facts about matter science unit

Facts About Matter Science unit

3 rd grade

2

Table o f 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 t-

chart 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


• 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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Day Three: Water Everywhere Article

Common Core State Standards: RI.3.2 Determine the main of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. SL.3.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace. Objectives: SWBAT work cooperatively within their group to read and determine the main idea and supporting details of their particular section of the article SWBAT present their main idea, supporting details, and interesting facts with the whole class. Materials:

• Measuring Matter Student Resource (Water Everywhere page 16-17) • Big white board for each group • Whiteboard markers (1 for each group) • Note-taking sheet (graphic organizer) • Science journal


• Hold up the globe/show a picture of the earth. What do you see the most? Which of the three states of matter is this?

• The most common liquid on earth is water. It is probably measured more often than any other liquid.

• We are going to read an article to find out how much water people use regularly and what people can do conserve water

• We are going to read the article a little differently today. • I am going to put you into groups and give your group a portion of the article to

read together aloud. • After you read your particular section, as a group, you are going to fill out this

graphic organizer with the main idea of your section of article, some details, and interesting facts that you think your classmates would enjoy hearing and learning about

o Remember you are the only group who is reading that particular section of the article, so pay close attention while the readers read to become an expert on that piece of the article.

• After you finish working together to complete the organizer, bring it up to Ms. Rollins to get a whiteboard. With a color pencil and working together as a team, circle three important details or facts that you think are the most important. These circled facts will then be written down neatly on the whiteboard, which will then be shared with the whole class.

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• Have students get out their science book and pass out the graphic organizer, before students move into their groups

o Students can now start reading their particular section of the article within their groups

• Circulate and when groups start to finish, help guide students to find and discuss the main idea of their section, writing it down on their paper

o Remind students that they are finding their own supporting details to the main idea they came up with as a group

• As the session comes to a close, ask: o What is one way you are going to try to conserve water this week? o What is one thing you learned about the article from another group’s

presentation? o What state of matter is water? What characteristic shows you that water is

a liquid? Assessment: • Students will read their section of the article together and determine the main

idea, supporting details, and interesting facts on a graphic organizer. • As a group, students will decide what details and facts they want to share with the

whole class, writing these on a whiteboard

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Day Four: Weight Matters


• Students will be able to measure mass accurately using a balance. Materials:

• Book • Pencil • Wood squares • Plastic chips • Metal disks • Balance • Plastic cups filled with paper clips (small and large) • Science journal • Mass piece sets


• Hold up a book and a pencil. Ask which one is heavier. Raise your hand if you think the book is heavier than the pencil

• Mass is a property of matter. All matter has mass. Mass is the amount of stuff in an object. This book is heavier than this pencil because it is made out of more stuff. It has more mass.

• Sometimes you only need to compare the mass of objects-know if one object is heavier than another. We’re going to start by comparing the mass of three objects: a wood square, plastic chip, and a metal disk (hold up each one)

• In their pods, have the captains get one set of the three objects. Challenge the students to work in their pods to put the three objects in order from heaviest to lightest, just using their hands

o Circulate and observe how the groups are ordering the objects. • Have a reporter from each pod report the order of the objects from the heaviest to

the lightest o As each group says their order, write it down on the chart on the

whiteboard o Have students discuss within their groups why some groups put the

objects in a different order o Call on one person from each pod to share what they talked about within

their pod • Focus Question: How can you measure mass accurately?

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o Have students open their science journal and write down the question • Point out the discrepancies on the board. • We have a tool you can use to compare the mass of objects more accurately. Hold

up balance and ask if anyone knows what it is called. (show the balance equipment image while showing the different parts of the balance)

o Identify the balance beam and the base. The beam pivots on the fulcrum. Cups go into the holes in the balance beam

o Assemble the balance. When the beam is level, and the pointer on the beam lines up with the raised area on the base, the system in balanced or “zeroed.” When the beam is not level at the start, use the slider to zero the balance

o When two objects are compared, the heavier one will go down • Sometimes it’s fine to just compare objects to find out which object is heavier. At

other times, it's important to know an object’s mass. The balance can be used to weigh objects. As when we measured distance and volume, we need a unit. Today we are going to use paper clips as our units. We can weigh each object on the balance to determine its mass in paper clips.

