Exploring Our Fluid Earth

Sorry for the late post. I recently did the Module One: Standing Wave Tank activity with my 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8th graders at a small private, Christian school in Manoa. First, we borrowed the wave tank from the UH TSI program (thank you Alyssa, Joanna, Kanesa and Lisa.) We carried the tank 3 blocks to our campus, inside our school, up 3 flights stairs to the Science Lab. Then, we filled it with 1 gallon bottles (because the 5 gallon containers were too heavy for the keiki to carry back and forth to the sink.) We filled it to the 2/3 full markings. We followed the simple directions on the Activity Directions attachments~ included above. Next, we taped the rulers across the top and measured the placement for the paddle. We borrowed a metronome from the Music Department (thank you Mr. Bauchle.) We used the timer from the PE Department (thank you Mrs. Schroppel.) And we got the construction paper from the Art Department (thank you Miss Alle.) After that we let each buddy team (pairs of students) create their waves on colorful strips of construction paper by dipping the paper into the tank and 'catching' a wave. Each time we made a wave onto the sheet of paper the students got to yell, "SURF'S UP!" We marked the wet lines with sharpie pens and let them dry. The next day everyone came back to write the labels, and measurements, and make a graph. This was an EXCELLENT activity to link the Ocean Literacy Principle #1 to our Science curriculum because in the end we taped all the waves together into one L O N G wave that encircled the entire Science lab room. As an assessment I had them each write 3 questions from the TSI Activity prompts in their Learning Log Journals. Come on down and have a look at what young scientists can do with a fun lab activity like this one. SURF'S UP! 'e komo mai