Facts about matter science unit

[Pages:41]Facts About Matter

Science unit 3rd grade

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Table of Contents:

Title

Page Number

Overview

3

Day 1

4

Day 2

6

Day 3

9

Day 4

11

Day 5

13

Day 6

15

Day 7

16

Day 8

19

Day 9

21

Day 10

23

Day 11

25

Day 12

28

Day 13

31

Unit Reflection

33

Student Work Samples 34

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Overview:

Throughout this science unit, students will learn about the three states of matter: Solid, Liquid, and Gas. The students will begin learning about the different characteristics of these three states of matter before measuring and working with each state of matter. After students develop a basic understanding of solids, liquids, and gases, students will explore and measure different types of solids, like their desk and other objects inside and outside the classroom. They will learn to measure with a meter tape and use the metric system to measure these solid materials in their investigation.

Students will then focus on liquids during their science investigations. They will continue to use the metric system and various tools to observe and measure different types of liquids. Students will learn how to measure liquid matter accurately using milliliters and Liters, along with syringes and beakers. The investigation will continue using liquids as students learn about gases, with the concept of evaporation and condensation. This is when students will be able to observe changes in matter, or one state of matter turning into another.

Along with the observations and investigations, students will practice and learn to work cooperatively in small groups as they explore the states of matter and learn about water and the metric system in their textbook. We will read two articles, Water Everywhere and Opinion and Evidence, where students will read aloud in a small group or as a whole group, pausing to take notes and find the main ideas on their graphic organizer. Students will work with their small groups to find the main idea and supporting details of the first article. In the second article, we will read aloud as a whole group, as students complete a graphic organizer where they need to find three main facts, come up with two interesting facts, and one question, which will then be shared with the whole class.

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Day One: States of Matter

Common Core State Standards: Math Connection MP5 Use appropriate tools strategically 3.MD.2 Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using standard units of grams, kilograms, and liters.

Objective: ? Students will be able to characterize the three states of matter.

Materials: ? Science journals for each student ? 8 sets of materials for each small group (6 vials ? chocolate chips, water, liquid soap, sand, corn syrup, and air) ? Bag with a rock ? Bag with water (with colored food dye) ? Bag with air ? Empty bag

Instructional Procedure: ? We have been measuring objects, like desks and books. However, solid isn't the only form that matter takes ? Show bag with a rock. What is inside this bag? ? Show bag of water with color. What is inside this bag? ? Show bag with air inside. What is inside this bag? o If it is empty, show the empty flat bag ? How can you tell there is something in these three bags? o These three bags all contain matter. Matter is anything that takes up space. Rocks take up space, so the rock is matter. Water takes up space, so water is ______. Air takes up space, so it is matter. It is____ what? (Matter!). o You take up space, this school takes up space, the ocean takes up space so are you matter? (yes). Is the school matter? (yes). Is the ocean matter? (yes) o Matter is found on Earth in three common forms or states. Matter can be solid, like a rock. What are some other examples of solids? o Matter can be liquid, like water. What are some other examples? o Matter can be gas, like air. What are some other examples of gases? ? Today our focus question is What characteristics define the three states of matter? o Have students write this on the right side of their journal ? Divide the classroom into 8 different groups o Tell the class that we are going to sort the materials in the bag by state of matter- solids, liquids, and gases

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o Rules: materials inside the vials should stay inside the vials. Do not open them.

? After all the groups have sorted their materials, have students look up at the chart paper with the four columns (solids, liquids, gas, unsure) o Call on students to hold up one of the samples, name it, and suggest a category that it belongs in o Thumbs up if everyone agrees with _____ o Write the name of the material in the appropriate column on the class tchart

Assessment: ? Students will work together to sort different materials into the different states of matter ? Informal assessment of thumbs up if you agree with ______ (during the sorting activity)

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Day Two: Volume

Common Core State Standards: Math Connection MP5 Use appropriate tools strategically 3.MD.2 Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using standard units of grams, kilograms, and liters.

Objective: Students will be able to learn and practice measuring liquid volume accurately.

