Before we did this lab we learned about Earth's layers and how the mantle is made of molten rocks (silicates). We also learned that the further away the elements are on the periodic table the more likely they are to react, I think that it is extremely important to learn about this because we live here and we should know as much as we can about our planet. For the lab part we mixed sodium silicate and distilled water, otherwise known as liquid glass. Once it was mixed we add calcium into one test tube and cobalt in another and copper in the last one and watched them react. When they sunk to the bottom of the tube they started to grow upwards in strings.
Looking back: I didn't really know what to expect but the results we got were very interesting, I didn't think that they'd would react the way they did. I thought that maybe it would fizz up and change the color of the sodium silicate, so when they grew upwards I was really surprised. The test tube with the green and blue reminded me of veins and the test tube with the white reminded me of cotton. The one with the white is calcium and the blue and green one is cobalt. They both reacted pretty slow but I think that the cobalt reacted (grew upwards) a little faster than the calcium.
Looking beyond: A question i had while doing this lab was how did it feel. They looked extremely fragile and thin so I wonder if they are soft like cotton or hard like glass. I also wondered if it were in a bigger container like a beaker if there would have been more, also if we had left it out longer if there would have been more.
Looking inward: We got desirable results and I think what contributed to that was that this was a guided activity so Andrew was there to help. I think I performed well in this activity, I helped take pictures for our blog. This was my first guided activity and at first I was having trouble understanding and I worried about how I would report it on my blog but I know now that taking notes really helped. Something I can improve upon is asking questions when i'm confused.
Looking outward: I worked with my whole table for this lab and I think we performed well, we all contributed equally. As for the whole class i think we could have performed better by not talking as much and listening more. I think if we had listened more our blog reporting could have been better, because we didn't really give him time to explain what he wanted to see on our blogs. What I contributed to the group is that I took pictures for my blog and also the people who couldn't take pictures (the people who were mixed the ingredients).
Looking forward: If I could do this again I would take a video of the reaction because I think it would look better than just pictures. I can't think of any way to continue this project. If I were to organize a group I wouldn't mind working with the people at my table, which are Evan, Autrina, Nick and Elyse. We all get along pretty well together.
Takeaways: One takeaway is to take a lot of notes and ask questions when you get confused so your posts will be better. Also to talk less so Andrew has time to finish what he has to say.
Looking back: I didn't really know what to expect but the results we got were very interesting, I didn't think that they'd would react the way they did. I thought that maybe it would fizz up and change the color of the sodium silicate, so when they grew upwards I was really surprised. The test tube with the green and blue reminded me of veins and the test tube with the white reminded me of cotton. The one with the white is calcium and the blue and green one is cobalt. They both reacted pretty slow but I think that the cobalt reacted (grew upwards) a little faster than the calcium.
Looking beyond: A question i had while doing this lab was how did it feel. They looked extremely fragile and thin so I wonder if they are soft like cotton or hard like glass. I also wondered if it were in a bigger container like a beaker if there would have been more, also if we had left it out longer if there would have been more.
Looking inward: We got desirable results and I think what contributed to that was that this was a guided activity so Andrew was there to help. I think I performed well in this activity, I helped take pictures for our blog. This was my first guided activity and at first I was having trouble understanding and I worried about how I would report it on my blog but I know now that taking notes really helped. Something I can improve upon is asking questions when i'm confused.
Looking outward: I worked with my whole table for this lab and I think we performed well, we all contributed equally. As for the whole class i think we could have performed better by not talking as much and listening more. I think if we had listened more our blog reporting could have been better, because we didn't really give him time to explain what he wanted to see on our blogs. What I contributed to the group is that I took pictures for my blog and also the people who couldn't take pictures (the people who were mixed the ingredients).
Looking forward: If I could do this again I would take a video of the reaction because I think it would look better than just pictures. I can't think of any way to continue this project. If I were to organize a group I wouldn't mind working with the people at my table, which are Evan, Autrina, Nick and Elyse. We all get along pretty well together.
Takeaways: One takeaway is to take a lot of notes and ask questions when you get confused so your posts will be better. Also to talk less so Andrew has time to finish what he has to say.