Osmotic music – experiment

Osmotic music - experiment

Type of resource: Websites, printed materials (textbooks);

Web address https://pl.pinterest.com/

Language: English

Description

Investigating the process of osmosis using different types of seeds

Scientific concept introduced

Osmosis, seeds (pea, bean, lentil, chickpea, broad bean), water, absorption, swelling up, axis of symmetry, rhythm

Creative and critical thinking

Divergent thinking

Mathematical reasoning

Measuring time, creating sequence

Scientific thinking

Mathematical thinking: masuring ingredients (understanding proportions).

Learning how to learn

Learning how to learn: cognitive curiosity, motivation and engagement

Additional

Teamwork, fine motor skills, language competencies (the ability to express one's own understanding, share ideas and explain something to others).

Osmotic music - experiment

Overall aims

- Developing the concept of osmosis;
- Understanding the phenomena of „reflection” and „symmetry”;
- Developing healthy eating habits;
- Introducing the concept of rhythm (perceiving and continuing the recurrence of sequence);
- Supporting the development of eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills;
- Developing the ability to understand and measure time.

Vocabulary - keywords should be understood

osmosis, seeds (pea, bean, lentil, chickpea, broad bean), water, absorption, swelling up, axis of symmetry, rhythm

Expected learning outcomes (operational aims)

The child is able:
- to recognize different types of grams;
- to describe the phenomenon of osmosis;
- to formulate hypotheses and to verify them;
- to continue the rhythm (sequence) given by a teacher;
- to recognize the symmetric object in the environment;
- to recognize healthy replacements for typical snacks;
- to measure time.

STEM skills - to which the learning unit is related to

CORE STEM SKILLS

Creative and critical thinking: divergent thinking  

Scientific thinking: comparing objects according to different qualities, observing,  experimenting, drawing conclusions, formulating hypotheses, planning the  experiments  

Mathematical thinking: measuring time, creating sequence 

Learning how to learn: cognitive curiosity, motivation and engagement

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

Teamwork, fine motor skills, language competencies (the ability to express one's  own understanding, share ideas and explain something to others)

Teaching methodologies/activity outline

1. Introduction
“Recognizing different types of grams (chickpeas)” - sensorial experience. The teacher presents seeds from different gram plants (pea, bean, lentil, chickpea, broad bean). Divides a group into small teams - each team gets 1 type of seeds to recognize, observe and investigate.
The teams present their seeds explaining the qualities (characteristics) such as: color, size, shape, texture etc. The teacher presents the whole plants and explains the general name for the group of plants: gram - chickpeas plants.

2. Building the problem situation:
Question: Do you know that beans can play music?
The teacher presents 2 glasses filled with beans (slightly overfilled)
Research question:
• What do you think will happen with beans if we pour some water to these glasses? • Do you think the temperature of water will make a difference - what if we pour cold water to the first glass, and warm water to another?
• What will happen with water?
• Will the water influence the appearance of seeds - the way they look like?

3. Formulating predictions - The teacher writes down children’s answers.

4. Verifying hypotheses - the experiment: “Osmotic music” -
Put the 2 glasses filled with beans on a metal tray in front of children. Pour warm water into 1 glass (as much as you can), and cold water to another glass. Observe the results - Use a stopwatch to measure the time from the beginning to the moment seeds will fall down to the tray. Collect the observations.
Questions:
• Did all the seeds fall down to the tray?
• What happened with the water poured to the glasses?
• How the temperature of water influenced the seeds behavior - does it matter for the number of seeds falling down or for the speed of their movement?
• How did the seeds change - their size and appearance?

5. Summarizing the results and drawing conclusions
Conclusion: the water permeated into the seeds, and as a result the seeds became elastic (bouncy). The water changed the way seeds look like. The sound effect (beans playing music) was achieved by placing a metal tray under the glass.
Teacher explains the phenomenon - introducing the scientific name for the process „osmosis” - seeds are absorbing the water. Explanation for children: some vegetables and plants, after placing them in water, are asking the water for help - they are thirsty and ask the water to come to their bellies. The water is always willing to help, so it penetrates the seeds - seeds are absorbing the water.

6. Explanation for a teacher:
Osmosis - a physical process in which any solvent moves across a selectively permeable membrane (permeable to the solvent, but not the solute) separating two solutions of different concentrations. Osmosis provides the primary means by which water is transported into and out of cells. The water enters into the seeds through their skin and changes their size and bounciness.

