Solids, liquids and  gases

Donna Armstrong                Frazier Elementary
                               4027 W. Grenshaw Ave.
                               Chicago, Illinois 60624
                               (312) 534-6880
  
Objective:

     Using various examples of solids, liquids and gases, the student will be 
able to define the three states of matter.  They will classify the three kinds 
of matter, describe its properties and give examples of each one.  Lastly, they 
will describe different ways matter can change and will learn related 
vocabulary.  

Materials needed:

1) Liquids (such as: milk, water, oil, honey)
2) Solids  (such as: a block, a ball, a sponge, a feather, a brick and a duck)
3) Gases   (such as: balloons filled with air and balloons with helium, a 
            garbage bag with dry ice, a flask with a small amount of vinegar and
            baking soda and a can of soda pop)
4) Mystery box
5) To show matter changing from one form to another:
           (ice cubes, a hot plate, an egg, a pan, candles, mirrors, etc.)   
6) To show that air takes up space and has weight:   
           (mystery box, clear shoeboxes filled with colored water, balance 
            scale, 4 beakers (250ml), punchball, paper towels, dry ice inside
            of a garbage bag, Alka Seltzer tablets, water and a balloon, clear
            plastic cups, sandwich bags, rubber bands)
 
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Strategy and Activities:

     Begin by having the students guess the items in a mystery box.  Describe 
the items in the box.  Generalize the specific qualities of each.  Do the same 
for each group of boxed items.  Tell what the objects contain.  Write the 
description.  Explain that the items with a definite size and shape are solids.
Describe the objects with a soft flowing feeling as liquids.  Lastly, describe 
the materials with no definite shape or size as gases.  Take examples from each 
box, tell what specific qualities each has. 

     To test for air, have each student feel air from a balloon.  Second, have 
students "scoop" air into cups.  Place a plastic bag inside and out, feel the 
air pushing against the bag.  Third, place a paper towel inside of a beaker.  
Put the beaker down into a container of colored water.  Decide if the water wet 
the towel.  

     Using the model of a molecule chamber, explain that the movement of the 
molecules represents gases, liquids and solids.  Gases move and flow more freely
than the others.  Its particles constantly strike the walls and bounce off.  The
molecules of a liquid are packed less closely together than those in a solid.  
They can move about and we can say a liquid "flows".  It takes the shape of a 
container.  A solid's molecules are packed close together and stay in place.  A 
solid has a definite shape. 

     More discussion will continue as the teacher describes that some liquids 
become gases when heated.  Some solids can become liquids when heated.  Gases 
can become liquids when cooled. 

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Conclusion:

     As the students described the items in each group, they learned more about 
solids, liquids and gases.  They were able to tell why the paper towel did not 
get wet inside the beaker.  They were able to tell what each property was for 
each item. As a solid, the property was a definite shape.  As a liquid, the 
property is free-flowing.  As a gas, the property is more free-flowing and it 
takes up space.   

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