www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/341/6149/971/DC1

Supplementary Materials for

An Inquiry into the Water Around Us

Erin. K. H. Saitta,* Tamra Legron-Rodriguez, Melody A. Bowdon

*Corresponding author. E-mail: erin.saitta@ucf.edu

Published 30 August 2013, Science 341, 971 (2013) DOI: 10.1126/science.1230000

This PDF file includes

Materials and Methods References

www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/341/6149/845/DC1

Supplementary Materials for

An Inquiry into the Water Around Us

Erin. K. H. Saitta,* Tamra Legron-Rodriguez, Melody A. Bowdon

*Corresponding author. E-mail: erin.saitta@ucf.edu

Published 30 August 2013, Science 341, 845 (2013) DOI: 10.1126/science.1230000

This PDF file includes

Materials and Methods References

An Inquiry into the Water Around Us:

A Guide to Incorporating a Service-Learning Module into your

Guided Inquiry General Chemistry Course

University of Central Florida

The Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning and Department of Chemistry

Dr. Erin Saitta, Dr. Tamra Legron-Rodriguez, and Dr. Melody Bowdon

ii

OVERVIEW

The materials provided in this guide come from the An Inquiry into the Water Around Us module

taught at the University of Central Florida. The module leads students through a multi-week

investigation of local water alongside lab partners from a middle or high school. The engaging

inquiry-based activities embedded in the service-learning project promote the mastery of

chemistry concepts while encouraging civic engagement, communication of ideas, and scientific

thinking. The following materials were designed for students in a general chemistry laboratory

course for science majors and their secondary school partners. Included in the guide are

background and logistical information as well as lesson plans and course materials. The authors

hope others will be inspired to adopt some or all of the activities at their own institutions and

encourage practitioners to use and modify the materials to best suit the needs of their students.

We welcome feedback and ideas resulting from other’s implementation of the module.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART A: PROJECT BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTAION OVERVIEW .................... A-1 

Inquiry & Service-Learning: ................................................................................................... A-1 

Why Inquiry? ...................................................................................................................... A-1 

Why Service-Learning? ...................................................................................................... A-1 

Why Service-Learning Combined with Inquiry? ................................................................ A-2 

Overview of the Module ......................................................................................................... A-3 

Placement in the Course Curriculum .................................................................................. A-3 

Time Commitment .............................................................................................................. A-4 

Before you Begin: ................................................................................................................... A-5 

Finding a K-12 Partner........................................................................................................ A-6 

Working with a K-12 Partner .............................................................................................. A-7 

Course Goals and Objectives .............................................................................................. A-7 

Field Trip Coordination .......................................................................................................... A-9 

Logistics and Legal Issues .................................................................................................. A-9 

In the Teaching Laboratory ................................................................................................. A-9 

Setting up a Campus Tour................................................................................................. A-10 

Utilizing Volunteers .......................................................................................................... A-12 

Selecting a Grade Level and Suggestions for Modifications ................................................ A-14 

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PART B: INSTRUCTOR LESSON PLANS FOR UNIVERSITY COURSE ............................ B-i 

University Lesson Plans and Notes for Instructor ................................................................... B-i 

General Class Outline .......................................................................................................... B-i 

Laboratory Materials ............................................................................................................ B-i 

FaceTime and Synchronous Communication ..................................................................... B-ii 

PART C: UNIVERSITY STUDENT COURSE PACK .............................................................. C-i 

University Student Pre-lab/Post-lab Assignments and Notes for Instructor ............................ C-i 

PART D: SECONDARY STUDENT MATERIALS .................................................................. D-i 

Notes for Instructor .................................................................................................................. D-i 

PART E: FIELD TRIP MATERIALS ......................................................................................... E-1 

Notes for Instructor .................................................................................................................. E-1 

Example Field Trip Agenda ..................................................................................................... E-2 

PART F: REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. F-1 

A-1

PART A: PROJECT BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTAION OVERVIEW

Inquiry & Service-Learning: An Inquiry into the Water Around Us is a module that utilizes a combination of two evidence-

based methodologies: guided-inquiry and service-learning. There is significant information and

research published on each of these methods and we encourage faculty to gain a basic

understanding of the fundamental concepts before implementing them in their classroom.

Why Inquiry?

According to the National Science Education Standards, the word inquiry refers to the way

scientists study and explain the world around them as well as to the activities in which students

partake to develop knowledge and understanding in science (1). Thus, the laboratory experiments

described in this module focus on the process of science and aim to more closely model

authentic research practices than would be possible through a verification methodology. One

example of how inquiry as an instructional approach differs from non-inquiry based learning

regards the sequence of instruction. Verification classrooms often follow the “inform-verify-

practice” sequence where students are taught the material, verify the facts through an experiment

or text, and then complete practice problems to prepare for an assessment (2). Inquiry based

classrooms follow a sequence of exploration, invention of concepts, application of concepts, and

evaluation (3). Inquiry is the predominant teaching methodology for the UCF general chemistry

laboratory due to its ability to promote students’ conceptual understanding and cognitive skills.

This module expands on that approach in innovative ways.

Why Service-Learning?

Service-learning is a teaching method that uses community engagement as a “text” through

which students learn course material. Several essential elements separate service-learning from

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other types of experiential learning, like community service or internships, including the

following:

• Engagement that addresses a need in the community • Direct connection with course material • Student reflection on their experience

Service-learning has been successfully implemented in a wide range of disciplines as a way to

teach content through activities that serve the community (4-6). Guided reflection on the

experience is an essential service-learning component from which students benefit. In this

module, students are asked to explicitly reflect on their work with younger scientists, their

understanding of the connection between their classroom learning and their local and global

environments, and the importance of clear communication between scientist and lay audiences.

This promotes improved understanding of scientific principles and a deeper understanding of the

public responsibility of the scientist.

Why Service-Learning Combined with Inquiry?

Although it is common to see inquiry activities in science laboratories and to see service-learning

projects in a variety of courses, it is rare to find them occurring simultaneously. The

methodologies, however, are complementary to each other and blend together well. Figure 1

displays both the unique and overlapping qualities each methodology contributes (7-11).

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Figure 1: Venn diagram showing the unique and overlapping fundamental themes of service-learning and guided inquiry methodologies

Overview of the Module

Placement in the Course Curriculum

The chemistry department at the University of Central Florida includes An Inquiry into the Water

Around Us as the third and final module in the general chemistry laboratory course for science

majors. Each module includes experiments that carefully scaffold learning in three areas:

chemistry content, inquiry skills, and writing focus. The table below shows an example of where

the module fits into the curriculum. It is critical that the beginning of the semester focuses on

establishing a classroom environment conducive to inquiry and that students have the

opportunity to build their inquiry skills before tackling difficult content. Regarding chemistry

content, the term “basic” is designated for topics that are often addressed before college, while

Service-Learning • Involves service to

and with the community

• Teaches civic responsibility/ sense of caring of others

• Strengthens communities

• Promotes diversity • Addresses a

community need

Both Methodologies • Involves application of course

content • May include experimental

design • Are enhanced through group

work • Are best implemented when

relevant to students • Build upon existing skills • Encourage active learning • Are student directed • Promote deep learning • Are enriched through strategic

writing assignments • Include student reflection

Guided Inquiry • Involves concept

invention • Teaches process of

science • Demonstrates

making a claim based on evidence

• Uses tools to gather, analyze, and interpret data

• Models asking questions

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“intermediate” and “advanced” often correlate to topics covered in chemistry I and chemistry II,

respectively. Regarding the level of inquiry skills necessary, the term “basic” refers to either a

highly guided activity or one that allows for minimal decision making in the experimental

design. Intermediate inquiry skills require a moderate to large amount of experimental design,

while advanced inquiry skills tackle complex procedures or conceptually difficult analysis

measures.

Week Module Experiment Chemistry Content

Inquiry Skills

Writing Activities

1 Module 1:

Introduction to Scientific Inquiry

Safety, Syllabus & Additive Volume Video Experiment

Basic Basic Writing to Learn: Notebooks

2 Electric Solutions

Intermediate Basic Writing to Learn: Notebooks

3 Glassware

Basic Intermediate Writing to Learn: Notebooks

4

Module 2: Experimentation

to Answer Scientific Questions

Chemical Reactions (I)- Precipitation Reactions

Intermediate Basic Formal Writing: Lab Reports

5 Chemical Reactions (II)- Gas Stoichiometry

Intermediate Intermediate Formal Writing: Lab Reports

6 Chemical Reactions (III)- Limiting Reagents

Intermediate Advanced Formal Writing: Lab Reports

7 Antacids- Back Titration

Advanced Advanced Formal Writing: Lab Reports

8 In class Peer Review & Kinetics (I) factors that Affect

Rates

Intermediate Basic Formal Writing: Lab Reports

9 Kinetics (II): Determination of rate law

Advanced Intermediate Formal Writing: Lab Reports

10 Thermochemistry: Specific Heat of Metals

Advanced Advanced Formal vs. Informal Writing

11

Module 3: An Inquiry into the Water Around

Us

Environmental Solutions (I)- Experimental Design

Intermediate Advanced Informal & Civic Writing

12 Environmental Solutions (II)- Spectroscopic Analysis

Advanced Intermediate Informal & Civic Writing

13 Hard Water Ions – Titration

Advanced Advanced Informal & Civic Writing

14 Colligative Properties- Freezing Point Depression

Advanced Intermediate Informal & Civic Writing

15 Final Class Meeting

Time Commitment

The module was designed to fit into an existing structure of a three-hour laboratory course. The

time spent on the module and the types of topics addressed are consistent with similar labs taught

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at other institutions. The service-learning component, the theme that links multiple experiments,

and the use of environmental samples were all incorporated without adding to the amount of time

students must put into the course. We simply changed how the material was taught, and we did

so in a way to make the content more relatable and engaging. The time commitment for the

secondary student partners, displayed below, is mostly comprised of the field trip and the in-class

activities.

Activity (University Students) Time Spent

In class (Four 3- hour lab sessions): Experiments to test for phosphate (2 days), hard water ion, and nonvolatile solute concentrations 12 hours

In-class communications: Preparation and two 30-minute virtual communication sessions at beginning and end of project 2 hours

Out-of-class: Readings, post-labs, letters to secondary partners, and studying for quizzes 9 hours

24 hours total

Activity (Secondary Students) Time Spent In class: Introduction to water sampling, preparing for field trip, conductivity analysis, graphing exercise 2 hours

In-class communications: Two 30-minute virtual communication sessions at beginning and end of project 1 hour

Field trip: Laboratory work and analysis, campus tour, lunch/student panel 5 hours

Out-of-class: Readings, graphing activity, water collection, letters to university partner 2 hours

10 hours total

Before you Begin: For more information regarding service-learning and inquiry instruction, we suggest that you

read Problem Based Service Learning- A field guide for making a difference in higher education

Edited by Rick Gordon (2000) and Chemists’ Guide to Effective Teaching Edited by Norbert J.

