Today was a very exciting day in Mrs. S’s class! It was our Science unit wrap-up for “Matter”- and we had many activities planned for the students. The first part of the day was spent on “Morning Meeting” and a math worksheet. Mrs. S wanted to check to see where they were at on their adding and subtracting skills- this was not for marks, but just to check-in and see how they were doing. Mrs. S will be holding a “Math Club” group during our “Morning Meeting” sessions with some students that might require extra assistance- this will take place while on my long practicum, so she can provide an extra hand to those in need. After recess, we began our “States of Matter” experiments. The first experiment we started things off with was changing a solid into another solid- popcorn! We began popping whole kernels with a popcorn machine. Students watched as the heat changed the corn into popcorn (solid to solid). It was amazing to see how excited they were! We then made some observations about the changing states, and then ate it! We then changed a solid into a liquid by eating popsicles. This was very exciting for the students- a total treat day! It was a very neat way of inquiring into how matter changes it’s state.

After lunch, we continued our experimenting with different types of matter. I took over the “Root Beer float-making”- yes, at this point the students could hardly sit still, but it was amazing to watch and the observations that they made was key. We changed a solid into a liquid by putting frozen ice cream into cold Root Beer. Even though they were so tempted to start drinking the Root Beer before the ice cream was added! 🙂 This was a lot of fun for the teachers too! Mrs. S took over the pancake-making station (turning a liquid into a solid). After students ate up all their treats, they had to draw a photo of their observations and write a paragraph on what happened to the different states of matter. This was definitely a day to remember, and something that I believe will last in their memories. I also learned from this exercise, and have decided that if and when I implement this into my own classroom in the future, I will designate specific days for each activity. I think by the end of the day they were all sugared-out! We then transitioned into “Centres” for the last portion of the day, and handed out report cards. I felt sorry for handing the students over to their parents at the door 🙂 Definitely a great way to end Term 2, and I am so excited to begin my 10 week practicum journey!