Lesson+3-+Insulation+Lab+Part+2


 * Grade 11-12 Environmental Science**
 * Beth McArdle**


 * Title: The Best Insulation LAB //Day 2//**

CONTENT STANDARD A: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop -Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry -Understandings about scientific inquiry
 * __Standards__****:**

CONTENT STANDARD D: As a result of their activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop an understanding of -Energy in the earth system

CONTENT STANDARD F: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop understanding of - Natural resources - Environmental quality

This lesson is part of the environmental science unit on energy resources. It will address efficiency of resources in the home, such as insulation. The lab will be the third part of a three day activity where the students will address specific adaptations that should be made to home in order to make them more energy efficient. The main purpose of this activity is to decide what type of insulation is the most efficient. This is the second day of the lab that they started where they designed insulated containers to hold Dixie cups full of ice.
 * __Context for the Lesson__****:**

Preparations needed before class: Freeze 4 Dixie Cups ½ full of water for each team. Be sure that each cup has the same amount of water that is frozen and all cups are put in the freezer for the exact same amount of time.
 * __Opportunities to Learn__****:**

Materials -heat lamps • water • freezer- Freeze 4 Dixie Cups ½ full of water for each team • graduated cylinder (10 or 25 ml size range) per test material • packaging tape • marker • goggles Stop watches Dixie Cups 1 Tray of insulated containers per group from last class

Students approaching proficiency: 1. Students will again be working in groups for this activity. They must divide up the work as a group in order to get everything designed by the end of the period. It is essential that the students work together and keep each other on track.

Students exceeding proficiency: 1. Students will have the opportunity to take a leadership role in their group and lead the activity by assigning jobs and keeping their group on task. 2. Students will have the opportunity to put together a lab report that is thorough and well put together. They can expand and apply their knowledge to the best of their ability.

1. Students will perform the lab activity using their designed containers from last class. 2. Students will construct graphs using their results. 3. Students will write a formal lab resort on this lab activity.
 * Objectives:**

1. Students will be instructed to get back into their groups from yesterday and gather their insulated materials from yesterday, get out their data table, and find a spot where there is a heat lamp set up. 2. Lab instructions will be reviewed at the beginning of class so that students know what will be expected of them.
 * __Instructional Procedures__****:**
 * Opening:**

1. Place your designed insulated cups under the heat lamp making sure that each is the same distance from the lamp. 2. Obtain the frozen cups prepared. 3. Place each frozen cup into an insulated container and immediately place the cover on top. Do this for each of your containers and start the timer. 4. Every 4 minutes, uncover each insulated container and carefully pour out any melted water into a graduated cylinder, being sure to keep the remaining ice in the cup. Re-cover immediately and return the cup under the lamp. 5. Repeat for each of your insulated cups. A different graduated cylinder should be used for each type of test material to keep each measurement separate. 6. On Data Table 1 and 2 record the amount of water melted by the insulated container in a total of 30 minutes. (Do this for each different designer insulated cup you are testing.)
 * Engagement:**

Data Table 1
 * Time || Insulation Material #1 || Insulation Material #2_ ||
 * 4 ||  ||   ||
 * 8 ||  ||   ||
 * 12 ||  ||   ||
 * 16 ||  ||   ||
 * 20 ||  ||   ||
 * 24 ||  ||   ||
 * 28 ||  ||   ||
 * 32 ||  ||   ||

Data Table 2
 * Time || Insulation Material # __Thickness:_____cm__ || Insulation Material # Thickness:cm ||
 * 4 ||  ||   ||
 * 8 ||  ||   ||
 * 12 ||  ||   ||
 * 16 ||  ||   ||
 * 20 ||  ||   ||
 * 24 ||  ||   ||
 * 28 ||  ||   ||
 * 32 ||  ||   ||

7. Construct a bar graph showing the amounts of melted water for the various kinds of materials used. (The least amount of melted liquid indicates the best insulator.) 8. Construct a scatter plot (//x//-//y// graph) of the amount of water melted versus thickness. Thickness is the independent variable so it goes on the //x//-axis.

1. Short class discussion about results. Decide on sources of error. Lab report will be due next week and will need to include graphs.
 * Closure:**

1. Students will be formatively assessed throughout the activity. They will be assessed based on their group work and ability to stay on task. 2. There will be a summative assessment of this activity in the form of a formal written lab report that will include the background knowledge that they learned in the first lesson of this three lesson sequence, the hypothesis that they determined, and the results that were found.
 * __Assessment__****:**