Lesson 2: Soap and Suds Laboratory
Grade Level: K-6
Suggested Time: 120 minutes
Overview
Students will learn about the importance of hygiene for preventing infection and disease, then move on to making their own soaps and understanding the chemistry of soap bubbles!
Vocabulary
- Soap
- Detergent
- Saponification
- Surfactant
- Soap molecule
- Micelle
- Dirt, oil, and grease
- Germs
- Hygiene
- Infection
- Disease
Objectives
- Students will learn what causes infections, and how infections cause disease.
- Students will practice basic first aid.
- Students will learn about, and model, the chemistry of soap.
Required Project Materials
Multimedia Resources
Optional Multimedia Resources
Before the Lesson
- Make a model of a “micelle”, or soap molecules, as a demonstration.
- Bring dirty cloths, or one that can be cut into pieces, for the experiment.
The Lesson
Part 1: Why Use Soap?
- Turn the lights off, making the room dark, and have the students observe the germs on theirhands using Glo-germ and UV light.
- Next, students will wash their hands. Afterwards, use Glo-germ and UV light to inspect areas they missed. Repeat the process until hands are clean. What hand-washing practices work best?
- Explain that germs cause infection, which causes disease. Let them know that while exposure is important too — the body needs to build up antibodies through exposure — it is also important to stay clean so as not to transmit diseases to other people, and to prevent bad infections.
- Show the “How Does Soap Work?” videos.
- Using the videos as a guide, students will use the craft materials to build their own models ofsoap molecules!
Part 2: Soap and Suds Laboratory
- Using the kits, students will experiment with soap chemistry by making their own soap and conducting experiments with soap suds!
- Students can explore on their own or use the guides in the kits.
- Students will test their soap on dirty cloths to see if it works!
Accommodations
- Student(s) discuss their observations or write a short sentence on their observation.
- Have subtitles for the "How Does Soap Work?" video.
- Have a positive role model help the student read through the guide in the kits.
Modifications
- Use daily or frequent grading averaged into a grade for the quarter.