Pienta, Melanie M. Cooper, and Thomas J. Greenbowe (2005).

A-6

Extensive additional resources on service-learning can be found on the website for Campus

Compact, a national organization of college and university presidents that support curricular and

co-curricular civic engagement. The URL is http://compact.org.

Finding a K-12 Partner

There are many approaches to finding a K-12 partner. One of the simplest is to reach out to

campus resource centers. Whether in a center for experiential learning, faculty center for

teaching and learning, or office of service-learning, there is a good chance that there are people

on your campus who have connections to local schools. Checking with the college of education

is another option since the service-learning provided in your class may complement another

initiative already in place.

If you have a specific group of students or demographic in mind, you can contact a school

directly. Contact information can typically be found on the school website. Most secondary

schools (grades 6-12) have a science chair or director who can act as a point person for reaching

science teachers.

It is best to have a basic idea of what you are willing to provide and for what you are looking in a

participating teacher when you contact a K-12 partner. Information regarding the amount of

time necessary in and out of the classroom for both the students and the teacher helps to define

the best match for the project. Other logistical issues like the time of the year, method and

frequency of communication needed, and projected benefits for the K-12 students are good to

address when contacting a suitable partner. Our most productive partnerships have been with

teachers who demonstrated strong classroom management, positive student-teacher rapport, and

effective communication.

A-7

Working with a K-12 Partner

Approaching the partnership as a mutually beneficial relationship is the key to a successful

service-learning project. Although it is smart to go into initial meetings with clarity about your

class goals and objectives and a general idea of what can realistically be accomplished within the

limitations of your course schedule and your students' skill sets, listening to the partner’s needs

and getting a true sense of what would be helpful to them will enhance the project and the

partnership. It is best to work with the K-12 partner to determine and document common goals

around which to base the project as well as to define individual roles and responsibilities.

Developing a timeline of events and outlining expectations in writing is critical for establishing

effective ongoing communication.

If you are new to working with K-12 schools, there are a few things to consider. Depending on

your state’s policies, it is possible that entire periods of time and/or groups of students may be

unavailable due to standardized testing, particularly in public schools. It is also helpful to

remember that teachers are often overworked and may not want to take on additional

responsibilities. By working around the K-12 school schedule, organizing as much as possible in

advance, and being patient and flexible, you can improve the university-partner relationship and

better accomplish the project goals. By developing a project that directly addresses a key

learning goal of the secondary students this project can actually relieve pressure on the

partnering teacher, particularly if you choose a topic that she or he finds particularly difficult to

teach.

Course Goals and Objectives

Since the module was designed as part of the general chemistry laboratory for science majors,

the learning goals are to:

• Understand chemistry concepts and their relevance to the environment

A-8

• Engage in laboratory analysis techniques

• Experience the process of scientific inquiry in a safe and inquisitive learning environment

• Learn about civic engagement and community responsibility

• Explore various ways scientists communicate, including written and oral communication

to nonscientific audiences.

Each lesson/experiment contains specific and measureable learning objectives that have been

combined into the list below.

At the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Design a procedure to answer a key question including the control of variables

• Utilize glassware and equipment in alignment with their intended function, specifically

including a burette and spectrometer

• Use laboratory terminology/vocabulary in written and oral communication

• Analyze data through algebraic calculations and graphical analysis

• State a claim based on experimental evidence

• Identify how the laboratory experiments relate to environmental issues

• Communicate to a secondary science student about environmental chemistry issues

Goals for the secondary students are determined on a case-by-case basis but often include:

• Experience a university science course

• Reflect on their potential future participation in higher education

• Learn about science concepts and their relevance to everyday life

• Understand the process of scientific inquiry in a safe and inquisitive learning

environment

A-9

Field Trip Coordination

Logistics and Legal Issues

Depending on the regulations at your institution, there may be numerous steps required to get

permission to bring K-12 students on campus to work in the teaching laboratory. Coordination

with the department, chemistry stock room, environmental health and safety and campus room

reservations two months in advance is recommended. Your school partner should be able to

gather the documentation necessary to receive parental consent for the secondary students.

Regarding laboratory safety, we suggest attaching a copy of the department’s safety rules to the

parent permission slip to make sure that safety is emphasized and consistent throughout the

experience. Most secondary schools have their own set of goggles for students to bring to

campus. If they do not have lab coats, disposable lab coats can be purchased for approximately

$2 a coat through companies like Mr. Disposable Inc.

http://www.mrdisposable.com/disposable_lab_coats.

In the Teaching Laboratory

Depending on the occupancy regulations of your teaching lab, your room may be full to capacity

with just your undergraduate students. If this is the case, it would not be comfortable,

productive, or safe to have all of the students (secondary and tertiary) in the room at one time. In

the past, we have addressed this issue two different ways, both of which depend on the resources

available during the day of the field trip.

Option 1: Utilizing a 2nd Teaching Laboratory In this option, students will be divided into two teaching laboratories. Each room would have a

mix of university students and secondary students performing the same experiment

simultaneously. The advantage to this option is that you have limited movement of the students

A-10

and all of the students experience a similar timeline. The challenge is finding an available

laboratory space, finding another person who is qualified and willing to lead the second

classroom (since the instructor can’t be in both rooms at the same time), and providing enough

laboratory equipment and materials.

Option 2: Utilizing a General Classroom In this option, students rotate between working on the experiment in the lab and working on

paper and pencil activities in a nearby classroom. Each room still holds a mix of university and

secondary students but there are different activities going on in each room. The advantage is that

classroom space may be easier to obtain than lab space and the volunteer monitoring the

classroom does not necessarily need laboratory experience. On the negative side, you have to

prepare flexible activities that can be completed before or after the experiment since students will

be working on them at both times.

Whichever option you choose, it is suggested that time be set aside at the end for data analysis

and the drawing of conclusions to avoid students leaving having only collected data.

Setting up a Campus Tour

When we implement this module on our campus, we give students the opportunity to see several

STEM research labs as part of their field trip in addition to working in the chemistry lab with the

university students. Depending on the number of visiting students and the number of labs

available on your campus, there are a few ways to approach the campus tour. We have had the

most success with breaking the class into smaller groups of 6-8 students because:

• It is easier to keep track of the students in a small group

• It gives the students personal time with the volunteers and researchers

• Many STEM labs can’t accommodate more than a few students at a time

A-11

• It allows more opportunities for questions and answers

• The close proximity to the speaker helps with keeping students' attention

Each lab visit is designed to last approximately 15 minutes, which give researchers enough time

to describe what they do, explain the instruments/equipment in the lab, and answer questions

from students. We try to arrange for each group to visit at least two research labs. If research

laboratory visits are not possible on your campus, consider other ways to demonstrate exciting

STEM opportunities for students. For example, at UCF, one of the campus tour stops is at the

College of Optics and Photonics, which has a graduate student group who specialize in outreach

demos. They are gracious enough to donate their time each year to meet with the student groups

and show them optics demos (which complement the concept of spectrometry that the students

learn in the water analysis lab). Look for similar opportunities on your own campus and

showcase the unique aspects of your school.

When arranging the tours with STEM research faculty, communicate the amount of time the

students will be in the lab, approximately how many students to expect, the level and science

background of the students, as well as what you hope they will get out of the lab visit. From our

experience, it is also suggested to give them your cell phone number (since you will not likely be

checking e-mail during a field trip) as well as an expected window of arrival since you may be

running a little behind or ahead of schedule. We have had successful lab visits both with faculty

researchers who met with the students as well as with graduate student researchers who took the

lead in the lab visit.

A-12

Utilizing Volunteers

During the field trips, we involve a few different types of volunteers. In addition to the STEM

faculty (and often their graduate students or post docs) who speak during the lab visits, we

recruit student volunteers to assist in the logistical aspects of the field trip.

Laboratory Volunteers The laboratory volunteers assist the students during the experimentation portion of the trip. They

support the graduate teaching instructor, help with set up and break down of laboratory materials,

and act as content experts as the students work through the investigation. Our campus requires

these volunteers to have gone through the mandatory safety training. We generally recruit one or

two chemistry graduate teaching assistants who are familiar with the course to serve as

laboratory volunteers.

Team Leaders The team leaders’ job is to navigate and lead a small group of students during the campus tour,

greet and thank the STEM researchers at the labs, and coordinate their student volunteer(s).

Team leaders should know the campus well, have a high level of responsibility, and have a

strong understanding of the service-learning project. These are usually chemistry graduate

students with whom we have worked before or who show a great interest in outreach. We have

also had team leaders who were staff affiliated with the teaching and learning center or the office

of service learning, or even STEM faculty. We typically have one team leader per group of six

to eight students. So if we bring 50 students to campus, we arrange to have seven team leaders.

A-13

Student Volunteers Student volunteers support the team leader, assist in keeping track of and entertaining the visiting

students, run errands if obstacles arise, and talk to the students about UCF. These are usually

undergraduate STEM majors. A few of the university students from the partnering chemistry

class usually volunteer to help with the tours. We also receive a lot of volunteers from STEM-

related student organizations whom we contact at the beginning of the semester. Each student

volunteer provides another set of eyes and ears to make sure the visiting students are safe on

campus and to ensure that the students will never be left on their own (for example if the team

leader needs to use the restroom or if a student becomes ill and needs to be escorted back to the

meeting place early). To help with uniformity, each volunteer is given a name tag and is asked

to sign in and out with their team leader. We try to have one to two student volunteers per team

leader: if we had 50 students visiting the school, we would arrange to have 10-14 student

volunteers.

Student Panel The last part of the field trip involves lunch with a student panel. Those chosen for the panel are

successful undergraduate, sometimes graduate, students who represent the diversity in STEM

fields. We intentionally try to have female students, first generation college students, transfer

students, international students, out-of-state students, and students representing ethnic/racial

groups underrepresented in STEM. We get a list of names of potential students from

representatives of various campus offices and STEM related student organization.

As a courtesy, we send thank you letters printed on university letterhead to all volunteers after

the field trip. We encourage students to keep the documentation of their service so they can

include it in their professional portfolios or CV.

A-14

Selecting a Grade Level and Suggestions for Modifications This module has been completed with 8th grade earth space science middle school students as

well as 9th grade physical science high school students. These populations were chosen due to

their course content as well as their ability to make early high school decisions to study science.

Do to the content level, it is not suggested to go below 7th grade without significant

modifications to the materials used in the module. We imagine that the collaboration would

work well with all levels of high school students with minimal to no modification.

In the past we have modified the module two ways to accommodate partners' needs and

availability. One involved the type of content emphasized with the secondary students, and the

second involved the level/type of the interaction.