• We are going to weigh the metal disk first. Put the disk in one cup on the balance. Put paper clips in the other cup until the beam is balanced. Count the clips that were needed to balance the object (write this basic procedure on a piece of paper for each group).

• Have students get into their groups (6 groups of 4). o One person is the recorder, tallying the number of paper clips needed to

balance the beam. One person is the getter o The getter comes to the front to collect the balance beam with the two

cups. (Don’t forget to redistribute the metal disks to the new groups). o Tell the students once they get their paper clips, they can start measuring

the mass of their disk. Pass out cup of paper clips, giving half of the groups the standard size and the other half large paper clips. Remind students to record the mass of the metal disk in paper clips in their journal.

• Draw a T-chart on the board (group and paper clips). Have the reporter share the number of paper clips with the class as you write it on the chart.

• Something is not right. The metal disks are identical, but you got very different measurements for their mass. How can that be?

o After discussing different ideas, have students hold up their paper clips to show the different sizes of the paper clips.

• Paper clips come in different sizes. If we use paper clips as our unit for measuring mass, we can run into problems when we compare results with another group. What do we need in order to have a useful system for measuring the mass of objects? (a standard unit of measurement).

Assessment:

• Students will fill out their notebook sheet, showing what they measured each object in paper clips

• Students will answer the question on the notebook sheet and the focus question in complete sentences in their journal

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Day Five: Weighty Matters (part 2)


• SWBAT measure using gram pieces within their group • SWBAT name the tools they need to measure mass accurately

Materials:

• Wood squares • Plastic chips • Metal disks • Balance • Science journal • Mass piece sets


• Yesterday we measured three different objects with paper clips. From our investigation what did we learn?

o Does measuring with paper clips give us an accurate measurement of each object’s mass?

o What do we need to measure mass accurately? (a standard unit of measurement

• Hold up one of the gram cubes. This is the standard unit for measuring mass in the metric system. Does anyone know what this is called? (gram). The symbol for gram is a lower case g. The gram is a very small unit. To make weighing easier, we also have multiple-gram pieces. (show the class the 5g, 10g, and 20g mass pieces under the doc camera).

• How many 1g pieces do I need to equal 5g? (5). • Have students get back into their groups from yesterday (bringing their journal)

o Have the getter come to the front and collect the notebook sheets for their group.

• Everyone look at the sheet. o Student 1 determines the mass of the metal disk in grams o Everyone records the mass on their own sheet for student 1 o Students 2,3, and 4 start over, taking turns to determine the mass of the

disk. Everyone records the mass in the corresponding column. o Repeat the process for the wood square and the plastic chip

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• The getters collect the mass piece sets, three objects, and the balance for the groups and once they have their materials, give them a minute to determine who is number 1-4, having them right each others’ names above the column.

o Have student 1 raise their hand, then students 2-3 to ensure that everyone knows their number in their group.

• Give students about 15-20 minutes to measure the mass of the three objects (put on timer)

• When they are done, have them clean up their area and return the mass piece sets, metal disks, plastic chips, and wood squares.

• Look at your data. Talk in your group and decide on the best measurements for the mass of the three objects. Write your best measurements in the column farthest to the right on your notebook sheet (show them where on the doc camera). Ask for clarification of what they are supposed to do next in their groups.

• Put table on the whiteboard while they are discussing measurements in their group • As the recorder to share their best measurements while you write them into the

table • Do you see any discrepancies between the results of your own group and the other

groups? Do you see any difference? Are there differences large or small? What could have caused the difference?

o Different disk, wood square, and plastic chip- The similar objects might have slightly different masses

o Different methods of weighing- some people stack the mass pieces carefully in the cup and others drop in randomly

o Inaccurate counting- repeating measurements eliminates simple procedural errors

• Once students are back in their seats, have them read through the steps on the bottom of their measuring mass sheet as a whole group. Read the question altogether. Have students answer the questions in their journal in complete sentences.

• When they finish, have students answer the focus question in their journal, acting like they are teaching someone at home about measuring mass correctly.

