Summary
In the following activities, the students will experience making
some of the products used in Colonial life. They will also see whether the product was produced by a
physical or chemical change.
Materials
Activity One Station--Making Soap, Chemical Change
- Pictures of process
- Ash hopper picture
- Student journal
- Notes on Making ____
- Store soap
- Hand-made soap
- Extension cord
- Heating unit
- Measurement Cup
- Stainless steel pan
- Steel pot
- Wooden spoon
- Soap mold pan
- Rubber gloves
- Safety glasses
- Lye
- Lard
- Cold water
- Digital scale
Activity Two Station--Making Sundried Bricks,
Physical Change (baked in sun); Chemical Change
(baked in oven)
- Pictures of process
- Student journal
- Notes on Making _____
- Store brick
- Hand-made clay brick
- Brick mold
- Measurement cup
- Deep bowls
- Sand
- Clay dirt
- Straw, cut up
- Water
- Digital scale
Activity Three Station--Making Candles, Physical
Change (making), Chemical Change (burning)
- Pictures of process
- Student journal
- Notes on Making ____
- Store candle
- Hand-made candle
- 3 - V8 cans
- Hot plate
- Sauce pan
- Paraffin wax
- Wick
- Hot water
- Cold water
- Digital scale
Activity Four Station--Making Yarn for Weaving,
Physical Change
- Pictures of a loom, a spindle, sheep sheers, sheering sheep, spinning wheel
- Student journal with reading notes about yarn
- Notes on Making _____
- Store bought yarn and home spun yarn
- Large scissors
- 2 Wool carders
- Drop spindle/wire hook
- Cardboard
- Skeen of yarn
- Wool, unprocessed
- Paper towels
- Digital scale
Additional Resources
Books
Colonial Living, by Edwin Tunis; ISBN 9780801862274 (Paperback)
If You Lived in Colonial Times, by Ann McGovern; ISBN 059045160X (Paperback)
If You Lived In Williamsburg in Colonial Days, by Barbara Brenner; 0590929224 (Paperback)
Background for Teachers
In the early colonial times of the 17th Century, everyone was mostly
responsible for growing, making, and constructing their own things
for survival. This included building cabins and digging wells. They
made furniture, doors, latches, toys and tools. They grew their own
crops, learned how to cook food, and learned how to store the food
and crops to make them last through the winter. They needed bricks
for their chimneys, walkways, fireplaces, and roads. Soap and candles
were necessary for their cleanliness and for light at night. They also
had to learn the great art of making cloth from plants and wool to
make clothes. It was truly ingenious how the colonists and their
predecessors discovered how to make some of these products. Certain
tools were also discovered for the need of making the products.
As we think about the things they made, we can see that they all
started from raw matter. This raw matter was changed into a useful
product. Some of the "raw matter" went through a physical change
and some of the "raw matter" went through a chemical change. The
hard part was producing the items by hand with their hand tools. Even
today, each finished product starts from raw matter and is changed
into a useful product through physical and chemical change. However,
today we have other forms of energy and more sophisticated tools.
In the student readings, the students were able to see what "raw
matter" was used to make some useful products in colonial days. The
students read about the tools that were needed to make these products.
They saw that in most cases it was hard, long work.
In the following activities, the students will experience making
some of these products. They will rotate through four stations and
make the products or observe the products being made. They will
experience how colonial people made candles, soap, adobe bricks, and
yarn to make cloth in these rotations. Students will personally make
some of these products from raw matter, and some will be made by
a teacher demonstration for the purpose of safety. Each student will
keep a record in a journal of how the product was made and what they
discovered. They will also see whether the product was produced by a
physical or chemical change.
Intended Learning Outcomes
1. Use science process and thinking skills.
2. Manifest science attitudes and interests.
Instructional Procedures
Invitation to Learn
Explain to the students that when a colonial town was established,
some colonists wanted to earn money by having a business instead
of farming all day. They had shops making products that colonists
needed on a regular basis. From the back of the book If You Lived in
Colonial Times read out loud some of the stories of what the workers
made. Ask questions as to where they got the raw matter to make
these products. Ask questions of how the raw matter changed into
new products. Students might be able to speculate how the products
were made from beginning to the end. Ask questions if the products
are a result physical or chemical change.