Each semester we meet with the K-12 partner and determined what types of activities will best

meet the needs of the secondary students. We use this information to adjust and improve on

existing materials. For example, the semester when we worked with eighth-grade earth space

science students, they were preparing for their state standardized science test and needed

instruction in types of energy, graphing, and data analysis. The next semester we worked with

ninth-grade physical science students who needed a focus on the electromagnetic spectrum and

chemical reactions. Although the experiments we did remained the same, the readings and

practice questions were changed.

Modifications to the level/type of interaction can also be made. Video messages can replace real-

time virtual interactions, which allow flexibility in scheduling. If a site visit to the university is

not possible, synchronous/asynchronous communication can suffice. In the summer, when the K-

12 schools are on break or for programs with many lab sections, we modify the module to

investigate water samples the university students bring in themselves. Instead of communicating

with secondary students, the university students create posters/brochures to give to local

A-15

homeowners and pet owners to communicate the dangers of excess nutrients in the waterways.

Other possibilities for partners include local senior citizens organizations, civic clubs, and

afterschool programs for children.

B-i

PART B: INSTRUCTOR LESSON PLANS FOR UNIVERSITY COURSE

University Lesson Plans and Notes for Instructor

General Class Outline

Lesson plans are designed for 170-minute laboratory class sessions. Due to the inquiry nature of

the course, students are not expected to have learned or read about the experimental topic in

advance. Instead, they complete pre-lab questions that refresh and refine fundamental concepts

that will be necessary to discover the topic of the day. The quiz they take at the beginning of

each class is based on the material on which they experimented the previous week. Quiz

questions are not included in this handbook.

For consistency and organizational purposes, lesson plans follow phases from the 5E learning

cycle (10, 12). Each lesson begins with an engagement demo or activity after which students

are prompted to reflect and report their beginning ideas. After this engagement period the Key

Question of the day is introduced and written on the board to remain for the class period. The

students continue to the exploration phase where they experiment towards concept invention.

During the explanation phase, a class discussion encourages students to make claims based on

their evidence, compare and contrast ideas, summarize trends, and discuss new concepts and

vocabulary. The exploration and explanation phases often require the most time in the lesson.

The elaboration and evaluation phases usually take place at the end of class, at home, or even

the following week. The student laboratory notebooks are formatted using the science writing

heuristic (13, 14).

Laboratory Materials

There is not a specific laboratory manual affiliated with the course. Instead students purchase a

custom course pack and are encouraged to bring their general chemistry textbook to class for

B-ii

chemistry content. All of the course pack materials needed for the module are included at the

end of the handbook. Lesson plans are based on experimental procedures modified from the

2006 McGraw Hill laboratory manual Hands on Chemistry by Jeffrey Paradis and Kristen Spotz.

Lesson Plans Corresponding lab in Hands on Chemistry

Conductivity Analysis (Electrolytes) Experiment 9- Electrolytes in solution: Completing the Circuit

Phosphate Analysis (Spectroscopy) Experiment 14- Spectrophotometric Analysis: Phosphates in Water

Solute Analysis (Colligative Properties) Experiment 22- Colligative Properties: Analysis of Freezing Point Depression

Hard Water (Titration) Experiment 13- A Titration for the Determination of Ions in Water: The Hard Truth

Individual white dry erase boards (approximately 24” by 19”) are used by each group to help

with planning the experiment as well as communicating methods and results to the class. The

white boards, which were cut down from larger sheets obtained from the local hardware store,

were purchased by the chemistry department and can be used by several classes each semester.

FaceTime and Synchronous Communication

Synchronous communication, where students communicate with each other in real time, can be a

great opportunity for student-student interaction without requiring travel outside of the

classroom. The interaction is scheduled a few weeks before the field trip as a way to introduce

the students to each other, to frame the objectives of the project, and to get the k-12 students

excited about visiting the university.

Technology can aid in the communication by offering numerous avenues to connect with each

other. We have used Adobe Connect, Skype, and FaceTime for this module although there are

other platforms available. All three of the programs allow for audio and visual communication

between locations. The biggest issue we have faced regarding synchronous communication has

B-iii

been regarding school firewalls and other technology restrictions. Working with the K-12

school’s technology team, testing the technology in advance, and having a few back-up plans

have been our most successful strategies with communication. Our preferred way to interact

includes using FaceTime with iPads. At each location we connect the iPad to the projector so the

entire class can see the screenshot. We then have students stand in front of the iPad camera

when they speak. The entire interaction is designed to last about 15 minutes. For this to occur,

both classes have to schedule the activity at the same time. If the schedules of the two classes do

not overlap, asynchronous communication can be facilitated through video messages sent back

and forth over a few weeks.

B-1

FaceTime Lesson Plan Before the beginning of the module (recommended one or two weeks in advance)

Timeframe: 60-90 min (Can be broken up and added to the end of two lab periods) Objectives:

• Bring attention to the subtle ways that science words can have different meanings to non-scientific audiences.

• Prepare university students to interact virtually with the secondary students. • Introduce the project to both populations.

Common Student misconceptions/places of frustration:

• We have found that without a formal discussion about appropriate behavior, some students do not always make the best choices when describing the college experience to secondary students.

10 min- Introduction to nonscientific communication

• Slides were created with information from Communicating the Science of Climate

Change by Richard C. Somerville and Susan Joy Hassol (15)

• Present the first slide with the common terms and ask students to write down the first

definition that comes to mind for each term

• Put up second slide with the public and scientific meaning

• Discuss the various meanings of the words and the importance of audience awareness

First slide Term Error

Manipulation Theory Value

Scheme

Second Slide Term Public meaning Scientific Meaning Error Mistake, wrong, incorrect Difference from true number

Manipulation Illicit tampering Scientific data processing Theory Hunch, Speculation Scientific understanding Value Ethics, Monetary value Numbers, quantity

Scheme Devious plot Systematic plan

15 min- Introduce service-learning project

• General timeline • Overall goals • Partnership with secondary students • Importance of being a role model and setting a good example by reminding them to:

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o Acknowledge the value of studying and working hard o Advocate for a healthy work life balance with school o Explain that college is not like in the movies and TV shows (just like high school

is not like in the movies and TV shows) o Mention the importance of diversity

5 min- Description of the virtual interaction

15 min- Student planning time

• How students are arranged in groups depends on the type of collaboration planned. If

your class is working with multiple class periods of middle/high school students, divide

the university students into groups that correspond with the different class periods.

Regardless, aim to keep the number of university students in each group to 6 or below. If

if you have 24 university students and one class period of secondary students you can

have 4 groups of 6 students or 5 groups of approximately 5 students. Keep in mind that

with more groups comes a longer virtual session.

• Each group will think of three questions to ask the secondary students although they will

pick only one to ask during the virtual session.

10 min- FaceTime set up

• Group leaders share their questions with the class and make sure there are no duplicates

• Line up the groups on one side of the room (out of camera view) so they will be ready to

move into the camera’s view when the group before them is finished.

15 min- FaceTime interaction

• Student groups go up in front of the camera one group at a time. Have them arrange

themselves so they can all be seen and introduce themselves individually before the

group leader asks the question. When the secondary students ask their question, anyone

from the group can answer. Students exit camera’s view opposite the way they entered.

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University Student Handout – Initial FaceTime Meeting Group Planning Sheet

Laboratory Section & Date: _______________

Secondary School 1st Period Secondary School 2nd Period University Student Group 1

University Student Group 4:

University Student Group 2

University Student Group 5:

University Student Group 3

University Student Group 6:

One Leader and one Time Keeper are needed per secondary school period. Each group brainstorms three questions to ask the secondary students. Our Group Number: __________ Leader: ____________________________ Time Keeper: ___________________________ Questions for Secondary Students: Q1

Q2

Q3

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University Student Handout – Sample Script – Initial FaceTime Meeting Secondary Teacher’s name: ______________________

University Group Secondary Class Period FaceTime Session 1, 2, 3 1st period _________ to _________ am/pm 4, 5, 6 2nd period _________ to _________ am/pm

Timeline (15 min total) University Leader introduction (1 min) Each group picks one of the three brainstorm questions to ask

⎯ University students ask question #1. Secondary students ask question #1 (4 min) ⎯ University students ask question #2. Secondary students ask question #2 (4 min) ⎯ University students ask question #3. Secondary students ask question #3 (4 min)

University Leader asks secondary school students to collect water samples & wrap up FaceTime session (2 min)

Example script:

University Leader Hey ___________________________________ students! My name is _____________________ (name of secondary school) (name of university student)

and I am here with some of my classmates from our chemistry class at_____________________. (name of university)

We wanted to know if you would help us with a water analysis project. But first, we thought it would be fun to introduce ourselves and get to know you a little bit. I think some of my classmates have a few questions for you. Group 1/Group 4

Hi! I’m ________________________ and I am a(n) ________________________ major. (name of university student) (university student’s major)

I’m a _________________and I am studying to be a(n) ___________________ after I graduate. (freshman etc.) (desired job)

Our first question for you is_______________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________. Does anyone have a question for us? (would you like to ask us anything?) (when answering, speak one at a time and move on if the timekeeper tells you time is up) Now we are going to pass you to another group of our friends (classmates).

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Group 2/Group 5

Hello, I’m ________________________ and I am a(n) ________________________ major. (name of university student) (university student’s major)

I’m a _________________and I am studying to be a(n) ___________________ after I graduate. (freshman etc.) (desired job)

We were wondering _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________. Does anyone have a question for us? (would you like to ask us anything?) (when answering, speak one at a time and move on if the timekeeper tells you time is up) We have one more group that wants to say hello Group 3/Group 6

Hi, I’m ________________________ and I am a(n) ________________________ major. (name of university student) (university student’s major)

I’m a _________________and I am studying to be a(n) ___________________ after I graduate. (freshman etc.) (desired job)

We want to ask you _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________. We have time to answer another question. (when answering, speak one at a time and move on if the timekeeper tells you time is up) Go back to the University Leader

Well, we are really excited about working with you this semester! We are going to send a

sampling kit with directions on how to collect water samples for our project. We are also going

to send you a conductivity apparatus to perform an initial test before you send the water to us.

Your teacher will talk to you about that next week. Anyway, it was really great talking to you

and we can’t wait to talk to you again soon!

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An Inquiry into the Water around Us (1 Week Option) Instructor Lesson Plan for Phosphates & Spectroscopy – Field Trip

Objectives:

• Introduce students to spectroscopy (instruments and theory). • Generate and utilize a calibration curve to determine an unknown concentration. • Collaborate with secondary students to determine the phosphate concentration of

environmental water samples. Common Student misconceptions/places of frustration:

o Sometimes the Spec 20s give inconsistent results (make sure they are warmed-up/tested). o Some students will try to use a different cuvette each time or turn the dials during

analysis. o Students will think that ammonium vanadomolybdate is an indicator (it actually forms

color complex). Chemicals needed:

o Six phosphate solutions with various concentrations ranging from 5.00 x 10-5 M to 5.00 x 10-4 M (Originally diluted from a 1.00 x 10-3M phosphate stock solution)

o Environmental water samples o Ammonium vanadomolybdate (AVM) solution (dissolve 40 g AVM in 400 mL deionized

water, dissolve 1 g ammonium metavanadate in 300 mL deionized water + 200 mL nitric acid, combine both solutions and dilute to 1 L )

______________________________________________________________________________ Quiz and Announcements: (15 min) Lab Safety (10 min)

• Welcome the secondary students. Have students form groups based on initial FaceTime meeting, introduce themselves again, and make name tags.