Assessment:

• Students take turns using the balance and mass pieces to measure the mass of the three objects

• Students will fill in their measurements in grams on their notebooking sheet • Students will answer the focus question in complete sentences in their journal

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Day Six: Metr i c Sys tem Article

Common Core State Standards: 3.RI.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. Objective:

• Students will be able to use evidence from the article to answer questions about the article.

Materials:

• Measuring Matter Science Textbook • 3-2-1 graphic organizer


• The “Metric System” article is a brief history of the development of the metric system.

• The students will get out their Measuring Matter Science textbook with the article inside (page 18)

• We will read the article together as a class, stopping to check for understanding throughout the article and giving students time to fill in their graphic organizer

• Each student will get a 3-2-1 graphic organizer to fill out while we are reading o 3 facts learned while reading o 2questions that I have for the author o 1 thing that I thought was the most interesting

• After reading the article and completing their graphic organizer, students will share their facts and questions with a partner before students share their ideas with the whole class.

Assessment:

• Students will complete their 3-2-1 handout during and after reading the article as a class

• Students will use textual evidence to answer questions about the article in complete sentences.

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Day Seven: Soaking Sponges

Common Core State Standards: Math Connections 3.MD.2 Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using standard units of grams (g), kilograms (kg), and liters (L). Objective:

• Students will be able to investigate within their science groups how much water a dry sponge can soak up

• Students will be able to measure the mass of the wet and dry sponge with a balance and mass pieces accurately

Materials:

• Science journal • Sponges • ½ L containers • Balances • Plastic Cups • Mass piece set • Syringes • Graduated Cylinder • Pitchers • Notebook Sheet 10

Preparation:

• Each group will get… o 1 small sponge o 1 container (1/2 L) o 1 Balance o 3 plastic cups o 1 set of mass pieces o 1 syringe o 1 Graduated cylinder o Notebook Sheet 10 for each student

Directions:

• Hold up a sponge. How could you measure this sponge? o Encourage students to describe how they would make mass measurements

• Hold up a cup of water. How could you measure the water in this cup? o One way is to measure the volume with a syringe and a graduated cylinder o We can also measure the mass. How could we measure the mass of the

water?

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• I recently heard that a sponge can soak up more than its own mass in water. I find that really hard to believe! Can you figure out a way to test that claim?

• Our focus question for today is How much water can a dry sponge soak up? o Give students time to write this down in their journals

• Hand out Notebook Sheet 10 and have students glue this into their journal o These are steps of the procedure for each group o Read through the procedure for the investigation as a whole group before

excusing them into their small groups 1. Weigh the dry sponge (what unit are we using? Grams) 2. Make a guess or an estimate (this is the mass of the water that

the sponge can hold. Give students a few seconds to write down their estimates in grams on their notebook sheet. Remind students to not change their estimates)

3. Soak the sponge with water using the plastic cup (model this and remind students to keep the cup of water in the basin

4. Weigh the water-soaked sponge with the balance (remember to include units)

5. To find the mass of the water, subtract the mass of the dry sponge from the mass of the soaked sponge. (remember to show your thinking)

We will work on number 6 together if we have time When you are done with step number 5, answer the question on the

bottom of the paper in complete sentences (under the focus question)

• Sentence Frame: I was (not) surprised by the mass of water my sponge could pick up because _________ .

• Before excusing students into their small groups, remind the class to be respectful of each other and the scientific materials. Each group will have two Material Managers, Facilitator, and the Reporter (explain/review the jobs briefly)

• Put the groups up on the doc camera and have the students find their name and what job they are in charge of for that day.

o Challenge students to walk quietly to their group and sit down to show me that they are ready to begin

• Have one Materials Manager come up to collect the supplies o Once all the groups have the supplies, groups may begin their

investigation • If they are done early, then they can answer the focus question in their journal in

complete sentences • When all the groups are done, have the second Materials Manager return the

supplies and have the groups return to their desks, continuing their reflection writing

o Sentence Frames: I observed that a dry sponge can soak up ______ grams of water. This was similar/different than my prediction because _______. To measure the mass of water in the sponge, I need to use _______.

