Do Try This at Home! STEM Investigations (Flex Class)

In this four week flex class, students will learn background information on various science labs to conduct at home and learn investigative practices using STEM to learn about various concepts. 

Each week, students will watch an instructional video with a lesson about the lab at hand, as well as a demonstration of lab experiments to try at home in the videos so students may also complete lab experiments. Students will be provided notes to gain content from this lesson to help in their investigative practices. Students will then be provided 3 science labs a week to complete on the subject of the week, along with a laboratory handout for the investigation to record data and results. Students will complete one or all three labs, at their discretion (completion of one lab is required). Students will share investigative outcomes in the classroom through discussion board posts, and also will submit lab investigations from the chosen lab to the teacher via student messages as an upload.  Students will play review game from kahoot.com and Breakoutedu.com (not a break out room on Zoom) to review the lesson for content learned that goes with the lab for each week. Students will also receive a Google Forms quiz to complete for assessment of topic mastery. 


Week 1- Lab safety and STEM- This weeks topic will cover the do's and do not's of lab safety to ensure student understanding of appropriate practices when performing science labs. Students will also learn what STEM , (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)  is and how it is used in investigative practices.
Labs for the week:
Lab 1: The Do's and Don'ts of Lab Safety. Students will look around the home and list off several "do's" and "do not's" of proper safety measures within the kitchen, garage, and other locations in the home to ensure understanding of safety practices.
Lab 2:  Marshmallow Tower challenge. Students will receive a list of 4 items (20 pieces dry spaghetti, 1 ft masking tape, 1 ft twine string, and a marshmallow), and they have to try to create a tower over 2 feet tall that will stand free of human support without falling. The marshmallow will go on the very top of the tower. 
Lab 3: Design your own experiment. Students will create their own investigative lab where their goal is to determine how to make soap bubbles colorful  when added to water. Students may design this experiment using whatever supplies they feel will assist them (ex. different types of soap, food coloring, colored soap, etc. Students will practice writing their own science experience on the provided lab sheet by learning how to write steps to solve a problem through this investigation.

Week 2- Properties of Matter- This week, students will learn about the states of matter, as well as what chemical and physical changes are.
Lab 1- From Water to Gas. Students will create a cloud in a bottle by placing water in the bottom of a soda/water bottle, and dropping a lit match into the bottle, while capping it fast. Students will see water vapor formation in this lab to see that water can change to water vapor and is visible through condensation when it cannot go any higher
Lab 2- The Infamous Volcano-with a twist. In this lab, students will combine baking soda with vinegar to see the chemical reaction, but students will use a balloon to add the baking soda to observe gas collection.
Lab 3- Melting. Students will freeze water with blue food coloring, then will add the frozen ice to a cup of hot red food colored water to observe how the water will mix together to show how heat rises and cold sinks, but will blend evenly once mixed together. 

Week 3- Electricity- Students will learn how electricity works and how an open circuit does not promote energy transfer, while a closed circuit does. Student will also learn how electromagnets are used to generate energy, such as a generator during a storm. 
Lab 1- Lets Make an Electromagnet. In this lab, students will make an electromagnet that will be magnetized using a battery, copper wire, and nail to pick up metallic objects
Lab 2- Creating an Electric Motor. In this lab, students will learn how to make a metal ring spin by using a plastic cup, rubber band, magnets, copper wire, and a battery  to create a motor. More magnets=stronger motor.
Lab 3- Building a Circuit. Students will learn how to create a circuit and how an open and closed circuit can cut power off from the complete circuit (circuit kit is recommended for this experiment). 

Week 4- Rocks- Students will learn about the basic properties of rocks including luster, malleability, density, ductility, and hardness, along with how rocks are made. 
Lab 1- Rock Analysis. Students will find various rocks (or may use a rock kit as suggested in the comments section) to determine different characteristics of rocks by analyzing observable traits in the rock
Lab 2- Make Your Own Rock Candy. Students will make rock candy to see how rocks crystallize and form by using sugar, hot water, a skewer, and clothes pin. 
Lab 3- Creating a Geode. Students will learn how igneous and sedimentary rocks form through crystallization through using clean egg shells, different soluble solids ( table salt, rock salt, sugar, baking soda, Epsom salts, sea salt, borax, or cream of tartar), heatproof container, spoon, and food coloring (an old egg crate is suggested for storage of the shells)