By Kathleen Palmieri
Science is one subject where students truly come alive when given the opportunity to experiment, question, and discover. The excitement of hands-on labs invites them to think outside the box and connect scientific concepts to their everyday experiences.
When guided by grade-level standards, even simple experiments can become powerful, authentic learning experiences. Here’s an example from my fifth grade classroom.
Building the Foundation: Identifying Materials by Their Properties
The first module I teach each year focuses on the question:
“How can we identify materials based on their properties?”
One of our early investigations begins with the question:
“What happens when materials are mixed with water?”
To explore this, students conduct a simple lab using sugar and water. They carefully measure the weights of both substances before and after mixing, then graph their data. The key discovery? The total weight remains the same, even though the sugar seems to “disappear.” This introduces the concept of dissolving and conservation of mass.
While the sugar-water lab is foundational and hands-on, I often notice that it doesn’t spark much excitement on its own. So, I decided to expand the concept in a way that would truly capture students’ curiosity – and bring a little sweetness to scientific inquiry.
Taking It Further: The Gummy Bear Investigation
Building on a popular internet experiment from over a decade ago, I introduced Gummy Bears as the star of our next lab. The new focus question became:
“What happens to Gummy Bears when they are submerged in different liquids overnight?”
Each lab group received:
- A tray with five Gummy Bears (one for control and four for testing)
- Four clear plastic cups, each filled one-quarter full with a different liquid: vinegar, water, salt water, and Sprite
- A ruler for measurement
- Their science notebooks for recording observations
Students began by forming hypotheses about what they thought would happen to each Gummy Bear in the different liquids. They measured their control Gummy Bear, placed the others in their respective cups, and recorded any initial reactions. The real magic happened the next day when they returned to observe and measure their results.
Day Two: Inquiry in Action
The room buzzed with excitement as students examined their transformed Gummy Bears. Some had swollen to surprising sizes, others had shrunk, and a few had begun to break down completely. Students recorded their observations, compared them to their hypotheses, and discussed questions such as:
- Why did some liquids cause the Gummy Bear to grow or shrink?
- What does this tell us about how materials interact with different substances?
- How can we use evidence to explain these changes?
Students used their rulers to compare each treated Gummy Bear with the control, then graphed and analyzed their data to draw conclusions.
Why It Works: Authentic Investigation
This two-day lab does more than engage students – it deepens their understanding of key scientific concepts such as solubility, osmosis, and the properties of materials. By using a familiar and fun object like a Gummy Bear, students stay curious and invested while practicing core scientific skills: measuring, recording, hypothesizing, and analyzing data. And we’ve set the stage for future lessons.
Most importantly, this activity transforms a standard lab into an opportunity for authentic inquiry. It demonstrates that even the simplest materials can lead to big scientific thinking – especially when paired with a question that invites wonder.
Kathleen Palmieri is a National Board Certified Teacher, NBCT Professional Learning facilitator, and education writer. She is a fifth-grade educator in upstate New York who reviews and writes regularly for MiddleWeb. With a passion for literacy and learning in the classroom, she participates in various writing workshops, curriculum writing endeavors, and math presentations.
As a lifelong learner, Kathie is an avid reader and researcher of educational practices and techniques. She collaborates with colleagues and globally on X-Twitter and Bluesky and reflects on her education adventures at www.kathleenpalmieri.com.
