A Science Experiment In A Shoebox

By Susan Coney

Sixth grade students from Barbara Mancher’s class have been conducting experiments about the weather and presenting their results to classmates in an unusual manner: the contents of the experiment had to fit inside of a standard shoebox.

The students teamed up to research such topics as condensation, humidity, cloud formations, and pressure systems as part of a unit of study on weather. After receiving their assignments students researched, conducted the experiment, and presented their findings to the class.

The students performed simple five-minute scientific experiments, using everyday household items and assembling all of the materials to fit in a shoebox. The children were asked to decorate the box to advertise the weather experiment they were studying. Ms Mancher told the students to practice presenting the project at home and to be certain that they were very knowledgeable about the experiment they were performing so that they could answer questions from classmates.

Ms Mancher gave the students the assignment and told them to approach it as if they were teaching an audience how to follow a recipe on the cooking channel. She told the students, “You need to explain what your experiment is, why is works that way, and how it applies to weather in the real world.”

Kurt Liniger and Michaela Beaudry presented a project on low-pressure systems. The students demonstrated the formation and effect of low pressure to the class by using everyday materials such as a ruler, pencil, tape, thread, and two balloons. Michaela revealed that what the pair thought would happen did not. “We were totally wrong but we learned something,” Michaela said.

As with every science experiment, the students were given a clear rubric outlining the instructions in carrying out the experiment and how they were to be evaluated. As part of this project a portion of the grade was based on the quality of the presentation. The students were evaluated on the creativity of decorating or advertising the weather experiment, having all the materials needed for the experiment, explaining the purpose of the experiment, clearly explaining the steps involved and being able to answer questions from the class or teacher.

Students were also evaluated on their presentation skills such as speaking loud and clearly and having good eye contact.

Kurt and Michaela were the first of their class to present the shoebox experiments on Friday, January 27, and received an encouraging cheer from classmates upon the completion of their presentation.