Teaching Elementary School Science

The Wayward Raisin (a.k.a Sewer Lice)

Essential Concepts & Skills: Iowa Core/Next Generation Science Standards, Grades 35.
Disciplinary Core Ideas:
5-PS1-3. Matter and Its Interactions: Make observations and measurements
to identify materials based on their properties.
Science Practices:
Analyzing and interpreting data
Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
21st Century Skills:
Communicate & work productively with others
Demonstrate productivity and accountability by producing quality work.
What students will be doing: Students will be learning about properties of
substances by making detailed observations of floating and sinking raisins and
will use those observations to try to explain what is happening. This activity is
great for focusing on the practices of science.

Materials:
1 graduated cylinder per group (100 mL)
tap water (100 ml)
vinegar (25 - 50 mL per group)
baking soda (4-6 tsp per group)
raisins (3)
lunch trays
plastic spoons
safety goggles
colander (for dumping used vinegar in so items dont go down the drain)
other items to experiment with (i.e., rice, popcorn kernels, beans, beads, paper
clips, clay)
Note: It is best to have baking soda and vinegar in small containers already
placed on the lunch trays. Make sure you review clean-up procedures
before students begin experimenting.
Safety: While vinegar is a pretty weak acid, it will sting if it splashes in
students eyes or gets in a cut. Thus it is best to stress safety and insist all
students wear goggles until they are done experimenting and all materials have
been cleaned up and put away. Keep all materials on a tray to minimize spills.
Introducing the Activity

In this activity you will be fine tuning your skills at observing. Who can tell
me what that means? In science, observations are not always made by your
eyes. Other senses can be used too. (Ask them to recall the other senses and
have them come up with examples where they used each sense to make an
observation.) This activity is a puzzle - you have to try to figure out WHY
things are happening and the only way to figure this out is to make careful
observations of every little thing you see. If you miss something, you are not
likely to be able to figure out WHY things are happening. Like all good
scientists, you will need to write down what you see. Then explain how you
want them to work in groups, take turns with mixing and with clean-up and will
show them how their table and tray should look at the end of the period.
Verbal Directions for Students:
Before starting, get your goggles on. You will be using a graduated cylinder to
measure out 50 mL of water. Pour the water into a plastic cup and add 2
teaspoons of baking soda. Stir the baking soda until it dissolves. Pour this
solution back into the 100 mL graduated cylinder. Next measure out 25 mL of
vinegar and slowly add it to the cylinder. Immediately drop the raisins into the
cylinder. Closely observe what happens. It may take several minutes for a
change to occur, so be patient! Record all of your observations in the space
provided. Remember, a scientist must be very observant! If the raisins slow
down after a while, stir the liquid or add a bit more vinegar or water-baking
soda mixture. You might need to experiment with amounts of each ingredient
to get the best bobbing raisins.
Write the abbreviated directions on the board or overhead:
Place everything on the tray
50 mL of water into a plastic cup + 2 tsp baking soda (stirred)
Place this mixture back in the graduated cylinder
Measure 25 mL vinegar in another graduated cylinder
SLOWLY add the vinegar to the water-baking soda mixture
Drop in a few raisins and record everything you observe
Teacher Notes:
This activity generates a lot of excitement among students. Stress the
importance of doing the entire experiment on the tray. Students will be
excited when they see that their vinegar, water and baking soda combination
may foam over the top of their cylinder. This is OK, but can be prevented by
adding ingredients slowly. Make sure students are actually recording their
observations. Circulate around the room keeping an eye out for good
experimental techniques and for students who may be using the materials
inappropriately.

