We've uncovered the difference between atoms, molecules and elements...

And this has us thinking...how can odors be different from one another?

Well, they must be made of different elements, right?  We used two simulations to help us uncover more about the Periodic Table of Elements.  And boy, did we have a lot of questions...next week we'll be building and analyzing different models that help us explain different odors!

Sixth graders have been working hard on designing Concept Maps to explain the relationships between the States of Matter.  Their understanding will help aid the explanations behind our Driving Question for the unit, which is "How Can We Smell From a Distance?"  Check out their work on the Shared Slides Presentation below!

As sixth graders finalized their first learning set on how they can smell an odor, they're digging deeper into understanding what makes one odor different from another.

Our first steps are to understand some scientific terminology, and that starts with atoms and molecules.  We're also uncovering the meaning behind elements and compounds as they relate to these things we once called particles!

So we're starting with some solids that are also elements on the periodic table.  Each of these elements is a solid metal at room temperature, and while they have some properties in common like color, they certainly have some properties that distinguish them like malleability and hardness.  The knowledge we gain from this metals lab will help lay a foundation for helping to explain why odors can be different from one another!

Students are summarized the answers to their original questions related to our sub-question of how an odor gets to our noses.  There was a lot of discussion around particles and air...and we've certainly come a long way since the beginning of the unit!

After some thoughtful discussion, we've established consensus for how an odor gets to our noses.  Air plays a pivotal role, especially as we haven't applied any heat to our liquid that we smell.  Collision also plays a role!  Check out our original thinking below...does each group's model show air particles, odor particles, phase change, and particle movement?  We had a great time evaluating each other's work because we came to consensus!

Sixth graders used these two simulations to help further develop their thinking behind how an odor can get to their nose!

In our last demonstration, we learned that gas can be added and removed from a container.  We saw this as the stopper on top of a flask was sucked in and pushed off!  Because gas is made of matter and has mass, the mass of the flask increased as gas was added and decreased as gas was released.

But today's lab involved students keeping the mass constant and changing the volume.  Increasing the volume of the syringe allowed students to see that air can expand and spread out.  The mass didn't change because no air was added to the syringe to therefore change its mass.  When the volume of the syringe decreased, the air inside was compressed, and moved into a smaller space.  The mass also remained constant because no more air was added or removed from the syringe.

​We'll slowly discover how the ideas behind air's ability to expand and compress relates to why we can possibly smell an odor from a distance.  Check back soon!

So if we smell something because it's in the air, what exactly can air do?

Using a special flask and pump, students saw that air can both be added and taken away from a closed system.  This allowed us to understand that there must be empty space around the air, and that that space changes when there is more or less air in a system.

We're applying our knowledge of volume and mass to these situations too...it's all coming full circle!

As sixth graders are trying to answer the driving question of how they smell something, it's important to see how phase change can play a role in all that!  Using water as a second example (we first looked at menthol change phases), we're beginning to see how solids become liquids, and liquids become gases and then back again.  We noticed how there was a change in volume when liquids became gases, providing evidence that some of the liquid MUST have evaporated into a gas.

But how do all these phase changes relate to how we can smell something?  We noticed we smelled menthol MORE when it changed from a solid to a liquid, and EVEN MORE as it became a gas.  

Here were some great questions from today's demonstration and discussion:
1.  Why don't we smell the water when it evaporated like we did the menthol?
2.  Are some smells stronger than others?  What makes them stronger?
3.  Does everything have to become a gas in order for me to smell it?  

Hmmmm....great thinking!