Curated OER
States of Matter
Students examine the properties of solids, liquids, and gasses. In this states of matter lesson, the teacher guides students through a series of experiments to illustrate each state of matter and how matter changes from one state to...
Curated OER
Experimenting with Physical Changes
Fourth graders explore physical changes. They discuss that physical change is a change in size, shape, or state of matter of a substance. Students explore what change takes place when two substances can dissolve each other. They observe...
American Chemical Society
Matter on the Move
Start this mini unit on matter out by demonstrating how food coloring behaves when placed in cold and in hot water. Then have the class experiment with warm water and soap film. Pupils will learn that an increase in thermal energy also...
American Chemical Society
Changing the Density of an Object - Changing Shape
Continuing with the concept of volume and its effect on density, learners now work with a piece of clay to see if they can get it to float in water. This is a memorable end to a seven-part investigation of density. Make sure to check out...
Cornell University
Polymers: Instant Snow
Is it easy to make snow? Scholars use critical thinking skills as they investigate the concept of polymers by making snow. The class tests several different variables and takes measurements over the course of several days. They then...
Curated OER
Ice Cream Blizzards
Fourth graders explore whether the making of homemade ice cream is a physical change or a chemical change in a lab experiment. Students identify states of matter, describe the physical properties of states, and collect temperature data...
Curated OER
Chemical or Physical?
Fourth graders make observations of the reactions that happens between calcium carbonate and various liquids. During the experiment the students determine if there is a chemical change, a physical reaction, or no reaction when they mix...
Curated OER
What is Matter?
Students investigate what matter is and how it changes states. In this physical properties lesson, students examine the vocabulary database and identify the characteristics of the three phases of matter. Students perform a liquid vs....
Curated OER
Water in the Atmosphere
A slide show serves as the backdrop for a lesson on the moisture in Earth's atmosphere. Through it, mini meteorologists learn about the attributes of the atmosphere and actually use data-collecting weather tools to make observations and...
Curated OER
Matter
Pupils complete a unit of activities to learn about states of matter and how to measure matter. In this matter lesson, students complete 8 lessons to learn about matter, its states, and how to measure matter.
Curated OER
What's The Matter?
Fourth graders accurately describe various states of matter, Through experimentation, they change a variable to create a new state of matter. Students record their observations about the way matter is changed and the changes that occur...
American Chemical Society
Curious Crystals
Crystals are more than meets the eye! Can learners tell them apart simply by observation? As they examine five samples with a magnifier, they find that appearance alone is not enough. This serves as an introduction to a mini unit on...
Curated OER
Connect the Spheres: Earth Systems Interactions
Is everything really connected? Take your class on a walk outside, where they will make observations and write them down on a worksheet. Once they are back in the classroom, learners will work to determine if and how things like birds,...
Curated OER
Science Jeopardy
Young scientists form teams and compete by providing questions for words and phrases related to science topics arranged in a Jeopardy quiz show game format. The categories include matter, measurement, vocabulary, and chemical or physical...
Curated OER
What's the Matter? (Experiments)
Students observe a scientific discrepant event, and are then challenged to create experiments to solve the dilemma.
Curated OER
Ice Cream
Open this instructional activity by giving a brief history of ice cream. Using liquid nitrogen to lower the temperature, preteens make their own confection. The accompanying activity sheet queries learners about freezing point, the...
Curated OER
What's the Matter with My Orange?
Students use oranges to informally explore decomposition, dehydration, fermentation, the water cycle, bacteria, yeast, food webs, the needs of living things, and physical vs. chemical change over a period of three or more months.
American Chemical Society
Using the Combining Test to Identify Unknown Liquids
Once investigators have learned how their mystery liquids interact with water during the preceding activity, they now use their observations to identify them. This is an ideal conclusion to the mini unit on the properties of water.
American Chemical Society
Using Color to See How Liquids Combine
Blue-tinted water is added to unknown liquids that have been tinted yellow to find out how they interact. This is a memorable activity that is part of an investigation on the properties of liquids, which is part of a unit on the...
Curated OER
Baggie Science
Learners observe and describe a chemical reaction. In this chemistry lesson plan, students record observations of the materials they will be using, then follow a written procedure to perform the experiment in a baggie and record their...
Curated OER
Activity #6 'Nothing' Matters: A Demonstration
Students observe the 'pouring' of a gas. They compare the masses (weights) and densities of two gases. Pupils define the following terms: matter, mass, and density. Students answer questions after watching the demonstration.
Curated OER
Energy
Wow! Colorful and simple, these 160 slides introduce the various forms of energy, along with a relevant image. Some of the images are animations, which help beginning physical scientists to visualize the flow of electrons or energy! This...
American Chemical Society
Crushing Test
Solidify understanding of the properties of crystals by crushing them to compare hardness. After some class discussion, a procedure is planned, and then small groups go about making observations as they crush five different crystal...
Curated OER
Compost in a Bag!
Fourth graders experiment to see which objects decompose. For this compost lesson, 4th graders observe the changes of labeled objects in a bag. Leave the objects for one month and record the changes by observation and weight. Students...