Activities for the unit: (1-4=Benchmark Lessons)



Amanda McDaniel

C & I 351

Science Unit

States of Matter

Grade Level: 3rd or 4th Grade

Introduction and Overview

Standards

( NSES Content Standard A – Science as Inquiry: Students should develop the abilities

necessary to do scientific inquiry and understand scientific inquiry

( NSES Content Standard B – Physical Science: Students should develop an

understanding of the properties of objects and materials

Students will understand that objects have observable properties that can be made of one or more materials

Materials can exist in different states – solids, liquids and gases

Students will develop an understanding of the properties and changes in the properties of matter

( State Standard 11A2a-2e: Students will know and apply the concepts, principals, and

processes of scientific inquiry (formulate questions, collect data, present data, develop

explanations, present results of the investigation to others)

( State Standard 12 C: Students will be able to know and apply concepts that describe

the properties of matter and the interactions between them

( State Standard 13 A: Students will know and apply the accepted practices of science

Objectives

( Students will observe the movement of Oobleck and Glurch and be able to relate that

movement to that of solids and liquids

( Students will be able to state the properties of solids and liquids and compare them to

the properties of Oobleck and Glurch

( Students will understand the meaning of the words solid, liquid and gas

( Students will be given concrete experiences with solids, liquids and gases

( Students will understand that solids, liquids and gases are all forms of matter and

matter is anything that takes up space

( The students will be able to describe how the physical properties of objects sometimes

change when one object chemically combines with another.

( The students will use technology to explain how matter changes in both chemical and

physical ways

( Students will practice using Animation Maker and demonstrate ways illustrate the

changes of matter

( Students will be able to define physical and chemical changes

( Students will be able to identify the area where rainforests are present

( Students will be able to create their own representation of the process by creating

sequence charts of the process

( Students will investigate the effects of temperature change on phase change

( Students will investigate the effects of changes in freezing point

( Students will utilize these concepts in making ice cream

( Students will observe that salt water freezes at a lower temperature than plain

water

( Students will determine the temperature at which water freezes

( Students will compare their hypothesis with the actual results of the experiment

( Students will develop a presentation on one aspect of the states of matter and its

relationship to the real world

( Students will develop a plan, collect information and materials, present and

record information for a first grade class

( Students will review what they have learned about the concepts of matter

Glossary of terms

Matter – Anything that takes up space and has mass

The Ways Matter Changes:

Physical Properties – density, color, smell, melting, boiling and freezing points

Chemical Properties – The way elements combine with each other in reactions

Solid – holds its own shape, atoms do not move around much

Liquid – fills the shape of a container, atoms are close together

Gas – fills a container of any shape and size, atoms are spread equally

Organization/Teacher Background

Students will be engaged in a series of activities that allow them to observe and experiment with the different stages of matter. The students will be doing many hands-on activities that require some preparation by the teacher. The first two lessons may be somewhat messy if the students are not aware of the rules and procedures for handling two unknown substances. The two substances that the students will be working with to understand the differences between solids and liquids are Oobleck and Glurch. These substances are made by the combining the following ingredients:

Oobleck: ½ quart of water, 2 boxes of starch and food coloring

Glurch: water, glue, sodium borate, food coloring

The students may be allowed to take the substances home in a baggie.

The next lesson requires the teacher to do some preparation. Three balloons will need to be prepared for groups of six or seven students. These balloons need to be filled with water, frozen water and air. The teacher should provide another independent activity for the students who are not working at the science table. This could simply be to decorate their journals.

The following activity involves using Animation Maker on the computers. The students should already be familiar with the program before they begin on this activity. The students will also be using the internet to search various sites. The next lesson involves learning about chocolate and how it changes states. This site integrates well with social studies, mathematics and literature. The tasty phase change activity is an extension of the chocolate activity where the students learn the process of making ice cream. Teachers must be well prepared for this activity because there are many materials that are involved in it. After this, the students explore the benefits of using salt to lower the freezing point of water.

The full inquiry activity involves the students creating their own investigation on matter in the real world. We have provided numerous examples such as salt in the winter and the production of chocolate, but the students are now given the opportunity to explore a different aspect of matter. The students are then required to communicate this information to their first grade buddies in the form of a presentation. This may take a few class periods to obtain information.

The last activity is the culminating activity that pulls together everything that the students learned about matter. The theme involves Harry Potter and the sorting hat. The teacher may need to get permission from the parents since there may be some controversy with using Harry Potter.

It is anticipated that most lessons will require one 40-50 minute class period. The full inquiry and culminating lesson may take a couple days. Along with this, the interactive Animation Maker extension activity may take a couple class periods depending on the students’ skills with using Animation Maker. The entire unit will require about 10-12 class periods or 10 hours of instruction time, allowing extra time for research and the final presentation.

