Mrs. Lyman and I worked collaboratively with my 3rd grade class to make an Ice Inquiry Experiment come to life. In class, students worked with partners and explored the properties of ice- observing the results when different materials, such as oil, sugar, salt, flour, cloth and baking soda were applied to the ice. They made observations and then created a list of testable questions related to melting ice and determined which ones could actually be experimented with in the classroom.

Meanwhile, during their library period last week, Mrs. Lyman taught the student how to use the iMovie app on the iPads, by making a book review. This new skill would be used in conjunction with the science investigation.

Before the actual ice experiments began, students had to identify their testable question, make a prediction, determine their experimental factor(s) and control factors, outline the steps to their experiments, and list the supplies. Each group had a different material to place on the ice. Observations were recorded on paper as well as by taking interval photographs on the iPad. After finishing the experiments, the students wrote up their results.

During their next library period, Mrs. Lyman helped the groups to record audio descriptions about what was happening in each of the photographs that had been taken during the ice investigation as well as to record a conclusion for the Icy Inquiry Experiment. Then after some further editing in iMovie, the science projects were complete and the students in 3C not only shared the movies with each other, but also with their reading buddies in kindergarten.  Ms. King, Kindergarten Teacher, said one of her students told her they went home that evening and taught her little brother what she had learned from the third graders!

Jennifer Coulter
Third Grade Teacher
jcoulter@mcschool.org