Materials: ? Science Journal ? For each group: o Basin o Plastic cups o Pitchers with water o Large and small vial o Cups with marked A, B, C o Syringe o Graduated cylinder

Instructional Procedure: ? Hold up a clear plastic cup filled with water. Does the cup contain a solid, liquid, or gas? ? Volume is the amount of space a liquid or gas occupies. The water in this cup takes up space. There is a volume of liquid in this cup ? Our focus question for today is: How can you measure liquid volume accurately? ? If I wanted to measure the volume of water this cup can hold, how would I do it? o Could I use a meter tape, like we've been using for other measurements? ? What we need is a different unit, one that defines an amount of liquid. ? I have some little plastic containers called vials. We can use the vial as our unit to measure the volume of water this cup can hold. o Capacity is how much liquid something can hold when it is completely full. o There can be different volumes of liquid in the container, but there is only one volume that fills the container. That volume is the capacity of the container ? Have students get into their small groups (from the previous science investigation) o Have one student (Getter) from each group get the materials (basin, plastic cups, and pitchers of water) o Reminding students to keep the plastic cups and the water supply in their basin in order to control spills

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o Also, remind them that they are to measure the capacity of the cup ? the amount of water when it is full.

? Give each group 1 vial (give half of the groups the large vial and the other half the small vial ? (12 dram vs. 7 dram) o Remind groups to find out how many vials it takes to fill their cups to capacity (students will record this in their notebooks)

? When groups are done, the recorder of the group records their findings in a table on the whiteboard o Ask students what they notice about the results on the board o If necessary have every group hold up their vial

? Vials are not all the same size. We can never measure the capacity of a container in vials and be sure that another person knows what we are talking about o What do we need in order to measure volume reliably/accurately? (a standard).

? Hold up the 1 L beaker o This is the metric standard used worldwide for measuring volume. It is called the Liter (L). This beaker has a volume of 1L. Since the liter is a large volume, it is difficult to use it to measure the volumes of small containers, such as plastic cups and vials, so the liter has been subdivided into 1000 equal parts called milliliters (mL).

? Hold up the 1 mL spoon o The capacity of this little spoon is 1mL o Hold up both the beaker and the spoon, which one has a very small volume?

? Hold up the syringe and see if any students know what this measuring tool is called o This is another tool used to measure liquids. It is called a syringe (students echo back the word). o This syringe measures exactly 50 mL of water when the plunger is pulled up until it stops. You can also use the syringe to measure 25 mL (demonstrate both for the whole class- 25 mL notch is above the edge of the barrel and then level the notch with the edge) o Be sure there are not big air bubbles in the syringe. If there are, push the water out gently and try again o The syringe is used to measure only 50 and 25 mL increments of water

? Hold up the graduated cylinder. What is this called? o This is a graduated cylinder. It has lines drawn at every milliliter. It is used to measure any volume of liquid between 0 and 50 mL.

? Show students how to use the syringe and the graduated cylinder to measure the liquid volume of the plastic cup o 1. Push the plunger all the way down. Submerge the syringe tip in the cup filled with water to be measured o 2. Pull up on the plunger until it stops (this is 50 mL) o 3. Squirt the water into the water supply container. Repeat the process, keeping track of the 50 mL volumes you removed in your notebook

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o 4. When less than 50 mL remain, pour or squirt it into the cylinder. Read the volume from the scale and add this number to the sum of the 50 mL increments to obtain the total volume of the water sample

? Have the Getters in each group return their vial and collect a syringe, graduated cylinder and a beaker for their group o Remind the starters that each person in the group needs to have a chance to practice measuring at least one syringe of water from the full cup o Also, remind groups to do their practicing in the basins

? After everyone has a chance to practice measuring, distribute Notebook sheet 7 Measuring Volume to each student and one plastic cup marked with A, B, C

? Hold up the plastic cup with the A, B, C to explain the procedure o 1. On your own, estimate the volumes of A, B, and C, and for the capacity of the full cup o 2. The starter chooses a student to measure volume A. The other group members check the measurement for accuracy (can determine difference later) o 3. Another student measures volume B, then the rest of the group checks the measurement for accuracy o 4. Repeat process for Volume C and the capacity of the full cup, recording their results on their sheet with units (mL) o 5. If done early, find the difference between your estimated and measured volume and clean up your area.

? Getters return the equipment ? Discuss the results of the volume and the capacity

o Students should fall within a few milliliters of each other

Assessment: ? Circulate while groups are working with the water and scientific tools to ensure that they are following the procedure, using measurement tools efficiently, and are working cooperatively with each other ? Students record their estimated and measured volume of a cup marked with three different letters at different measurements, and the full capacity of the marked cup.

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