Students Find Science Tasty *** Day of Experiments, Many Using Yeast, Ends With Cake Baking
Posted on: Sunday, 5 March 2006, 18:00 CST
By RELMA HARGUS
Students find science tasty *** Day of experiments, many using yeast, ends with cake baking
Science students at Zachary Elementary School liked the results of a chemistry experiment so much they ate them.
After a day of experiments exploring the differences between physical and chemical changes, the thirdthrough fifth-graders baked cakes to end the school day Feb. 1.
They started from scratch no cake mixes and had to use yeast. Earlier experiments had used yeast, but with less-tasty results.
The students had visited a variety of stations, recording their observations as they moved along.
The stations had names such as Kool-Aid Kemistry, Goldfish Crunch and Lemon Juice Mystery.
Because of a hands-on emphasis all year, the students were familiar with the process.
They put on safety goggles when appropriate, carefully recorded observations and left stations clean for the next group.
At one station, they accessed their individual files in a computer and graphed data they had obtained during their first experiment.
In that experiment, their assignment was to test whether a chemical reaction affects the temperature of the materials involved.
Using an electronic probe that indicated the temperature every two seconds, students had recorded temperatures and times they would later input into a computer application.
That experiment, which used hydrogen peroxide, water and yeast, was one of the experiments they didnt taste.
I love science, fourth-grader Collin Shelton said.
Classmate Michael Mahan agreed with an exception, Most of the time, its fun. But sometimes you have to do something over and over, and that gets boring.
Fifth-grader Ayanna Jackson pointed out the value of repeating an experiment.
When you do it multiple times, it gives you more of an idea of how it should be, Ayanna said. You get the average.
Third-grader Ian Morenc is definitely interested in the experiments. He plans a career in science herpetology, entomology and paleontology are his current interests.
He said he watches educational television, reads regularly and conducts his own experiments at home.
Fifth-grader Jordan Moser likes science because you dont know what is going to happen next.
Science comes in different flavors CHEMISTRY: The science of the composition, structure, properties and reactions of matter, especially of atomic and molecular systems. ENTOMOLOGY: The scientific study of insects. HERPETOLOGY: The branch of zoology that deals with reptiles and amphibians. PALEONTOLOGY: The study of the forms of life existing in prehistoric or geologic times, as represented by the fossils of plants, animals and other organisms. Source: American Heritage Dictionary
Source: Advocate; Baton Rouge, La.
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