After completing their experiment to see which material could absorb the most liquid, second graders shared their results together as a class. They started to see that the data was not consistent. What does this mean, especially if we all used water and the same materials?
Second graders had an in-depth discussion about what would possibly have given such differing results. Here's what they came up with:
1. We all didn't start with the same amount of water in our graduated cylinders. We probably should have.
2. Some groups "double dipped" with their material, causing it to absorb more water than it actually could.
3. Some groups squeezed out the water back into the testing cup, releasing water that it really absorbed.
We all agreed to do the experiment again, so that we can hopefully control all those variables and get more reliable data to inform our engineering solution (to design a baby's bib). Keep up the great work second grade!
Second graders had an in-depth discussion about what would possibly have given such differing results. Here's what they came up with:
1. We all didn't start with the same amount of water in our graduated cylinders. We probably should have.
2. Some groups "double dipped" with their material, causing it to absorb more water than it actually could.
3. Some groups squeezed out the water back into the testing cup, releasing water that it really absorbed.
We all agreed to do the experiment again, so that we can hopefully control all those variables and get more reliable data to inform our engineering solution (to design a baby's bib). Keep up the great work second grade!