Students will be recording their observations, ideas and reflections in a journal. For many of the activities, they will be required to work in their science groups.

Assessment

Informal formative assessment will include teacher observations of student participation at the science tables and during group discussions.

Alternative assessments will be used with various lessons and the rubrics for these assessments are included at the end of each lesson. These lessons that require rubrics include: Oobleck and Glurch, What’s in my balloon, Animation Maker, and Changes in Matter Presentation. Along with this, students will reflect upon their observations, generate ideas and respond to various questions throughout the entire unit. These journals represent a formative assessment and will be graded based on the following criteria.

| |4 |3 |2 |0 |

|Completeness |Everything is included |Almost everything is |There are many things |Almost everything is |

| |within the journal |included within the |missing within this |missing within this |

| | |journal |journal |journal |

|Recording of plausible, |All of the information is|Most of the information |Some of the information |Almost none of the |

|original ideas |correct |is correct |is correct |information is correct |

|Neatness and Organization|The journal is very neat |Almost everything within |The journal is somewhat |The journal is not neat |

| |and clear |the journal is neat and |neat and clear |or clear |

| | |clear | | |

Lastly, there will be some traditional assessment used throughout the unit. These worksheets and short tests are included with the lesson.

Preparations and Initial Materials Needed for the Unit

Oobleck : ½ quart of water Glurch: water

2 boxes of starch Food coloring

food coloring White glue

Sodium borate

*Directions to make these are within the actual lesson

Balloon filled with water, balloon filled with frozen water, balloon filled with air (one each per group)

Chocolate bars, powdered drink mix, cacao beans

Ice Cream Lab:

*240 mL milk *45 mL sugar

Cups *80 mL ice cream salt

Salt *2.5 mL vanilla or chocolate flavor

*50 mL beaker *100 mL graduated cylinder

ice *400 mL beaker

*3.8 L zipper bag (gal. freezer quality)

*.95 L zipper bag (qt. Freezer quality)

gloves

dish towels

spoons

Celsius thermometer

* Each of these is per students

Glass, string, water, ice cube, salt and thermometers

Harry Potter Lab:

penny, jolly rancher candy, rubber band (1 per student)

Salt and sugar, toothpicks, bottle of water, 3 cans of soda

Small paper cups (8 per group)

Large plastic bowls (1 per table)

Syrup, glycerol, water colored with red food coloring

Olive oil, rubbing alcohol colored with blue food coloring

Straw, helium balloon, air blown balloon

Vinegar, baking soda, funnel, spoon, narrow-necked bottle

Wizard hat, plastic gloves, poster boards

*Directions on how to make these is in the lesson

Additional materials may be needed for student-generated investigations.

Activities for the unit:

Lesson One and Two: Oobleck and Glurch (introductory lesson to promote curiosity and a driving question)

Time Frame: 2: 40-45 minute lessons

Objectives:

- Students will observe the movement of Oobleck and Glurch and be able to relate that moment to that of solids and liquids.

- Students will be able to state the properties of solids and liquids and compare them to the properties of Oobleck and Glurch.

Materials: Oobleck - ½ quart of water

2 boxes of starch

food coloring

Put the water and food coloring in a large bowl and begin adding cornstarch and mixing. Eventually the mixture will get thicker; keep adding and stirring. You will know when you have Oobleck

Glurch - water

White glue

Sodium borate

Food coloring

There are actually two solutions for Glurch. The first is 50% water, 50% white glue and food coloring. The second is a nearly saturated solution of sodium borate. (I would experiment to see how much you actually need. I usually just pour a couple tablespoons in a half-quart and shake.) Give the students equal volumes of the two solutions to mix.

Pie pans, newspaper (to cover desks), small objects (paper clips, pennies, confetti, marbles, toothpicks), Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss

Procedure:

1. Begin the lesson by introducing the characteristics of solids and liquids. Ask the students to think of the characteristics of each and comprise a list on the chalkboard. Make sure the student provide examples with their characteristics.

2. After the students have created the list, scaffold their responses to obtain a new list. You may need to cross out some of the responses and show concrete examples of each so the students can distinguish between a solid and a liquid. Write the new list of characteristics on the board:

Liquid:

-assumes the shape of the container which it occupies

-is not easily compressible (little free space between particles)

-flows easily (the particles can move/slide past one another)

Solid:

-has a fixed volume and shape 9the particles are locked into place)

-is not easily compressible (little free space between particles)

-does not flow easily (the particles cannot move/slide past one another)

Have the students write these properties in their science journals.

3. Use a model to demonstrate the molecular difference between solids and liquids. Cheerios work great for liquids – they roll around, take the shape of the container and aren’t bound to one another. Several legos stuck together are the perfect solid – they always keep their shape, are hard to touch, and stick together. It may be beneficial to provide several examples so the students clearly can distinguish between the two.