• Discuss general laboratory safety. • Emphasize that ammonium vanadomolybdate solution is corrosive to skin and eyes.

Introduction to Spectroscopy (15 min)

• Discuss the purpose of the lab to include: • High levels of phosphates in water cause algae blooms (overhead pictures). • Even though phosphates in water cannot be seen with the human eye, we can use

other forms of light. • Have students complete pages 1-2 of the field trip packet in small groups.

Engage: (30 min)

Instructor/Class Demo: ⎯ Get 10.00 mL of each of the 6 stock concentrations and place them in individual

flasks. Label each one to display the concentration of phosphate.

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⎯ Point out that when phosphates are in water you can’t see them. Add 5 mL of ammonium vanadomolybdate (AVM) solution to each beaker. Have them discuss their observations in the small groups.

• Gather ideas from the class and discuss the relationship between color and absorbance/transmittance, and the relationship between absorbance and transmittance.

The Spectrometer (10 min)

• Give students 5 min to explore the Spec 20 but tell them they cannot put any chemicals inside the instrument.

• Go over page 3 in the packet and explain a spectrometer. • Give students 2 min to complete questions (Q2-Q4) in their small group and review

answers. • Zero/Calibrate the Spec 20 together as a class (handout at each spectrometer station may

be helpful). • Give student best practice pointers (don’t touch cuvette with fingers, use same cuvette

each time, read %T and convert to A). Experimentation (30 min)

• Let the students work to collect all of the data. • Suggest that they collect all data before they perform calculations.

Clean-up (10 min)

• Make sure students clean their area. • Have students wash their hands before they leave the lab.

Lunch & Campus Tour

• Continue with field trip (lunch, student research panel, campus tour). • Optional follow-up session that focuses on data analysis and graphing.

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An Inquiry into the Water around Us (2 Week Option) Instructor Lesson Plan for Phosphates & Spectroscopy – Field Trip

Objectives:

• Introduce students to spectroscopy (instruments and theory). • Generate and utilize a calibration curve to determine an unknown concentration. • Collaborate with secondary students to determine the phosphate concentration of

environmental water samples. Common Student misconceptions/places of frustration:

o Students often think of the idea of making a solution of the drinking limit and then visually comparing it to the unknown water samples. This is a great beginning idea so lead the student to consider other ways of “seeing” color besides using your eyes.

o Preceding the idea of a calibration curve, some students come up with the idea to make a bunch of standards (like in the demo) and compare the unknowns to the standards. A bit of conversation is all they need to go from thinking of distinct points to a line.

o Students perform dilution calculations correctly but have difficulty relating the calculations to a procedure for making solutions.

o Sometimes the Spec 20s give inconsistent results (make sure they are warmed-up/tested). o Some students will use different cuvette each time or turn the dials during analysis. o Students will think that ammonium vanadomolybdate is an indicator (forms color

complex). Chemicals needed:

o Phosphate stock solution (1.00 x 10-3M) o Ammonium vanadomolybdate (AVM) solution (dissolve 40 g AVM in 400 mL deionized

water, dissolve 1 g ammonium metavanadate in 300 mL deionized water + 200 mL nitric acid, combine both solutions and dilute to 1 L )

______________________________________________________________________________ Week 1: Field Trip Preparation & Experiment Planning – University Students Quiz and Announcements: (15 min) Engage: (30 min)

Instructor/Class Demo: ⎯ Prepare six different concentrations of phosphate by pouring various amounts of

the phosphate stock solution into multiple beakers and filling to the 10ml mark with DI water.

⎯ Point out that when phosphates are in water you can’t see them. Add 5 mL of ammonium vanadomolybdate (AVM) solution to each beaker. Have students discuss their observations.

⎯ Announce that they will be testing environmental water samples for the presence of phosphate.

Key Question: How can you determine if the environmental water samples violate the drinking water standard for phosphates (0.30 mg/L); do the samples violate the standard?

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• Allow students to write down their beginning ideas. (5 min) • Emphasize that ammonium vanadomolybdate solution is corrosive to skin and eyes.

Explore (45 min)

• Introduce students to the spectrometer, demonstrate how to insert the cuvette and inform students that they should never put chemicals directly into the spectrometer.

• Have students fill a cuvette with the most concentrated phosphate solution from the class demo and let students explore the spectrometer.

• Have students turn the spectrometer dials with and without the sample inserted and make a list of possible inner components and their function.

• Review/explain spectrometer components as a class • Have the students determine the relationship between:

a) Color and absorbance b) Color and transmittance c) Absorbance and % transmittance

• Discuss with students how to choose the best wavelength for analysis. It is helpful to show the color wheel and remind students about absorbed/transmitted color.

• Discuss calibration of spectrometer and blank solutions. It is helpful to have a handout for students outlining how to calibrate the spectrometer; have students calibrate the spectrometer with blank solution.

Experiment Brainstorming (15 min)

• Have students brainstorm about a possible procedure to answer the key question. • Discuss as a class and determine a detailed class procedure for the field trip. • Lead students to the idea of a calibration curve.

Solution Preparation (45 min)

• Students will need to prepare six standard solutions ranging in concentration from 5.00 x 10-5 M to 5.00 x 10-4 M from the 1.00 x 10-3 M stock phosphate solution.

• As a class choose the six standard solution concentrations, and divide the class into six groups. Each group will be responsible for making one of the standard solutions for the field trip.

• Each group should make 50-100 mL of the standard solution to store in a poly bottle until the field trip.

• Students may need to adjust the concentrations depending on the size and availability of glassware.

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Week 2: Service-Learning Field Trip Quiz and Announcements: (15 min) Lab Safety (10 min)

• Welcome the secondary students. Have students form groups based on initial FaceTime meeting, introduce themselves again, and make name tags.

• Discuss general laboratory safety. • Emphasize that ammonium vanadomolybdate solution is corrosive to skin and eyes.

Introduction to Spectroscopy (15 min)

• Discuss the purpose of the lab to include: • High levels of phosphates in water cause algae blooms (overhead pictures). • Even though phosphates in water cannot be seen with the human eye, we can use

other forms of light. • Have students complete pages 1-2 of the field trip packet in small groups.

The Spectrometer (10 min)

• Give students 5 min to explore the Spec 20 but tell them they cannot put any chemicals inside the instrument.

• Go over page 3 in the packet and explain a spectrometer. • Give students 2 min to complete questions (Q2-Q4) in their small group, review answers. • Zero/Calibrate the Spec 20 together as a class (handout at each spectrometer station may

be helpful). • Give student best practice pointers (don’t touch cuvette with fingers, use same cuvette

each time, read %T and convert to A). Experimentation (30 min)

• Let the students work to collect all of the data. • Suggest that they collect all data before they perform calculations.

Clean-up (10 min)

• Make sure students clean their area. • Have secondary students wash their hands before they leave the lab.

Lunch & Campus Tour

• Continue with field trip (lunch, student research panel, campus tour). • Optional follow-up session that focuses on data analysis and graphing.

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An Inquiry into the Water Around Us Instructor Lesson Plan for Hard Water (Titration)

Objectives:

• Determine which metal ions are responsible for causing hard water. • Create a procedure based on an established experimental method. • Use a titration to determine the concentration of hard water ions in environmental water

samples. Common student misconceptions/places of frustration:

• Students often have trouble relating the chemical equations in the established method to a procedure.

• Students assume that the reaction is acid-base because an indicator is used. • Students often confuse endpoint and equivalence point.

Chemicals needed:

• Magnesium nitrate, sodium nitrate, calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate, liquid soap, buffer solution (pH 10), Eriochrome black T (EBT) indicator, 0.1 M EDTA stock solution, 0.1 M magnesium chloride hexahydrate solution, environmental water samples

______________________________________________________________________________ Quiz & Announcements (15 min) Engage (30 min)

• Engagement – test different metal solutions to determine which metal ions are responsible for causing hard water. Instructor Demo: ⎯ Can also be done in large groups or small group as time permits. ⎯ Obtain five test tubes. In four of the test tubes place 0.5 g of magnesium nitrate,

sodium nitrate, calcium nitrate, and potassium nitrate. Fill all five test tubes half way with deionized water. Stopper and shake to dissolve solids. Then add three drops of liquid soap to each and shake.

⎯ The test tube with only water and soap is the control to compare the other four test tubes.

⎯ Discuss results as a class.

• Draw/show structure of EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) and ask the students to indicate which atoms would be Lewis bases. Discuss how EDTA binds to metal ions in water like a hand wrapping around a ball forming bonds called coordinate covalent bonds.

X EDTA X EDTA

where Xn+ represents a hard water ion

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Key Question: What is the concentration (mol/L) of hard water ions in your environmental water sample?

• Allow students to write down their beginning ideas. (5 min) • Ask students to draw a flow chart or picture explaining a procedure to figure out the Key

Question. (5 min) • Safety: Proper disposal of chemicals, Eriochrome Black T will stain skin.

Explore (60 min)

• Mention that there are established methods to determine the concentration of a target analyte.

• Distribute/display information about established method (see handout below). Give students 10 min to write a procedure based on established method. Have volunteers lead the class in developing a procedure if students are getting stuck.

• Example Procedure: Combine 50.00 mL of water (deionized, tap, or environmental sample) with 5.00 mL of buffer, 2-3 drops Eriochrome black T indicator, and 2.0 mL of MgCl2 solution. Heat the solution to 50-60oC on a hotplate. Remove the warm solution from the heat source and add EDTA until a dark blue color persists.

• If students have not yet performed a titration, review buret preparation (cleaning, rinsing, filling, draining only from bottom, reading the graduations) and multiple trials.

Explain (30 min)

• Have student groups present and explain their data to the class. • Compile class data to send back to secondary school. • Guide discussion to include:

⎯ Endpoint/Equivalence point, titration, multiple trials, hard water ions. Optional –Students can determine the hardness of the environmental water samples, conventionally expressed as ppm CaCO3. Service-Learning (15-20 min) Hand out thank you letters from secondary students to the university students and give them time to start planning the response letter they will write for homework. Specific instructions are described in the coursepack.

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Established Method for Determining Mg in Water

Use the following equations and the method described below to develop and experiment to answer the Key Question.

