Tricks in Induction Set

1.1. Objectives

Tricks in Set Induction aims to:

i. Arouse the pupils interestii. Make the lesson more livelyiii. Stimulate pupils’ curiosityiv. Provide pupils with opportunities to develop

science process skills and thinking skillsv. Provide pupils with basic science

knowledge and conceptsvi. Appreciate the contributions of science and

technology towards the well being of mankind.

Tricks in Science stimulate and excites children’s curiosity about phenomena and events in the world around them. It also satisfy their curiosity. Good teaching in primary science involves understanding the children’s idea on the topic and enable teachers to plan work that challenge and reconstruct the children’s idea. Tricks in science allow pupils to think ahead and create the excitement of learning a new lesson.

Teacher carries out set induction which attracts pupils’ attention / stimulates pupils’ mind / is directed towards pupils’ mental readiness

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1.2. Method

Tricks in Set Induction can be carried out as below:

i. Demonstrationsii. Hands-on activitiesiii. Discussions

Teacher’s Demonstration

A demonstration may be used as part of a teacher’s exposition. This is often easily controlled with the children sitting, listening, watching and participating. Teacher’s demonstration to the whole class should be used where appropriate. Teacher should consider the following when demonstrating the idea:

Ensure that all children can see what you are doing. Try to demonstrate with large piece of equipment.

Make the demonstration short and snappy. Involve the children with demonstration. Reinforce the main points by asking following up questions.

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1.3. Activity

”The Curious Comb”

Topic Related:

Electricity

Objective:

To introduce electricity

Materials needed:

Comb,a piece of paper,woollen cloth

Steps:

1. Tear / cut a piece of paper into small pieces.

2. Ask a pupil to rub a plastic comb briskly on a woollen cloth and then hold it as near as possible to the pieces of paper.

Note:

Electrostatic is a kind of electricity which is static

(Doesn’t flow)

Questions Asked:

What can you observe?

(The papers are

attracted by the

comb because

rubbing the comb

on a woollen cloth

charges it with static

electricity.)

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”Shadow O Shadow”

Topic Related:

Light

Objective:

To demonstrate

how a shadow is

formed and to

create some

shadow picture

using this

information

Materials

needed:

Torch light or

desk lamp, a

darkened room, a

white wall or

screen

Steps:

1. Select one pupil to shine a torch on the

white wall / screen.

2. Ask other pupils to move their hands up

and down in the light making the shadow

on the wall / screen.

3. Move the hands backward and forwards

to see the sizes of the shapes.

Questions Asked:

What can you see on

the wall / screen?

What is the

colour of the

shadow?

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“The Falling Cup”

Topic Related:

Heat

Objective:

Understanding

the effects of

heat on matter.

Materials

needed:

balloon

rubber band

candle

polystyrene cup

lighter

Steps:

1. Blow a balloon.

2. Put polystyrene on the surface of the balloon.

3. Blow the balloon again until it covers the cup

fully and traps the air inside.

Questions Asked:

Predict what will happen to the cup? (The heat from the candle flame warms the cold air in the cup causing it to expand, pushing the cup up to fall down.)

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”Rolling Can”

Topic Related:

Energy

Objective:

To understand that energy can be transformed from one form to another.

Materials needed:

Empty tin can,Rubber band,Paper clip,Ice cream sticks.

Steps:

1. Make a hole at the top and bottom of a tin can.

2. Insert a rubber band through the hole.

3. At one end, put a paper clip to the rubber band, while on the other end, insert an ice-cream stick to it.

(The length of the ice-cream stick is longer than the diameter of the tin.)

4. Twist the stick 10 – 15 times.

5. Let go the tin on the floor.

6. Observe.

Questions Asked:

What can you observe?

How to make the can move faster or slower?

Notes:

The energy produce by twisting the ice cream stick and the rubber band is potential energy. It changes to kinetic energy when the can moves.

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“Ice Cube Necklace”

Topic Related:

States of Matter

Objective:

Understand water

in the form of

solid, liquid and

gas

Materials needed:

Ice cubes

Thread

Glass

A bottle of salt

Steps:

Ice Cube NecklaceThis trick will keep you amused. All you need is a piece of string, some ice cubes in water and a sprinkle of salt.

1. Float a few ice cubes in a glass of water.

2. Wet a piece of cotton string with water. Lay the string on top of the ice cubes.

3. Sprinkle salt all over the string and wait for about 5 or 10 seconds.

4. Now lift the string and the ice cubes will be stuck to it. Makes a pretty cool necklace eh? Cool? Boom-boom!

Informations:

What's going on?

