Gummy+Bear+explanation

__Growing Gummy Bears Experiment Explanation__ (teacher background) __and Vocabulary__

__Reminder: Teachers,__ You get to run this experiment with your students. Please read through this explanation and vocabulary sheet as well as the experiment itself. (On the Science Wiki page let us know how the experiment went. Please give us tips on how we might improve the lab or how well you enjoyed this science experiment with your students.)

The gummy bear grows bigger because it soaks up __**water**__. This process is called __**osmosis**__- slow change in concentration- the diffusion of a solvent (the water in this case) through a semi-permeable membrane (the outside “skin” of the gummy bear) from a dilute to a more concentrated solution. Water naturally moves from areas that have high water content to areas nearby that have less water. __**Osmosis**__ tries to balance the “wetter” areas with “drier’ ones, so that there isn’t much difference in the water content between the two areas. A gummy bear contains very little water. When you put it into a bowl of water, the “dry” gummy bear __**attracts**__ water and grows as it holds more and more water.

__**Liquid**__- a flowing substance that is fluid at room temperature and whose shape but not volume can be changed.

__**Water**__: the clear colorless liquid, odorless and tasteless when pure, that occurs as rain, snow, and ice, forms rivers, lakes, and seas, and is essential for life. Naturally occurring water picks up color and taste from substances in its environment.

__**Attracts, attraction:**__ to draw objects nearer

Tips about this experiment- Students will be measuring the length of their own gummy bear before water is put in the cup. They measure it again the next day, and then complete the experiment. (The “claims and evidence, conclusion and reflection” portion of the experiment.) Your students will need do this experiment in their Science Notebooks. You do not need to copy the experiment for each student. Have students follow the procedure as laid out in the Primary or Intermediate Experiments. Please return the trays to the Science Room (1A) the next day when you are finished with the experiment. Let Patti and Judith know when you are running low on water, so that we can get you more. We will be teaching math classes next door in Room 2B. Please leave the room set up and ready for the next Science class that comes after you are done. Please return pencils and erasers to green cubes on tables. (Clean off Experiment posters for the next class. Use the water spray bottle and Kleenex on Science cart by my desk.) Please post comments about your Science experience on the Science wiki page so that Patti and I can improve the lesson if necessary. Handouts for Primary Gummy Bear Lab Handouts for Intermediate Gummy Bear Lab