Forums

I am currently a student teacher preparing to graduate in May. I have hopes of being hired in the fall of 2019. With this being said, I have began to wonder what to do on the first day of school. Being a brand new teacher, I want to make a great first impression for my students. Do you have any suggestions or ideas for a first day demo that would get the students on my side and comforatble in the classroom? Anything would help. Thank you! 

Hi there,

One of my favorite first day demos to do is what I call the 'disappearing water trick.' All you need is a styrofoam cup and a scoop of superabsorbing powder, which is what is found in diapers. I use it to start a discussion about accuracy, precision, and error in the lab. So with the cup and water, no matter how precisely you meaure the water going into the cup, you cannot always predict what is going to happen. Thus, one should never assume what the result will be. With that said, I flip the cup with water upside down. The students go crazy when no water falls out. That is because the powder absorbed the water and stuck to the inside of the cup. It is like a slush ball of snow. Great discussion and exciting demo to start the year off! Hope this helps!

Tyler