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South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545

What State Are You? (Grades 5-7)

Master Teacher

Pam Isbell

Time Allotment

One 50-minute class

Overview

Through the activities in this lesson, students will be able to identify the three states of matter and recognize plasma as a fourth state. They will be able to provide examples of matter that are classified as a particular state and identify the properties of each state of matter. Students will understand the following key concepts:

1. Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass.

2. Mass is the amount of matter there is. It's how much "stuff" is actually in a particular substance.

3. In science, we divide or classify matter into four states. The three most common states of matter are usually taught at lower levels and students learn that matter may be a solid, liquid, or gas. At sixth grade level, we introduce plasma as the fourth state of matter.

4. Properties of matter refer to the general characteristics of matter. Is it smooth, rough, soft, hard, transparent, translucent, etc.?

Subject Matter

Physical Science

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

• identify the three states of matter
• give examples of the three states of matter
• recognize plasma as a fourth state of matter
• identify the properties of each state of matter

South Carolina Standards

Visit the South Carolina Department of Education for the South Carolina Science Standards.

IV. Physical Science

A.1.d.: Define and give examples of the three states of matter. Introduce plasma (e.g., lightning and material in neon lights) as a fourth state of matter.

Media Components

Video

Eureka!, Lesson 16: Molecules in Solids

Web Sites

States of Matter examines matter and the four states of matter. It contains graphics and examples of the composition of the different states of matter. This is a good site to use to introduce students to states of matter and to let them see the composition of different materials. Students can actually see the particles in motion on their screens and read about the states of matter. Also included here is a great description of plasma.

CHEM4KIDSMatter is an interactive site where students can view cool pictures and learn the characteristics of matter. There is also much information about physical properties of matter for older students. There is even an online quiz for students to take when you think they have mastered the concepts.

(Note: Some of the questions may go beyond what you are interested in your students learning, but would be great for challenging brighter students.)

Materials

Per student:

• Activity Sheet 1 (States of Matter)
• 1 index card listing a common substance

Per group*:

• beaker
• water
• Alka-Seltzer tablet

*This can also be done as a demonstration by the teacher.

Prep for Teachers

• Preview the video and be familiar with the segments you are to use with the lesson.
• Bookmark the Web sites on student computers or your computer.
• Prepare index cards, one per student. On them list a common object. Examples could be soda, water, juice, ball, balloon, helium balloon, desk, air, car, etc.
• Collect materials needed for lesson.

Introductory Activity: Setting the Stage

Step 1

Explain to students that you will be talking about states of matter. Ask them what matter is. (Answer: Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass.)

Ask students what mass is. (Answer: Mass is the amount of matter an object contains.)

Step 2

Ask students to name things in the classroom that are examples of matter. As examples are given, ask them if that object takes up space. Does it have mass?

Learning Activities

Step 1

Focus for Media Interaction: Before your students begin viewing Lesson 16 from Eureka!, tell

them to raise their hands when they hear the video give the three states of matter.

START the video at the beginning of Lesson 16 and STOP it when the screen shows the spoon in the bowl of soup. You will hear, "You've probably noticed that everything in the universe is either a gas, like delicious vapor floating up from your soup. . . or a liquid, like the soup itself . . . or a solid like your soup spoon."

Hand out the copies of the activity sheet to the students. Have them complete item 1—sketch and label the three states of matter.

Gas: vapor or steam coming off the soup spoon

Liquid: the soup

Solid: the spoon

Next, have students answer questions 2 and 3 on the activity sheet.

Step 2

Focus for Media Interaction: Tell students to carefully watch Mollie and Marvin's dance. PLAY the video through the segment with Mollie and Marvin. STOP the video after the two dance and you hear "Now I want you, now I don't." Instruct students to sketch Mollie and Marvin's movements (Question 4 on the activity sheet.)

Step 3

Focus for Media Interaction: Ask students to raise their hands when they know what a little lump is. PLAY the video until you see the word "Molecule" on the screen and PAUSE at this point for students to complete the activity sheet by answering question 5.

Culminating Activity

Step 1

Divide students into groups of three. Give each student an index card with a common substance

listed on it. One person should have a solid, one a liquid, and another a gas. Particularly with gases, you should choose substances that students will be familiar with and will be able to write descriptions of those substances.

Step 2

Have students write as many descriptive words or phrases they can think of to describe each substance in 2-3 minutes. Students can jot these on the backs of their cards.

Step 3

Have students share their descriptions with the others in their group. They can read their descriptions and/or act out their substances.

Step 4

Others in the group should first guess the state of matter and then identify the particular substance.

Step 5

If there is time, or if students need extra practice with the three most common states of matter, drop an Alka-Seltzer tablet into a beaker of water. Tell students to observe what happens.

Then have students explain their observations. Tell them they must use the terms solid, liquid, and gas in their explanations. The beaker and the Alka-Seltzer tablet were solids, the water is a liquid, and the bubbles represent the gas.

After the activity, ask students to describe the common properties of a solid, a liquid, and a gas. Their answers can include the following:

Properties of Solids

1. do not change shape easily
2. will not allow another solid to pass through
3. are usually visible
4. have definite size and shape
5. become liquid when heated

Properties of Liquids

1. change shape easily (take shape of container)
2. will allow a solid to pass through easily
3. may be visible or invisible
4. have a definite volume
5. when heated become a gas
6. when cooled become a solid

Properties of Gases

1. take the shape of container
2. particles are packed most loosely
3. may be visible or invisible
4. particles move very quickly
5. change shape easily

Properties of Plasma

1. consists of bare nuclei and free electrons
2. exists only at extremely high temperatures
3. the sun and stars are examples
4. other examples: fluorescent lighting, neon lighting

(Note: You may wish to discuss plasma with only the upper grades.)

Cross-Curricular Extensions

Physical Education: Students can act out the states of matter. When they are in the solid state, they stay very close together so that it is difficult to move. When in the liquid state, there is more room between them and they move randomly at a moderate pace. When they are acting as a gas, they should be spread very far apart and move very rapidly.

English/Language Arts: Have students write a story similar to Mollie and Marvin's dance describing the differences in the three states of matter.

Students can write a friendly letter to a younger child. In their letter, they must describe the states of matter as they would to a child who is just entering kindergarten.

Assessment

The worksheet can be taken up and graded. The teacher can observe students describing the states of matter.

Community Connections

• Contact a local business that has a lab to assist in manufacturing products. Invite the chemist to visit the class and give information on his/her company's use of solids, liquids, and gases.
• Contact OSHA (the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and get information about proper storage of different chemicals that may be used in changing materials from one state to another.
• Invite an OSHA representative to speak to the class on the dangers of mixing chemicals.

Activity Sheets (PDF)

• Activity Sheet 1