Science Fenns K-5Grades K to 5
On a table sit a balance, a magnet, a sieve, a beaker and a small mirror, each beside a small pile of sand, nails and water.

Science / All lessons / The Scientist’s Toolkit

Choose Your Tools

Balance, magnet, sieve, beaker and mirror. Which fits the job?

Lesson 2 of 40

Try this first

Before we start

Today’s story

Choose Your Tools

Marco has a coffee can of mixed things from the garage. There are nails, gravel and bits of wood. His job is to sort it. He could pick it all by hand. That would take forever. He grabs a magnet and a sieve instead.

Every tool in a science kit has a job. A balance measures mass. A beaker measures liquid volume. A sieve separates big bits from small bits. A magnet pulls on iron. A mirror bounces light so you can see around corners. A good scientist asks what the job is first.

Then the scientist picks the tool and uses it with care. Measurements are evidence. Careful ones make your claim stronger. Here are the steps.

See it

Five steps. Every time.

    Hands on

    Sort the Mix

    25 minutes · Do this with a grown-up nearby

    You need

    • A cup of dry rice
    • A few paper clips
    • A handful of dry beans
    • A kitchen strainer or colander
    • A magnet
    • A kitchen scale or balance
    • A tray

    Do this

    1. Mix the rice, clips and beans in the tray.
    2. Predict which tool will pull out the clips.
    3. Use the magnet to pull out the clips.
    4. Use the strainer to separate the beans from the rice.
    5. Weigh each pile and write the mass.
    6. Check that all piles add up close to the whole mixture.
    Write or draw: A table with three columns. Pile, Tool used, Mass in grams.

    Watch for: Notice that each tool worked on only one property. The magnet could not move the beans.

    Safety: Keep food in the kitchen and do not eat any of the sorted food.

    Same every time

    Three rules

    Rule 1Match the tool to the job.

    The wrong tool gives a wrong answer.

    Rule 2Read the scale straight on.

    Looking from the side gives a false reading.

    Rule 3Write the unit with the number.

    A number alone does not say what it counts.

    Grandpa Fenn’s notebook

    Say it like a scientist

    balance
    A tool that measures the mass of an object.
    beaker
    A glass or plastic cup that holds liquid and has marks for volume.
    sieve
    A screen with holes that lets small bits through.
    magnet
    An object that pulls on iron and a few other metals.

    Poppy’s quiz

    Six questions

    Tap an answer. Green means right. You will see why.

    Talk about it

    Say it out loud

    • How do you know the tool you picked was the right one?
    • What tools does your family use on a farm or in a garage, and what is each one for?
    Did you know

    A standard paper clip has a mass of about one gram. A good balance can tell when you add just one.

    Someone who does this

    A lab technician picks the right tool for every sample, from a balance to a microscope.

    BeforeSafe and CarefulNext lessonFair Tests