There is one story about the blacksmith in the book. The
blacksmith was the most popular citizen in the town because he
knew how to make iron which was strong. The making of iron is a
chemical reaction (Fe
2O3 + 3CO = 3CO2 + 2Fe). He could make it
into any shape by request with hot coals. Below is some background
information that will help them understand how iron was made.
"The basic materials to make iron are iron ore, coke (made by
breaking down coal by heating it), and lime (from limestone). The
iron ore, coke and lime are put into a furnace. The main purpose of
the coke is to use it as a fuel to heat the furnace. As the iron ore melts
and the coke burns, the oxygen in the iron ore and the carbon from the
coke combine to form carbon dioxide gas. This gas escapes from the
furnace leaving a metallic product called pig iron. This pig iron still
has impurities which makes weak iron. The purpose of the lime is to
aid in the removal of any unwanted impurities in the pig iron such as
silicon and phosphorus. The lime produces more carbon monoxide
and combines with these unwanted impurities and produces "slag".
This slag is in the form of a solid. Even though the slag is a solid, it
is lighter than the liquid iron and forms on the surface of the liquid
iron. The slag is then lifted off the top of the liquid iron. What is
left in the furnace is almost pure iron."
Instructional Procedures
Activity One Station--Making Soap, Chemical Change
Pre-activity
- Have students take out their journals for the review.
- Review what the students learned about how colonists made
soap.
- Discuss how colonists found the materials and tools for making
soap.
- Show a picture of the "soap making" setup and the ash hopper
and have a discussion about their uses.
- Show the container of lye. Discuss why lye was put in the soap.
(For disinfecting.)
- Show the box of lard. Discuss why lard was put in the soap.
(For cleaning.)
- Show a sample of the real lye soap with today's soap. Pass them
around and have them discuss what they observe as differences
between the two students.
- Pass out the activity sheet Notes on Making __________. (Have
students put Soap on the line.)
- Have the students write the tools needed to make soap. Explain
why each is needed and have them write the reasons.
a. Heating unit (for heat)
b. Measuring cup (for measuring the ingredients)
c. Stainless steel pan (for making the lye water)
d. Steel pot (for making the soap)
e. Wooden spoon (for stirring the ingredients while it cooks)
f. Soap mold (for shaping the soap)
- Have the students write down the ingredients needed to make
soap. Explain why each is needed and have them write the
reasons. Weigh out each ingredient and record the weight.
a. 1/2 pound lard (for cleaning)
b. 2/5 cup lye (for disinfectant)
c. 1 cold cup water (making lye water)
- Have the students put on their safety glasses.
Making the Soap (This needs to be done outdoors.)
- As the soap is being made, have the students write the
procedure on their activity sheet.
- Put 1/2-pound of lard in the steel pot.
- Put the steel pot on a heating unit on high heat to melt the lard.
Ask students, "What type of change is this when the lard melts?
Explain." (Physical--it is just changing form but is not a new
product.)
- While it is melting make the lye water. Put the water into the
stainless steel pan. Let them feel that the water is cold. Pour
the lye into the cold water. Stir it until the lye is dissolved. It
will begin to show steam coming from the pan. Ask them,
"What type of change is happening in the pan? Explain."
(Chemical--it is giving off heat.)
- When the lard is melted and it's not too hot, slowly pour in the
lye water.
- Stir the mixture constantly over medium-high heat for about
twenty minutes until the soap is bubbly and creamy like that of
a thin milkshake.
- During the twenty minutes it is cooking, talk about the
importance of soap during colonial times. (It kills germs, cleans
off dirt, keeps us from smelling bad, makes people look clean,
keeps things sanitary, etc.)
- Also during this twenty minutes, have the students list at the
bottom of the activity sheet what the colonists used the soap
for. (Wash hair, hands, body, dishes, clothes, tools, animals,
cabin, etc.)