Mg In MgIn

Equation 1

MgIn X EDTA MgIn X EDTA

Equation 2

MgIn EDTA Mg EDTA In

Equation 3

Equation 1 If an aqueous solution of Eriochrome black T (an indicator) is added to a sample containing Mg, it will look pink. Equation 2 When EDTA is added to the pink solution it will bind with any free hard water ions in a 1:1 mole ratio (“free” ions does not include the Mg previously bound to the indicator). Equation 3 Once all of the EDTA is bound to the free hard water ions, the EDTA begins to pull the bound hard water ions away from the indicator. The solution will turn blue once all of the ions are pulled from the indicator. NOTE: The color change for Equation 3 is more apparent if an initial known amount of Mg is added to the water sample. The amount of Mg must be accounted for in the final calculations.

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An Inquiry into the Water Around Us Instructor Lesson Plan for Solute Analysis (Colligative Properties)

Objectives:

• Observe the temperature of freezing water when various solutes are present. • Make a cooling curve for deionized water and environmental water samples. • Calculate the molality of the environmental water samples.

Common Student misconceptions/places of frustration:

• Students find this experiment easy to perform but difficult to understand. • Students confuse chemical reactions and dissociation. They think they are comparing

endothermic and exothermic reactions instead of investigating colligative properties. • Students don’t realize that they need two experimental measurements to make the graph

(x and y value) and they often forget time. • Students comment that the salt makes ice melt faster and attempt to measure rates instead

of collect data for a cooling curve. • Students interchange freezing point and freezing point depression.

Chemicals needed:

• Sodium chloride, calcium chloride, urea, glucose, ice ______________________________________________________________________________

Quiz and Announcements (15 min) Engage (30 min)

• In cold climate areas, salt is often added to roads when it snows. • Show thermometers in two styrofoam cups of ice, one containing ice and one containing

ice and sodium chloride. A good ratio to use is 50 mL water, 200 mL ice, 50 g NaCl. • Explain to the students that one cup contains a mixture of ice/water and the other contains

a mixture of ice/water/salt. Ask students to predict if the thermometers will have the same or different readings. Which cup has the higher/lower temperature? This may be a good time to bring up the calibration of the thermometers. Can you compare the temperature of two different samples with two different thermometers?

• Ask students if they think other compounds (not just salt) would do the same thing. How would you decide which compounds to use to melt ice on roads? (Parameters to consider include how much the temperature lowers, cost, and environmental impact.) Instructor/Class Demo: ⎯ As a class have students write a reaction showing the dissolution of urea, glucose,

sodium chloride, and calcium chloride. ⎯ Measure out 0.1 moles of urea, glucose, sodium chloride, and calcium chloride. (6.0 g

urea, 18.0 g glucose, 5.85 g sodium chloride, 11.1 g calcium chloride) Mix each in a Styrofoam cup with 50 mL of water then add 200 mL of ice. Have a control containing only water and ice.

⎯ Have students read the temperatures to generate class data. Be sure the thermometer is suspended in the mixture, not resting on the bottom of the cup.

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Key Question: How does the presence of solutes in your environmental water sample affect the cooling curve of water?

• Allow students to write down their beginning ideas. (5 min) • Safety: Do not stir with thermometers.

Explore (60 min)

• Hints to students: Remind students about the graph they made for the pre-lab (cooling curve). Before experimenting, decide what data must be collected. Do not put anything, including ice, directly into the environmental water samples. Record the volume/mass of water tested.

• Students need two cooling curves, one of deionized water and one of the environmental water sample. Students should use the same thermometer for all trials.

Explain (30 min)

• Have student groups present and explain their data/graphs to the class. • Compile class data to send back to secondary school for them to graph. ( This is an

optional step that we offer for secondary students classes that want practice in graphing data)

• Guide discussion to include: ⎯ Cooling curve, freezing point/freezing point depression ⎯ Colligative properties, nonvolatile solutes, ∆T K i ⎯ Supercooling

Optional –students can also determine the molality of the solutes in the environmental water samples (the total moles of solute/kg water).

Service-Learning (20 min) • Have students give peer feedback on the hard water letters to their secondary school

partners. • Another option is to have students turn in their letters ahead of time and use this in class

time to revise using instructor feedback. Assignment guidelines are described in the coursepack.

• Ideally it is best to have students turn the final versions into the instructor before the next class meeting so the letters can be received by the secondary students before the last virtual meeting.

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FaceTime Lesson Plan At the end of the module

Timeframe: Approximately 65 min Objectives:

• Summarize the water analysis data • Identify trends over samples • Communicate the overall results to the secondary students • Conclude the working partnership

Common student misconceptions/places of frustration:

• Students may need guidance to articulate the trends they see in the data • Practicing the explanations with the other groups helps the students peer assess the

communication before speaking with the secondary students

5 min- Summary of the service-learning project

• Discuss overall activities/findings • Description of the final virtual interaction (hand out planning sheet) • Break students into groups

15 min- Group summary of plan

15 min- Groups share explanations with the class and receive feedback

5 min- Group revision time

10 min- FaceTime set up

15 min- FaceTime interaction

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University Student Handout – Final FaceTime Meeting Group Planning Sheet

Laboratory Section & Date: _______________

Secondary School 1st Period Secondary School 2nd Period University Student Group 1

University Student Group 4:

University Student Group 2

University Student Group 5:

University Student Group 3

University Student Group 6:

One Leader and one Time Keeper are needed per secondary school period. Our Group Number: __________ Leader: _________________ Time Keeper: _______________ Science topic you will present (circle one): Phosphates, Hard water, Total Solutes

Explanation of science topic

Data ranged from _________ to _____________ what are the units? ____________

What trends can be interpreted in the data?

What are the environmental implications of the results?

Use your ideas above (and the wording from the example script) to draft and explanation for

students:

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Think of three questions that the students could ask you about the topic and report your best

response.

Question Response

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

After practicing your explanation with your peers, revise the statement and write the final

version below.

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University Student Handout – Sample Script – Final FaceTime Meeting

Secondary Teacher’s name: ______________________

University Group Secondary Class Period FaceTime Session 1, 2, 3 1st period _________ to _________ am/pm 4, 5, 6 2nd period _________ to _________ am/pm

Timeline (15 min total) University Leader introduction (1 min) Review data from water analysis project

⎯ Phosphate analysis, solute analysis, hard water ions & explain results (6 min) Secondary students ask questions (6 min) University Leader thanks secondary school students again for collaborating on the project and concludes FaceTime session (2 min) Example script:

University Leader Hey ___________________________________ students, it’s great to see you all again! (name of secondary school)

We wanted to share the results of the experiments we did on the water you all collected. Group 1/Group 4

We want to share the results of the phosphate analysis you all helped with while you were here on campus. We tested many different types of water, from ________________________ to (give one example of water tested)

_________________________ to. The level of phosphates ranged from __________________ to (give a very different example of water tested) (lowest phosphate level)

__________________. Phosphates are ______________________________________________ (highest phosphate level) (give explanation of source of phosphates, summarize data, and environmental

implications)

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________. Now we are going to pass you to another group of our friends (classmates)

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Group 2/Group 5

We want to share the results of our total solute analysis experiments. The level of solutes ______________________________________________________________________________ (give explanation of what solutes are, the importance of testing for solutes, and environmental implications)

______________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________.

The total solute level ranged from _______________________ to _______________________. (lowest total solute level) (highest total solute level)

Now we are going to pass you to another group of our friends (classmates) Group 3/Group 6

We also want to share the results of our hard water analysis experiments. Hard water ions ______________________________________________________________________________ (give explanation of hard water ions, where they come from, and environmental/health implications)

______________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________.

The hard water ion level ranged from ______________________ to ______________________, (lowest total solute level) (highest total solute level)

meaning that __________________________________________________________________. (relate results to level of hard water, which types of water had high/low levels of hard water ions?)

_____________________________________________________________________________.

Go back to the University Leader

Well, we really enjoyed working with you this semester! We have some time to answer any

questions you have about the water project or about your visit to our campus.

(University students take turns answering questions for the remainder of time.)

Go back to the University Leader

University Leader thanks secondary school students again for collaborating on the project and concludes FaceTime session (2 min)

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PART C: UNIVERSITY STUDENT COURSE PACK

University Student Pre-lab/Post-lab Assignments and Notes for Instructor The assignments in the student course pack are designed to enhance the learning experience by

providing additional reflection and practice. Pre-lab assignments are created to prepare students

to discover specific chemistry concepts in lab by reviewing related foundational knowledge.

Due to the inquiry nature of the lab, we do not introduce the concept to be explored before the

experiment although we do prepare students by having them recall facts and skills they will need

in lab. Post-lab assignments consist of two activities, the “Scientist Write!” portion and post-lab

questions. The “Scientist Write!” activities were created to give context to the writing

assignments and structure students’ communication practice while the post-lab questions

elaborate on concepts and problem solving initiated in the lab. We score the pre-lab assignments

out of 5 points and the post-lab assignments out of 25 points (distributed between writing and

question portions). Regarding the post-lab assignments, if there is more writing one week, we

include fewer questions. If there is less writing, there are generally more questions.

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Post-lab writing for the week before you start the module (post-lab questions are not included as it will depend on what lab you do the week before)

Scientists Write! – Formal and Informal Writing (10 points) You have spent the last few weeks learning about formal science writing in the form of peer-reviewed journal articles. This week we will begin to explore informal writing and communication with a nonscientific audience. Read the assigned texts and answer the questions on a separate sheet of paper (all answers may go on the same sheet paper).

Background reading: "Communicating the Science of Climate Change" by Richard C. Somerville and Susan Joy Hassol (Physics Today)

Background reading questions:

1) According to Somerville and Hossel, how should communicating to the public be different than communicating to other scientists?

2) Describe three mistakes that scientists tend to make when communicating to the public. 3) What impact does word choice have on communicating with a general (nonscientific) audience?

Continue reading the following assignments and answer the questions in the table below. Reading Assignment # 1: "No Progress on Nitrate Runoff" by Sara Peach (Chemical and Engineering News online) http://cen.acs.org/articles/89/i33/Progress-Nitrate-Runoff.html

Reading Assignment #2: "New Limits on Algae-Causing Compounds Go into Effect in March-or Maybe Not" by Kevin Spear (Orlando Sentinel) http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-08-27/news/os-

federal-pollution-rule-fight-20110827_1_pollution-rule-agricultural-pollution-pollution-limits

Reading Assignment #3: "Rising Nitrate Levels threaten Silver Springs" (wftv.com) http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/rising-nitrate-levels-threaten-silver-springs/nP8XS/

Reading Assignment #4: "Scientists Lambaste Phosphate Mining Report" by Kate Spinner (Herald-Tribune)

http://www.ocala.com/article/20120731/ARTICLES/120739933?p=all&tc=pgall  

Reading Who is the audience?

What is the purpose of the

article?

Evidence that it does (or does not) follow Sommerville and

Hossel’s “bottom line inverted pyramid” model?

