Week 14 Blog Post - Asa K

 

In our Week 14 Lab, we tried to figure out the reasoning behind why a plunger sticks to hard surfaces like tables and whiteboards. We then had to explain it in terms that would make sense to a 2nd-3rd grader when completing this lab, so it took a little bit for us as a group to understand it first to then transfer this knowledge to our future classroom. Additionally, our table group created a short 45 second flip video explaining why the plunger and air particles cause the plunger to stick to the surfaces. 

My prior knowledge to the reasoning behind why plungers stick to certain surfaces was kind of basic. I knew how plungers work, and I knew that it was going to stick really hard to the table, but I did not have the common knowledge prior to fully explain why it does that the way it does. Learning this in class this week not only broadened my knowledge with particles and pressure, but it helped me understand more myself as to why plungers work the way they do. 

I am able to transfer this lesson to my future lessons in my elementary classroom by doing a very similar investigation with my students. Them creating an hypothesis, testing it, and understanding the activity will help broaden their learning, and mine as an educator.