Embedded Files
A great introduction to the three states of matter can be found at the following website:
and in the animated video from Brain Pop JR.
The following poems should be introduced with each lesson about each state of matter.
These images were taken from the following site:
http://mrsterhune.blogspot.com
Here are two songs that teach about solids, liquids, and gases. Note the different
properties of each state of matter that are taught in the song. The first song, "If You're a Scientist, Then You'll Know This" is sung to the tune, "If You're Happy and You Know It..."
The second song can be purchased with a set of materials for teaching
about Matter at the following site:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/States-of-Matter-Science-Activities-325335
It is sung to the tune, "Farmer in the Dell"
One can create a chart about examples and characteristics about solids, liquids, and gases after
reading and singing these poems and songs. An exemplary anchor chart that I found is the following, I like how
it differentiates the forms of matter by mass, space, shape, and how to measure each. I especially like how the shape of a liquid is described as taking the shape of the container, while a gas fills up the entire container. This is an important distinction.
Hands-On Approach to helping students differentiate between the three states of matter:
This image was taken from the following site:
http://mommasfunworld.blogspot.com/2013/05/balloon-science-comparing-gas-liquid.html
Click on the site below to see the step by step tutorial.
The three states of matter can also be seen and experienced in a Root Beer Float Demonstration:
A sample of a worksheet for labeling and describing a Root Beer Float can be found at
Some different ways to show how particles differ in the three states of matter:
This can be found at:
http://theteacherscauldron.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-matter-of-chinese-new-year.html
image found at following site:
http://multilingualmultiage.blogspot.com/2011/10/munching-on-matter.html
This image was found on the following site:
www.grade2withmrsu.com
Experimenting with Liquids:
Density Tower:
This image was found at the following site:
http://inspirationlaboratories.com/layering-liquids-density-experiment/
There are many experiments out there about density towers. For the purpose of
teaching properties of liquids to first and second graders, the following lessons
would be helpful:
Exploring Liquids is an activity in which students use their senses to investigate and observe three liquids. They see, hear, touch, smell, and taste to collect data and to ask and answer questions. This lesson can be used early in the school year to introduce how scientists work. Students share knowledge, observe, draw and record, explain their reasoning, and ask additional questions. The next two lessons build on the foundation laid by this opening activity. Click on the link below to see the lesson plan:
Exploring How Liquids Behave builds on the previous lesson about Exploring Liquids. Students are given bottles containing liquids and observe how the liquids behave when the bottles are turned or shaken. Students observe how two of the liquids behave when they are mixed within a bottle. Click on the link below for the lesson plan:
Traveling Through Different Liquids builds on the previous lesson about Exploring How Liquids Behave. Students are given bottles containing liquids and one or more objects. Students observe how the liquids and objects behave when the bottles are turned or shaken. Click on the link below for the lesson plan:
Traveling Through Different Liquids
Experiments the teach about Gases:
This image was taken from www.giftofcuriosity.com
Show your students how a gas takes up space in a balloon. In this case,
it is carbon dioxide, created by mixing vinegar with baking soda.
To see the steps to demonstrate this experiment, click on the link below:
A great teacher demo that shows that a gas (air) has weight:
In second grade, students are expected to know how to change physical properties of matter.
One way to show this is to explore how to change the states of matter. The link below to
Bite Size Science (the older activity) is a fun way to simulate the heating and cooling of different materials.
Have students make predictions!
The easiest way for 2nd graders to understand the changing states of matter is with water.
The slide below is taken from a Power Point that I attached to the Properties of Matter subpage:
Solids, Liquids, Gases Lesson
I have attached two lessons below that would be taught at the end of the unit on Solids, Liquids, and Gases. There is a first grade lesson, and a second grade lesson. The second grade lesson differs in that is has characteristics of how the states of matter change (melt, freeze, boil, etc.), otherwise they are essentially the same. I had the opportunity to teach the second grade lesson to my class, and I've written my reflection about it below.
Lesson Plan 1 - Tiered Lesson
Caption: My tiered lesson about the States of Matter is geared for a second grade science class. In first grade, students learn to identify solids, liquids, and gases and their basic properties (SC.1.6.1). In order to teach the second grade standards about how to change physical properties of objects (SC.2.6.1) and how to classify Earth Materials by their physical properties (SC.2.8.1), they need to have a strong foundation in what the states of matter are, their characteristics and examples. This is what I would call a "transition" lesson which is needed to give the students the appropriate background on describing physical properties. The lesson is tiered for readiness. Students are expected to categorize words associated with solids, liquids, and gases. The novice level students have headings and categories labeled, the apprentice level students have just the categories labeled, and the practitioner level students must create their own graphic organizers to categorize the items.
Reflection:
My students were very excited to have me teach the lesson about solids, liquids, and gases using the Brainpop Jr. website on the Promethean Board. They especially liked the Brainpop Jr. activity that involved sorting various objects as solid, liquid, gas, or plasma before time ran out. Learning about plasma was new to all of us, but we figured out what it was after a few mistakes in the game. For my second graders, it was important to keep up the charts that we had created together that categorized the properties of the states of matter. Learning about how to change the states of matter was the new learning for second grade and the students needed to reference a diagram that I had created and labeled on poster paper at the front of the class. The students’ ability to reference anchor charts around the room was very helpful in the success of this lesson. I had only planned for the tier three students to add their own examples to their graphic organizers, but found that the students doing the other two tiers were able and motivated to add their own examples as well.
As I was teaching the lesson I made changes to my original lesson plan. The students needed extra practice at categorizing the new vocabulary that they learned in a short period of time into solids, liquids, and gases. They also needed practice at subcategorizing the characteristics into shape, characteristics and examples. Just those subcategory terms were enough for a stand-alone lesson! I created an interactive chart where I had drawn the tree map on a large piece of butcher paper and the terms were written on cut up sentence strips with tape. As a class we went through each term and stuck it under the correct category. The students thought this was so exciting! We reviewed this chart at the beginning of the lesson with the tiered activities. I needed to keep the chart up so that the tier 1 students could reference it. The activity would have been way to difficult without this anchor chart.
If I taught this lesson again, I would switch my tier one and tier two activities. I think that it is easier to simply categorize the characteristics as solid, liquid, or gas. It takes a higher level of thinking to sub-categorize the characteristics into shape, characteristic, and examples. During the lesson I needed to give assistance to the tier 1 group because it was more difficult than I had anticipated. The tier two group flew with their activity page. On second thought, I could give the tier two group their original activity, and as a second step, have them try to subcategorize it. I also think that it would be a good idea to let the students work with a partner if they want to.
I’m in a unique situation because I am on a sabbatical and have had the opportunity to teach my class only a few times in order to get the student samples. When I came up with the follow up products, I imagined it to be with a class that I had taught and trained in my teaching ways. This class hasn’t had the opportunity to make their own skits or songs. They would have had to do these activities with previous lessons that I would have modeled. When given the choice to make a poster, skit, or song, all the students chose creating a poster. One reason may be because I showed them a sample of a poster. I also think it was because they haven’t had the opportunity to create skits or songs yet.
The students were very engaged throughout the lesson. I think they responded well because I differentiated by readiness and I gave them choices on how to show their learning. The tier one students needed considerable support to complete their graphic organizer, and I had the anchor chart up for them. They needed more time to really understand my subcategories of shape, characteristics, and examples. I learned a lot from my tier 3 students who created subcategories that were easier to understand. All the students showed growth in their understanding of the characteristics and changes of solids, liquids, and gases. Some needed more assistance than others.
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