Curated OER
Phase Changes of Water
A micro-unit on the phase changes of water includes three laboratory activities. Junior scientists compare the densities of ice and water, and then they do the same for cold and warm water. They examine freezing and boiling temperatures....
Curated OER
Water Cycle Stories
Young scholars explore the water cycle and associated phase changes. They predict what happens to the mass of an ice cube in a Ziploc bag, discuss and act out phase changes and diagram the water cycle.
American Chemical Society
Evaporation
This is one in several lessons that explore the relationship between temperature and phase changes of water. After some discussion, elementary physical scientists place wet paper toweling on a hot and a room-temperature water bag...
Curated OER
Water and Ice
Students will observe, measure and describe the phase changes of ice. In this science lesson plan, students observe ice as it changes phases. Qualaitative notations made by individual students will be shared and compared.
American Chemical Society
From Gas to Liquid to Solid
From gas to liquid condensation to solid frost, water undergoes phase changes before students' eyes! Using ice, salt, water, and a metal can, they set up an investigation that can be used in a physical science setting, or as part of a...
American Chemical Society
Condensation
It's time to break the ice! If you are doing all of the lessons in the unit, children have already seen that increasing heat increases the rate of evaporation, but is the opposite true? Does decreasing temperature cause more condensation...
CK-12 Foundation
Broken-Line Graphs: Heating Curve of Water
Examine the unique graphs coined broken-line graphs. Using the phase change of water for data, learners answer questions related to the temperature and energy at different times in the cycle of the phase change. Questions focus on the...
American Chemical Society
Exploring Moisture on the Outside of a Cold Cup: For Dry Environments
If the area you live in is arid, or the preceding experiment in this unit didn't yield obvious results, use this one in place of it to help reveal where condensation comes from. The mini unit that this is part of a comprehensive...
American Chemical Society
The Water Cycle
Bring the water cycle into the classroom without the mess. Learners build a model of the water cycle using everyday materials. They observe the process of evaporation and condensation and relate their observations to the larger scale...
Curated OER
Water and Ice
Students make observations of ice as it melts. In this phase change lesson plan, students observe ice as it melts in a cup. They discuss their observations and place the cup of water into a freezer to change it back into ice.
Curated OER
A New Phase In Town
Middle schoolers explore heat energy and how it is used to change the phase of matter, and discover that temperature does not increase or decrease until the phase change is complete. This extremely well-written plan is packed with great...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
Curated OER
Heating and Cooling Curves
High schoolers 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...
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, 3rd graders view a video, read The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks and experiment with freezing, melting and boiling...
Curated OER
Edible Transformations
Learners 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...
Curated OER
How Structure Can Affect Properties Through Phase Changes
Students discuss how changing the structure of atoms and molecules can change the properties of a substance. They brainstorm and review their own examples of phase change with the help of a phase change diagram. Students describe the...
Curated OER
Earthquakes
Students observe the melting of ice. In this phase change instructional activity, students observe ice as it melts. They discuss the process and create a Venn diagram comparing water and ice.
Curated OER
The Water Cycle--Model Simulation
Students build a model to simulate parts of the water cycle. They recognize and explain the essential elements of the water cycle.