4. Inform the students that it is possible for a substance to have both the properties of a solid and a liquid. Read the book Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Suess.

5. Ask the students to describe ways in which we can tell solids and liquids apart. Ask the students what is something that is different in every solid and every liquid and how they could test that. They should come up with the following four tests:

1. Push test – can you push into it?

2. Pick up test – if you pick something up, does it all come up?

3. Pour test – does it pour out smoothly, or does it just fall out in a clump?

4. Shape test – does it keep the same shape?

Have the students make a chart of those rules so that they can test any new materials by seeing if they match. These should be written on the board along with in their science journal. This would be the conclusion of the first part of the lesson.

6. Review some of the properties of solids and liquids and the various tests used to determine whether a substance is a solid or liquid. Divide the students into groups of four. Have one student from each group gather the materials and then explain the activity. The students will be able to handle and explore the consistency of the Oobleck. Students will then be given objects to use with the Oobleck and observe what happens with each. The students will perform the four tests and record these results in their journals.

Note: The students will discover that the marble and penny sink in the Oobleck and the toothpick and string float in the Oobleck. Heavier objects will sink and lighter objects will float.

7. Now distribute the two pre-Glurch solutions and mixing stick. Have the students create the Glurch and perform the test done on the Oobleck on the Glurch. The students should review the chart they made and decide whether they have a solid or a liquid. These results can be made in their journals.

8. Now the students should clean up their mess and put their new substances in a bag in their backpack so it does not distract them from the rest of the lesson.

9. The students should discuss as a class their results and what they observed about solids and liquids. The instructor can help them in obtaining these results:

1. Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid. This means that when a small amount of force is used, it acts like a liquid, but when more force is applied, it acts like a solid. For instance, one can slowly put a spoon in Oobleck, but it is impossible to stir it quickly. Therefore it exhibits characteristics of both solids and liquids.

2. Glurch is a polymer that the students were able to watch polymerize. By mixing the two liquids together and stirring a sticky, gooey ball was formed and this is the Glurch. Because the Glurch has water trapped in its polymer matrix, it also exhibits a lot of the characteristics of solids and liquids. Though it seems solid, it will actually pour very slowly and take the shape of its container, yet it sticks together and can all be picked up at once.

3. Students should be able to understand that in science, things aren’t always what you expect and that everything does not fall into neat categories.

Assessment: Students will already have started a section on solids and liquids in their science journal, recording the characteristics of each and their observations of the Oobleck and Glurch. Then they will develop some driving questions about changes of the states of matter that we will begin to investigate. The students will be assessed by the following rubric.

Extension: Have the students make their own journals for this unit on changes of states of matter. The students should decorate the cover. They can be creative and use their imagination

| |3 |2 |1 |

|Solids/Liquids |Students will clearly list 4 |Students will list 2-3 |Students will list 0-1 |

| |properties of both a solid and a|properties of both a solid and a|properties of both a solid and a|

| |liquid |liquid |liquid |

|Observations |Students will make 3 |Students will make 2 |Students will have 1 or less |

| |observations of both Oobleck and|observations of both Oobleck and|observations of both Oobleck and|

| |Glurch |Glurch |Glurch |

|Driving Questions |Students will have thought of at|Students will have thought of at|Students will have no driving |

| |least 2 driving questions |least 1 driving question |questions |

Lesson Three: What’s In My Balloon? (teacher directed, build skills and understanding)

Time Frame: 30-40 minutes

Objectives:

- Students will understand the meaning of the words solid, liquid and gas

- Students will be given concrete experiences with solids, liquids and gases

- Students will understand that solids, liquids and gases are all forms of matter and matter is anything that takes up space

Materials: Paper, balloons, water, scissors

Procedure:

1. The students will come to the science table, with their journals, in observation groups of four. The other students will work on decorating their science journals and another activity at their desks.

a. Each student will be given a solid and liquid in a sandwich bag. They will be told to look at the solid and the liquid, comparing and contrasting them. The students will then write in their journals the characteristics of their solid and liquid. These might include for the liquid: soupy, wet, moves around and for the solid: hard, firm and stays the same. The students can discuss these in their groups.

2. At the science table there will be pre-made balloons. Tell the students that they will be investigating the contents of the balloons and writing in their journals their observations and illustrations.

3. The students will feel the frozen water balloon can cut the rubber off with scissors. Discuss with the students what they see and feel.

4. The students will do the same with the water balloon, observing the properties of the water when it is in the balloon and as they pour it into the dish or bowl. Record these observations.

5. The students will feel the balloon filled with air. They will let the air out and write their observations. Encourage the use of descriptive words such as “hard, invisible, wet, splashy,” etc.

