02.20.2015
Written By: Nancy Trejo
Today, the topic was light! We had the students perform five different experiments, each designed to teach them something different about light. The five stations were color wheels, extraction of chlorophyll, polarizers, solar cells, and sunscreen under black light. The students were constantly working on something new and I think they really enjoyed the variety this day had to offer. Chlorophyl was my favorite station because I think the students liked getting messy blending spinach leaves in isopropanol. The solution is green but glows red under black light. At first, my group thought the isopropanol was causing the solution to glow red, but after careful investigation they discovered the spinach leaves actually glow red on their own! My favorite experiments are ones that can easily be done with household items. We decided to split the topic of light into two days. This is the first day where students can learn different things about light such as how light is energy, light can be described as a wave, different materials absorb different kinds of light, etc. Next time, they will apply what they learn to design the best solar cell. Overall, I like this approach because it starts with wowing them with cool mini experiments and then challenges them to design their own experiment. I can’t wait for what’s to come and I hope the students are equally excited!