In Mrs. Duba's and Mrs. Relevo's 2nd period 8th grade science, the students have been learning about physical and chemical changes. Prior to the labs, we always stress the importance of safety. Students and teachers must wear their safety goggles and even safety aprons depending on the experiments especially when dealing with chemicals that are corrosive. The students have been able to work with various lab partners on different labs that allowed students to experience physical and/or chemical changes when certain chemicals reacted with one another. The students completed several experiments: Sunset in a Bag and Elephant's Toothpaste to name a few. Each experiment produced different reactions including the production of foam as well as even color and temperature changes. During this unit, the students were able to use Bunsen Burners to observe different color reactions that each corresponded with a particular metal when heat was applied. This lab required more safety instructions, but the students rose to the challenge and successfully completed their experiments. Some students took charge and felt more comfortable in leading their teams when using the Bunsen burners. It was impressive to see! We are currently gearing up for the remaining labs in this unit before moving on to the Physics portion of the year. The students have enjoyed having a hands-on science experience in the classroom.