• Students will put their science materials away and prep their homework to pack up for the rest of the day before lunch (11:40am)

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Assessment:

• Students will answer the focus question in their science reflection after their investigation

• Students will follow the procedure to measure the mass of water a sponge can soak up accurately.

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Day Eight: Opinion and Evidence Article

Common Core State Standards: 3.RI.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. SL.3.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace Objective:

• Students will be able to cooperatively read their section of the article aloud within their small group

• Students will be able to restate the main idea of their section of the article on their main idea organizer

• Students will be able to find and write down 2 supporting details or facts that support the main idea of their section

Materials:

• Measuring Matter Student Textbook • Main Idea Graphic Organizer • 4 Large whiteboards with markers

Preparation:

• Students will already be divided into four groups with their designated section of the article

Directions:

• Students will get out their Science textbook, turning to page 20 • Show a picture of the two different kinds of sponges (a natural sponge and a

synthetic sponge) o Let’s make a prediction: Raise your hand if you think the natural sponge

will soak up more water than the synthetic sponge. Now raise your hand if you think the synthetic sponge will soak more water.

o What type of sponge did we use yesterday? (synthetic) • Today we are going to read an article called Opinion and Evidence. It is about two

girls who are also wondering which type of sponge will soak up more water • We are going to do a jigsaw activity where you and your small group will become

experts on one section of the article and you will become teachers and teach the rest of the class about your section.

• Does anyone have any questions so far? • I am going to put you into groups and give your group a portion of the article to

read together aloud. • After you read your particular section, as a group, you are going to fill out this

graphic organizer with the main idea of your section of article and three

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supporting details and facts that you think your classmates would enjoy hearing and learning about

o Remember you are the only group who is reading that particular section of the article, so pay close attention while the readers read to become an expert on that piece of the article.

• After you finish working together to complete the organizer, raise your hand to get checked by Ms. Rollins to get a whiteboard. With a color pencil and working together as a team, circle three important details or facts that you think are the most important. These circled facts will then be written down neatly on the whiteboard, which will then be shared with the whole class.

• Once students have decided on their three facts they want to share with the class, they will take turns writing down the title of their section the article and the three details/facts on the whiteboard

• Students will then determine who will present what while teaching the whole class about their particular section of the text.

Assessment:

• Informal assessment on how students find the main idea of their section of the article and supporting details using their graphic organizer

• Students will present their section of the article to the whole class, becoming experts on the topic and teaching their peers about what they just read

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Day Nine: Small vs. Large Objects (Part 1)

Common Core State Standards: Math Connections 3.MD.2 Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using standard units of grams (g), kilograms (kg), and liters (L). Objective:

• Students will be able to estimate the mass in grams of various small and large objects.

• Focus Question: Can small objects have more mass than large objects? Materials:

• Small and large objects to estimate • Science journal • 1 set of mass pieces

Preparation:

• Collect examples of objects o Rock o Leaf o Stick o Shell o Pencil o Skinny and fat markers o Eraser

Directions:

• What is mass? (weight or how much stuff an object is made up of) • Can anyone remind me what units I use when I measure mass? (grams)

o Show the different mass pieces under the doc camera to remind students of the gram pieces

• Our focus question for our next science investigation is Can small objects have more mass than large objects?

o Call on a few students to make predictions (one from every pod) • Today we are going to look at some different everyday objects and estimate its

mass. Then when we come back next week, we will measure the actual mass and size of the objects to see which object has more mass; the smaller one or the larger one

• Have students get out their journal and write the focus question (on the right sides of their journal

• Show students how to make a 2 column chart with the titles Object and Estimated Mass

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o Have all the students write down all 8 objects as I write them on my journal

• Hold up each object one by one, naming it. o Think about the _____________ I am holding in my hand. o What do you think the mass of this object is? o Have students write down their estimates in their two-column chart

Reminding them to include the unit of measurement o Repeat the process for each object

• Hold up two different objects (leaf and shell). Which one is smaller? If we were comparing these two objects, do you think the smaller object (shell) has more mass?

• If there is time, have different students choose 2 different objects to compare o Which one is smaller? o Do you think the smaller object has more mass than the larger object

• Now that we have our estimates for these objects, during our next investigation we will be measuring the mass of these objects to see if small objects can have more mass than large objects.

