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Color & Dyes

Unit with dye activities & history & nature of science

Questioning is the foundation of all learning.
The first step in rejecting not knowing is to ask, why?
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Introduction

Contents Overview

A unit comprising a sequence of activities to deepen one's understanding that science has been used for thousands of years and has changed the ways people think about occurrences in nature.

That science is an ongoing human endeavor. Many people throughout history have made contributions to science through learning about objects, events, and phenomena in nature. One of these contributions is extracting dyes from earth materials and plants.

To gain knowledge of this process, learners will use scientific methods as they carry out controlled and trail-and-error experiments. As a result of their dying experiments they will make connections with the History and Nature of Science.

Background resources:

This plan is designed for learners who have very little prior knowledge of However, the unit encompasses sufficient activities and information to provide comprehensive content for more learners.

Related study topics:

Planning information

Learner background information

A plan designed for learners who have prior knowledge in cause and effect, use of observations to make inferences, models as explanations for observable and non observable events, and working in groups.

Intended learnings & learners thinkings

See for more information on what to include in general planning

Content concepts or outcomes
(Source concepts & misconceptions)

Big ideas and specific outcomes:

How has the History and Nature of Science affected generations of people?
How do people and scientists make discoveries?
How do humans create colors?

Concepts and facts

Outcome

Use and describe

Science concepts: physical, earth, life

Big ideas:

 

Note:


Related concepts

  • A dye is a coloring matter that can or cannot be dissolved in a liquid.
  • Dyes can come from plants and plant parts.
  • Colors of the rainbow can be produced from objects that are in nature.

Outcome

Anticipated learner thinkings & misconceptions

Inquiry, process, & cross cutting concepts & skills

Inquiry

  • When I experiment I collect observations that describe how different properties change (become variables) when objects and systems interact. This helps me make claims, explain what is happening, and to predict what might happen in the future.
  • Inquiry concepts
  • Process concepts
  • Perspective concepts

cross cutting

Big ideas: See also Concepts & misconceptions

Exploring and Experimenting helps us to learn about nature and how to create tools and everyday objects to survive and enjoy life.

  • How has the History and Nature of Science affected generations of people?
    How do people and scientists make discoveries?
  • Evidence can be collected to help understand that dyes can come from plants
  • How do humans create colors?
  • Observations can be used to recreate interactions by employing explanations or models grounded in evidence.

Related concepts and facts

  • Observational data and reasoning is used to explain interactions. Evidence is something that is observed and can be used to understand what is happening and make predictions about future changes.
  • Models are structures that correspond to real objects, events, or classes of events. They can be mental constructs to explain interactions, or drawings that explain interactions.
  • Explanations are based on observation derived from experience or experimentation and are understandable.
  • Pictures or symbols represent objects.

Outcome -

  • Create interactions with objects and static charges that demonstrate static as energy (force that can create motion).

Specific outcomes -

Other possible concepts

History of science and development of technology - perspective of science

See also Concepts & misconceptions also science, math, technology timeline

  • People have practiced science and technology for a long time.
  • Science develops over time.

Scoring guides suggestions (rubric)

(scoring guide)

Top level

Lower level

(scoring guide)

Top level

  • Uses a model to explain and predict observations and interactions between real objects
  • Uses a model to explain and predict observations and interactions between real objects
  • Uses an interaction as an explanation or model.
  • Uses an observation as an explanation or model.

Lower level

Strategies to achieve educational learnings

Based on learning cycle theory & method

Instructional Procedure

Pedagogical Overview

Activities Sequence to provide sufficient opportunities for learners to achieve the targeted outcomes.

Make sure learners have the prior knowledge identified in the background information.

  1. Activity 1 - Indoor Rainbow
  2. Activity 2 - Milk Rainbow
  3. Activity 3 - Rainbow in a Bag
  4. Activity 4 - Colors from Plants
  5. Activity 5 - Exploring Plants-Plant Dyes
  6. Activity 6 -
  7. Activity 7 -

Focus question

Unit focus question:

  • How has the History and Nature of Science affected generations of people?
  • How do people and scientists make discoveries?
  • How do humans create colors?