Pure water freezes at 0°C. Adding salt or any other soluble material (like sugar) reduces the freezing temperature of water. Seawater contains roughly 35 grams of salt per litre (that's about two teaspoons per cup) and freezes at -1.8°C. But keep adding salt and the freezing temperature of water can drop as low as -21°C!

Salt and other solutes (substances that dissolve) reduce the freezing point because they disrupt the crystal structure of ice and reduce the concentration of pure water. At 0°C, the molecules in pure water form very strong bonds with each other which "locks" them into position to form the solid we call ice. If foreign molecules such as sodium and chlorine (the ingredients in common table salt) squeeze between water molecules, these bonds can't form.

Any reduction in the concentration of pure water depresses the freezing point. So the higher the salt concentration, the lower the freezing point.

When you sprinkle salt onto an ice cube, the local salt concentration skyrockets and the freezing point comes tumbling down. But the melting water flows off the cube and flushes some of the salt away which reduces the local concentration on top. The lower salt concentration raises the freezing point again so the water refreezes. As it does, it traps the string and you've caught yourself an ice cube!

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“Blooming Balloons”

Topic Related:

States of Matter

Objective:

To show that it is

possible to stick a

pin in balloon

without bursting it

Materials needed:

balloon, adhesive

tape,skewer / long

wire / satay stick

and scissors

Steps:

1. Ask a pupil to inflate a balloon, tell him /

her not to blow too hard.

2. Stick a piece of adhesive tape on the

balloon.

3. Take a skewer ( long iron rod with sharp

end ) and very carefully push it into the

balloon through the tape. ( You may also

used other suitable object to replace

skewer such as long wire or satay stick ).

The length of the skewer must be longer

than the size of the inflated balloon.

4. Observe what happen to the balloon.

Questions Asked:

1.What did you observe?

Pupils will observe the pin will go through the tape and the balloon, without bursting it.

Reference:

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Balloon Shish KebabThis is a classic trick everyone should know. All you need is a shish kebab skewer and a balloon, and a bit of confidence that it will work!

(Note: this trick always works with high quality balloons but beware cheap ones!)

1. Inflate a balloon so that it is no longer than your shish kebab skewer.

2. Carefully poke the pointy end of the skewer into the centre of the dark spot on top of the balloon.

Do this carefully – you need to overcome your fear of the balloon popping and press fairly hard.

3. Once you've got the skewer in the balloon, you need to carefully slide it so the pointy end comes out right next to the knot.

Hold your balloon up to a light so you can see where the skewer is inside.

4. Voila – a balloon shish kebab!

The balloon didn’t pop and you can even carefully take the skewer out again. Amazing.

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What's going on?

When you inflate a balloon, nearly all the rubber stretches... a lot! As the rubber stretches, it gets a lot thinner too. But the dark spot at the top, and the area around the knot are not stretched much, if at all. The spots are dark because they're thicker then the rest of the inflated balloon.

The tension in the rubber of an inflated balloon causes even the tiniest tear to grow very fast. As soon as a tear appears, the tear races around the balloon and it pops with a loud bang.

But in the dark spots at the top and bottom of a balloon there is no tension, so a tiny tear won't grow here and the balloon won't pop.

Balloons are made by dipping metal moulds into liquid latex. The dark spot at the top is a result of this process. There's a great photo of a balloon production line at the website below.

Photo of balloon production linehttp://merlin.alfred.edu/muller/FormerPhysWorld/PhysWorld/Project5/how_are_balloons_made.htm

High speed photo of a water balloon poppinghttp://courses.ncssm.edu/hsi/pacsci/student_photos.html

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“Rain Drops”

Topic Related:

States of Matter

Objective:

Understanding that matter can change from one state to another.

Materials

needed:

ice cubes

jar

hot water

tray

Steps:

1. Place an aluminium tray in the freezer until it is cold. Remove it and place ice cubes in it.

2. Fill a jar with hot water and place the tray with ice cubes over the jar’s mouth. Leave it there for several minutes.

3. When the water vapour from the jar rose to the top it will heat the cold tray. The water vapour will turn into water and drops as rain.

Questions Asked:

What do you observe?

( The pupils see the condensation build on the bottom of the tray.)

“Wonder of Purple Cabbage”

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Topic Related:

Acid and Alkali

Objective:

Understanding the

properties of

acidic, alkaline

and neutral

substances

Materials needed:

½ of red cabbage

2 beakers

Baking soda

Blender / grater

Steps:

1. Blend some red cabbage with some water and put into a bowl. (If you grate the cabbage, put aside for 45 minutes).

2. Pour an equal amount (about half a cup) of cabbage into a beaker.

3. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to all the beakers except for one beaker that is used as control.

4. Observe the colour changes.

Questions Asked:

What is the change in the colour of the mixture?

