A discrepant event is an event that puzzles students and challenges them to explain what happened. For example, placing a bottle with a penny inside in hot water causes the penny to dance around. This puzzles students until they realize that as the air inside the bottle is heated, it expands and pushes its way out through the moist opening, causing the bottle to rock. The teacher helps students understand the event and overcome possible misconceptions through questioning.

1. Discrepant Events
Module Questions

2. What is a Discrepant Event?
A discrepant event is an event that is puzzling. It makes
you wonder what exactly happened and why. In teaching
science this can be done by demonstrating something that
is surprising and then challenging the students to explain it.
The teacher helps the student to come to an understanding
of the discrepant event.

5. Moisture Seals the
Bottle
Air is Heated Air Pushes
Inside the Bottle its Way
Penny
out of the
Bottle Dances
Air Expands

6. Possible Misconceptions
 Water gets inside the bottle
 The table must be moving
 The moisture on the opening of the bottle is not
necessary

7. Questions for the Students
 What was in the bottle before hand?
 What kind of water was in the bin?
 How could this have affected the air inside the bottle
once it was submerged?
 Do you think the same thing would have happened if the
water was cold?
 So what happens to air as it is heated up?
 What did the moisture on the opening of the bottle do?

8. Safety Concerns
 Use plastic bottles instead of glass. If the bottle breaks
and it is glass the students may get hurt.
 Have the teacher heat up the water so that the students
do not get burned.
 Inform students that the water is hot and ask them not
to touch it.