Sub focus questions:

  1. What is ?
  2. How does it work?

Materials

Lab notes

Resources

Lesson Plans

Activity 1 - Indoor Rainbow

First written by Alexis Hugo and Michelle Jacobsen

Materials

  • Wide-mouthed, smooth, circular glass jar or large plain drinking glass filled with water, small mirror, flashlight, dark room with white walls or a white board
  • Lab note

Focus questions:

  1. Can you make a rainbow with these three objects?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Make a rainbow and explain that the white light must have colors in it or can be turned into colors.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put learners in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Make a rainbow and explain that the white light must have colors in it or can be turned into colors.

Exploration -

  1. Organize learners into pair groups.
  2. Ask. What causes a rainbow? accept all answers
  3. Give students all three objects and ask them how they can create a rainbow all three objects. -The glass, mirror and flashlight.
  4. Allow the learners to explore and try to figure it out on their own. As they do you can provide the following hints before they loose focus.
    • Submerge part of the mirror or the entire mirror in the glass filled with water.
    • Shine the flashlight on the mirror above the water, below the water, or above and below the water.
    • Change the angle of the light from the flashlight or change the angle of the mirror.
  • When all of the groups have been successful bring the class back together.

Invention -

  1. Have groups share their results and describe what they needed to do to get a rainbow of colors. Accept all answers.
  2. Review and ask how they might summarize what they observed.
  3. Ask. What is the best position for the mirror?
  4. What is the best position for the flashlight?
  5. Ask. Where the colors came from?
  6. Could the colors be in the light?Neuton spctrum
  7. What causes a rainbow to form on the wall?
  8. How does this experiment help you to understand something in nature?
  9. How did you use evidence and reasoning to understand?
  10. How is what you did compare to what scientists do?
  11. How can you use what you learned today?
  12. How do other people use what you learned today?

Discovery

Ask them where at home they would be able to see

Activity 2 - Milk Rainbow

First written by Alexis Hugo and Michelle Jacobsen

Materials:

  • 1 pie tin, milk, 3 different bottles of food coloring, 1 bottle of liquid soap
  • Lab note

Focus questions:

Learning outcomes:

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity -

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into pair groups.
  2. Ask and demonstrate without doing. What will happen if you put drops of food coloring (drops are in the shape of a triangle) in a pie tin filled with milk at room temperature? Listen to responses. Do not comment on accuracy.
  3. Ask. What will happen if they put a drop of liquid soap right in the middle of the triangle drops of food coloring?
  4. Have the learners do the activity.
  5. Have them to be ready to share their results with the class.

Invention

  1. Regroup and review their results.
  2. them to share their observations with the class and reach a conclusion about the observations.
  3. Ask where did the colors come from?
  4. Do they come from inside the milk? Water? Food coloring? Soap? How come they change?
  5. Is color light?
  6. Where does light come from?
  7. Could yesterday’s activity give you an idea that might relate to this?
  8. Could they like all around you have something to do with the color?
  9. If so what?
  10. What evidence and reasons do you have to support your answers?
  11. How would a scientist answer these questions?

Discover

  1. How would a scientist explain what happens?
  2. How does what you learned apply to other things?
  3. Will this same reaction work with water or soda pop?
  4. What happens if you put the soap on the outer edge of the milk in the pie tin?
  5. How would a scientist answer these questions?

Activity 3 - Rainbow in a Bag

First written by Alexis Hugo and Michelle Jacobsen

Materials:

  • 1 Ziploc baggie for each student or group, 1 large sauce pan, 16 cups of water, 4 cups of cornstarch, 1.5 cups of sugar, 1 large wooden spoon, food coloring (red, blue, yellow)
  • Lab notes

Prepare ahead of time a batch of goop known as rainbow stew.

Directions

  1. Bring the water to a boil in the pan, toss all ingredients except the food coloring, and heat until it thickens, stirring occasionally. Divide mixture into thirds.
  2. You may want to add food coloring (one heaping teaspoon) to make one batch red, one yellow, and the last one blue or you may want to wait and have students add it later.
  3. The bags may be squeezed to mix the colors together.

Focus questions:

  1. How can you

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Demonstrate

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into pair groups.
  2. Ask. How many colors can be made by combine the three primary colors of red, blue and yellow?
  3. Wait for responses. Mark them on the board.
  4. Give the students the rainbow bags.
  5. Have them compare their observations
  6. Have them take small amounts of the primary colors and mix them.
  7. Have them record the colors used and the color made.
  8. Save some samples for later reference.
  9. A class chart could be made to look for patterns.
  10. Pepare for class sharing.