( The baking soda will turn the red cabbage juice to blue because this is an alkaline.)

”The Moonlighting”

Topic Related: Steps: Questions Asked:

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The Earth, The

Moon and The

Sun

Objective:

Understanding the

phases of the

Moon.

Materials

needed:

2 rounded shape with equal size(black and white),

Railing made of polystyrene

1. Prepare 2 identical round shaped mounting boards. (with black and white colours)

2. Paste an ice – cream stick on each mounting boards.

3. Make two rails on the polystyrene.

4. Place both mounting board on the centre of the railing.

5. Slides both rounded shape in opposite direction.

6. Ask pupils to observe the shape formed.

What did you observe?

Did you see the changes of the shape?

”Standing Toothpicks”

Topic Related: Steps: Questions Asked:

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Strength and

Stability

Objective:

Understanding the

stability of a

structure.

Materials needed:

Toothpicks

Cork

1. Ask pupils to build a model of any animal using materials given.

2.Put the models on the table.

3.Shake the table.

4.Observe what happen.

5. Identify which model falls first, second and third.

6.The winner will be the model which is the last to fall.

7.After that, relate the result with the topic of the lesson.

Can your model stand ?

What can you observe?

Which model fall first?

”Starry – starry Night”

Topic Related:

Constellations

Steps:

1. Prepare a piece of polystyrene with pins on it (as shown in the

Questions Asked:

What can you see?

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Toothpick

Cork

Objective:

Understanding the

constellation.

Materials

needed:

Polystyrene

Pins

Rubber bands /

strings

example).

2. Ask the pupils to form a certain shape using a rubber band.

3. Pupils explain the shape that they made.

How many pins are there within the shape?

( The number of pins representing a group of stars that form a constellation )

“Enchanted Egg”

Topic Related:

This activity is

recommended to

Steps:

1. Peeled a hard boiled egg. Put the egg onto the mouth of a conical flask.

Questions Asked:

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Pins with colour

polystyrene

be carried out as

an activity during

Science Week or

Science Fair.

Materials

needed:

conical flask,

boiled egg,

match,

a piece of paper

2. Ask a pupil to push it into the conical flask without smashing it. Push carefully. ( The egg will not get into the conical flask )

3. Remove the egg and drop a burning paper into the conical flask. Quickly put the egg again onto the mouth of the conical flask.

4. Observe what happen to the egg. ( The egg will get into the conical flask by itself )

Can the egg get into the bottle? ( No )

Now, can the egg get into the bottle?( Yes )

Inference :

(When the burning paper uses up the oxygen and goes out, the air pressure decrease, sucking the egg into the flask)

”The Magic Lime”

Topic Related:

This activity is

recommended to

Steps:

1. Prepare an electric circuit as shown below. (battery, wire, bulb)

Questions Asked:

Can you think of something that use

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be carried out as

an activity during

Science Week or

Science Fair.

Materials needed:

Wires, bulb, iron rod,

Beakers, lime juice and tap water

2. Fill two beakers, one with lime juice and the other one with tap water.

3. Dip in the iron rod into the limejuice.

4. Repeat step 3 by using tap water.

5. Show to the class the result and ask the pupils to observe.

6. Ask questions.

7. Discuss in small groups.

Note:

Add some vinegar if the lime is not acidic enough.

electricity?

What are the things in the classroom which produce electricity?

What will happen to the bulb?

What will happen if there is no electricity?

4.Related Websites / Resources

1.4.1. Books/ References

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250 Everyday Science ActivitiesCollected from Teaching K-8 Magazine (Written by Dennis Mckee)

Teaching Children About Physical Science( by Elaine Levenson)

Top Secret ScienceMassachusetts Science Center (Program Usahasama Pusat Sains Negara dengan Meridian Achiever Sdn. Bhd.))

Science Fun (Bright Ideas)Pubished by Scholastic Publications Ltd. (Written by Tony Griffith)

Primary Science Teaching Theory and Practice (John Sharp, Graham Peacock, Rob Johnsey, Shirley Simon, Robin Smith)

Websites

http://jc-schools.net/ppt.htmlhttp://www.doscience.com/http://www.abc.net.au/science/surfingscientist/tricks.htmhttp://www.boyslife.org/hobbies-projects/funstuff/1374/amazing-science-tricks/

COMMON QUESTIONS ASKED

PLANNING INVESTIGATIONS

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What are we trying to find out?

What do we want to change?

What do we want to keep the same?

What do we think will happen?

What do we want to measure?

How do we record our measurements?

What equipment do we need to do this experiment?

Materials from the Internet

Amazing Science TricksBy Michio GotoIllustrations by Fred SchrierFrom the April 2004 Boys' Life magazine

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Using common objects around the house, you can demonstrate cool scientific laws. Here’s how:Editor’s Note: Make sure an adult helps you with these experiments.

