Book 7 Hands-On Projects
Book 7 hands-on projects are different than Books 1-6. Students will work on creating their own experiments and using the notebook pages to write their methods and procedures, record data and summarize their findings.
If students are not comfortable creating their own experiments please have them perform one or more experiments from Books 1-6 until they feel confident.
Click here for a downloadable pdf with student notebook page.
NOTE: This is a student-directed problem-based-learning project. Students are required to create their own experiment to solve the problem of separating mixtures.
Print the student notebook and have students create their own laboratory pages.
Suggested Materials
- Sand
- Iron filings
- Salt
- Water
- Oil (vegetable or any other type of oil)
- Beakers or clear cups
- Magnifying glass (optional)
- Filter paper or coffee filters
- Funnels
- Magnet
- Sieve or strainer
- Heat source (Bunsen burner or hot plate)
- Stirring rods or spoons
- Graduated cylinders
- Pipettes or droppers
- Safety goggles
- Lab apron or coat
- Thermometer
Experimental Procedure:
Step 1- Create a set of mixtures
Step 2- Select one or more separation techniques to separate your mixture.
- separate by hand
- separate by using a tool such as a sieve
- separate by properties ; size, weight, density, solubility, magnetism, etc.
- separate by a technique; filtration, evaporation, chromatography etc.
Step 3- Write your method in your notebook with enough detail for someone else to follow your process.
Example: Sand and Iron Filings
- Method: Use a magnet to attract the iron filings.
- Steps: Place the magnet above the mixture and move it slowly. Iron filings will cling to the magnet, separating them from the sand.
- Expected Result: Iron filings will be removed, leaving only sand
Step 4- Analysis and Conclusion:
- Record your observations for each separation method.
- Compare the effectiveness of the different methods used for each mixture.
- Discuss why certain methods worked better than others for specific mixtures.
- Reflect on the importance of choosing appropriate separation techniques depending on the type of mixture.
Mixtures to Consider
Mixture 1: Solid-Solid
Create the following mixtures or design your own
- sand and rocks
- sand and salt
- sand and iron filings
- salt and sugar
Mixture 2: Solid-Liquid
Create the following mixtures or design your own
- salt and water
- sugar and water
- rocks and water
- sand and water
Mixture 3: Liquid-Liquid
Create the following mixtures or design your own
- oil and water
- water and rubbing alcohol
- oil and melted butter
- mixture of different color inks or liquid paints
Click here to download a pdf with student notebook pages.
Click here to download a pdf with student notebook pages.
Click here for a downloadable pdf with student notebook pages.
Click here for a downloadable pdf with student notebook pages.
Click here for a downloadable pdf with student notebook pages.
Click here for a downloadable pdf with student notebook pages.
Click here for a downloadable pdf with student notebook pages.
Click here for a downloadable pdf with student notebook pages.