6. After all the groups have been to the science table discuss with the class as a whole the observations of all the groups. Compile these results on a large chart with the three headings of solid, liquid and gas. This will enable to students to use this as a resource when doing the other activities. It will also help them better understand the characteristics and differences between the three states of matter.

Assessment: The students will be assessed on their journals and discussion at the science table. Within their journals, their words to describe the balloons should be descriptive and their illustrations neatly drawn. The following grading rubric will be used to assist in assessing the students’ journals and their participation.

| |3 |2 |1 |

|Observations |Descriptive words and |Some descriptive words and |Very few descriptive words are |

| |illustrations are used to |illustrations are used to |used to describe the different |

| |describe the different states of|describe the different states of|states of matter |

| |matter |matter | |

|Accuracy |Each state of matter is |Two of the states are correctly |Less than two states of matter |

| |correctly labeled and defined |labeled and defined |are correctly labeled and |

| | | |defined |

|Participation |The student actively |The student had a few points in |The student had very few points |

| |participated in the discussion. |the discussion. |in the discussion. |

Lesson Four: Interactive Activity on the States of Matter (hands-on, skill-building, use of technology)

Time Frame: 45-50 minutes

Objectives:

- The students will be able to describe how the physical properties of objects sometimes change when one object chemically combines with another.

- The students will use technology to explain how matter changes in both chemical and physical ways

- Students will practice using Animation Maker and demonstrate ways illustrate the changes of matter

Materials: computers, internet access, paper, pencil, Animation Maker

Procedure:

1. Tell the students that they are going to continue learning about the states of matter by using the computers. Make sure the students understand the rules and procedures that need to be followed when they use the computers and the internet.

2. Put the students into groups of three or four and give them a sheet of directions about the interactive activity that they will be doing. Tell the students that they will work at their own pace, but must finish the activity within 50 minutes.

3. The first step on the list of directions requires the students to watch the Brainpop video States of Matter. This is found on the website and this gives the students an overall review on what matter is. Brainpop is an educational site for kids that provide lessons, activities and animated videos for kids to preview.

4. After the video the students will view three websites. The first site is files/matter_intro.html. This provides a description of matter and the physical and chemical changes that cause it to change. The second site is files/matter_states.html. This site provides visuals on the different states of matter. The last site the students will be previewing is nyu.edu/pages.mathmol/textbook/whatismatter.html. This site describes the properties of matter and the changes they go through. This site interacts with the students because it asks them to type in the answers to questions throughout the page. After the students explore these three sites, they will fill out a short worksheet with their group assessing how much information they obtained. The questions on the worksheet include:

a. What is matter?

b. What are two ways matter can change? What does this mean?

c. Explain and give an example of each type of change.

d. What are the four main states of matter?

e. What is all matter made up of?

f. What is another name for a state (not Illinois or California)

g. People describe objects in many ways using size, shape, colors and textures. Describe these two objects using these characteristics. Object 1: bowl filled with oranges Object 2: Wrapped birthday present (The pictures are on the last website).

h. What do properties describe?

i. Describe the next three objects using properties. (The pictures are on the last website).

5. Next, the groups will visit the States of Water web site, to explore the different states of water. On this site there is an activity the students perform where they dry off their hands and feel their palm noting whether it is wet or dry. Then they hold their hand in front of their mouth, about an inch away from them, and breath slowly eight times on the palm of their hand. Now feel their hand again and note whether it is wet or dry. This will help them understand the concept of water vapor.

6. After the students have explored the various sites and completed the worksheet, they will discuss in a group the results and what they learned.

Assessment: The students will turn in their completed worksheet and write in their journal how they used various aspects of technology to enhance their understanding of the changes and states of matter.

Lesson Four Extension: Animation Maker

Time Frame: 2-3 class periods, 50 minutes each

Each group of students will use Animation Maker to create an animation that shows the three states of water and how each changes from one state to another.

1. A liquid to a solid

2. A solid to a liquid

3. A solid to a gas

A paragraph should be typed underneath the animation describing what can be seen in the animation. The students should then create an animation that shows a chemical change and an animation that shows a physical change. Within these animations the students should write the following information in paragraph form.

Describe the physical properties of the object before the change.

Describe the change that is taking place and why that change is either physical or chemical.

Describe the physical properties of the object after the change.

Explain why the change may or may not have caused the physical properties to change.

The students should already have practice using animation maker. This can be downloaded at . The kids animation maker is a beginner-level animation tool that allows kids to create their own computer animations quickly and easily. It allows children to develop their creativity and improve their painting skills. They also are able to translate their ideas into animations.

