Recommendations for a class set of consistent, durable thermometers for middle school science?
We don’t have time to calibrate thermometers before labs with our 50 minute periods, and many of the ones provided with our curriculum (SEPUP) are “secured” on their backing in all different places so the same temp will give different readings for different thermometers (I say “secured” because sometimes it’s a little twist tie that comes loose and allows the thermometer to slide up and down, or a little dab of glue that breaks off).
I don’t want the long glass ones because they fall off the table easily or are too top heavy for some experiments. I’ve even broken one while trying to demonstrate responsible handling, which was embarrassing….
I don’t want metal-backed ones that allow thermal energy from the environment to conduct to the bulb. There are a couple labs where the thermometers are set up in direct sunlight.
Some labs require each group to use four at a time to compare different treatments/substances, so I want them to get good data to understand the concept properly.
I talk with students about thermometer issues being a common source of error, but I hate constantly having to explain what their results SHOULD have been.
Our district common assessments often require students to support their arguments with evidence from labs, which is hard to do when they get bad data.
Thank you for any help!