GT students learn to keep cool

Fifth grade gifted and talented students in Christina Miller’s science class had to design and create a homemade cooler that would demonstrate relative density, thermal insulation, mass, and solubility after learning about them in class.

Students were given a scenario that the Parent Planning Committee needed them to create a cooling chamber to hold ice cream treats for an outdoor party day, and unfortunately, all the freezers and refrigerators were reserved. Their creation had to be able to keep the treats frozen for at least three hours. 

They compiled their knowledge of what they learned and produced some masterpieces!  For their presentation, students had to have a prototype and a labeled graphic organizer that showed the insulating materials of the cooling chamber, how it would float without dissolving, and how the student would determine how much weight it could hold. 

They tested their coolers, and one innovation was able to keep items frozen for almost two days. It was very impressive to see the students’ creativity and how well their designs worked.