The tool that I chose to teach students about Unit 10, distinguishing between solutions, colloids, and suspension was an experiment that I found online. The activity involves mixing corn starch and water to make a suspension. I also chose to use a YouTube video to give the students a better understanding of what exactly suspension was because the video shows the experiment and the outcome. The experiment uses water and cornstarch to form a colloid. After you have done this activity you can watch the YouTube video to see what is suppose to happen and it also gives you a better understanding of colloids and suspension. It shows the thickness of the mixture as well as the suspension.
“Getting Critical over Colloids”
“Kids Science” retrieved November 15, 2009 from
The tools that I selected would be a great way to teach students about mixtures. When talking about colloids, solutions and suspensions in a scientific way I think that an experiment is a great idea. Students love to do hands on activities and this is very fun because they can do the whole things. When mixing the corn starch and the water they get to see the whole process which may be hard for them to understand if you’re just telling them what would happen. In order to use this tool I would have to previously talk about solutions and mixtures. They would need to have some vocabulary to fully understand the terminology in the activity. The vocabulary they would need to know for this activity would be the definitions of solutions, colloids, suspensions, mixtures. This is a chemistry related activity so you may want to talk about other mixtures and even have them experiment with the. I think that this would be an appropriate activity for 4-6th graders and could be used all the way up to high school depending on the complexity of how you present it to the students.
This is an easy activity for materials because if your school doesn’t have the starchs you can just go out and buy some for a very minimal cost. The types of starch that you will need are, corn, potato, tapioca, and rice starch. All of these are located at the local grocery store. Water is obviously not an issue either because you can get that out of any water fountain or sink in the building. You will also need a water dropper for each group. The YouTube video can be found right on the internet at youTube Video and you can show the class by projecting it on a screen or smart board. The actual print out of the directions of the experiment can be found at Activity Description
To do this activity you should have your students get in groups of 4 students. Then you will need to get a little of each type of starch, corn potato, tapioca, and rice starch and water and distribute it out evenly to your students. For the water each group should have a beaker and a water dropper. Then give each group a bowl and a large mixing spoon. Have then start by adding one teaspoon of corn starch and then a drop of water. Have the students record their findings after each drop of water and teaspoon of starch added. Have the students mix the corn starch water mixture about 15 times or until they have a good suspension. After the 15 drops record the final product on the chart provided on the website. Have them do the same with the corn, potato, tapioca, and rice starch. When they have a suspension have them describe what it feels like and then write down questions of why it is the way it is. Then have them watch the YouTube video. After the video have a discussion of what they just did and what they found.
There really aren’t any safety issues with this activity. I would have the students wear aprons incase they spill or make a mess. I would also have table coverings. I would advise them to do this very carefully but neither corn starch nor water should be harmful. After the suspensions are formed they can either be rinsed down the sink or they can be thrown in the garbage, there are no saftely precautions for the disposal of the suspension. Parents shouldn’t have a problem with this tool but you could give them a heads up of what they students will be working with incase of any allergies.
I think that the tool is complete but not 100%. I think that the instructions for the experiment are very thorough and clear. This tool is really good for teacher because it gives a lot of information about the topic in which it is discussing. I think that for the students it does a pretty good job as well because its fun and hand on. With the teachers explaining of the outcome the students should get a good understanding of mixtures. The video could be a little better. It is done by a child so it will be relatable and fun for the students. I think that it could go more in-depth with the outcome of the experiment
I think that this is a good tool because it is very hands on and fun. I think that the video and the experiment go hand in hand so they really will help the students get the full affect of what you are trying to convey. I think that one negative would be that the activity and videos final product might be a little different so the students might get confused. I would suggest that you as the teacher do the activity before doing it with the class so you know your outcome. Students with all learning types should enjoy this because it is hands on and when you watch the video it is visual. I think that this activity can be comprehended by students with different cognitive and emotional because it is shown in two different ways. The misconception that the students may have when they read over the activity is what the outcome maybe. They might think that it will just be a solution when really the outcome is a suspension. The tools will hopefully help them want to learn more about mixtures and to understand the chemistry aspects of them.
The costs that are related to this tool are very minimal. You will have to supply the different types of starch and this may range you $20- $30. You will also need to have beakers for each group and if your school doesn’t have those you can use cups. This shouldn’t be an expense you should have to worry about but if it is it should only cost around $10. The water drippers are very inexpensive they are plastic and would only cost about $1-$2 for each dripper. The bowls should also be something that the school provides or you could even bring them from home, along with the spoons for mixing. Overall this is a very cost effective tool because it requires little to no money.