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| |  | SCI-LIT LINKS QUICKPLAN
OOBLECK!
(QuickPlan developed by Dr. Ken Mechling, Clarion, Pennsylvania)
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OVERVIEW: In this three-part lesson the teacher, 1) reads the first part of the Dr. Seuss classic Bartholomew and the Oobleck, 2) has the children investigate and report on the properties of the mysterious green oobleck, and 3) finishes reading the book.
BOOKLINK: Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss, Random House, New York, 1949. ISBN 0-394-80075-3
SCIENCE ACTIVITY LINK: In studying matter, students are often asked to identify the states of matter; solid, liquid, and gas. In this lesson, students utilize investigate processes to examine oobleck and discover that it has properties of both a solid and a liquid--properties of a colloid.
OBJECTIVE: Students will investigate, describe, and discuss the physical properties of the mystery substance, oobleck, and relate it to other colloids.
SCIENCE PROCESSES AND CONTENT: Processes-Observing, communicating, inferring, predicting, designing and conducting investigations, recording and interpreting data, drawing conclusions Content-Physical properties of matter, solids, liquids, suspensions, colloids, gels, the Earth's mantle
NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS: Unifying Concepts and Processes, (1) Science as Inquiry, (2) Physical Science, (4) Earth and Space Science, (7) History and Nature of Science
MATERIALS: Several boxes (4 or 5) of corn starch, several liters of water, food coloring (green), disposable aluminum pie pans or similar containers for group work, paper cups for individual work, paper towels, old newspapers, popsicle or craft sticks
PROCEDURE:
1. You may wish to divide the lesson into three parts spread out over three days: 1) initial reading of the first part of Bartholomew and the Oobleck, 2) investigating oobleck, and 3) completing the reading of the book.
2. Begin by telling the children you have a very special story to read to them. Ask them to predict what Bartholomew and the Oobleck is about and discuss their predictions. Now read the story over to page 15, 16, or 17 (some books are printed differently) or to the page where Bartholomew stretches out his hand to catch some oobleck and shouts to the king, "Wake up, Your Majesty! Your oobleck! It's falling!" Stop the story and tell the children that you will continue the story tomorrow...if you have time.
3. The next day, out of sight of the students, mix up a batch of oobleck. Mix two parts of corn starch with one part of water. Then add enough green food coloring to make your oobleck as green as the color of the oobleck in the book. Mix them all together thoroughly. If it seems too dry, add a bit more water. If it's too wet, add a bit more corn starch.
Secure enough pie pans or equivalent disposable containers to accommodate 2 to 4 children working in groups or, if you prefer, pour the oobleck into cups for individual work.
4. The following day introduce oobleck by reminding them of the story that you read the previous day. Tell them that when you came out of your house this morning to come to school, you found a big pan of this mystery material with the word "oobleck" scribbled on it. No other messages, just "oobleck." Explain that you need their help to discover what this very mysterious green stuff really is.
5. As you are placing newspapers on student desks or tables where the groups will work, ask them for suggestions for how they might find out more about the properties of oobleck. Then ask them to observe, investigate, and discuss oobleck in their teams or individually. Encourage them to touch it, press a finger in it, pick up a small amount of it, pour it, hold some in the palm of their hand, stir it with a stick, pick up some on the stick, and so on. Ask them to infer if oobleck is a solid or liquid (it has properties of both).
6. When the children's observations and discussions have been completed, begin cleaning up. Have them discard the newspapers and wash their hands. You may want to save some or all of the oobleck, send some home with them in plastic baggies, or dispose of it. Oobleck should be disposed of into the solid trash containers. It should not be flushed down the drain because it could harden and block the drain.
7. After cleanup, discuss with the children how they investigated oobleck and what they discovered about its properties. Then explain, as they discovered, that oobleck has characteristics of both a solid and a liquid. Materials that have such properties, like oobleck, are called colloids. Colloid comes from a Greek word, "kolla" meaning glue. The particles of a colloid, which may be large molecules or clumps of small molecules, are small enough to move about randomly like the particles of a liquid. However, they are also large enough to be bombarded equally on all sides keeping them in place like a solid.
Oobleck, as a colloid, is also referred to as a gel. Examples of other gels are milk, gelatin (Jello), the meringue on the top of lemon or coconut creme pies, mayonnaise, the protoplasm inside living cells, and the layer in the Earth's interior between the crust and core, a layer called the mantle.
8. The last step in the lesson, perhaps on a third day, is to read to the children the remainder of the book, Bartholomew and the Oobleck.
SAFETY: Tell the children that oobleck is safe to touch their hands while working with it but they should not put it in their mouths. While oobleck is harmless, emphasize that unknown substances should never be tasted or placed in the mouth.
RELATED BOOKS:
Oobleck by AIMS (Activities for Integrating Math and Science), Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley, California, 1989
Gee,Wiz! by Linda Allison and David Katz, A Brown Paper School Book, The Yolla Bolly Press, California, 1983 ISBN 0-316-03445-2
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