• If there is time and we need to, pass back SSR/AR books • Have students clean up their area and put their science journals back in their desk

to get ready to go to the library • If there is time, have students get ready for workshop by getting out their

homework folder and SSR book Assessment:

• Informal assessment – Students will define mass in their own words and practice making smart estimates of the mass of different objects

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Day Ten: Small vs. Large Objects (Part 2)

Common Core State Standards: Math Connections 3. MDA.2 Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using standard units of grams, kilograms, and liters. Objective:

• Students will be able to measure the mass of eight different objects accurately • Students will be able to work cooperatively within their small group

Materials: • Notebook Sheet 11: Which has more mass? • Science journal • Glue sticks • For each group:

o Balance beam with 2 plastic cups o Mass pieces o Meter tape o Tray of objects –

Rock and a fat marker Crayon and skinny marker Leaf and eraser Pencil and eraser top


• Today we will be weighing matter of objects we see everyday • We will be comparing its mass. Can anyone remind us what mass means in his or

her own words? (amount of stuff in an object, weight) • What unit of measurement do we use to measure the mass of an object? (Grams) • What scientific tools do we use to measure the mass? (the balance and mass

pieces) o Show students the balance beam with a quick reminder of how to use them

• Everything that has matter – solid, liquid, or gas- has mass. Some things have a lot of mass, and some have very little mass. One interesting thing is that some small objects have a lot of mass, and some large objects have just a little bit of mass

• Our focus question for today is: Can small objects have more mass than large objects?

o Have students look at their estimates to remind them of some of the objects we are going to measure today

• Show students the Notebook sheet and have captains help you pass it out o Remind students to glue it on the left side of their journals

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o Have students start copying the objects from the master sheet on the doc camera to their notebook sheet to prepare for the investigation

o Tell students we are using rocks instead of shells for this investigation. How much mass do you think a rock has?

• Model using the materials and notebook sheet what students will be doing in their small groups. Also, explain the four roles and emphasize how important they are: Lead scientists, Assistant Scientist, Materials/tools Manager (write on board)

o Write the steps on the board: o 1. Using the meter tape (students may need a reminder on how to use

the meter tape) measure the length of your object and write the number down under Size in cm. Remember to use the side with the bigger lines

o 2. Using the balance and the mass pieces, measure the mass of your object in grams. Write down this number under Mass in g.

o 3. Now, measure the length of the 2nd object and record it o 4. Measure the mass of the 2nd object and record it o 5. Measure the length of the 3rd object and record it (if you have one) o 6. Lastly, measure the mass of the 3rd object and record it (if you have

one) • There are three stations with at least two objects to measure the length and mass

of. I am going to give you about 7-10 minutes for steps 1-6 before switching to another group.

• While switching, I want you to be quiet and respectful to your classmates who are also moving around

• Before we move into our groups, can anyone tell me the focus of today’s investigation or the question we are answering? Can small objects have more mass than large objects?

• On doc camera, show 6 small groups, remind students to bring a pencil and their journal to their small group

• Have students quietly move to their station and signal to me once they know what role they are

o Have the lead scientists raise their hand, assistants raise their hand, and the material managers raise their hands

o Have one material manager come to the science table to retrieve their tray of objects and their balance

• Once they have their materials they can begin measuring the first object • Circulate through the groups, while having a timer on the doc camera set to 7

minutes (can add minutes later if needed Assessment:

• Students practice measuring the length of eight objects with a meter tape. • Students practice measuring the mass of eight different objects using a balance

and mass pieces.