In the end, it is important that students list their observations in the correct
order, as this is the key to developing a correct explanation.
Sample student explanation: The raisin is added to the liquid/baking soda
mixture and sinks to the bottom of the cylinder. As it sits on the bottom,
bubbles begin to form on the sides of the raisin. Eventually, there are so many
bubbles on the raisin, that it begins to float to the top. Once it gets to the
surface, the bubbles on the sides of the raisin begin to pop and sink to the
bottom again. Once at the bottom more bubbles form on the raisin and the
cycle starts again. Students are likely to say that the cause of the floating
and sinking raisin is that the bubbles cause the raisin to float and when they
are gone, the raisins sink. For this grade level, this is likely an adequate
explanation. In fact, the floating and sinking is related to the concept of
density. The bubbles cause the density of the raisins to decrease to a value
less than that of the liquid, so they float. Density = the size of the raison
divided by its mass. The bubbles make the size bigger without changing the
mass, thus the density of the raisin decreases.

Student Data Recording Sheet

The Wayward Raisin

Group Members:
___________________________________________________________
Write 10 observations about the details of what you see
happening.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

8
9
10
Put in one fresh raisin. Write down everything that happens to
the raisin from the second you drop it in the liquid until it
starts doing the same thing over again. No explanations
please. Include every detail!
first
secon
d
third
fourth
fifth
sixth
sevent
h

Do you think other objects might behave the same way a

raisin does?
Your teacher will give you some items you can try. Select
some items to test, try them and write about what happens. If
you have ideas for any other items to test, check with your
teacher first, then test them. Be sure to record what happens.
Test Items

Description of What Happens

Summarize your data: Based on the extra objects you tested,

what characteristics does an object have to have to do the best
floating and sinking?
The best wayward raisins (sewer lice) have these
characteristics.

Conclusions: Based on all of your observations of the raisins

and other objects, write an explanation of what is causing the
raisin to repeatedly rise and sink.

Sample Student Responses

The Wayward Raisin
Group Members:
___________________________________________________________
Write 10 observations about the details of what you see
happening.

The raisins sink to the bottom

They stay on the bottom, but seem to be moving

around.

Bubbles are rising to the top of the liquid.

Bubbles are sticking to the sides of the raisin.

The raisin rotates around when it goes to the top.

The raisin stays on the top for a few seconds, then it

goes back down.

The bubbling gets less after a while and eventually

stops.

You can hear the bubbles.

Some raisins get buried at the bottom in the baking

soda.

10

More than one raisin can work.

Put in one fresh raisin. Write down everything that happens to

the raisin from the second you drop it in the liquid until it
starts doing the same thing over again. No explanations
please. Include every detail!
first

The raisin falls to the bottom.

second Bubbles start to form on the outside of the raisin.

third

The raisin starts to rise toward the top.

fourth

The raisin hit the top of the liquid and some of the
bubbles pop.

fifth

The raisin then sinks to the bottom again.

sixth

More bubbles form on the outside of the raisin.

sevent
h

The raisin goes to the top and everything starts over

again.

Do you think other objects might behave the same way a

raisin does?
Your teacher will give you some items you can try. Select
some items to test, try them and write about what happens. If
you have ideas for any other items to test, check with your
teacher first, then test them. Be sure to record what happens.
Test Items

Description of What Happens

popcorn
kernels

Works like the raisin. It floats up & down.

paper clips

Sinks to the bottom and stays there.

lentils

A couple of them worked, then they

stopped.

rice pieces

Sinks and floats for a while.

penny

Sinks to the bottom and stays there.

plastic beads

Sinks to the bottom and stays there.

ball of clay

Sinks to the bottom and stays there.

smashed piece
of clay

If I get it just right, it works like the raisin

and goes up and down.

Styrofoam

Does not work because it never sinks.

Summarize your data: Based on the extra objects you tested,

what characteristics does an object have to have to do the best
floating and sinking?
The best wayward raisins (sewer lice) have these
characteristics.
wrinkled surface
not too heavy
must be able to sink
must have a lot of surface (like the smashed clay)

Conclusions: Bubbles must be able to form on the outside of

the object. The bubbles carry the object to the top, then the
bubbles break so it falls back down. Science-wise, the bubbles
forming on the outside of the object causes it volume (size) to
get bigger while its mass remains essentially the same. Since
density is mass divided by size, the bubbles make it less
dense, so it floats. Elementary children will not come to a
conclusion of this detail, nor should they be expected to. If
students can conclude that the bubbles are causing the object
to rise, that is sufficient.