Invention

  1. Bring the class together and ask them.
  2. To report back what happened and share their data.
  3. Ask. What patterns they can discover?
  4. Explain how the colors are made.
  5. Where does the light come from that they see as each color?
  6. How did the colors form?
  7. Ask. Can you explain how to make different colors and how to make them get lighter or darker?
  8. Ask. How were you working as scientists?

Discovery

Ask. How might you use what you learned in this activity?

 

Activity 4 - Colors from Plants

First written by Alexis Hugo and Michelle Jacobsen

Materials

  • White construction paper, markers, onion skins, flower blossoms, cranberries, bark from woodpile, leaves, beets, red cabbage, tea, carrots, blue berries
  • Lab notes

Focus questions:

  1. Will

Learning outcomes:

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Explore

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into pair groups.
  2. Ask. What will happen if they rub the vegetables, flowers, leaves, etc. on the white paper?
  3. Ask. What colors do they think can be created from the plants provided?
  4. Ask. Why did the colors of the plants appear on the white paper?
  5. Fold white construction paper into six sections.
  6. Ask. Can you create a rainbow of colors on their folded white paper using the plants?
  7. Record all of the different colors on a class chart.
  8. Have groups discuss the results.
  9. Have groups compare their results with other groups and explain why this happens.
  10. Ask how this information can be used in everyday life.
  11. Ask how scientists use this information to create objects that we use today.
  12. How would a scientist answer these questions?

Invention

  1. Share result ...

Discover

 

Activity 5 - Exploring Plants-Plant Dyes

First written by Alexis Hugo and Michelle Jacobsen

Materials

  • Hot water, beakers, stirring implements, various white fabrics, trays lined with paper towels, masking tape, onion skins, flower blossoms, cranberries, bark from woodpile, leaves, beets, red cabbage, tea, carrots, blueberries, safe tools for cutting, mortar and pestle for grinding, tweezers, hot mitts
  • Lab notes

Focus questions:

  1. Can

Learning outcomes:

  1. Use

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Use

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into pair groups.
  2. Ask. What will happen to the water if ground-up plant parts are immersed into the water?
  3. What will happen if white cloth is submerged into that water?
  4. How and why does this happen?
  5. Have students cut up plants, or grind tougher materials with the mortar and pestil.
  6. Put it in a heat-resistant container, add hot water and stir or mash thoroughly.
  7. Have the them add the white fabric and allow it to soak for about 5 minutes.
  8. While the fabric is soaking, ask. What they think would happen if cold water was used. Would it work as well as hot water?
  9. Remove the fabric with tweezers and set on a tray lined with paper towels. Allow drying overnight.

Invention

  1. Share results.
  2. Ask. How did the dyes form?
  3. Explore with dyes by repeating these methods.
  4. Have them document on the towels their results.
  5. Ask. What will happen if we re-dye the white fabric again?
  6. Ask. What dyes changed the fabric the most?
  7. Why did this happen?
  8. Encourage them to share their observations as they work.
  9. Have the class discuss the results and journal these findings.
  10. Ask. What might happen if we add another substance such as alum or cream of tartar?
  11. Ask. What justifications do you have for these predictions.

Discover

  1. Ask.
Natural dyes

Activity 6 -

First written by

Materials

Focus questions:

  1. How

Learning outcomes:

  1. Make .

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Make

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into pair groups.

Invention

  1. Regroup as a class and groups demonstrate their projects.

Discover

  1. Review

 

Activity 7 -

First written by

Materials

Focus questions:

Learning outcomes:

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put students in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity -

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into pair groups.
  2. Show

Invention

  1. Regroup as a class and groups demonstrate their projects.
  2. Ask.

Discover

 

 

 

Lab Notes for activities

Lab notes 1 - Indoor rainbow

Materials

  • Glass, mirror and flashlight.
  • Lab notes

Challenge

Make a rainbow with a glass, mirror and flashlight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lab notes 2 -

Materials

Focus questions:

Challenge

 

 

 

 

Lab notes 3 -

Materials

Focus questions:

 

Challenge

 

 


Lab notes 4 -

Materials

 

Focus questions:

Challenge

 

Lab notes 5 -

Materials

 

Challenge

 

 

 

 

 

Lab notes 6 -

Materials

 

Challenge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lab notes 7 -

Materials

 

Challenge

 

 

 

 

 

Support materials

Natural dyes

Natural dyes

 

C

 

 

 

 

 

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