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Day Eleven: Measuring Temperature

Common Core State Standards: Math Connections 3. MDA.2 Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using standard units of grams, kilograms, and liters. Objective:

• Students will be able to use thermometers to measure temperature correctly. Materials:

• Notebook Sheet 12: Measuring Temperature • Science journal • Glue sticks • For each group:

o 3 plastic cups (labeled A, B, and C) o 2 Thermometers o 1 syringe o 1 basin

• 2 L of Hot water (into cup C) • 2L of cold water (Cup B) • 2L of room temperature water (Cup A)


• What do you think of when you hear the word hot? • What comes to mind when you hear the word cold? • Where in the world is it hot? Cold? • How can you tell when something is hot? • Raise your hand if you think you can feel when something is hot • Temperature is a property that describes how hot or cold something is. • We are going to learn how temperature affects matter.

o First, we need to learn how to measure temperature • Give students time to write down the focus question in their journal: How can you

measure temperature accurately? • After we get into our groups: (procedure: this will be written on the board and

explained orally before switching into groups) o 1. Each person will have a turn o 2. Use one finger on your right hand o 3. Put that finger into the water in each cup only once-no going back o 4. When everyone has had a turn, put the cups in order, warm to cool o 5. Each person can use finger on their left hand to double-check

• Here are the different roles in the group: Lead Scientist, Assistant Scientist, Materials Manager, and Recorder

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• Put groups up on the doc camera and give students a challenge to quietly move into their groups

o Once they get into their groups, have the Materials Manager come and get cups A, B, and C, and their basin.

o Remind students to look at the procedure steps on the board to help guide them

o Recorders will come record their groups order of cups: warmest to coolest on the chart on the whiteboard

o Tell students that that they need to work cooperatively with their group members to groups cups A, B, and C from warmest to coolest using their finger

o Set timer for 7 minutes and have students begin to measure the temperature of the three cups with their finger

• After students are done with their ordering the cups of water, have students clean up their area with a paper towel if needed.

• Take a few minutes to discuss the results on the chart (warmest to coolest) o Not all groups will agree which cup is warmest o Based on the results, are fingers a useful tool for measuring temperature? o Have a student reread the focus question for us o What scientific tool can we use to measure temperature accurately?

(thermometer) • Hold up a thermometer and say that we will use a thermometer like this to

measure temperature o A thermometer is a thin glass tube filled with red liquid. o As the liquid warms, it pushes up the tube. o When the liquid cools, it goes back down the tube o The higher the column of liquid (the red line), the higher the temperature

• Model how to use the thermometer accurately o Place the round end called the bulb in the water o After a few seconds, read the temperature by looking to see what number

is at the top of the red column • In the metric unit, the temperature unit is degree Celsius

o The symbol is a little circle and a capital C • Hand out The Metric System Chart to each student, giving them time to glue into

their journal o After they are done gluing the sheet, have students write temperature

under Measurement o Standard unit is Degree Celsius (write down symbol) o Tool: thermometer o If there is time later during the investigation, students can draw pictures to

help them remember degree Celsius and thermometer • Now we are going to measure the temperature of the three cups with our

thermometers • Show students Notebook Sheet 12 and where to glue it in

o Have Material Managers from each group come up to get the notebook sheet for their group, giving them time to glue it into their journal

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(Material Manager can return pod box when everyone is done gluing the sheet into their journal)

• Guide students to the connection between the scale on the thermometer and the number line on the notebook sheet

• Students will use the thermometer to measure the temperature of cups A, B, and C, and record it on the number line

o On the teacher’s number line, show students how to record the temperature of the three cups on the left side

• Have students take turns measuring the temperature of the three cups. Circulate to make sure students are using the thermometer correctly (submerging the bulb in the water, holding it by metal backing, and waiting several seconds before reading the temperature)

• Once students have recorded the temperature on their notebook sheet of all three cups, have students put all three cups in the basin and the Material Manager can bring the basin to the back to pour out the water in the sink.

o They can then bring the basin back to the Science Area and get a paper towel to clean up their station

o If there is extra time, students can begin answering the focus question in their journals

Assessment:

• Students will practice measuring the temperature of hot, cold, and room temperature water using a thermometer correctly

• Students will write a science reflection in their journal answering the question How can you measure temperature accurately?

