Magic Wands

Type of resource: website (blog)

Web address https://blog.giallozafferano.it/annacreazioniincucina/rock-candy/#google_vignette

Language: IT

Description

Enabling students to familiarise themselves with the changes of state of matter

Scientific concept introduced

solution, saturation, solid, liquid, food colouring, crystals, fusion

Creative and critical thinking

Critical thinking:
1. Analysing
2. Observe

Creative thinking:
1. Originality
2. Curiosity
3. Imagination

Mathematical reasoning

Classifying, Measuring

Scientific thinking

Observing, asking questions, formulating hypotheses, testing hypotheses, analysing results

Learning how to learn

To plan and carry out an experiment, to investigate the solubility of a solution, to follow the steps of a procedure exactly, to present and document the experiment carried out, to feel self-efficacious, to make an original product

Additional

Hand-eye coordination
Fine manual dexterity
Precision and efficiency of movement
Listening and understanding

Magic Wands

Overall aims

– enable students to familiarise themselves with the changes of state of matter
– enable students to familiarise themselves with the behaviour of liquids in the event of saturation
– stimulating students to improve their fine manual skills
– developing students’ ability to follow instructions carefully
– developing students’ aesthetic sense in the creation of ‘sugar sticks’.
– developing students’ ability to present and document their achievements

Vocabulary – keywords should be understood

water, sugar, solution, saturation, solid, liquid, food colouring, crystals, melting.

Expected learning outcomes (operational aims)

the child/student will be able to:
– carry out an experiment
– explore transitions of matter states and the concept of saturation of solutions
– tell the story of the experiment

the child/student will have developed the ability to:
– Exactly following the steps of a process
– Making scientific observations
– Making an original product

STEM skills – to which the learning unit is related to

CORE STEM SKILLS

Observe
Asking questions
Formulating hypotheses
Experiment
Check the assumptions
Analysing the results

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

Hand-eye coordination
Fine motor skills Fine dexterity
Precision and efficiency of movement
Listening and understanding

Teaching methodologies/activity outline

1. Show the children/young people the materials they will need to carry out the experiment and tell them: “What do you think we will make today with sugar and colouring?” “What work of art can we create?”

2. “Magic Wands’ is the name of the experiment we are going to carry out today.

3. The experiment will explore state transitions and saturation of liquids.

Activities:
After explaining the experiment to the pupils, the teacher gives them all the materials needed to carry out the experiment and guides them through the activity.

Material:
Water
Caster sugar
Tall glass beakers (one for each pupil)
Food colouring (red, blue, yellow, green, violet)
Laundry clips
Skewer sticks (one each)
Scales
Aromas
Spoon (one each)
Scoop

Instructions:
1. Using a measuring cup, take the right amount of water (200 ml) and with the help of the teacher pour it into a pot and bring it to the boil. How can we tell that the water has really come to the boil?

2. While the water is boiling, we fill a glass with 100 ml of water and then add 300 g of sugar and stir. Does the sugar dissolve? Why?

3. When the water boils, pour in 600 g of sugar and stir to dissolve it. Does it dissolve this time?

4. Keep the pan on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes and bring back to the boil so that the sugar dissolves well.

5. Switch off and let the syrup rest for twenty minutes.

6. Take the toothpicks and dip them in the syrup and then roll them in caster sugar.

7. Let it dry so that the sugar crystals stick better, then take the toothpicks and attach them to clothes pegs so that when you place them on the glasses they will hold the toothpicks 2.5-3 cm from the bottom.

8. We temporarily move the toothpicks and then pour the dye of our choice into the bottom of the glass.

9. Pour the syrup into the glass and mix it with the colouring.

10. Put the sticks back on the clothes pegs and leave them for a few days (3-5).

11. If a hard layer has formed on the surface, simply break it gently and then pull out the ‘sticks’ when they have formed.

12. We are careful to allow the excess syrup to drip into another glass.

13. We have now obtained our ‘sugar sticks’.

Conclusions:
At the end of the activity, the teacher can propose to taste the sugar sticks, stimulate through questions a debriefing activity and then invite the children to describe orally their own stick as it appears to touch, taste and sight.