Assessment: This assessment will focus on their own presentation of their animation using Animation Maker

| |3 |2 |1 |

|Mechanics |All sentences are spelled |Most sentences are spelled |Few or no sentences are spelled |

| |correctly with correct |correctly with correct |correctly with correct |

| |punctuation |punctuation |punctuation |

|Animations |All the animations are included |At least three animations are |Less than three animations are |

| |with the correct descriptions |included with somewhat correct |included with incorrect |

| |underneath |descriptions underneath |descriptions underneath |

|Overall Appearance |The animations are neat and |The animations are somewhat neat|The animations are carelessly |

| |orderly |and orderly |made and sloppy |

Lesson Five: Chocolate and Chemistry (skill building, integration with Social Studies and Mathematics)

Time Frame: 40 minutes

Objectives:

-Students will be able to define physical and chemical changes

-Students will be able to identify the area where rainforests are present

-Students will be able to create their own representation of the process by creating sequence charts of the process

Materials: Chocolate bars, powdered drink mix, cacao beans, visuals of chocolate factories

Procedure:

1. Review with the students the difference between a physical and chemical change that they learned from the internet activity. Ask the students for any changes they can think of that occur on a daily basis.

2. Inform the class that they will be investigating the process of making chocolate to look for different types of changes of matter.

3. Distribute the cacao beans to the students and begin by telling them that chocolate begins as a bean. These are picked from the cacao trees in the rainforests. Students can get out their maps and locate these regions. (South and Central Americas) Students should also observe the bean, noting the state of matter that it is and its physical characteristics. Students should be told that the bean is used in its entirety when it is ground into a pulp.

4. Next, the students will learn how chocolate factories make chocolate. They can log on to and watch a virtual tour of how chocolate is made. Students will learn how chocolate factories sift out the remnants of the shell and grind it into a fine powder. The beans are heated in high temperatures up to 400 –500 degrees F. Then, it is mixed with sugar and cream. From this, it is boiled and all of the oil is removed from the mixture. Most seed and beans are high is either oil or fat. These are sources of protein that would be used to initially feed the plant in the seedling stage of growth.

5. After this, the oil is mixed with sugar, milk and butter. This mixture is known as cacao butter. When it is completely mixed, the mixture is reconstituted into the chocolate base. From this point on, the chocolate is boiled until all impurities are strained off of what is usually the top layer. The chocolate is then placed in molds to form the candy bar.

6. After watching the virtual tour of the chocolate factory, the class will have a discussion in groups on the important points of the lesson. I will give each group two questions to work on. These questions will be to list the physical changes that occurred and the chemical changes that occurred in the making of chocolate.

7. The physical changes are that the beans are ground into a powder, the chocolate is cooled and molded and liquid is added to the powdered chocolate. The chemical changes are that heat is added to drive out impurities and other compounds are added to change the properties of the powder. Also, taste, smell and color are changed many times throughout the process.

Assessment: The students will be assessed on their ability to correctly list at least two physical changes and two chemical changes. If any groups have less than two correctly listed than they will have to redo it until it is correct.

Extensions: Have the students make a sequence chart showing all the different steps in the chocolate making process.

Have the class, as a whole, learn the proper techniques in melting chocolate and enjoy a fun snack. When you melt chocolate make sure you use a double boiler. Simmer water over a low heat and stir in the chocolate often. Make sure the temperature does not get above 115 degrees farenheight. Remove from the heat as soon as the chocolate is melted and stir until it is smooth. Do not get any of the water into the chocolate because it will become a lumpy, grainy mess. The students can enjoy dipping the chocolate in pretzels, strawberries, raisins, graham crackers or anything they would like.

Have the students create a bar graph showing their favorite type of chocolate candy bar. (Mathematics integration)

Lesson Six: Tasty Phase Change – The Ice Cream Lab (Extension of Lesson Five)

Time Frame: 40-45 minutes

Objectives:

-Students will investigate the effects of temperature change on phase change

-Students will investigate the effects of changes in freezing point

-Students will utilize these concepts in making ice cream

Materials: *240 mL milk *45 mL sugar

Cups *80 mL ice cream salt

Salt *2.5 mL vanilla or chocolate flavor

*50 mL beaker *100 mL graduated cylinder

ice *400 mL beaker

*3.8 L zipper bag (gal. freezer quality)

*.95 L zipper bag (qt. Freezer quality)

gloves

dish towels

spoons

Celsius thermometer

* Each of these is per students

Procedure:

1. Begin by giving the students an introduction. “In order to have a phase change in matter heat must be gained or lost. Phase changes occur all around us in everyday life. For instance, ice melts when a drink is left in a room at normal temperature; conversely, water freezes when placed in a really cold temperature (the freezer). In this experiment, we will see how heat is lost in order to change the milk from a liquid state to a solid state. This is also an example of a physical change in matter.

2. Each student will work with a partner, placing a dishtowel over the work area.

3. Each group will pour 240mL milk, 45mL sugar and 2.5 mL vanilla or chocolate flavoring into the .95L zipper bag. They will carefully seal the bag and shake the mixture up.

