Science 4 Inquiry
States and Phases of Matter
Plasma is the most common phase of matter in our universe. Scholars explore the change of energy as molecules change phases of matter. They rotate through stations, graphing the changes in energy level.
Concord Consortium
Phase Change
Energize your phase change lesson plans! Add a short but focused interactive into the mix and watch as pupils experience how states of matter react to changes in kinetic energy. The resource tracks the kinetic energy of a cold solid...
Concord Consortium
Intermolecular Attractions and States of Matter
Need a solid resource for teaching about states of matter? Science scholars go with the flow in a simple interactive that shows how intermolecular attractions determine a substance's phase. Pupils take control of the level of attraction...
Center for Learning in Action
Water – Changing States (Part 2)
Here is part two of a two-part activity in which scholars investigate the changing states of water—liquid, solid, and gas—and how energy from heat changes its molecules. With grand conversation, two demonstrations, and one hands-on...
Aquarium of the Pacific
States of Matter: Making Ice Cream
Who knew that learning about the states of matter could taste so sweet? This fun hands-on lesson captures the attention of learners as they use what they know about solids, liquids, and gases to create their very own batch of ice cream.
North Carolina State University
Silly Stuff
It's time to get a little silly with this fun primary grade science activity. By simply combining two liquids, white glue and corn starch, a strange solid is formed, commonly known as silly putty. To ensure everything goes smoothly,...
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...
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...
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...
Michigan State University
Gases Matter
Young scientists learn that seeing isn't necessarily believing when it comes to the states of matter. After performing a fun class demonstration that models the difference between solids, liquids, and gases, children complete a series of...
Department for Children, Schools and Families
Explaining Change Processes Using a Simple Particle Model of Matter
The more things change, the more they stay the same. This unit includes seven lessons starting with physical change and moving through to chemical change. Conservation of matter is explained clearly with multiple hands-on activities and...
Nevada Outdoor School
Let It Snow! Let It Melt!
Winter weather offers a great opportunity to teach young scientists about the states of matter. This activity-based lesson includes a range of learning experiences, from experimenting with the rate at which ice melts...
Polar Trec
South Pole Ice Cream!
How can you turn an ice cream activity into a scientific investigation? It's easy if you know ionic compounds, heat transfer, and the exothermic and endothermic process. Learners will explore the science behind freezing, insulation, and...
Curated OER
Water in the Geosphere
Through a PowerPoint presentation and the embedded animation and video, earth science enthusiasts find out about the moisture in the soil beneath our feet. In the animation, follow a water molecule on its path through the water cycle. As...
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...
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...
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
Water in the Biosphere
Environmental explorers examine the campus and take note of living organisms. Introduce them to the biosphere and the questions of the day: How much water can be found in the biosphere? A slide show helps you along, and even contains a...
American Chemical Society
Changing State: Evaporation
Why do experiments require a control? Guide scholars through designing an experiment to see what they can do to evaporate water faster with a lesson that stresses the importance of controlling all variables. The second activity...
Science Matters
Solar Energy
The solar energy industry in the United States added more jobs in 2015 than the oil and gas extraction and pipeline industries combined. With the field growing so rapidly, it's essential to understand what solar energy is and how it...
Concord Consortium
Molecular View of a Liquid
Pour on the knowledge with an engaging states of matter interactive! Young physical scientists view the atoms within a liquid to explain what gives a liquid its unique properties. The resource allows users to highlight and observe two...
Concord Consortium
Molecular View of a Gas
Welcome to the fast-paced life of a gas atom! Learners gaze at gaseous atoms up close using a colorful interactive. They can highlight two atoms and observe their movements within their container or follow the dizzying path of one atom...
Concord Consortium
Charged and Neutral Atoms
Do charged and neutral particles behave differently as they undergo phase changes? Science sleuths examine two types of attractive forces using an informative interactive. Pupils can vary the amount of Van der Waals attraction present...