Over the last few weeks, we have been learning about matter in Science. In Keystone 1 we learned about volume, density,  and mass. In Keystone 2 we did some experiments to learn about the different states of matter through diffusion. In Keystone 3 we learned about the atom, what it is, what it’s made of as well as how it works. We learned a lot of things in this unit that I will explain if you continue to read this blog post!

Keystone 1

In Keystone 1, we learned about volume, density, and mass. But we also learned how to measure volume, density, and mass. To measure mass, we used the triple beam balance and tried measuring the mass of different small objects. Learning to measure volume and density was not as fun, because it included a lot of math. To measure volume we had to multiply the length, height, and width of the object. To find the density of an object, we had to divide the mass by the volume. To show our learning and understanding, we had to choose and describe an object using density, volume, and mass. It was more fun then I would have expected, even though a lot of math was involved as you will see below.

Keystone 2

In Keystone 2, we learned about the different states of matter; solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Then we did some experiments with our groups on diffusion, using gummy bears in a beaker and filling it with different elements. Our group’s hypothesis was that the size of the gummy bear would affect the speed of it’s diffusion. To test that hypothesis we got two beakers and filled them with boiled water, then we got two gummy bears and drop a whole gummy bear into one beaker and the cut up pieces of a gummy bear into the other beaker. Then we wrote down our observations and put it together in a Canva slide presentation, that you can see below, along with the video and photos that we took.

Keystone 3

 In Keystone 3, we had to make a video game based on the learning that we have learned about atoms using scratch. The video game that I made is based off of Mario, and I call it Atom Run! In the beginning of the game your character, the Atom has to answer a question; “How many subatomic particles are there?” After you answer the question, you proceed to finish all the levels, trying to get to the end. But make sure not to touch the electrons! When you touch the electrons, they send you back to the beginning of the level. I wanted to make the electrons the bad guys, since they are negatively charged, while the protons are positively charged. I showed my understanding of this subject through my game by adding the question at the beginning  of the game, as well as  making the characters and giving them their roles based of their roles in the atom. I really like making this video game because it was a fun experience to get to learn to code! You can try my game through this link:

Conclusion

Throughout this unit, we learned a lot of things about matter. We learned about the different states of matter, how to measure matter, and what makes up matter. I really enjoyed learning about all of this, and I liked the methods we used to show our understanding. Thank you for reading this blog post, and see you at my next one!!