University of Waikato
Looking at Water - Solid, Liquid, or Gas
Here's a tip: only one substance is commonly found as a solid, liquid, and gas. Learners use that knowledge as they investigate the properties of water in each state. They interact with water in each of its three phases and record what...
Royal Society of Chemistry
Investigating Temperature Changes on Evaporating Liquids—Microscale Chemistry
Is there more to evaporation than just less liquid? Show young scientists the energy transformation that occurs during a phase change through a series of simple experiments. Lab partners place drops of water, ethanol, and ethoxyethane on...
Curated OER
Putting the Ice in Hockey
Eighth grade physical science classes examine why the ice on which hockey is played is slippery. They do so by discussing phases of matter and the molecular motion in each. They read an article on a website and write out answers to 10...
Curated OER
Temperature Changes Everything
Middle school chemists visit interactive websites in order to discover what happens to molecular motion when heat is added to matter. They conduct an experiment that demonstrates the expansion of matter with the addition of heat. A lab...
American Chemical Society
Exploring Moisture on the Outside of a Cold Cup
As a stand-alone or as part of the intended unit, this is a valid investigation of what causes condensation to occur. By limiting the amount of air around a cold cup of water and comparing it to one out in the open, they find that the...
Curated OER
Energy and States of Matter
Characteristics of each state of matter are listed, the formulas for heating water are detailed, and values for boiling and heat of vaporization are presented. This simple slide show provides direct instruction as well as practice...
PBS
The 3 Phases | Phases of Matter | UNC-TV Science
Explore the states of matter without the mess or expensive equipment in a compact, informative activity. Scientists watch as the narrator explains the three states of matter using a glass of ice and soda in an animated video that...
Curated OER
More Thermochemistry Problems
This two-page assignment covers basic thermochemistry concepts. Chemistry learners identify exothermic and endothermic processes, explain a phase change graph, and draw an energy level diagram. There are no problems to solve, just...
Curated OER
Ice Cream Lab
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Even high schoolers enjoy making ice cream. This laboratory exercise has them record the temperature changes throughout the process of liquid becoming solid, graph the results, and...
National Weather Service
The Water Cycle
Looking for a full-color, labeled water cycle diagram? You found one! From evaporation to precipitation to plant uptake and everything in between, it's all here and beautifully illustrated.
Curated OER
The Chemistry of Refining Crude Oil
Consider our energy sources: wood, coal, oil, uranium. Learners compare the pollution to energy produced for each. They practice fractional distillation of an alcohol/water mixture to simulate the process of refining crude oil....
Virginia Department of Education
Molar Heat of Fusion for Water
How can you describe heat of fusion in a way the class understands and relates the importance of this concept to present day issues? In this third activity of the series, learners conduct an experiment, demonstrating the flow of heat...
Parkway Schools
Phase Changes and Heat
In this phase changes learning exercise, students use the specific heats for different substances to determine how much heat is needed for those substance to change phases. This learning exercise has 9 problems to solve.
Curated OER
Water Happenings
Fifth graders observe how water changes phase through a teacher-led demo. In this earth science lesson, 5th graders relate the demo to the water cycle. They draw and label each stage of the cycle.
Curated OER
Chemistry Worksheet-Phase Changes
In this phase change instructional activity, students answer twenty questions about changes in energy to a system. They analyze phase diagrams, the determine the effects of changes in temperature on a system, they answer questions about...
Curated OER
BioFuels: The Chemistry and Economics of Alternative Fuels
Junior chemists manufacture biodiesel in the lab. In this exercise, they check the purity of the biodiesel using thin layer chromatography. They also calculate its density and heat of combustion. They are sure to rise to the challenge...
Curated OER
Heating and Cooling Curves
Students experiment with a pure substance and a phase change. In this heating and cooling curves lesson plan, students study the effects of heating and cooling a pure substance to observe a phase change. They determine both the melting...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Changing States of Matter: Water’s Phase Changes
Third graders observe the properties of water and in its different states. In this states of matter lesson plan, 3rd graders view a video, read The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks and experiment with freezing, melting and boiling...
Curated OER
State Change
Eighth graders explore the physical change of matter. As a class, they discuss their favorite super hero and determine if the hero undergoes a physical or chemical change. Students examine the change of state and phase change. In groups,...
Science Geek
Thermochemical Calculations
Viewers learn where the heat goes when phase changes take place with a presentation that explains the latent heat of phase changes, or, more specifically, the molar heat of fusion, solidification, vaporization, and condensation. The show...
American Chemical Society
The Energy of Evaporation
Do all liquids evaporate at the same rate? Young scientists observe the evaporation rate of three different liquids. They measure the time, the temperature, and the change in energy. After comparing the chemical formulas, scholars...
Science Geek
Basic Thermochemistry
Heat is more than just temperature, as viewers discover throughout a presentation about thermochemistry that emphasizes vocabulary. Definitions include joule, calorie, energy, enthalpy, calorimetry, exothermic and endothermic process,...
Curated OER
Edible Transformations
Students differentiate the different phases of matter. For this chemistry lesson, students conduct several hands-on exercises to discover how matter transforms when mixed together. They identify the different stages in the water cycle.
Curated OER
Phase Change
Students compare the freezing temperature of two substances by conducting an experiment to freeze liquid ice cream. They vary the amount of salt used in the ice cubes during the freezing procedure to determine the change in the...