• Our Foundation
    • About
    • Ways to Give
    • Events Calendar
    • Volunteer
  • Current Parents
    • Bio-Book
    • Parent Information
      • Standards of Ethical Conduct
    • Parent Resource Library
    • Calendar & Events
    • Video Library
    • Snack Guideline
  • View Past Blogs
    • Primary Program
    • Toddler Program
    • Elementary Program
    • MTS News
    • MTCF
  • School Newsletter

Montessori Tides School

  • Home
  • About
    • Montessori Approach
    • School Philosophy
      • Discipline Approach
    • Guides
    • Meet our Teachers
    • Observation Guidelines
  • Programs
    • The Toddler Community (18-36 months)
    • Primary Environment (3-6 years)
    • Early Elementary Years (ages 6-9)
    • After School Programs
      • Fitness and Character Education
      • Celestial Kingdoms of Sounds
    • Nature Study Program
    • Summer Programs
  • Enrollment
    • Tuition and Fees
    • Application
    • Extended Care Program
  • Resources
    • Blog
      • Toddler Program
      • Primary Program
      • Elementary Program
    • Parent Education Series
    • Assistant Training Course
    • Tides Shining Stars
    • Open Forum
    • Video Library
  • Contact
    • Online Map & Directions
You are here: Home / Elementary Years / Upper Elementary Chemistry Lesson

April 22, 2016

Upper Elementary Chemistry Lesson

Upper Elementary students set up their rock candy experiments during their chemistry lesson with Miss Fatima, a parent at Montessori Tides School.
Upper Elementary students set up their rock candy experiments during their chemistry lesson with Miss Fatima, a parent at Montessori Tides School.

Rock candy isn’t necessarily something parents would encourage for their children, but rock candy does make for a pretty sweet chemistry lesson.

The Upper Elementary students have been working with Miss Fatima for chemistry this year. Miss Fatima is a parent volunteer at MTS, and she works in the biology department at the University of North Florida and at Mayo Clinic as a researcher.

The students and Miss Jess look forward to their chemistry lessons, which usually are weekly. The rock candy lesson has been the sweetest so far for the students, even though it also has been a lesson in how things don’t always work out.

The first rock candy experiment had mixed results. Some students, like this one, found a bit of the hard-sugar candy on the skewer, several others didn’t fare too well.
The first rock candy experiment had mixed results. Some students, like this one, found a bit of the hard-sugar candy on the skewer, several others didn’t fare too well.

The first batch of rock candy didn’t go as planned. Some batches of the sugary mix became moldy, and others failed to grow any candy. The students were eager to discuss what may have caused the problems. This led to discussions about evaporation, volume and surface area.

The rock candy’s failure to grow, however, didn’t sour the group on the lesson. Miss Fatima made a new batch of sugar water, using more sugar and no food coloring. This batch has been thriving, and the students have enjoyed watching the crystals grow.

The students made a second batch of rock candy using more sugar and no dye, and the results have been sweeter.
The students made a second batch of rock candy using more sugar and no dye, and the results have been sweeter.

Following the second rock candy experiment, Miss Fatima continued her lesson with a water filtration system experiment. She started by showing them activated charcoal, sand, gravel and coffee filters. The students then wrote hypotheses about what they thought would happen when dirty water was filtered through each item.

An Upper Elementary student sets up a filtration system using activated charcoal.
An Upper Elementary student sets up a filtration system using activated charcoal.

The students tested each of the items individually to see what would happen and to record their results.

After setting up their filtration system, these students observe how well the dirty water is filtered. The students had to record their observations.
After setting up their filtration system, these students observe how well the dirty water is filtered. The students had to record their observations.

After seeing how each of the items filtered the dirty water, the students had all kinds of ideas about how to get the water cleaner. Miss Fatima let the students try out their ideas before bringing them back together to try filtering the dirty water through all of four of the substances.

Miss Fatima and the students watch as the dirty water filters through different substances during their experiment on water filtration.
Miss Fatima and the students watch as the dirty water filters through different substances during their experiment on water filtration.

The students enjoyed trying out their ideas and the hands-on nature of this experiment. In fact, they probably would have continued to try different filtering combinations for the rest of the school day, but they hadn’t had lunch yet.

In a later lesson, the students continued with the water theme by working on a lesson that involved moving water. They were each given one cup of water, one empty cup and a straw. Miss Fatima instructed them to move the water from one cup to the other without tipping the cup. Some students created drip systems to move the water, while other developed siphon systems. It was a fun and messy experiment.

By Amy Parmelee / Filed Under: Elementary Years Leave a Comment

Keep up with the latest news from Montessori Tides with our newsletter. Sign up with your email address to receive updates about our school.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search Our Website

Join Our Mailing List

Calendar & Events

Parent Testimonials

Parent Testimonials

Location

Montessori Tides School
1550 Penman Road
Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
Phone: 904-241-1139
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Accreditations

Private School Reviews

Tides Foundation

Recent Posts

  • Lower Elementary Community – December News
  • Last Great Lesson Closes Out Year
  • The Value of Montessori

Montessori Links

  • American Montessori Society
  • Michael Olaf
  • Montessori Foundation
  • Nienhuis Montessori
  • North America Montessori Teachers Association

© 2023 Montessori Tides School | All rights reserved.
Montessori Website Design by NJS Marketing LLC