after the experiments had started.  Scientists conduct many experiments to get really good at the scientific process, so we will get better at this!

For your reading pleasure, here are their scientific papers, because sharing results of experiments is essential to the scientific process.  Mixing and fixing at home, while messy, is a great way for children to learn the properties of various materials; the importance of safety; logical prediction; thinking in a logical, organized manner; and just how fun it can be to be curious!

Group 1
We wonder what would happen if we tried milk and food coloring and salt water.  We think _____ (this was supposed to be their hypothesis).  Supplies:  we will need:  timer, water, milk, plate, jar.  Step 1:  Put hot water and milk in the jar for 5 minutes.  After that put ice on it for 15 minutes.  Then lift the plate up.  And it will rain.  Our hypothesis was cool.  We learned that milk rains.  IT STANK!  If we did this again, we would _______ (this was supposed to be a new variable to test).  It was cool.  The ice cubes melted fastest.

Group 2
We wonder what will happen if we add food coloring.  We think it will be colored water.  Supplies:  we will need:  food coloring, jar, plate, ice, and timer, H2O, blue, red, purple food coloring.  First, pour hot H2O in the jar.  Next, put plate on for 5 min.  Last, food colored ice 15 min.  Our experiment was very awesome to watch.  Our hypothesis was wrong.  We learned that the colored water and the colored ice does not work.  If we did this again, we would add salt H2O.

Group 3
We wonder what would happen if food coloring in the H2O.  We think it will change colors.  Supplies: we will need:  jar, food coloring, plate, hot H2O, ice.  First pour 2 and a half inches of hot H2O in the jar and drop some food coloring in the H2O.  Next, put the plate on the jar.  Third, wait 5 minutes.  Last we put ice cubes on the plate now we wait 15 minutes. Our experiment was awesome!  Our hypothesis was right.  We learned that rain does not change green.  If we did this again, we will add hot cocoa and pepper and salt.

 Group 4
We wonder what would happen if food coloring.  We think it will stay the same.  Supplies: we need:  ice, jar, hot H2O, timer, plate, and food coloring.  1.  Pour hot H2O into a jar.  2.  Put a plate on the jar for 5 minutes.  3.  Put ice on the plate for 5 minutes.  4.  Pour some food coloring on the ice.  5.  Take the plate off when the timer goes off.  6.  Study it.  It was successful and fun.  Our hypothesis was right.  We learned it [the plate] was not cracked.  If we did this again, we would put salt H2O.

Group 5
What if we put paper in it or used paper plates instead of a regular plate?  We need: 8 paper plates, paper, jar, ice.  1.  Put 2 inches of hot water.  Wait four and a half minutes.  2.  Put paper plates on top of the jar.  Then put ice on the plates.  Wait 15 minutes.  3.  If ices is melted, lift plate up, look for water drops that means its raining.  That's how to make the water cycle yay!  Our experiment was paper in water and we used paper plates.  Our hypothesis was leaking through.  We learned that if you put a paper under the other one (paper plate) it will get wet.  If we did this again we would dye the water.

Group 6
We wonder what would happen if it was salt H2O.  We think food coloring will show the cracks in the plate.  We need a cup, H2O, plastic plate, timer, ice pack.  1.  Get the cup.  2.  Put three inches of water in the cup.  3.  Get the timer.  4.  Add food coloring.  5.  Put the plate on the cup.  6.  Then put ice, five ice cubes, on the plate!  7.  Time for five minutes.  8.  Wait.  9.  Wait until it rains!  10.  Have fun!  Our experiment was really bad bad bad.  Our hypothesis is kind of good.  We learned not to change anything (more than one thing).  If we did this again we would do better.

Group 7
We wonder what would happen if we put food coloring in.  I think colorful rain will drop from the plate.  Supplies:  jar, plate, food coloring, timer, hot H2O, and ice.  First we put hot H2O, wait 5 minutes.  Put ice cubes on plate.  Our experiment was successful, awesome.  Our hypothesis was interesting.  Now we know that the food coloring doesn't work.  If we did this again we would put food coloring and salt, milk.

The project was successful, because second graders learned that the scientific process requires communication and collaboration, and that you can only change one variable at a time when you're investigating.  Moreover, some students hypothesized that the rain that was made on the underside of the plate in the original experiment was because there were tiny cracks or holes in the plate and the ice water was leaking through.  They determined, with the food coloring, that that was NOT the case, and it was in fact the water cycle in a jar!  They also discovered a very important point that when water evaporates, the impurities in it (salt, minerals, pollution, food coloring, etc.) are left behind, and fresh water is created when it condenses.  They connected this with the article we read about some communities needing to get creative about how to get fresh water (like desalinization plants).