What techniques does the writer use to communicate

the content to the audience?

#1         #2         #3         #4         

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Name: _____________________________

Pre-lab Worksheet: Phosphates Analysis (5 points)

1) Look up the term electromagnetic spectrum in a textbook or web source and explain it in your own words. (1 point)

2) Regarding the visible spectrum, what is the relationship between color and wavelength? (1 point)

3) What volume of a 1.50 x 10-3 M stock phosphate solution is needed to make 100.0 mL of a 5.00 x 10-5 M solution? If you forgot how to do this, look up dilution in your textbook. (1 point)

4) Textbooks often contain diagrams/illustrations to relay scientific information. Read the following passage and draw an illustration that represents eutrophication. Label important items in the illustration. (2 points)

Over the past fifty years, eutrophication has become a major culprit in

the deterioration of aquatic systems. Nutrients, such as phosphate and

nitrate, from fertilizers, animal feedlots, untreated sewage, and

industrial wastewater runoff contributes to the eutrophication of

natural waters. The excessive nutrients cause overgrowth of surface

plants such as algae, leading to algal blooms. The algae overcrowds

and kills other aquatic plants, reduces available oxygen and sunlight,

thereby making the water uninhabitable for aquatic wildlife as well

toxic to land animals that drink the water.

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Post-lab: Phosphate Analysis (Week 1) (25 points total)

Scientists Write! –Informal Writing (10 points)

Next week in class you will be communicating science concepts to the visiting students. This

will give you an opportunity to practice one of the topics we have discussed previously, the

importance of word choice. The first exercise for this week is to prepare you by allowing you to

correct mistakes previous students have made when communicating with secondary students.  

The following statements are excerpts from letters that were written by college students to an 8th

grade science class regarding their water analysis lab. The middle school students collected

water around their town and sent the samples to the university students to analyze. When the

university students wrote back, many of their letters contained communication errors. Read

each statement below and explain why it is incorrect/inappropriate. (Focus on errors related to

the communication of science to a nonscientific audience). (10 points)

1. “The sample had a very minute concentration of phosphate in the spectrometer test we completed, meaning the water came from a well-filtered source and was free of chemicals, fertilizers and other pollutants.”

2. “I am one of the lab students that analyzed the water samples through the spectroscope.”

3. “After your class left the lab, I used the transmittance rate to determine the concentration of phosphate in the water sample.”

4. “Our sample came from the St. Johns River. The water itself even looked like it was contaminated.”

5. “The Econ River sample contained a phosphate concentration of 0M.”

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Name: _____________________________

Phosphate Analysis Post-lab Questions (15 points)

Scientists use an instrument called a spectrometer to quantitatively determine the amount of light absorbed by a solution. The spectrometer has a light source that emits white light, which is focused through a small slit. The wavelength of interest is then selected using a monochromator (“mono” meaning one and “chromate” meaning color) and an additional exit slit. The separation of white light into different colors (wavelengths) is known as diffraction. The selected light then reaches the sample and depending on how the light interacts with the chemical compound of interest, some of the light is absorbed and some passes straight through. By comparing the amount of light entering the sample (P0) with the amount of light reaching the detector (P), the spectrometer is able to tell how much light is absorbed.

1) Define all of the bold words in the previous paragraph. (4 points)

2) Do you think that the amount of light that reaches the detector should be less than, the same as, or

more than the amount that enters the sample? Why? (3 points)

3) Experimental Dilution a. Show the calculation you used to determine how to prepare the solution you were

assigned in class (4 points)

b. Write out a procedure describing how you will perform the dilution described in part a. Your procedure must include details about which type and size of glassware you will use. (4 points)

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Name: _____________________________

Pre-lab: Phosphate Analysis (Week 2) (5 points)

1) Explain the purpose of a calibration curve in your own words. (1 point)

2) Draw a schematic illustration the interior parts of a spectrometer. (2 points)

3) Scientists measure the amount of light passing through a sample in terms of percent transmittance (%T). Percent transmittance is the fraction of original light that passes through a sample. Recall that P0 is the amount of light entering the sample and P is the amount of light reaching the detector.

100 x sample theenteringLight detector thereachingLight (%T) eansmittancPercent tr ⎟⎟

⎠

⎞⎜⎜⎝

⎛=

or 100 x

PP %T

0

⎟⎠⎞

⎜⎝⎛=

Using a spectrometer, a sample was analyzed to have a percent transmittance of 85%.

What percentage of light was actually absorbed by the sample? (1 point)

4) The equation below shows how percent transmittance (%T) can easily be converted into a quantity known as absorbance (A). Though most spectrometers give readings in terms of both %T and A, measurements should be made in %T and mathematically converted to A because %T can be determined more accurately.

⎟⎠⎞

⎜⎝⎛−=

100nceTransmittaPercent log (A) Absorbance

or ⎟

⎠⎞

⎜⎝⎛−=

100%Tlog A

Calculate the absorbance of a sample that has a percent transmittance of 75%. (1 point)

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Post-lab: Phosphate Analysis (Week 2) (25 points)

Scientists Write! – Informal Writing (5 points) Preparing for informal writing project: In the next few weeks you will write a letter to your

secondary lab partner(s) describing the results of this week’s analysis. Answer the questions

below on a separate sheet of paper to plan how you will communicate what you have learned. (5

points)

1) What do you know about your audience? 2) What is the purpose of your communication? 3) What expectations do you think your audience has about the subject? About you as a

scientist/college student? 4) What do you think your audience already knows about the topic? 5) What firsthand experiences do you think your audience has with the topic? (it’s okay to

guess) 6) What terms or ideas are likely to be unfamiliar to the audience? 7) How will the audience use your writing on the topic? What do they hope to gain from

reading your writing? 8) What type of information will you have to research/look up/review to be convincing?

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Name: _____________________________

Phosphate Analysis Post-lab Questions (20 points)

Use the packet that you completed during the field trip to complete the following on a separate sheet of paper.

1) Describe your experimental data in the form of a table. (This should include phosphate concentration, measured %T and calculated A.) (2 points)

2) What is the relationship between: (2 points) • The solution concentration and the observed color? • The observed color and the % transmittance?

3) Out of the four variables in Beer’s law: (3 points)

• Which two were kept constant?   

• Which one was your independent variable?

• Which one was your dependent variable? Beer’s Law and the Equation of a Line As described by Equation 4 in your field trip packet, the absorbance value of a sample has a linear (direct) relationship between the absorbance and the concentration. This relationship is known as Beer’s law.

Absorbance Molar absorbtivity Path length Concentration or A ε b c As long as we account for a blank solution in our studies, a plot of absorbance versus concentration gives a straight line with slope=εb and y-intercept=0. Notice how Beer’s law is similar to the equation of a line. (The y-intercept is 0 because without phosphate, the solution will not absorb light)

Equation of a line y= mx + b Beer’s law A=(�b)c + 0

4) Use the following table to relate the two equations by writing the word (or symbol) in

each box. (2 point) Y value slope X value Y-intercept Equation of a line

Beer’s law

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5) Attach a copy of your calibration curve and identify the equation of the best fit line. (4

points)

6) Determine the concentration of phosphate in your unknown solution by extrapolation of the calibration curve. This will be done directly on the graph with the extrapolation line and respective value shown on the attached calibration curve. (2 points)

7) Determine the concentration of phosphate in your unknown solution by using the

equation for the line of best fit. Calculate this algebraically by using the equation of the best fit line from your calibration curve and inserting the corresponding variables (2 point)

8) Do the unknowns violate the maximum allowed phosphate level? If so, by how much? (3

points)

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Name: _____________________________

Pre-lab: Hard Water (5 points)

1) Look up the following terms and explain them in your own words. (1 point) a. Metal Complex

b. Chemical Indicator 2) Visit the website www.hardwater.org. Describe hard water in your own words and explain

how water becomes hard. (2 points)

3) Water hardness is conventionally expressed as milligrams of CaCO3 per liter. Hard water typically contains more than 1.50 x 10-3 moles of CaCO3 per liter, express this concentration in mg/L. (2 points)

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Post-lab: Hard Water (25 points total)

Scientists Write! –Informal Writing (15 points)

This week you will explain the concept of hard water to your secondary partner in the form of a

letter. In order to avoid making mistakes that are common to novice writers including the use of

sensationalism, incorrect conclusions, wrong associations, and explanations that are out of

context, read the examples below.

Consider the following statements:

Statement 1: “Beware of hard water--it may cause eczema, or a skin rash. Therefore, it would

not be safe to drink.”

This is an example of sensationalism, incorrect conclusion, and wrong associations. The use of

the word “beware” exaggerates the topic and introduces a sense of bias. Hard water does not

cause eczema; it is said to aggravate the symptoms in people who already have the condition

(and even that is questioned in a 2011 British study). In addition, the connection between

drinking water and the cause of eczema is an incorrect association since the believed relationship

is regarding bathing in hard water not drinking the water.

Statement 2: “Because of the Cape Canaveral ocean water being at such a high level of

hardness, I would suggest that softening the water would be a good thing to do.”

This is an example of an explanation that is out of context. The student correctly analyzed the

ocean water as having a high “hardness” level but continued to describe the meaning of the

results out of context. The water in the ocean has a different use in society than tap water. The

concept of softening water concerns household issues like energy efficiency as well as health

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issues related to ion content in drinking water. The student misses the fact that the ocean is

supposed to be “hard.” In fact, the salts in the ocean are what make it a hospitable place for

marine life. Suggesting that the ocean be softened is an example where the correct chemistry out

of context can be very incorrect.

Preplanning:

Similar to the planning you completed last week for the phosphate experiment, use the following

questions to reflect on the audience, purpose, and context of your explanation of hard water. (5

points)

1) What do you think your audience already knows about the topic? 2) What firsthand experiences do you think your audience has with the topic? (it’s okay to

guess) 3) What terms or ideas are likely to be unfamiliar to the audience? 4) How will the audience use your writing on the topic? What do they hope to gain from

reading your writing? 5) What type of information will you have to research/look up/review to be convincing?

Writing assignment:

Using the links below for supplemental reading, write a letter to your secondary student lab

partner and inform them about the results of the phosphate and hard water experiments. Be sure

to include a friendly greeting before describing the chemistry concepts, their application to real

life, the results you found, and the environmental implications. (10 points)

http://www.eastorange-nj.org/departments/water/Hard_Water.htm

http://www.prweb.com/releases/Water-Treatment-Systems/Florida/prweb8907745.htm

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Name: _____________________________

Hard Water Post-lab Questions (10 points)

1) Define the following terms (1 point each) a. Equivalence point

b. Titrant

2) Answer each of the questions below (3 points) a. What color was the blank solution after you added buffer and indicator? What

species were causing the color?

b. What color appeared after the magnesium chloride was added? What species were causing the color?

c. What color appeared after titrating with EDTA? What species were causing the color?