- When the soap gets to be quite thick and bubbly, pour the soap
into the soap mold (bread pan). Get as much out as your can.
- Ask students, "What type of change is this? Explain."
(Chemical--a new product is made.)
- Explain to them that the lye is no longer lye and the lard is no
longer lard. They have mixed as a chemical change where a
new product is made for cleaning.
- Have the students write down their special observations and
thoughts about making soap.
- Have the students write down on the activity sheet what kind of
a change it is and explain why.
- The next day take the soap out as a whole piece. Weigh it.
Ask them, "Does it weigh the same as the sum of the three
ingredients put in?" Have them write their conclusion. (No,
but it is close. Some of the water evaporated and not all of the
soap was taken out of the pan.)
- Cut the soap into eight squares.
- The squares need to be set aside for about a month. (There is a
residue of a weak lye solution on the cubes. It is not harmful,
but can sting the skin. Setting the lye aside for the month lets
the lye solution evaporate. It does work like soap.)
Activity Two Station--Making Sundried Bricks,
Physical Change (baked in sun); Chemical Change
(baked in oven)
Pre-activity
- Have students take out their journals for the review.
- Review what the students learned about how colonists made
sundried bricks.
- Discuss how colonists found the materials and tools for
making sundried bricks.
- Show pictures of colonists making sundried bricks and
discuss the pictures.
- Pass out the activity sheet Notes on Making _________. (Have
students put Sundried Bricks on the line.)
- Have the students write the tools needed to make bricks.
Explain why each is needed and have them write the reasons.
a. Bowls (mixing in)
b. Brick mold (shaping the brick)
c. Measuring cup (for measuring the ingredients)
- Have the students write down the ingredients needed to make
bricks. Explain why each is needed and have them write the
reasons. Weigh out each ingredient and record the weight.
a. 1 cup clay dirt (main ingredient)
b. 1/3 cup water (for making mud)
c. Handful of straw (for strengthening the brick)
d. Sand (to use as a lubricant)
- Have the students put on their safety glasses.
Making the Sundried Bricks
- Put the 1 cup of clay dirt in the bowl.
- Put 1/3 cup of water in the bowl. Mix it together until it has
the consistency of bread dough. (If more water or more dirt is
needed, weigh it out first then add it.) Ask students, "What type
of change happened? Explain." (Physical--it is just changing
form but not a new product.)
- Once the water is mixed with the clay dirt, add a small handful
of cut up straw. Ask, "What type of change is happening in the
bowl? Explain." (Physical--it is just changing in looks but not
a new product.)
- Wet the mold with water and sprinkle sand on it.
- Put the brick dough into the mold. Press as hard as you can
with your hand to compact the brick dough.
- Shake out the brick while it is still wet. It should come out easy
because of the sand.
- After the students make their bricks, have them write the step-
by-step procedure.
- Have the students write down the colonists' uses of the bricks.
- Have them write down any special observations and thoughts
they had while they were making the bricks.
- Let them bake in the sun for two days--one day on one side
and one day on the other side.
- After two days, weigh the bricks. Ask them, "Does it weigh the
same as the ingredients added together? Explain." (No. The
water has evaporated.)
- Ask them, "What type of change is this? Why? (Physical
change--the ingredients are still the same--clay and straw)
- Have the students write down on the activity sheet what kind of
a change it is, and explain why.
- Ask, "What type of a change is it if the brick was put in an
oven? Explain." (Chemical change--the clay melts and
combines together with the other clay particles and becomes a
new product. It is much more solid and stronger.)
Activity Three Station--Making Candles, Physical
Change (making), Chemical Change (burning)
Pre-activity
- Have students take out their journals for the review.
- Review what the students learned about how colonists made
candles.
- Discuss how colonists found the materials and tools for
making candles.
- Show pictures of colonists making candles and discuss these
pictures.
- Pass out the activity sheet Notes on Making ___________. Fill
in the blank with Candles.
- Have the students write the tools needed to make candles.
