Week 13 Blog - Elementary Science Methods (Addyson Junge)

Week 13 Blog - Elementary Science Methods (Addyson Junge)

April 27, 2025


    Figure 1                                    Figure 2                                     Figure 3

  1. What did you learn this week?
    • This week, we revisited the M&M experiment that we did in Week 11, but this time, we focused on the "why" question: "Why does it do this?" To answer this question, we had to run a basic experiment with one plate of M&Ms, then record our data (Figure 1). For our next experiment, we wanted to see the effect sugar had on the saturation of M&M color. So, we ran another test, but this time with two plates, one with 1 Tbs of sugar and the other with no sugar, side-by-side, and recorded our data (Figure 2). Lastly, my group and I did not see a clear change, so we ran the test again, but with 2 Tbs of sugar and the other with no sugar (Figure 3). We jotted down our results, finding that the M&M color spread more slowly in the plate of water with the sugar. We then talked about the reasoning behind that during our lecture. 
  2. Which parts did you find clear and which were confusing?
    • The part I found confusing during the lab was the measurements of the dice. I forgot that to find the volume of a cube, you multiply the length by the width by the height, and then you can find the density. After I had asked that question, it was clearer to me. Something I found clear was learning about why the sugar prevented the M&M color from spreading at a faster pace. The sugar molecules are bumping into the water molecules, which slows down the spread of the M&M color. 
  3. How can you apply what you've learned to your teaching in the future?
    • I can teach and explain how the sugar molecules prevent the M&M color from spreading faster by allowing them to explore the simulations. For me, the simulations were great visual representations of how and why the sugar affected the spread of M&M color. I could also explain it to my students as population density, which is a helpful comparison. For example, I could say, "Imagine everyone running in New York City trying to get somewhere. Now, imagine everyone in rural Iowa running to get somewhere." Then I would go more in-depth on that and explain how that correlates to sugar, water, and color molecules. 

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