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Marc Seigel
Chemistry Teacher, Middletown HS South
Middletown, NJ
October 2015
Guiding questions and student-generated questions are essential for a successful guided-inquiry activity. I created the lava lamp lab as a starter activity for my honors and college-prep chemistry classes to introduce intermolecular forces.
What would the world look like if water were non-polar?
Note: This procedure should be explained orally to keep the class together and allow the teacher to record all questions asked for later reference. The students should then be divided into groups of 3 or 4, with each student assigned a specific job.
I ask the class the questions posed above, and we discuss them together after they’ve had the opportunity to complete the post-lab. Note that the beginning questions are designed to get students to recall facts learned in my Introduction to Chemistry and Chemical Reactions units from earlier in the year, and have nothing to do with intermolecular forces.
Students know that food coloring dyes objects, but they are often surprised to realize it will not color oil. The food coloring will fall through the oil in a perfect drop until it hits the water barrier where it will sometimes stop—until the accumulated drops become too heavy and pass through. This leads to a discussion question: Can we make dyes that are oil soluble? Answer: Yes. (Check out a great demo about it at the blog Science Matters.) It can also spark a discussion about the type of substance found in a lava lamp.
Intermolecular forces primarily involve the interaction of molecules. At no point in this activity do I mention a single IMF, discuss molecular structure, or deal with polarity. The students have little understanding of these concepts because this activity was designed to generate questions they will attempt to answer through their study of the chemical principles in the unit.
Unlike the traditional approach of teaching the material before conducting labs, guided inquiry gives students the opportunity to learn by doing and make meaningful discoveries as they grapple with concepts.