Biology/Chemistry
Solid,
Liquid or Gas?
|
Dena R. Hall |
Milton
Brunson School |
|
5035 West
North Avenue |
|
|
CHICAGO IL
60639 |
|
|
(773) 534-3246 |
Objective(s):
This
lesson is intended for grades 3-5, although it can easily be adapted
for lower
or higher grades.
1. Students will be able to distinguish similarities and differences of matter.
2.
Students will be able to recognize that
different states of matter may appear in one substance
Materials:
|
Shaving cream Paper towels Penny Magnifying
glass
|
Cornstarch Water Plastic Spoon Worksheet |
Strategy:
Students
will be grouped into fours. Each member
will actively participate and assume one of the following roles:
The
READER will read the directions for
the activity.
The
GETTER will gather the materials
needed for the activity.
The
STARTER will perform the experiment.
The
RECORDER will record the data.
ALL will take part in the clean
up.
Activity 1:
The
teacher should review the properties of each of the states of matter before the students begin the
experiment. The getter
collects all the materials needed for the activity, which
include shaving cream, 2 paper towels, and a penny.
The reader reads the
directions, while the starter
squirts a small amount of shaving cream onto one of the paper towels. The students are to look at the shaving
cream and decide, as a group, whether or not ‘shaving cream’ is a
solid,
liquid, or a gas. The recorder
meanwhile writes down their
responses.
Next,
the starter will squirt a small
amount of shaving cream onto the other paper towel, then gently place a
penny
on top of the shaving cream blob. What
happens? The recorder
writes down the group’s responses. The starter
uses a magnifying glass to get a better look.
Each group member also looks at the shaving cream using the
magnifying
glass. Each member rubs a little
shaving cream between his or her thumb and index finger.
The recorder
then writes down more responses.
The shaving cream blob is left out overnight. The students examine it closely the next day. The recorder will write down any changes.
Activity
2:
In
this activity, students will create another weird state of matter by
mixing 2
tablespoons of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water.
(The starter does the
mixing.) Each member will stir the
substance quickly and notice that the material acts more like a solid,
but when
they mix it slowly, it will act more like a liquid.
The recorder writes
down the group’s responses on the worksheet.
Performance
Assessment:
Students will be assessed in two ways: by group participation and completed worksheets.
Conclusions:
It’s not always so easy to say definitely that a substance is a solid, liquid, or gas. Some materials, like cornstarch, when mixed with water can act more like a solid, when treated a certain way and more like a liquid when treated a different way. Shaving cream, on the other hand, seems to be unusual because it is a liquid soap with a lot of gas bubbles mixed in it. It’s the gas that makes it so frothy and thick that it is able to keep its shape and support light objects like a penny (a solid). When the shaving cream stands overnight, the liquid in it evaporates, and all that is left where the gas bubbles once were is a very light and thin, solid layer of soap. So you can see that shaving cream has the characteristics of all three states.
Reference:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/ooze.html
Solid, Liquid or
Gas?
Part 1
Directions:
In order to do this
experiment you will need:
A paper towel cut
in half, shaving cream, and a penny.
1.
Draw a
picture of how your lab setup should look.
2.
Place a
small amount of shaving cream on a paper towel. Describe the properties
of the
shaving cream. Is it a solid, liquid, or a gas? Why
do you think so?
Write your responses on the worksheet.
3.
Next,
squirt a small amount of shaving cream on the other paper towel. Gently place a penny on top of it. What happens? Write
your response on the worksheet.
4.
Rub some
shaving cream between you thumb and index finger. How
does it feel? Write
down your response.
6.
Let the shaving cream set out
overnight. Did you notice any
change? Examine the shaving cream
blob
with a magnifying glass. What does it
look like? Write your responses on the
worksheet.
Solid, Liquid,
or Gas?
Part
2
1. Draw a picture
of how your lab setup should
look.
Mix 2 tablespoons
(30 ml) of cornstarch with 1
tablespoon (15 ml ) of water.
2. Describe the
properties of the cornstarch and water
mixture. Stir the mixture quickly, then
slowly. Does the mixture have
attributes like a solid or a liquid? Why do you think so?
Write your response on the worksheet.
3. Put a small
amount of the mixture in you hand. How
does it feel? Write down your response.
4. Now, try to pour
a little of the mixture. What happens?
Solid, Liquid or
Gas?
Part
1
Draw a picture.
1.
Describe
the properties of the shaving cream.
________________________________________________________
2.
Does the
shaving cream have the attributes of a solid or a liquid?
Why do you think so?
_________________________________________________________
3.
What
happened when the penny was placed on top of the shaving cream?
_________________________________________________________
4.
How did
the shaving cream feel when you touched it?
_________________________________________________________
5.
What
happened to the shaving cream after it set out overnight?
_________________________________________________________
Solid, Liquid,
or Gas?
Part
2
Draw a picture.
1.
Describe
the properties of the cornstarch and water mixture.
________________________________________________________
2.
Does the
cornstarch mixture have attributes like a solid or a liquid?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3.
How did
the cornstarch mixture feel when you touched it?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4.
What
happened to the cornstarch mixture when you tried to pour it?
__________________________________________________________
5.
Name at
least two unusual characteristics of the cornstarch mixture.
______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________