Career Connections at SAVY Saturday, Week 2, Powering the Future: The Wonders of Batteries and Electrochemistry (7th-8th)
SAVY Families,
Our second Saturday of Powering the Future: The Wonders of Batteries and Electrochemistry was so fun! Their enthusiasm, curiosity, and willingness to participate make our classroom a vibrant and exciting place to learn. I wanted to share with you what your child learned today in our electrochemistry class.
Throughout our real-world experiments and individual scientific research, we learned about battery chemistry and battery fundamentals. We connected these concepts with the electron, electricity, and electrochemical processes learned last week. Finally, we began researching electric vehicle manufacturers within the scientific literature!
We participated in various group activities, experiments, and individual research to gain a new perspective on complex chemical reactions. Some key takeaways from today include revisiting what we have already learned, exploring electrochemical cells, identifying reduction and oxidation chemical reactions, understanding battery capacity and electrochemical laws, experimenting with a 9V battery, resistors, and an LED bulb, applying battery chemistry to electric vehicles, and developing individual research projects of an electric vehicle manufacturer of choice. We completed the class by discussing electric vehicle manufacturing and the lithium-ion battery crisis.
Now that we have an advanced understanding of battery chemistry and electric vehicles, next week students will continue researching their chosen electric vehicle manufacturer to find scientific literature that supports their battery chemistry. At home, I encourage you to ask your child about their day in electrochemistry class. Some “Think Beyond” questions include: what electric vehicle manufacturer did you choose? What role does an electron have in a battery? What type of battery does your electric vehicle manufacturer have? What did they learn today? I truly appreciate the support and encouragement you provide at home, as it plays a vital role in their success. It is a privilege to work with such bright and motivated students, and I look forward to seeing all they will accomplish next week! I am so excited for the final Saturday where everyone will present their research project to the class!
Kindest Regards,
Ms. Hannah Richards