7. Propositions of other activities related to the topic:
“Creating sequences using seeds” - mathematical activity
Repeating/ continuing the sequences given by a teacher with different types of seeds. Every child needs a set of different seeds and a tray. The teacher presents the beginning of the sequence and asks the children to continue. After completing the task the child should „read” the rhythm aloud.
The teacher may ask to show the sequence with movement (to create the choreography with your own body - replicating the sequence with movements), also musical instruments can be used.

“Playing with seeds” - creating the symmetrical pictures
Each child needs a tray or paper divide into 2 parts with marker or masking tape. On 1 side of the tray teacher glues the pattern made of seeds. Children’s task is to replicate the same pattern on the other side of paper/ tray, creating a symmetrical picture.

“Healthy chips” - getting to know healthy substitutes of unhealthy snacks Questions:
Can chips be called a health snack and why?
Should we eat them often and why?
How can we replace that snack - what can we eat instead of chips?
Is it possible to make healthy chips and how?
Preparing a healthy version of chips - prepare a baking tray, put previously boiled chickpeas on the tray and sprinkle with olive oil. The children can choose the seasoning (pepper, salt, basil, oregano, thyme or paprika). The baking tray should be transferred to kitchen and baked for 15 minutes in oven preheated to 200 Celsius degrees.
After cooling down, the children taste new snack (they should taste chickpeas with different seasoning)
Questions:
• Did you like the new snack - what do you think about the taste?
• Which taste did you like the most and why?
• Why did you not like it - what is wrong?

Assessment of learning

Ongoing assessment (during the experiment):
What happened with the water poured to the glasses filled with seeds?
How the temperature of water influenced the seeds behavior and appearance?
Try to explain why osmosis is.

Final assessment:
The children use contact paper in 2 different colors - green (for Yes answer) and red (for No). The teacher divides the blackboard into 2 parts, and children glue their papers in chosen color while answering the following questions:
• Can you name and recognize 3 different types of gram plants?
• Can you explain the process of osmosis?
• Can you describe what materials are needed to run the experiment „Osmotic music” at home?
• Can you continue the sequence of seeds?
• Can you recognize the symmetrical objects in the classroom?

Equipment and materials to be used in learning unit (tools, ingredients etc)

Gram seeds (pea, bean, lentil, chickpea, broad bean), 2 high glasses, metal tray, warm water (max. 30 C degrees), cold water (no less than -4 C degrees), cattle, stopwatch, gloves for children; baking tray, oven, seasoning for healthy chips (pepper, salt, basil, oregano, thyme, paprika etc.), olive oil, chickpeas, paper sheets for creating sequences for all children, contact paper in 2 colors (red and green), blackboard

Kind of setting

Preschool classroom and kitchen

References - source

Przepis na zdrowe chipsy - M. Makarowska, D. Musiałowska, Insulinooporność w polskiej kuchni, Łódź 2020,
Doświadczenie dotyczące osmozy - Autor: Katarzyna Kołacz, Klub Młodego Odkrywcy (kmo.org.pl)
M. Skura, M. Lisicki, Gen liczby. Jak dzieci uczą się matematyki?, Wydawnictwo Mamania, Warszawa 2018
https://pl.pinterest.com/

Osmotic music - experiment

1. Usefulness for STEM education - integrating content of different disciplines

Cross-curricular character of the resource 

The range of S-T-E-M subjects included 

The presentation of possibilities of including artistic activities (STEAM approach)

2. Expected learning outcomes

Consistency (links) with preschool core curriculum

Communicativeness of description

3. Methodology of teaching

Clarity, communicativeness of instructions for teachers

Meaningful learning - using practical life problems

Original idea 

The level of ease in implementing the methodology to preschool age children

The level of ease in preparing necessary ingredients, materials and equipment needed

4. Sustainability

Ecological characteristics of materials/ results

Supporting healthy eating habits 

Low ecological footprint

Possibilities of inclusion (respecting cultural diversity and food intolerances)

5. Class management

Using differentiated forms of work - individual, team work etc.

Individual work

Team work

Whole group

6. Time management

Short activity (10-15 minutes)

Medium activity (20-30 minutes)

Long activity (1 hour or more)

Very long activity (1 day or more)