From our cup/filter/ground material experiments, we learned a lot! We also figured that it would be best to model why some of the materials were able to allow water to pass through them and why others weren't.
Here is some student thinking!
Here is some student thinking!
Many students also agreed that our experiments were necessarily totally realistic of the landscape in areas where there was supposed groundwater. So why not build one!!!
It was just our luck too, that two students were going to Galesburg, IL during Thanksgiving, and we knew from a map of IL that Galesburg has both wells and aquifers. These students brought back some of the soil from there so we could be as realistic as possible to see what happened with the groundwater there.
We built a landscape adding all kinds of soil and rock, and underneath them we placed some dark colored paper to see if it got wet (we figured out that the paper turns a darker color when wet so that would give us evidence if the water went all the way through the material. We saw lots of cool stuff...and it made us think some more (of course)!
It was just our luck too, that two students were going to Galesburg, IL during Thanksgiving, and we knew from a map of IL that Galesburg has both wells and aquifers. These students brought back some of the soil from there so we could be as realistic as possible to see what happened with the groundwater there.
We built a landscape adding all kinds of soil and rock, and underneath them we placed some dark colored paper to see if it got wet (we figured out that the paper turns a darker color when wet so that would give us evidence if the water went all the way through the material. We saw lots of cool stuff...and it made us think some more (of course)!
So we noticed that the materials all let the water pass through them (with the exception of that big rock again)! Some took longer than others, and it seems like the wetter the soil was (like the stuff from Galesburg), the easier the water was able to get "into" it.
We also saw little pools start to develop, as well as little streams. We also noticed that the tilt/slant/angle of the surfaces makes the water flow. We began some models to get our thinking visible, and we'll establish consensus tomorrow!
We also saw little pools start to develop, as well as little streams. We also noticed that the tilt/slant/angle of the surfaces makes the water flow. We began some models to get our thinking visible, and we'll establish consensus tomorrow!
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