4. Place the small zipper bag into the larger zipper bag.

5. In this larger bag (3.8L) add enough ice to cover the .95L bag and add 80 mL of ice cream salt. Take the temperature of the ice and record it. Carefully seal the bag

6. Put gloves on and get ready to make a phase change!!

7. Take turns flipping the bag. Hold the bag by its corners and keep flipping it over and over. Make sure it is over the towel. It should take 10 – 15 minutes to freeze. Take the temperature of the ice/water mixture again and record it.

8. When you have ice cream, take the smaller bag out and rinse it off with cold water. One partner should take the larger bag and its contents to the trash bag. Do not dump it down the sink!!

9. Dish out the ice cream equally into two cups and enjoy.

Assessment: The students will be assessed on how well they answer the following questions on a sheet of paper.

1. What state of matter was the milk in when you began?

2. What state of matter was the milk when you were done?

3. In order to change the phase of the milk, what had to be removed?

4. Why do you think the salt was added to the mixture? (Think about what happened to the temperature.)

Bonus: From this, why is salt spread on the roads before a winter storm?

Lesson Seven: Changing the Freezing Point of Water with Salt (guided inquiry, integration with mathematics)

Time Frame: 50 minutes

Objectives:

-Students will observe that salt water freezes at a lower temperature than plain

water

-Students will determine the temperature at which water freezes

-Students will compare their hypothesis with the actual results of the experiment

Materials: Classroom graph, glass, string, water, ice cube, salt and thermometers

Procedure:

1. Have groups of students come to the science table and take a cup with a piece of ice in it and a piece of string. Have the students float the ice cube on the water filled to near the top of the cup.

2. Place the string across the ice cube and then give each student a teaspoon of salt to pour on the ice cube and string. Each student will determine if the string freezes, sinks, does nothing or disappears.

3. Next, have each student come to the science table and get a cup containing ice and water with about 2/3 ice and 1/3 water.

4. Have the students stir the mixture with a thermometer and record the temperature every two minutes. They should do this for about six minutes.

5. After this, have the students add one teaspoon of salt and repeat the process.

6. Have the students add another teaspoon of salt and repeat the process one final time.

7. Have the students discuss their results with their group. They should work together to create a graph of the changes in the temperature. Students should find the mean of their group and record these results.

8. Next, give the students an opportunity to read and discuss material on weather, particularly cold weather, snow and ice.

9. Have the student write in their journals a prediction of what will happen to the strings when salt is placed on the ice cubs and what will happen when the salt is added to the ice-water mixture. Next, have the students perform the two experiments.

10. After this, the students will get back together with their groups, create two more graphs and discuss their results. Each student will individually write in their journals what they have learned about salt and the freezing point of water.

Assessment: The students will be assessed by their journal entries and how well they understood the impact of salt on the freezing point of water.

A correct response will have this information in it: Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees C). When salt is sprinkled on the ice cube, it lowers the freezing point to below 32 degrees. Since the ice cube cannot get any colder than it already is the surface starts to melt. The string lies in the puddle of melted salt water. The freezing point begins to rise and the water re-freezes by attaching the string to the ice cube. The addition of salt lowers the temperature, as seen in the second activity. Therefore, the addition of more salt lowers the temperature. This principle underlies the use of salt to melt ice on roads during the winter. As long as the student mention that salt lowers the freezing point then they will receive full credit.

Lesson Eight: Changes in Matter Presentation (full inquiry)

Time Frame: 3-4 periods preparation, 1 period presentation

Objectives:

-Students will develop a presentation on one aspect of the states of matter and its

relationship to the real world

-Students will develop a plan, collect information and materials, present and

record information for a first grade class

Materials: Variable

Procedure:

1. Instruct the students that they will be teaching their first grade buddies the information and material that they have learned about matter. They will be putting together a presentation, in groups of four, on one aspect of matter and its relationship to the real world.

2. Discuss, as a class, some ideas on possible topics. For example, salt use in the winter, making of ice cream, food production, changes in weather, etc. Try to have the students work on a topic that has not been discussed. The instructor must approve the topic.

3. Next, the students will be given time to research their topic using books, the internet, the library and any other type of material that gives them information on their topic. Students will then apply the concepts, principals and processes of scientific inquiry. After they have formulated their question and collected their data, they will develop explanations, record this information and prepare a presentation for their first grade buddies.

Assessment: The students will be assessed based off the following rubrics. The first one will assess their understanding of the concepts of matter.

