Hook Activity: Baking Soda and Vinegar Can Blow Up a Balloon
In order to be sure that our students would like this topic and would be able to learn from it, we had a hook activity before our first lesson. This was also used to see what the students already knew, what they wanted to know, and how we could help them find out that information. For our hook activity we did an experiment with baking soda, vinegar, and a balloon. When baking soda and vinegar are mixed together, they react to form the gas carbon dioxide. When the balloon is placed over the bottle during the reaction, the carbon dioxide blows up the balloon.
Before, during, and after the experiment, we were asking the students questions to see what they knew and what they wanted to know. We wanted to get the best picture of their current knowledge and what we could do with kitchen chemistry experiences to help their knowledge grow. We recorded everything they said and put it in a chart, pictured at the bottom of this page. It shows how the children related the activity to their prior experiences, what their prior knowledge was, what they wondered, and what they had questions about. The lesson plan for our hook activity is also included on this page.
Before, during, and after the experiment, we were asking the students questions to see what they knew and what they wanted to know. We wanted to get the best picture of their current knowledge and what we could do with kitchen chemistry experiences to help their knowledge grow. We recorded everything they said and put it in a chart, pictured at the bottom of this page. It shows how the children related the activity to their prior experiences, what their prior knowledge was, what they wondered, and what they had questions about. The lesson plan for our hook activity is also included on this page.