Explain why each is needed and have them write the reasons.
a. Three tall V8 cans (one to heat the hot wax; one to hold
hot wax; one to hold cold water)
b. Hot plate (used to melt the wax)
c. Sauce pan (used to hold hot water to heat the hot wax
can)
- Have the students write down the ingredients needed to make
candles. Explain why each is needed and have them write the
reasons. Weigh out each ingredient and record the weight.
a. Paraffin wax (main substance of the candle)
b. Wick (string, for the wax to build on and to light)
c. Hot water (to create a double broiler to melt the wax)
- Have the students put on their safety glasses.
Making the Candles
- Plug in hot plate and set the hot plate on high.
- Fill a saucepan half filled with water.
- Fill a V-8 can with broken pieces of cold wax. Place it in the
saucepan.
- Set the saucepan (with the V-8 can filled with cold wax in it)
on the hot plate.
- When the water begins to boil, turn the heat down a bit so it
isn't boiling as hard, but still boiling.
- At this point the wax will begin to melt and continue to melt.
- Add more hard wax to the can until the wax almost fills the
can. (Weight each one.)
- Give it about 30 to 45 minutes to get a can full of hot wax.
- At this point put it on simmer until ready to use.
- Give a wick to each student, the length being a little longer than
the length of the V8 can.
- Fill the second V8 can with cold water and put it on a table
with paper on it for easy clean up.
- When ready to dip candles, take the hot wax can out of the
simmering water and place it on a table next to the cold water.
- Heat up some more wax in the third V8 can. (Weigh out each
piece.) (As the hot wax can on the table gets low, put some
more hot wax in it from the hot wax can on the hot plate.)
- Dip the wick into the hot wax can. Pull it out of the wax and
dip it into the cold water can. This hardens the wax on the
wick.
- Repeat this procedure many times until you attain the desired
size of the candle.
- If the candle becomes crooked, it can be rolled across a smooth
surface.
- Have the students weigh their candles. Add the weight of each
candle. See if the total matches the weight of the wax used.
- After the students make their candles, have them write the step-
by-step procedure.
- Ask the students, "What type of change is this? Explain"
(Physical change. The wax only changed form.)
- Have the students write down the uses of the candles by the
colonists.
- Have them write down any special observations and thoughts
they had while they were making the candles.
- Have the students write down on the activity sheet what kind of
a change it is, and tell why.
Activity Four Station--Making Yarn for Weaving,
Physical Change
This will make enough yarn samples for every student.
Pre-activity
- Have students take out their journals for the review.
- Review what the students learned about how colonists made
yarn.
- Discuss how colonists found the tools and materials for
making yarn.
- Show the process of how colonists made yarn by showing the
pictures in order of the production. Have a discussion about
this process.
- Pass out the activity sheet Notes on Making ___________. Fill
in the blank with "Yarn".
- Have the students write the tools needed to make yarn.
Explain why each is needed and have them write the reasons.
Weigh out the ingredients and record the weight.
a. Sheep shears/big scissors (to cut the wool off the sheep)
b. Bowl (to wash the yarn)
c. Soap (to wash the yarn)
d. Wool carders (to make the wool fluffy)
e. Spinning wheel/spindle (to spin the fluffy wool into yarn)
f. Loom (to make clothing)
- Have the students write down the ingredients needed to make
wool. Explain why each is needed and have them write the
reasons. Weigh out each ingredient and record it.
a. Wool from the sheep (main substance)
Making the Yarn
- Cut a piece of wool from the large piece of wool. Weigh it and
record it.
- With the warm water and soap, gently wash the wool so it is
clean.
- Gently dry the wool with a paper towel. Be sure to remove all
the moisture.
- Put the piece of wool on the carders. With the carders on top
of each other and opposite each other, pull out and away. Put
them on top of each other and pull away again. Repeat many
times. Every once in a while, fix the wool on top of the carders.
Keep repeating this until the wool is fluffy. Weigh it to see if
the weight is the same.
- Pull out a small tuft of wool. Hook it onto the wire hook.