7

|Category |4 |3 |2 |1 |

|Scientific |Explanations by all group|Explanations by all group|Explanations by most |Explanations by several |

|Knowledge |members indicate a clear |members indicate a |group members indicate |members of the group do |

| |and accurate |relatively accurate |relatively accurate |not illustrate much |

| |understanding of |understanding of |understanding of |understanding of |

| |scientific principles |scientific principals |scientific principles |scientific principles |

| |underlying the |underlying the |underlying the |underlying the |

| |construction and |construction and |construction and |construction and |

| |modifications |modifications |modifications |modifications |

|Information Gathering |Accurate information |Accurate information |Accurate information |Information taken from |

| |taken from several |taken from a couple of |taken from a couple of |only one source and/or |

| |sources in a systematic |sources in a systematic |sources but not |information not accurate |

| |manner |manner |systematically | |

|Construction-Materials |Appropriate materials |Appropriate materials |Appropriate materials |Inappropriate materials |

| |were selected and |were selected and there |were selected |were selected and |

| |creatively modified in |was an attempt at | |contributed to a product |

| |ways that made them even |creative modification to | |that performed poorly |

| |better |make them even better | | |

|Construction-Care Taken |Great care taken in |Construction was careful |Construction accurately |Construction appears |

| |construction process so |and accurate for the most|followed the plans, but |careless or haphazard. |

| |that the structure is |part, but 1-2 details |3-4 details could have |Many details need |

| |neat, attractive and |could have been refined |been refined for a more |refinement for a strong |

| |follows plans accurately | |attractive product |or attractive product |

This rubric will assess how well the group worked together.

|Category |4 |3 |2 |1 |

|Quality of Work |Provides work of the |Provides high quality |Provides work that |Provides work that |

| |highest quality |work |occasionally needs to be |usually needs to be |

| | | |checked/redone by other |checked/redone by other |

| | | |group members |group members |

|Working with Others |Almost always listens to,|Usually listens to, |Often listens to, shares |Rarely listens to, shares|

| |shares with, and supports|shares with, and supports|with, and supports the |with, and supports the |

| |the efforts of others |the efforts of others |efforts of others |efforts of others |

|Time Management |Routinely uses time well |Usually uses time well |Tend to procrastinate, |Rarely gets things done |

| |throughout the project to|throughout the project, |but always gets things |by the deadlines and the |

| |ensure things get done on|but may have |done by the deadline |group has to adjust those|

| |time |procrastinated on one | |deadlines |

| | |thing | | |

|Contributions |Routinely provides useful|Usually provides useful |Sometimes provides useful|Rarely provides useful |

| |ideas when participating |ideas when participating |ideas when participating |ideas when participating |

| |in the group discussions |in the group discussions |in the group discussions |in the group discussions |

Lesson Nine: Solids, Liquids and Gases: Harry Potter Style (culminating activity)

Time Frame: 30 minutes for each part

Objectives:

-Students will review what they have learned about the concepts of matter

Materials: penny, jolly rancher candy, rubber band (1 per student)

Salt and sugar, toothpicks, bottle of water, 3 cans of soda

Small paper cups (8 per group)

Large plastic bowls (1 per table)

Syrup, glycerol, water colored with red food coloring

Olive oil, rubbing alcohol colored with blue food coloring

Straw, helium balloon, air blown balloon

Vinegar, baking soda, funnel, spoon, narrow-necked bottle

Wizard hat, plastic gloves, poster boards

**Before teaching this lesson, I would recommend sending a note home to the parents explaining that you will be using Harry Potter to end the unit on matter. Harry Potter is a controversial topic to some parent, so it is important to receive permission from each of the students’ parents before beginning this activity.

Introduction: Read to the students a selection from the book in the Harry Potter series in which the sorting ceremony is described. Show the class the sorting hat and inform the students that the headmaster of Hogwarts has decided that the sorting time will be coming very soon for the students in Mrs. McDaniel’s third/fourth grade class. This year the teams will be divided into teams with slightly different names: the Slytherin solids, Lurking Liquids, and Goblin gases. The sorting hat will pay close attention during the headmaster’s potions lessons in order to determine which team would be best for each student.

Procedure:

Part One: Solids

1. Inform the students that they will be going on a solids scavenger hunt. The students can roam around the room and collect on object that they consider to be a solid. The students then return to their seats and list the reasons why their object is a solid and not a liquid or a gas.

2. Next, the students will use the 5 paper cups, in groups of three or four, and fill them with water. They will then test different solids for their dissolvability.

3. The solids that will be tested are: sugar, salt, jolly ranchers, pennies, and rubber bands. Have the students complete the chart below:

| |Dissolves in Water |Does not dissolve in water |

|Penny | | |

|Salt | | |

|Jolly Rancher Candy | | |

|Rubber Band | | |

|Sugar | | |

4. The students will then make rock candy by adding their choice of food coloring to their mixtures of sugar and water, which should be fully saturated with sugar. A toothpick should be added to each cup and the cups should be placed by the window so that the water evaporates and the sugar collects on the stick. Explain this process to the students.

