Color Mixtures
5 min
Teacher Prep
Setup
Narrative
This Warm-up familiarizes students with the context and materials for the color-mixing experiments in the next activity. Students first observe the amounts of liquid in graduated cylinders. They then predict the result of mixing the given amounts of blue water and yellow water and mixing more blue than given.
Students who are colorblind can access the activity by using the labels in the image and by describing their observations and predictions in terms of dark and light instead of hue.
Launch
Display the image in the Task Statement for all to see, or if desired, display graduated cylinders with 5 ml of blue water and 15 ml of yellow water. Give students 1–2 minutes of quiet think time to make observations and predictions about the water in the cylinders.
Student Task
Here is a picture of two containers of colored water.
- What do you notice about the colored water? Make 1–2 observations.
- What would happen if we mixed the blue water and yellow water together?
- What would happen if we mixed more blue water with the same amount of yellow water?
Sample Response
Sample responses:
-
- There is less blue water than yellow water.
- There are 5 ml of blue water and 15 ml of yellow water.
- Each container has marks and numbers that show how much liquid is in it.
-
- We would have green water.
- We would have 20 ml of mixture.
- The mixture would be bluer or be a darker green.
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
Invite students to share their observations and predictions. When students mention the amounts of blue and yellow water, ask them how they know. If no students mention the amounts, ask students about them.
Tell students that in the next activity they will perform some experiments that involve mixing colored water and using cylinders as shown in the image or display. Explain to students that these containers are called “graduated cylinders” and that they measure in milliliters.
Standards
- 6.RP.1·Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities. <em>For example, "The ratio of wings to beaks in the bird house at the zoo was 2:1, because for every 2 wings there was 1 beak." "For every vote candidate A received, candidate C received nearly three votes."</em>
- 6.RP.A.1·Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities. <span>For example, “The ratio of wings to beaks in the bird house at the zoo was <span class="math">\(2:1\)</span>, because for every <span class="math">\(2\)</span> wings there was <span class="math">\(1\)</span> beak.” “For every vote candidate A received, candidate C received nearly three votes.” </span>
30 min
Knowledge Components
All skills for this lesson
No KCs tagged for this lesson
Color Mixtures
5 min
Teacher Prep
Setup
Narrative
This Warm-up familiarizes students with the context and materials for the color-mixing experiments in the next activity. Students first observe the amounts of liquid in graduated cylinders. They then predict the result of mixing the given amounts of blue water and yellow water and mixing more blue than given.
Students who are colorblind can access the activity by using the labels in the image and by describing their observations and predictions in terms of dark and light instead of hue.
Launch
Display the image in the Task Statement for all to see, or if desired, display graduated cylinders with 5 ml of blue water and 15 ml of yellow water. Give students 1–2 minutes of quiet think time to make observations and predictions about the water in the cylinders.
Student Task
Here is a picture of two containers of colored water.
- What do you notice about the colored water? Make 1–2 observations.
- What would happen if we mixed the blue water and yellow water together?
- What would happen if we mixed more blue water with the same amount of yellow water?
Sample Response
Sample responses:
-
- There is less blue water than yellow water.
- There are 5 ml of blue water and 15 ml of yellow water.
- Each container has marks and numbers that show how much liquid is in it.
-
- We would have green water.
- We would have 20 ml of mixture.
- The mixture would be bluer or be a darker green.
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
Invite students to share their observations and predictions. When students mention the amounts of blue and yellow water, ask them how they know. If no students mention the amounts, ask students about them.
Tell students that in the next activity they will perform some experiments that involve mixing colored water and using cylinders as shown in the image or display. Explain to students that these containers are called “graduated cylinders” and that they measure in milliliters.
Standards
- 6.RP.1·Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities. <em>For example, "The ratio of wings to beaks in the bird house at the zoo was 2:1, because for every 2 wings there was 1 beak." "For every vote candidate A received, candidate C received nearly three votes."</em>
- 6.RP.A.1·Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities. <span>For example, “The ratio of wings to beaks in the bird house at the zoo was <span class="math">\(2:1\)</span>, because for every <span class="math">\(2\)</span> wings there was <span class="math">\(1\)</span> beak.” “For every vote candidate A received, candidate C received nearly three votes.” </span>