3) Attach a copy of your data table(s). (3 points)

4) Results (2 points) d. Show an example of the calculations used to determine the concentration of hard

water ions in the sample.

e. What can you conclude from the results regarding the sample’s hardness?

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Name: _____________________________

Pre-lab: Solute Analysis (5 points)

1) Explain the difference between molality (m) and Molarity (M). Give the equation for both terms including units. (1 point)

2) A solution is made by dissolving 4.35 g glucose C6H12O6 in 25.0 mL of water. What is the molality of glucose in the solution? (2 points)

3) Sketch a cooling curve for water (do not confuse with phase diagram). Make sure it includes labels for the x and y axis as well as the specific temperatures to indicate the phase change. (2 points)

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Post-lab: Solute Analysis (25 points total)

Scientists Write! –Informal Writing (15 points)

There are many opportunities for students, faculty, and community partners to discuss the

importance of service-learning and civic engagement. Often this information is dispersed is

through seminars, panel discussion, and poster sessions at conferences, showcases, and

community meetings. This week you will write a reflection paper that addresses the entire water

analysis project (phosphate analysis, hard water analysis, and total ion concentration). Envision

that it could be presented to visitors at the UCF Service-Learning Student Showcase, including

students, faculty, and administrators interested in service-learning.

1) Abstract- Describe the overall project. What was the objective? What was your part in the

project? How you did you do it and what were the results? (80 words or less) (3 points)

2) Overview: Describe the breakdown of the project (this is more detailed than the abstract). (2 points)

3) What conclusions/trends can be seen in the data? (2 points)

4) Discuss the evidence of errors/discrepancies and their impact on the project results. (2 points)

5) How could people in other professions (like farmers, politicians, business owners, lawyers, and fishermen) be affected by this information? (2 points)

6) How did the project help you learn the course material? (2 points)

7) What did you learn about communicating to a non-scientific audience? Provide specific examples. (3 points)

8) What value/impact do you think the project had on the partnering students? (2 points)

9) How has this affected (or not affected) your sense of civic awareness and civic responsibility? (You will not be graded on how much it has affected your sense of civic responsibility so please be honest.) (2 points)

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Name: _____________________________

Solute Analysis Post-lab Questions (10 points)

1) Briefly describe the procedure you used to answer the key question. (2 points)

2) Attach a copy of your graph. (3 points)

3) Display the calculations you used to answer the key question. (3 points)

4) Assuming that the temperature does not get cold enough to freeze the fluid in your

radiator, why is it important for Floridians to put antifreeze in their car? (1 point)

5) What is the boiling point of water in your radiator if 2.00kg of ethylene glycol (C2H6O2)

is added to 9.00 x 103 g or water? (1 points)

D-i

PART D: SECONDARY STUDENT MATERIALS

Notes for Instructor The materials for the secondary students are modified each semester to meet the needs of the

students. We have included examples of past materials to help faculty imagine the types of

activities that are possible.

The first few documents make up what we refer to as the “water analysis kit.” This kit includes a

welcome letter to the students, instructions for water sampling as well as empty poly bottles and

Ziploc bags for sample collection.

The second set of documents is intended for a conductivity experiment the secondary students

complete once they bring in the water samples. This includes a lesson plan for the instructor, a

student handout and answer key, as well as a reflection exercise that was modified from an

activity designed by one of our previous partners. Results from the conductivity experiment are

sent to the university along with the water samples to be used in discussions among students.

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Example Welcome Letter

Dear Middle School Students,

My name is Dr. Saitta and I work at the University of Central Florida. UCF is a great place to work because everywhere you look there is someone studying something new and different. One of the topics that my students study is environmental chemistry, which happens to be my area of research. Environmental chemists study the science of the environment and research ways to solve environmental problems. My students and I would like you to help us with a project involving environmental chemistry, specifically the chemistry of water. We are interested to see what types of chemical compounds are in water and how these compounds affect the water’s physical and chemical properties. But first we need water samples, and we want your help collecting them! I have included a few guidelines for you to follow to ensure that we have the best project possible.

1) It is best to collect a variety of water samples. Sources of water may include: ocean,

lake, pool, faucet, well, river, spring, and filtered water. Please do not collect any water that may be dangerous or make someone sick, including toilet water. Do not add anything to the water sample once you have collected it.

2) Only collect a sample that your teacher has approved. Collect the sample of water using the guidelines provided in this kit.

3) Remember that as soon as the water is collected, it is a laboratory sample and must be treated like a chemical in the lab. Therefore you never want to touch, drink, or smell the water samples.

4) After the water is brought back to your science classroom, your class will conduct an initial conductivity test and record the results. The results will then be sent to UCF along with the water samples for further analysis.

5) You may want to keep the class data posted somewhere in the classroom so you can compare data with other classes.

We are very excited about working with you and look forward to receiving the water that you will collect for the project. Let us know if you have any questions. Thank you for offering to help us and we look forward to seeing you and talking with you soon!

Dr. Saitta University of Central Florida Chemistry/ Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning

D-2

Field Sampling Guidelines

Please read the following guidelines to collect a water sample for the service-learning project. Then fill two sample containers from the same location and complete the Sample Collection Data Sheet.

Sample Containers The provided sample containers have been washed with non-interfering detergent and have been decontaminated.

Sample Collection There is no universal method to collect water samples. The water source, chemical analysis, and depth of sample all determine how the water should be collected. For this project you will collect the water by the direct method or the flow method, but keep in mind that scientists have numerous water sampling methods from which to choose.

• Direct Method The direct method is for streams, rivers, oceans, or other surface waters where the container can be submerged during sample collection. The collector will first submerge the closed sample container and then open the container under the surface. The collector will then let the water flow into the container and finally close the container while it is still underwater. This will make sure that none of the surface contaminants make it into the container.

• Flow Method The flow method is for water that comes out of a faucet. This is good for well water and water from a public utility. First turn on the cold water faucet and allow the water to run for 10 minutes (if possible). This will allow for water to be purged from the pressure tank. After 10 minutes, reduce the flow and start collecting the water in the sample container. Allow the water to overflow the container so when the cap is replaced, there are minimal air bubbles.

Modified from the U.S. EPA Region 9 Laboratory Field Sampling Guidance Document # 1335 Surface Water Sampling, Richmond California.

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Sample Documentation Each location sampled should have a Sample A and Sample B. These are intended to be duplicates and therefore should be sampled as close to each other as possible and in the most similar way. A sample collection data sheet (attached to the bottom of this page) must be filled out for every sample location. A chemical label must also be affixed to the outside of each container and include the sample ID, the location collected, the day collected, and the initials of the collector. After collecting the water sample, dry the outside of the container and affix the labels. Place the Sample Collection Data Sheet and the two water samples in the provided zipper bag. Sample Errors The two biggest errors that interfere with water sampling are cross-contamination and improper sample collection. Cross-contamination occurs when chemicals that are not part of the sample make their way into the container. One way to avoid this is to only use the provided water containers. Do not add anything to the water one your sample is collected! Improper sample collection can also lead to experimental errors. One way to avoid this interference is to sample in an undisturbed area and make sure that no dirt, sand, or plants also get collected. Sample Preservation Once samples are collected, do not expose them to extreme temperatures. Do not put the sample containers in direct sunlight. Ideally, the samples should be kept in a cool dry place until they are brought to the lab. In addition, containers should not be reopened except during class laboratory experiments. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sample Collection Data Sheet Sample IDs: Sample A______________________ Sample B______________________

Type of water (circle one): Faucet Well Lake/Pond Ocean Other _________________

Sample collection method (circle one): Direct Flow

Sample Location: _____________________________________________ Location Description: ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Other observations/notes: _________________________________________________________ Time of day sample was collected: ___________________ Date: ___________________ Full Name of Collector (print): ________________________________________ Signature of Collector: _______________________________________________

Modified from the U.S. EPA Region 9 Laboratory Field Sampling Guidance Document # 1335 Surface Water

Sampling, Richmond California.

D-4

Conductivity Analysis Lesson Plan (50 min) Objectives:

• Observe how various compounds behave when dissolved in water. (middle and high school)

• Relate ions in solution to conduction of electricity. (middle and high school) • Understand how concentration affects conductivity. (middle and high school) • Develop a method for categorizing compounds (flow chart) based on the ability of their

aqueous solutions to conduct electricity. (high school) • Differentiate between covalent non, weak, & strong electrolytes vs. ionic electrolytes.

(high school) Common student misconceptions/places of frustration:

• You may have to turn down the lights to see some of the results. • Avoid false positives from contamination and false negatives from not fully submerging

the electrodes. • Students think that water conducts electricity because of the safety concerns they hear

about. • When going into further categorizing with ionic and covalent, students will think some

strong acids are ionic because they break up into ions and conduct electricity (high school).

Materials: Conductivity apparatus, various beakers, DI water, electrolyte drink, various types of water, other things to test (salt, vinegar, sugar, other soluble compounds) Engage (5 min): Place the conductivity apparatus in one solution that conducts electricity and one that does not. Key Question 1: What types of solutions make the light bulb light up? Allow students to write down their beginning ideas (3 min) Explore (10min): Safety: Avoid electric shock and do not touch electrodes while plugged in. As a class, test conductivity of each substance. Collect data on the board and have students write down the data on their own sheets of paper. Depending on the level of students you may want to write the equation showing how the compound dissociaties (or not) in water. More advanced students can do this on their own. Students enjoying predicting the results before testing. Guide discussion to include: Vocabulary: Conductivity, ionic/covalent, dissociation, electrolytes Chemicals conduct electricity if there are ions Not all ions dissociate completely Extension Question 1: Based on our results, should water conduct electricity? (2 min)

D-5

Extension Question 2: Does concentration affect conductivity? (5 min) Testing of water samples (10 min) Now that students have a beginning understanding of electrolytes and ions in solution, have them take turns testing their group’s water sample. Make sure that the smallest possible amount of water is used since the rest of the water needs to be used for three more experiments at the university. Wrap up discussion (5 min) Have students reflect on the results of the initial tests. Did they get the results they expected?

D-6

Name: __________________________________

Electrical Conductivity Data Sheet

The picture on the left shows a light bulb brightly shining as two electrodes are submerged into a salt water solution. Salt water contains electrolytes that enable a solution to conduct electricity. This occurs because positive and negative charges flow freely through the solution. If a solution contains electrolytes, the light bulb will light up. The more electrolytes that a solution contains, the brighter the bulb will light. Today your class will be testing various solutions for electrical conductivity. Use this sheet to record your observations.

Sample No Light

Dim Light

Bright Light

Very Bright Light

Additional Observations

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Name: ___________Example Key__________

Electrical Conductivity Data Sheet

The picture on the left shows a light bulb brightly shining as two electrodes are submerged into a salt water solution. Salt water contains electrolytes which enable a solution to conduct electricity. This occurs because positive and negative charges flow freely through the solution. If a solution contains electrolytes, the light bulb will light up. The more electrolytes that a solution contains, the brighter the bulb will light. Today your class will be testing various solutions for electrical conductivity. Use this sheet to record your observations.

