Week 17 (2-27-17) Paper Towel Experiment

What you see here are paper towel rolls–five different brands– some of better quality than others.

What we’d like to determine here through the scientific method is which one is the most absorbent. Or which one is the least absorbent. Or some other question we can ask and answer.

What you won’t see, though, is me writing the question down on the board. Or our hypothesis.

And here’s why…

Our kids are working in pairs today. Two kids/one adult. Amazing.

And what each group must determine is what question they want to answer.

The kids working with me decided to ask: Which brand of paper towel is the least absorbent?

So that’s what we’re set to find out. I’ll be the recorder–and together we’ll do the experiment.

I can’t speak for the rest of the groups, but I can show you pictures of them busy figuring this experiment out.

Here is Ms. Lisa, Simeon and Silas.

And here is Ms. Mandy, Jocelyn and Wyatt.

There in the back is Ms. Lindsay, Hagen and Aaron.

Cody and Riley here are setting the tare on the scale for our group.

We decided first that we would need paper towels all the same size.

Then we did what Wyatt and Jocelyn are doing, we labeled our paper towels and then dipped each one in water.

Here’s Silas getting his paper towel wet, too.

We’ve got a tub of water for soaking the paper towels. Then once they’ve soaked and dripped (for the same amount of time), we weigh each one in ounces on the scale to figure out which holds the most water and thereby is the most absorbent.

Seems simply enough, and yet every group has a different method.

Some are measuring the amount of water they’re pouring on each paper towel.

Some are realizing that they may have a discrepancy or two with their variables.

But every one is going for it. No one’s a bystander.

Here we are getting ready to soak one of our towels.

Could anything be more fun?

And now we’re holding it to drip.

P.S. We were inconsistent with how long we let each drip. We needed to have timed each one, but that was an afterthought.

All around we’ve got hands in water…

Pens recording…

The scale weighing…

Variables being accounted for…

Multiple eyes double-checking the details…

Groups reaching conclusions…

And the circus coming to a close.

On Monday, We’ll get a chance to look deeply at the questions each of our groups asked, finish our experimenting, if we need to, and draw our conclusions about the quality of each paper towel.

Here we all are!