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Day Twelve: Evaporation and Condensation


• Students will be able to know what condensation means. • Students will be able to measure condensation

Materials:

• Science Journal • Each group:

o 1 large plastic cup o 1 small plastic cup o 1 syringe

• For whole class o 1 clip-on lamp o 3 plastic cups o 1 balance o 1 set of mass pieces o 2 thermometers o 2 pitchers o 1 set of food coloring o water o warm water dyed red (prepared prior to investigation) o ice water dyed blue (prior to investigation) o Paper towels

• Chart paper with data table (TM page 177) Preparation:

• Chart paper with data table for the whole class Instructional Procedure:

• Hold up a cup of water. How can we change the liquid into a solid? (cool it down, put it in the freezer)

• Hold up a piece of ice. How can we change the solid into a liquid? (warm it up) • We seem to know what happens when liquids are cooled. Now, I’m wondering

what happens when liquids are heated o Read and project the focus question: What happens when you heat

liquids? o Give students a minute or two to write the focus question into their journal

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o Have students write down a prediction using this sentence frame: When liquids are heated, I predict that _____.

• Today we are going to set up an experiment to see what happens to a liquid when it is heated.

• Show students the two plastic cups, a syringe, and a supply of water. Use the syringe to measure 100 mL of water into each cup. Put the two cups on opposite sides of the balance and put a thermometer in each cup.

• Show students the lamp. I’m going to put this cup right under this lamp. The warmth coming from the lamp should warm the water in this cup on this side of the balance. We’ll measure the temperature of the water in the two cups several more times today, and record the temperature in a data table. Tomorrow we will see what happens.

• Put the data table on the whiteboard for the whole class to see o Fill in the volume data (100 mL) o Have two pairs of students measure the starting temperature of the water

in the cups. Record the temperatures. o We will measure the temperature of these cups throughout the day o We will measure the ending volume or mass tomorrow

• Have students turn to a new page in their journals for the second focus question: What happens when you cool gases?

o Give students time to copy this question into their journals • Air is gas. What do you think happens when gas is cooled? • Hold up a large and a small cup

o A. Measure 100 mL of warm (red) water into the large cup o B. Fill the small cup half full with ice (blue) water o C. Place the large cup in the middle of the table o D. Carefully put the small cup into the mouth of the large cup o E. Observe the system without watching it

• Before students move into their groups and begin their observation, have students draw a T-table with Time and Observation titles on the left page of their journal (model this)

o Groups will take notes of what they observe every 2-3 minutes for 10-12 minutes

• Have students get into their groups, briefly explaining the different roles o The getter from each group will one small cup of blue water and one large

cup of red water o The starter will carefully place the small cup in the large cup o The students will write down their first observation (everyone, but

recorder will share) Time: 0 min Observation: Write down what you see- is it foggy at all

• Circulate and have students write down their observations every 2-3 minutes. When students have made several entries in their journal, call for attention.

o Ask Recorders from each group to share one observation. Based on their observations, have other groups raise their hands if they also saw that particular observation: Raise your hand if you saw what _____ saw!

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Listen for comments about fog, clouds, dew, drops, drips, etc. If not group has commented on the color of the dew, ask students

to discuss what they see with their group and make an observation in their notebook

• If someone comments that the dew is red or blue, ask for confirmation from the class.

o If students are still confused about the color of the dew, give students a piece of paper to absorb the dew to see that the dew is colorless

• Ask: o What is the dew on the sides of cups? (Liquid water) o Where did the water come from? (from the air inside the big cup) o How did the water get into the air? (it came from the warm water in the

big cup) o Why is the dew colorless? (only the water went into the air, not the red

color) • The droplets of liquid water on the sides of the cups came from the water vapor in

the air. Water vapor is water in its gas phase. When the water vapor cools down, it changes from gas to liquid. Changing from gas to liquid is condensation. When water vapor condenses, it changes into drops of liquid water. Sometimes the condensed water vapor looks like fog in the air, sometimes it looks like clouds in the sky, and sometimes it looks like dew on cool surfaces.

• Can anyone think of situations when condensation occurs? o Bathroom mirrors, eyeglasses, breath on a cold day o Consider the source of warm water vapor and what made it cool to

condense into liquid Shower: warm water vapor Mirror: cool surface on which it condenses

• Have material managers return all the supplies to the supply table and have students return to their desk

• Have two more different pairs take a temperature reading before the students pack up for the day

Assessment:

• Students will take turns taking the temperature of the water in the cup both under the light and not under the light

• Students will write down their observations for condensations in their small groups

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Day Thirteen: Evaporation and Condensation (Part 2)


• Students will be able to know the difference between evaporation and condensation.

