Small Groups
Students will design an experiment testing the question of whether Goldilocks was telling the truth about the heat retained by the three bowls of porridge.
Additional Resources
Books
Goldilocks and the Three Bears, by Caralyn and Mark Buehner; ISBN 0803729391
The students will need background in the scientific method. The steps in this method are ask a question; gather background research; form a hypothesis; experiment; analyze your data; draw conclusions; and record your results.
It is helpful if the students have already done several guided experiments using this method in class. If not, a planning sheet is provided to allow for differentiation.
Prior to beginning this lesson, set up the oatmeal, bowls, and other materials. Plan enough time to use a microwave or hot plate to heat up the oatmeal and water mixture. You may also want to have a couple of crock pots on hand to keep the oatmeal hot. The ratio for making "porridge" from oatmeal and water is one cup of water to 1⁄2 cup of oatmeal. Time for warming in the microwave will vary based on how much is used. Cook on high for three minutes at a time and stir in between.
Students should use a different thermometer for each set of bowls. They should also have a small ice bath available to store the thermometer between readings.
Since the students will be using bowls of different materials in this experiment, they may use any knowledge of insulation materials when making their choice of which to use. If you have multiple sets of bowls, they may choose to test two different materials.
The porridge portion of the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears will be proven wrong in this experiment. Goldilocks said the big bowl was too hot, the medium-sized bowl was too cold, and the smallest bowl was "just right." The students will learn that bigger things lose heat more quickly and smaller things sustain heat the longest, thus making the big bowl too cold, the small bowl too hot, and the medium- sized bowl "just right."
2. Manifest scientific attitudes and interests.
6. Understand the nature of science.
Invitation to Learn
Write the following instructions on the board: In your journals, write or draw what you remember about the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. What does this story have to do with heat?
Instructional Procedures
Curriculum Extensions/Adaptations/ Integration
Family Connections
Research Basis
Rossman, Alan D. "Managing Hands-On Inquiry." Science and Children 31(1993): 35-37.
Science teaching has moved from conventional teaching to actively involving students in meaningful, hands-on inquiry experiences. These experiences are centered on student investigation and problem solving, cultivating positive attitudes toward science and learning in general, and enabling them to learn to think critically and creatively for themselves. With inquiry, teachers become facilitators, not presenters, while students become not passive learners, but participants in the creation of understanding.
Klentschy, M. (2005). Science Notebook ESSENTIALS. ERIC Source (ERIC EJ721629). Retrieved November 30, 2007, from http://www.eric.ed.gov
Science journals should be a record of students' questions, predictions, evidence, conclusions, and reflections. All should lead to an understanding of "big ideas" of science, as well as act as a literary tool to help students answer questions about the world around them. Language is the most important way for students to arrive at scientific understanding.