Peck Eighth Graders Ignite Curiosity in Mr. Loveday’s Science Class

Over the course of the last month, eighth-grade students in Tim Loveday’s science class have been hard at work studying topics such as atomic structure, bond types, and electronegativity. Their latest lab activity fired up their learning—literally!  

Students evaluated the relative strength of intermolecular forces (the forces that attract molecules to each other) of 11 different substances (liquids, metals, and powders) with the addition of thermal energy. Like any good lab activity, students hypothesized their findings, based on their knowledge of different states of matter prior to starting the labs.

“This lab includes real-life examples of the material they have been learning. It challenges them to apply the knowledge they already have to determine conclusions within the lab—they can’t just use Google to find the answers,” explains Loveday.

Based on how these substances responded (some bubbling, some even catching on fire!) students were able to determine that liquids have the weakest intermolecular force: not held together as strongly, while powders have the strongest intermolecular force, and metals lie somewhere somewhere in between.

“I enjoy doing labs like this in Mr. Loveday’s class because they are hands-on and collaborative. I feel like I retain the most knowledge in activities like this because I am engaged in what I am learning,” says eighth-grade student Hadley B. ’24.