Keeping Water SeparateFill two identical glasses with water. Add two tablespoons of salt to the water in one glass and stir well. Add a few drops of food coloring to the water in the other glass.Cover the glass containing the colored water with a sheet of paper, turn it upside down and place it on top of the glass containing salt water. (Be sure to do this trick over a saucer or bowl.)Gently pull the paper out from between the glasses. The colored water and the salt water will remain separate.

How Does It Work?Salt water is heavier than colored water, so the two stay separate as long as the boundary between them isn’t disturbed. Try turning the two glasses over, though. The heavier salt water will now be on top, so it will flow down and mix with the colored water.

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A Can That Can “Walk”Place an empty aluminum can on its side on the floor. Blow up a balloon and tie a knot in the end. Rub a tissue back and forth on the balloon.When you put the balloon near the can, the can will start rolling toward the balloon.How Does It Work?When you rub the balloon with a tissue, the balloon gets a negative electric charge of several thousand volts. When you put the balloon near the can, electrostatic induction affects the molecules in the metal. The outside of the can gets a positive charge, so it is drawn toward

the balloon and starts rolling in

A Candle That Sucks WaterPlace a candle upright in the middle of a saucer. Fill the saucer with water. Light the candle. Place a glass over the candle. When the flame goes out, the water in the saucer will get sucked into the glass.

How Does It Work?When the candle is burning inside the glass, the heat makes the air expand, so some of the air escapes outside the glass. The candle goes out after it uses up all the oxygen, so the air inside the glass cools. As it cools, the pressure inside the glass drops. Some of the carbon dioxide formed by the flame dissolves in the water as well, decreasing the pressure even more. The water outside the glass on the saucer is forced into the glass by the higher aire pressure outside.

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A Flying Trash BagHold the mouth of a black trash bag in one hand. Use a hair dryer to blow hot air into the bag.Seal the mouth of the bag with tape. Tie a long piece of string around the tape so you can hold it. Take the bag out into the sun. The bag will rise slowly into the air. (It’s best to do this trick in an open area on a windless day.)How Does It Work?Since the bag is black, it absorbs heat from the sun. That heat makes the air inside the bag expand and become lighter. When the bag and the air inside are lighter than the surrounding air, the bag starts to rise.

Bending Light Through Water

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Punch a hole in a clear plastic bottle two inches from the bottom. Put your finger over the hole, fill the bottle with water and cap it to keep it from draining out.Darken the room and cover part of a flashlight with your fingers to make the beam narrower. When you take the cap off the bottle, the water will flow out in an arc. Shine the flashlight at the stream from the side of the bottle opposite the hole. The light will bend with the arc and

create a bright glow where the

How Does It Work?When the light in the stream strikes the boundary between the water and air, much of the light is reflected back into the stream. The light continues this internal reflection all along the arc formed by the falling water. The same principle is used to transmit light signals through flexible optical fibers.

Reading Through an Envelope

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With a black felt-tip pen, write a three-letter word in large letters on a white piece of paper. Place the paper in a brown envelope, and insert that envelope into a white envelope. The writing on the paper should now be impossible to read.Get a piece of dark construction paper or tear out a page from a magazine that is printed on both sides. Roll up the paper into a four-inch-long tube. When you hold the tube against the

envelope, you’ll be able to read the

How Does It Work?Usually you can’t read the writing inside an envelope because of the light reflected off the envelope’s white surface. But the tube blocks that reflected light, so you see only the light coming through the envelope.

Egg Into BottleFind a glass bottle that has a mouth slightly smaller in diameter than an egg. Pour some hot water into the bottle (be careful!), shake it vigorously and empty the water.Peel a soft-boiled egg and place it on the mouth of the bottle. Leave it there for a while and it will get sucked inside.

How Does It Work?The vapor from the hot water drives the air out of the bottle. Once the egg seals the top of the bottle, the air can’t get back in. As the water vapor cools, it turns back into water, causing the pressure inside the bottle to drop. The higher pressure of the outside air pushes the egg into the bottle.

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Toothpick TorpedoDab a little shampoo on the blunt end of a wooden toothpick.Drop the toothpick in a pan of water. The toothpick will start moving in the direction of the sharp end.

How Does It Work?Shampoo contains agents that reduce the surface tension of liquids. As the shampoo on the end of the toothpick dissolves, it reduces the water’s surface tension around it, thus releasing the water’s hold on that end of the toothpick. The water around the other end of the toothpick still has surface tension, so it pulls the toothpick in that direction.

To learn more amazing science tricks, check out the book “Amazing Science Tricks” by Michio Goto

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