• Students will be able to measure condensation and evaporation Materials:

• Science Journal • For whole class

o 1 clip-on lamp o 3 plastic cups o 1 balance o 1 set of mass pieces o 2 thermometers o 2 pitchers o Paper towels

• Chart paper with data table (TM page 177) Instructional Procedure:

• Have students get out their science journal and reread the first focus question from the previous day. Excuse one pod at a time to come stand around the balance and the lamp

• Ask as a whole group o What was the same about the setup f the two cups? (kind of cup, amount

of water, starting temperature) o What was different about the two cups? (one cup was under a light source

where it was warm and the other was not) o Do the cups still have the same amount of water in them?

Less water in the cup under the lamp because it weighs less than the other cup)

o How could we find out how much water is left in both cups? (measure the volume or mass of the water in the two cups)

• Have 2 different pairs of students measure the ending temperature of each cup, recording the temperature on the data chart on the whiteboard

• Have other students help measure the ending volume using the syringe of each cup, recording the ending volume on the data chart

• Give students time to predict the mass before measuring it

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o Remind students that 1 mL = 1gram (write this on the whiteboard and have them write this in their journal

• After recording all the new data on the table, ask o What happened?

Both cups have less water. The cup under the lamp contains less water than the cup farther way from the light)

o How much less water is in each of the cups? To find out, subtract the remaining mass in each cup from the

starting mass. You could also subtract volume measurements o Where did the water go?

Into the air o How much water went into the air?

To find out, subtract the ending volume or mass from the starting measurements

• The water that is missing from the cups went into the air. This process is called evaporation. The water that evaporated changed into the invisible gas water vapor. Water vapor is still water, but it is in the form of a gas instead of a liquid. The tiny particles of water are so small that they become part of air.

• How does the temperature affect evaporation? o More water evaporated from the cup that got warm under the lamp. More

evaporation occurs when the temperature is higher • Can someone remind us of the investigation we did yesterday? (condensation) • What phase change or change of state happens during evaporation?

o Liquid turns into a gas • How is temperature related to that change?

o The higher the temperature, the faster the evaporation • What change of state happens when condensation occurs?

o Gas changes into a liquid • How is temperature related to that change?

o When gas touches a cold surface, it condenses into liquid • Remind students that evaporation and condensation are phase changes or

changes of state that is directly affected by temperature just like melting and freezing.

• Read the first focus question: What happens when you heat liquids? o Give students some time to discuss what happens when liquids are heated

with the person sitting next to them before writing in their notebook o When liquids are heated, ________. o Have students write at least 5 sentences discussing heating liquids, using

the investigation to guide them • If there is time, have students write a reflection to the second focus question:

What happens when you cool gasses? o When gasses are cooled, ______.

Assessment: • Students will assist in filling out the data chart • Students will define the difference between condensation and evaporation. • Students will answer the focus question in the science reflections.

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Unit Reflection: Throughout this science unit, I have learned the importance of exploration and

making science fun for my students. I learned how much students can learn from

observation, exploration, and from each other. This was a large unit, which had to be

condensed, but I believe the order of the lessons and the sequence was a great way for

students to learn about the three states of matter. The investigations were fun and

interactive for all the students and each student had a role to play in their small group.

Along with learning about matter, students were able to practice working

cooperatively with their peers, as I tried to create groups where students were

working with different people. I think that practicing working together in science

helped students interact and work with their peers in other disciplines like

mathematics and English Language Arts.

If I were to teach this unit again in the future, I would make time to explore gases

more to help students truly understand gas. Along with this, I would add another

investigation or lesson focusing on changing matter from one state to another, and

show students how a solid can turn into a liquid, and then a gas to wrap up the unit.

The science articles were a little difficult for the students to read, understand, and

connect with. In the future, I would try to find more kid-friendly articles that the

students can get something from.

I was really happy about how this unit came together and students have learned

about the states of matter in numerous ways in the classroom.

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Characteristics of Matter Notes:

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Weighty Matters:

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Small vs. Large Objects:

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Soaking Sponges:

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Evaporation and Condensation:

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Evaporation and Condensation:

facts about matter science unit

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