Balloons or Bust Opener
Sample Standard: Explain how atoms join with one another in various combinations in distinct molecules.
Grade level: 8
Time: 10 minutes
Materials: Balloons, sewing needles of varying length and thickness, cooking oil, paper towel
Group Size: Any
Purpose: To understand how molecules forming polymers have specific properties
Activity:
- Students find a partner and get their materials.
- Blow up the balloon to 80% capacity and tie it off.
- Cover the needle with cooking oil.
- Slowly, insert the tip of the needle into the bottom end of the balloon, opposite where it was tied off. It will not break.
- Slowly remove the needle from the balloon.
- Now pop the balloon by inserting the needle quickly.
- Ask students to guess why the balloon did not break the first time. (Key: The balloon is made from polymer chains that stretch and seal around the needle)
- Allow the students to partner together and experiment with this themselves.
Modification for Above-Level Students
- Have the students diagram the combination of molecules for polymers.
Hey! Big Spender
Sample Standard: Solve addition and subtraction problems using currency.
Grade Level: 4
Time: 15 minutes
Materials: Large index cards with prices written on them
Oversized $100 bills for prizes
List of classroom items for each team with different items on each list
Answer key for each itemized list
Group size: Any. Break the class into teams of 3.
Purpose: To use during a unit on adding and subtracting decimals using currency after students have learned how to add decimals.
Activity:
- Prior to class put price tags on items around the classroom (e.g. pencil sharpener $12.89, white board $34.75).
- Put students into groups of three and give each group a list of classroom items to “buy” with $100.
- Students then go around the room looking for the prices of the items on their list and recording them.
- Then they add up the prices to get up to $100 without going over. No calculators may be used.
- The first group to accurately spend their $100 gets “big money” prizes of oversized $100 bills. The teacher will have the answer key for each list to be able to check quickly for accuracy.
Sample list:
White board $34.75
Pencil sharpener $12.87
Teacher’s desk $16.43
Computer $35.92
Total $99.97
Modification for Above-Level students:
- Give them items that add up to more than $100 so that they have to determine which items they can buy without exceeding the $100 limit.
