Day 22, Pam Brissee- 5th Grade Science

It's Melting, It's Melting!

Fifth grade science classes have been studying physical properties, including states of matter.  One activity included The Great Melt the Ice Cube Race, in which partners tried to be the first to completely melt an ice cube.  Students could use themselves and a paper towel, but no other tools.  After the ice cubes were melted, students discussed what each team did to melt the cube and WHY they chose that strategy. 

This table includes the strategy that students chose and why. 

Strategy	Student Reasoning
Rubbed hands together	Rubbing creates friction and that creates heat
Rubbed hands on the carpet	Rubbing on a rough surface creates more friction and more heat
Took turns holding the ice cube	This allows one partner’s hands to warm up while the other partner holds it
Put the ice cube inside a shoe	The heat trapped in the shoe would help melt the cube
Pressed down on the ice cube	Pressure creates heat
Blew on the ice cube	Breath is warm
Broke ice into smaller pieces	Smaller pieces allow the heat from hands to reach more of the ice cube