Sample No Light

Dim Light

Bright Light

Very Bright Light

Additional Observations

NaCl (salt)

X Has a lot of ions

Sugar

X Does not have ions

Vinegar

X Has few ions

Gatorade

X Has ions

Sample I:

Lake water

X No light so probably does not have ions

Sample II: Well water

X Dim light so it probably

has a few ions

D-8

Name: __________________________

Electrical Conductivity Inquiry Project

1) What is your answer to the Key Question “What types of solutions make the light bulb light up?”

2) What environmental sample did you analyze?

3) Which method was used to collect your water sample?

4) Describe your procedure for testing the water sample for conductivity.

5) Explain the steps taken to reduce errors in your analysis.

6) What did you observe?

7) Discuss the meaning of your results.

E-1

PART E: FIELD TRIP MATERIALS

Notes for Instructor This section includes materials designed to facilitate the field trip. A sample field trip agenda

and contact info sheet are included to help with logistics. We also hand out campus maps to

volunteers and visiting public school teachers (not included in this guide).

The last document is the handout packet provided to each student (university and secondary) on

the day of the visit. This multipage packet is where the students explore their beginning ideas,

collect data, and analyze results.

We have found additional helpful resources online including NASA, who provides many

teaching resources for the electromagnetic spectrum:

• http://missionscience.nasa.gov/ems

• http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids/imagers/teachersite/wacstown.pdf

E-2

Example Field Trip Agenda

7:30 AM High school begins

7:45 AM Students depart from high school

8:15 – 8:20 AM Students arrive at UCF and walk to designated buildings

8:25 – 9:20 AM GROUPS 1&2: Work on worksheets in the Physical Science Building

GROUPS 3&4: Perform the lab in the Chemistry Building

9:25 – 10:20

GROUPS 1&2: Perform the lab in the Chemistry Building

GROUPS 3&4: Work on worksheet in the Physical Science Building

10:25-10:45 Groups 1,2,3& 4: Work on data analysis in the Physical Science Building (provide bathroom breaks)

11:00 – 11:45 AM Lab tours

GROUP 1 GROUP 2 GROUP 3 GROUP 4

11:00 – 11:15 CREOL

CREOL atrium

CREOL CREOL atrium

LAB 3 Biological Sciences

LAB 4 Physical Sciences

11:20 – 11:35 LAB 1 Engineering

LAB 2 Physical Sciences

CREOL CREOL atrium

CREOL CREOL atrium

11:40-11:55 LAB 2 Physical Sciences

LAB 1 Engineering

LAB 4 Physical Sciences

LAB 3 Biological Sciences

12:00–1:05 PM Lunch in Marketplace Dining Hall with student panel

1:20 PM Students depart from UCF

1:50 PM Students arrive back at school

2:11 PM School ends  

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Example Field trip Contact Sheet

In the event of an emergency call 911

Name Role Cell Phone #

Event Time Student departure from secondary school 7:30 am Secondary student arrival at university 7:45 am Session 1: Chemistry Lab/Worksheet Activity 8:25 to 10:45 am Location: ------------------------------------------------- Session 3: Campus Tour 11:00 to 11:45 am Locations: Session 2: Lunch and Student Panel 12:00 to 1:05pm Location: ------------------------------------------------- Transition back to bus & departure 1:20 pm Arrive back at secondary school 1:50 pm

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Name: ______________________________ Lab Partners: ______________________________

Introduction to Spectroscopy Part 1: Match each definition with the correct diagram

Definition Diagram a) Absorption- The

process of a sample taking in light

b) Reflection- The change

in direction of a wave at a surface (light bouncing off objects)

c) Refraction- The

bending of a wave as a result of passing through a different material

d) Transmittance- A

fraction of light that passes through a sample

Match each picture below with a corresponding definition above and give a short explanation for your choice. Definitions may be used more than once.

E-5

Part 2: Making Waves!!!!! Look at the diagram of the wave below. Fill in the boxes with the term given below that is most closely associated with the diagram.

Wavelength Crest Trough Amplitude

Frequency (in hertz) is defined as the number of waves per second.

Frequency hzNumber of waves n

Seconds sec

Equation 1

Every year during homecoming, UCF hosts an event called “spirit splash” where students (sometimes as many as 5,000!) jump, dance and splash in the reflection pond in anticipation for the football game at the end of the week. When Giselle jumped in the water, she noticed waves rippled from where she landed. She began to count the waves as they passed her fellow classmates. Q1 - Waves Giselle counted eight waves in 30 seconds. What is the wave frequency hertz (Hz)?

Reflection pond photo courtesy of UCF

E-6

Part 3: The Spectrometer A spectrometer is an instrument used to test how much light is absorbed by a solution. The main internal parts of a spectrometer are shown below. A light source emits white light, which contains a mixture of all colors. The light is focused into a narrow beam using a slit (some spectrometers use mirror). The wavelength (or color) is chosen using a monochromator (mono = one, chroma = color). Then the exit slit selects the correct wavelength (or color) that is directed toward the sample

Q2 - The spectrometer Do you think that the amount of light that reaches the detector will be less than, the same, or more than the amount of light that enters the sample? Why?

In a spectrometer, some of the light passing through a sample is absorbed and some of the light is transmitted through the sample. The light that passes through a sample is measured in terms of percent transmittance (%T). The percent transmittance is the ratio of light that passing through a sample (P) in relation to the amount of light that first enters the sample (P0).

Percent transmittance %T Light reaching detectorLight entering sample 100 or %T

PP 100

Equation 2

Q3 - Transmittance Using a spectrometer, a sample was analyzed to have a percent transmittance of 85%. What percentage of light was absorbed by the sample?

When reading a spectrometer, the %T value should be recorded. Because %T is a more accurately measured experimental value, measurements must be converted to absorbance (A) using Equation 3 below.

Absorbance A logPercent transmittance

100 or A log %T100

Equation 3

Q4 - Absorbance Calculate the absorbance of a sample that has a percent transmittance of 75%.

E-7

Name: _____________________

Data Collection Introduction Using a wavelength (λ) of 400 nm, the percent transmittance and absorbance of six standard phosphate solutions will be measured and used to construct a calibration curve. A calibration curve will be used to relate the absorbance of the environmental water sample to a phosphates concentration. Procedure Important: All samples must be measured with the same cuvette. All phosphate solutions should be properly discarded in the labeled waste container.

• Make the blank solution by mixing 10.0 mL of deionized water and 5.00 mL of the ammonium vanadomolybdate solution into a small beaker.

• Make the six calibrating solutions by combining 10.0 mL of each standard phosphate solution and 5.00 mL of the ammonium vanadomolybdate solution into six small beakers.

• Between each spectrometer measurement, rinse the cuvette three times with about 1 mL of the solution you are going to test.

• Fill the cuvette three-quarters of the way full with the solution you are testing. • Insert the cuvette into the spectrometer. • Measure and record the percent transmittance. • Repeat this procedure for the remaining phosphate calibrating solutions and blank

solution. • Once the transmittance is recorded, calculate the absorbance using Equation 3.

Absorbance A logPercent transmittance

100 or A log %T100

Equation 3

Table 1: Experimental Data Solution

Concentration Observed

Color Observed

% Transmittance Calculated Absorbance

Blank 4.00 x 10-5 M 7.00 x 10-5 M 1.00 x 10-4 M 2.00 x 10-4 M 4.00 x 10-4 M 1.00 x 10-3 M

Water Sample No. ______ Location: __________________

Water Sample No. _____ Location: __________________

Q5 - Analysis What is the relationship between the solution concentration and color? What is the relationship between the color and the % transmittance?

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Name: _____________________________

Data Analysis We have all of the absorbance values….now what? The absorbance value of a sample is very useful information because of the linear (direct) relationship between the absorbance and the concentration. This relationship is known as Beer’s law.

Absorbance Molar absorbtivity Path length Concentration or A ε b c Equation 4

A is the absorbance of the sample. It is a measure of the interaction of the chemicals (phosphate) with light.

ε is the molar absorptivity. It is a measure of how well a chemical or substance (phosphate) absorbs light.

b is the path length, or the distance the light travels through the sample. It is equal to the width of the cuvette.

c is the concentration of the solution tested. It represents the amount of absorbing chemical species in the sample.

Q6 - Beer’s law Of the four variables in Beer’s law, which two were kept constant and which two changed throughout your experiment? Beer’s Law and the Equation of a Line Notice how Beer’s law is similar to the equation of a line. By testing a blank solution we can generate a y-intercept and use Beer’s law to make a straight line called a calibration curve. (The y-intercept is 0 because without phosphate, the solution will not absorb light)

Equation of a line y mx b Beer’s law A εb c 0

Use the following table to relate the two equations by writing the word (or symbol) in each box.

y value slope x value y-intercept Equation of a line

Beer’s law

A calibrchemical(x-axis) athe calibwater sam

What is t

ration curve l species. Usand calculatration curvemple(s).

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unknown w

ame: ______

rve he unknowncalibration card phosphate the unkno

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Over the pastf aquatic syeedlots, untutrophicatiolants such aquatic planninhabitable

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he relationshw the amounphate/oxygen

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industrial whe excessivelgal blooms.oxygen andwell toxic to

rophication e? Why?

hip between pnt of phosphan relates to e

s in our watosphate soluybdate stock

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ter samples,ution with dk solution w

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several medifferent co

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4) When the spectrometer was used to find the absorbance of the phosphate solutions, the wavelength that was selected was 400 nm. For a light wave of 400 nm, the crest of the wave will pass a certain point 3.75 x 1015 times in five seconds.

a. Calculate the frequency of this light in hertz (Hz).

b. What is the velocity of the light? Give your answer in nm/s. 5) Look at the following picture, read the sentence and fill in the blank.

a. When light passes through a prism it is separated into different wavelengths we see as

different colors. This is an example of _________________.

b. __________________ is the amount of light that passes through a sample.

c. The bending of light as it passes from one material into another is called

_______________.

d. Lighthouses use mirrors to project light as a signal for ships at sea. This technology is

an example of __________________.

Absorbance Transmittance Diffraction Reflection

F-1

PART F: REFERENCES

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Guide for Teaching and Learning. (NRC, National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 2000).

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3. M. R. Abraham, in Chemists' Guide To Effective Teaching, N. J. Pienta, M. M. Cooper, T. J. Greenbowe, Eds. (Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, 2005), vol. I, pp. 41–52.

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6. M. A. Bowdon, R. G. Carpenter, Eds., Higher Education, Emerging Technologies, And Community Partnerships : Concepts, Models and Practices (Information Science Reference, Hershey, PA, 2011).

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9. National Research Council, National Science Education Standards (NRC, National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 1996).

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