Absorption

We are looking at how different matter have different properties. One property we are looking at is the rate of absorption. 

We have some prior knowledge. 

• We know that we use sponges or cloths to absorb the water that spills on the bench at home. 
• We know that we use towels to absorb the water on our bodies after we have a shower. 
• We know that hard surfaces like steel and glass do not absorb any water. 
• We know that liquid is absorbed, not solids.

We used an eye dropper to count how many drops of water we could put onto different types of paper. We counted how many we could put into the centre of a circle before the water touched the edge.

The papers were all different.

Newspaper

We dropped 32 drops of water on the newspaper, before it hit the edge of the circle. Then we dropped another 13 drops, and it spread 16cm out. We think newspaper is the most absorbent paper.

Pyper, Mele & Alyssa

 

Black Paper

We dropped about 200 water drops and it didn't reach the edge of the circle. It didn't grow too big at that amount of water drops. We think black paper is not very absorbent.

Nelissa, Lyrik & Pori-Na

White Art Paper

We dropped 350 drops of water on our white art paper before it touched the outer line of the circle. White art paper is not good at absorbing.

Albie, Eneasi, Lawton

 Shiny Orange Art Paper

We dropped 100 drops of water on our orange art paper and it didn't move far at all. There were no signs of absorption at all. Shiny orange art paper isn't absorbent.

Pratyush, Jordan & Lucas

Red Art Paper

It took 61 drops of water to reach the edge of the circle. We could see the water spreading across the paper. Absorption rate was quite good. This was a surprise because the surface was quite shiny. We had predicted that this paper wouldn't be as absorbent.

Brody, Erin & Epeli

A Long Walk To Water

We have been reading A Long Walk To Water by Linda Sue Park as part of the Global Read Aloud. The book has a 4.2 rating on the Good Reads website.

It is a great story told in two parts.

Salva is one of the 'lost boys' of the Sudan. He escaped his village when it got attacked by rebel soldiers. He is a wandering refugee. His story occurs in 1985.

Nya is a young girl in Sudan who can't go to school because she has to walk a long way every day to collect water for her family. Her story occurs in 2008.

So far, there is no connection between the two stories except that they both take place in Sudan. Some of us think that Salva will be Nya's father.

We have shared some of our thoughts about the book with our friends in Chicago on Flipgrid. Have a look and leave us some comments if you can.