Activity
Volume Lab
In this lab, students use both critical thinking and math skills as they measure volume using tools adapted for visual impairment.
Volume is simply defined as the amount of space that something take up. In this lab, students use adapted beakers to measure volume accurately to 100 mL. The metric unit for volume, the liter, is utilized.
Please see Kate Fraser’s excellent video description of the use of the volume measurement equipment. The tools she uses work in a similar manner.
Materials
- 1,000 mL adapted beaker for each student (Savi Selph) – See picture above
- 100 mL adapted beaker for each student (Savi Selph)
- Notched syringes at 25mL and 50 mL (For each student) – For variation – See attached lab.
Preparation
- Prepare a 100mL beaker, a 1 liter (1,000 mL) beaker and notched syringes (at 25mL and 50 mL) for each student.
- Students can share if necessary.
- Also, prepare one bottle of unknown volume for the last question of the lab. I like 400 mL because students are less likely to guess it correctly without measuring.
- I use measuring cups or non-adapted beakers to check the students’ measurements. The Savi-Selph equipment doesn’t allow for perfect accuracy, but if the student is more than 30 mL or so off on a large measurement, I watch his/her technique and give feedback accordingly.
Procedure
In the metric system, the liter is used to measure the volume of a liquid or gas.
Measure the following volumes of water into a bowl using the beakers. Allow your instructor to check your measurements.
- 1,000 ml
- 400 ml
- 1,200 ml
- 2,000 ml
- 2,100 ml
Once you are comfortable with the tools used to measure volume (beakers), measure the volume of water in the soda bottle.
Record your measurement
Variations
Attached is a more complicated lab requiring the use of adapted syringes as well as beakers.
See Volume Lab v 2 for this lab.
NGSS Standards
Scale, Proportion, and Quantity – 5th grade
- Standard units are used to measure and describe physical quantities such as weight, time, temperature, and volume.
(5-PS1- 2),(5-PS1-3)
By Laura Hospitál
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