- With the help of another person, have the other person spin the
wire hook. As the wire hook is being spun, gradually let out
small bits of wool. Try not to get it too thick or too thin. Keep
doing it until the wool is gone. Wool yarn has just been made.
- Have the students weigh their wool yarn pieces. Add them up.
See if the total matches the weight of the wool used.
- Ask them, "What kind of change is this? Explain." (Physical
change--It is still the same type of material.)
- After the students make their yarn, have them write the step-by-
step procedure.
- Have the students write down the uses of the yarn by the
colonists.
- Have them write down any special observations and thoughts
they had while they were making the yarn.
- Have the students write down on the activity sheet what kind of
a change it is, and tell why.
- If time allows, follow the instructions below to make a mat out
of yarn.
Making the Mat (optional)
- Take an 8" X 4" piece of cardboard and make half-inch slits
about half inches apart on both of the long ends. Fold the
cardboard in half so the two slitted ends are across from each
other. Keep the slitted ends about three inches apart.
- Cut off about three yards of regular yarn. Weigh it.
- With the regular yarn, connect the top slits with the bottom
slits by going up and down until all the slits have yarn through
them keeping the opening about three inches apart. Cut the
yarn off and tie both ends to the ends of the cardboard.
- Take the rest of the yarn and tie it to the eraser end of a
sharpened pencil. Tie the other end to the one of the end
strings on the loom.
- With a pencil, weave the pencil in and out of the yarn strings
on the loom. Then, pull the yarn through. The first weave has
just been made. Take the pencil back the other way, weaving it
through the yarn strings on the loom. It is back where it started.
- Keep doing this over and over until the loom is filled with
woven yarn.
- Ask them, "What kind of change is this? Why? (Physical
change--It is still the same type of material.)
- Have the students write the step-by-step procedure.
- Have the students write down any special observations and
thoughts they had while they were making the yarn mat.
- Have the students write down on the activity sheet what kind of
a change it is, and explain why.
Extensions
Curriculum Extensions/Adaptations/
Integration
- The advanced learners can learn more about how iron was
made. Have them read more about the blacksmith and how he
was able to make iron. They can also read how he was able to
bend iron to make different products.
- The advanced learners can learn more about the tools used in
the activities and about to how they were made.
- The advanced learners can learn more about the physical and
chemical reactions of each of the activities.
- The advanced learners can learn about other products that were
made by colonists--how they were made and if the product is a
result of physical or chemical change.
- For learners with special needs, there are many easy reader
books in the library that tell about colonial living. After they
read them, have them write if the product is a physical or
chemical change.
Family Connections
- Have the students take home their product from each station.
Have them tell about each one by describing how it was made.
Have them tell if each was the product of a physical or chemical
change.
- As a family visit Pioneer Heritage Park and see how these
products and others were made. Watch carefully if they were
made by physical or chemical changes.
Assessment Plan
- Review the activity sheets that students did. Check for accuracy
and completeness.
- Take pictures of the students at each of the activities. As the
pictures are shown, have the students relate what is happening
at each station. Have them relate whether it was a physical
change or a chemical change.
- Make an assessment with each of the products of the four
stations with pictures. Have the students tell if each product is
a result of a physical change or a chemical change. Have them
explain why.
Bibliography
Research Basis
Myhill, D. (2006). Talk, talk, talk: teaching and learning in whole class discourse. Research
Papers in Education, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 19-41
It is important that teachers don't take up too much of student
learning time by talking that limits opportunities for pupil learning.
Teachers are encouraged to only take up about 15 minutes of whole class
time. Teachers are encouraged to use questions for student interaction
with each other for discussion and discovery. The teacher only acts
as a facilitator during the student learning time. Teachers are also
encouraged to have students work in groups to learn from each other.
Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds). (1999). How people learn: brain, mind,
experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press
Hands-on learning provides the students with kinesthetic, auditory,
and visual learning. As students perform hands-on tasks, they make
learning happen for themselves. They learn quickly from their
experiences. They begin to make a connection to their world. As
this approach is being taught the students learn through the process
of inquiry. The teachers should ask many questions during science
lessons to make students' thinking process complete.