Wonder #1 Research and Investigations

A lot of meaningful learning has taken place in room 201 this week.  We have enjoyed researching and investigating the reasons for putting salt and sand on the roads when it snows.  On Monday, we reviewed an article that I found on www.wonderopolis.org.  The link is below.

Wonderopolis Write-Up:

http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-is-sand-or-salt-spread-on-the-road-when-it-snows/

On Wednesday, we watched an informational video explaining salt and its purpose for being put on icy roads. 

Youtube video: How does salt melt ice?

 

Today, we conducted an experiment to investigate the purpose of salt with ice. The experiment was found on www.wonderopolis.org 

"Ready for a really simple, really cool experiment? Take an ice cube from your freezer and place it on a plate. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over one half of the ice cube. Put the plate with the ice cube in the refrigerator. After about 10 minutes, take the ice cube out and observe what has happened. What do you notice about the salted side?"

We observed that the piece of ice which had salt on it melted much faster than the piece of ice with no salt.  We learned that since ice lowers the freezing point, it causes the ice to melt faster.

Sand provides a traction to keep the cars from sliding on the roads.  It also helps keep new ice from forming.

We have enjoyed researching this week and are so thankful for all of the comments and resources that our parents posted to aid in our investigation.  Please check back in for the next wonder of the week tomorrow!