team experiments
 : Separating Mixtures
 44k
Approach: Team Level: Year 4 & year 8
Resources: A mixture in a pack: flour, paper clips, 5mm polystyrene balls, 3mm lead balls; equipment for separating: tweezers, sieve, magnet, funnel, magnifying glass; A2 manilla paper; plastic drop cloth; blu-tack for putting chart on wall; 4 small containers; big felt pen.

Questions / instructions:
All of the separating equipment except the mixture is kept out of sight until the chart has been written.
In this activity you are to work as a team. In a team activity it is very important that everyone is taking part and helping. Your team has the job of working out how to separate some substances which have been mixed together. There are 4 different substances in the mixture. They need to be separated and put into four coloured containers.

  % responses
y4
y8
 

Before you start to try to separate the mixture, I want you to think and talk about how you could do it. Do that now.
Allow up to 5 minutes for discussion.

Now I want you to tell me what you would do. I will write down the instructions on a chart. I will ask each person to help by telling me what to write down.
Ask each student in sequence until ideas are exhausted. Teacher-administrator writes up instructions on the chart.

Planning without equipment

Good evidence of systematic approach
Good thinking about equipment
Good thinking about the mixture

33
17
6
69
58
34

I have some equipment that is available for your team to use.
Now think about your plan again. You might need to change it because we can only use the equipment we have here. Tell me any changes you want me to make on the chart.


Write up any changes.

Planning with equipment

Modifies plan to incorporate equipment
Selective choice of equipment


Overall planning score - Excellent
Good
Weak
Team work in planning - Excellent
Good
Weak

92
76


12
50
38
25
53
23

87
96


51
37
12
43
48
9

All right, now I want you to go ahead and try to separate the mixture, following your plan. Put the separated substances into the 4 coloured containers. Allow time for separation activity.

Experimentation

Systematic approach
Good use of equipment
Good team work

25
52
23
60
46
69

I want you to stop now — put all of the materials down, so that we can talk about what you have done. I want each member of the team to help answer my questions. First of all, tell me how your plan went.


Did you have any problems? Do you think you would do anything different if you were to do it again?

Adequacy of report

Very good
Moderate
Weak

10
43
47
47
49
3

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