1. Check the Weather
Charlene Cota, Kyle Middleton, Lilianne Cherichel
Grade: 4
Standard: S1.1a Observe and discuss objects and events and record observation.
OBJECTIVE: Students will make their own Thermometer; they will learn room temperature, colder
settings and warmer settings, by using their thermometer.
Materials:
1. Pint jar with lid
2. Alcohol
3. Water
4. Straw
5. Food coloring
6. Clay
INTRODUCE ACTIVITY: Ask what is used to measure temperature?
Activity:
Students will learn to make Thermometers with everyday objects. Students will add ¼ of water into jar
and ¼ of alcohol into jar add 2 drops of food coloring (green drops). Close lid and insert straw put clay at
the top of straw to hold in place.7. Use a marker to mark on the jar the water level in the straw at room
temperature. Building the thermometer is only half the fun. Now experiment with your students by
having them take their thermometers and place them in differently-heated places to watch what
happens. Take it outside; place it in a shadow, in the sun light or wherever to see how temperature
reacts with their thermometers.
How does it work?
Liquids contract and expand depending on the temperature. Rubbing alcohol is more temperature-
sensitive than water, so the liquid changes according to temperature quicker than using only water.
When it is hotter, the liquid in the jar expands, pushing fluid up through the straw; the opposite is true
for the cold. This is also a good chance to educate your students on the Celsius and Fahrenheit
temperature scales. Water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius and boils at 100 degrees Celsius. Fahrenheit, on
the other hand, has water freezing at 32 degrees and boiling at 212 degrees.
Closure: In Alaska will the straw be filled with water?