Part Two: Liquids

1. Show the following objects to the students: the bottle of water, soda and milk. Ask the students what can we do with their liquids. Have volunteers come up and perform the following tests:

a. Drink water with a straw

b. Pour the milk out of the carton

c. Stir the coke with a spoon

d. Trap liquid in a straw by placing a finger over one opening

2. Have the students experiment by mixing the following liquids, no more than two at a time, at their desks. After two liquids are mixed, the students should dump them into large plastic bowls that are available at each desk. The liquids include:

a. Syrup (Dark Karo or Molasses)

b. Glycerol

c. Water colored with red food coloring

d. Olive Oil

e. Rubbing alcohol colored with blue food coloring

3. Have the students record their observations in their journals.

4. Next, perform a demonstration with a tall glass container to which the liquids are added in the following order: syrup, glycerol (pour on sides of glass container), water colored with red coloring, olive oil, and rubbing alcohol colored with blue food coloring.

Part Three: Gases

1. Show the students a helium balloon and a balloon that has been blown up by mouth. Hold both balloons in your hand so that the students cannot tell which is which. Ask the students what they think is in each balloon and then, after releasing the balloons so that one falls on the ground and the other rises to the ceiling, ask the students what is different about the gas in the balloon that rises.

2. Next, untie the balloon and ask the students if they can see the gas coming out of it. How do we know it is there? (senses of sound and touch)

3. Next, open a soda can and immediately placed a plastic disposable glove over its top. Gently shake the coke can. The students observe the glove filling with gas. Ask the students why the glove is filling and explain that there is gas in the coke.

4. Allow each student to taste soda from another bottle in a small plastic cup and ask if they can feel the fizzing on their tongues and throats. Tell them that this is carbon dioxide gas.

5. Next, perform the following experiment using a narrow-necked bottle.

a. Fill the bottle ¼ way with vinegar

b. Fill the balloon with baking soda using a funnel

c. Attach the balloon to the neck of the bottle, and then pull the balloon up over the bottle so that the bicarbonate empties into the bottle

d. Shake the bottle and watch the balloon blow up

e. Explain to the students that when you mix vinegar and bicarbonate, the carbon dioxide, the same gas that was in the coke you tasted, is released and blows up the balloon

Part Four: Conclusion

1. Use the sorting hat and divide the students up into groups: solids, liquids, and gases. These are their designated Quidditch teams.

2. Each team will receive a poster board where they will be given the opportunity to address the following:

a. Choose and illustrate or write about 3 mascots for the house, all of which belong to the state of mater of that particular house. For instance, the mascots for the goblin gases can be steam, CO2 and Helium

b. Tell why the state is the “best” state

c. Tell what the state can do

3. Students can participate in a game of Quidditch that will reinforce their knowledge of the three states of matter.

4. The teacher can pass the snitch (small bouncy ball) around the room and as each student receives the snitch, he/she should say one thing that he/she learned about solids, liquids or gases. The teacher could also prepare questions to ask the students. If you miss a question or cannot say something about one of the states, you must sit down. The last team standing wins.

Assessment: The students will be assessed on how well they actively participate in the lessons.

Bibliography

On the Web, use Google to search for Changes in Matter, and go to the various “web pages.” The initial set of pages includes many sites that have information on the changes of the states of matter and various activities for elementary students. For example:

, Matter is the Stuff Around You, an elementary level site that provides information on the four stages of matter and various mixtures and solutions. It also provides some interactive activities and quizzes for students to take.

, This site provides links to lessons that involve the changes in the states of matter. Some of these lessons include changing the freezing point of salt, changes of chocolate and many other hands-on activities that can be taught to elementary school aged kids.

, This site also provides links to lessons that involve the changes in the states of matter. The lesson that I found the most engaging was the lesson on Oobleck and Glurch. There are many activities for a variety of grade levels and abilities.

, BrainPop, an elementary level site that has various science links. The matter site provides information on matter and the physical and chemical changes. It is very interactive and there are quizzes, games and video clips for students to view.

Bobick, James. 1994. The Handy Science Answer Book. Pittsburgh: The Carnegie

Library.

Bortz, Fred. 2001. Techno-Mater: The Materials Behind the Marvels. New York:

Millbrook Press.

Cooper, Christopher. 1992. Eyewitness Matter. New York: Reed Business Information,

Inc.

Potter, Jean. 1998. Science in Seconds With Toys : Over 100 Experiments You Can Do in

Ten Minutes or Less. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Sarquis, Jerry. 1997. Investigating Solids, Liquids, and Gases With Toys: States of Matter

and Changes of State. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Sarquis, Mickey. Exploring Matter With Toys: Using and Understanding the Senses. New York: McGraw-Hill.

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