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Summer Science Lesson Plan: States of Matter

Overview/Motivation:  Reveal to the students what the already know about the states of matter  Show them that not all things are solids, liquids, and gases

Materials:  Materials for making slime o Borax/Water Mixture o Water o Glue o Bowls to mix in o Spoons for stirring o Food Coloring o Newspaper (pick up a few free newspapers from the T stop) o Ziplock bags to keep slime in at end

Goals:  Students should leave with a basic understanding of the states of matter and things in each state they see every day  They should know that not all things are solids, liquids, and gases

Vocabulary:  Solid o Properties: hard, holds its own shape without a container  Liquid o Non-compressible, molds to shape of its container, maintains constant volume  Gas o Compressible, expands to fill its container

Introduction:  Ask the kids if they know the 3 main states of matter  List them on the board  Ask for characteristics of each (list)  Fill in any that they miss  Give examples from everyday life o “What kind of matter is this desk?” o “What is the air we're breathing?” o Walk over to window: “What about this window?” . Trick question! It's a liquid! Glass is actually a very slow-moving liquid. If you look at old windows, they are thicker at the bottom than the top, proof of the liquid character of glass. . Say that if you go up to a very old window, you can see it's sunk a bit toward the bottom  Ask for examples of each state of matter from everyday life (list) Richardson 2

 Tell them we are going to make something that will test their knowledge

Demonstration:  Tell the kids we are going to make something cool that will make them think about the states of matter o Making the slime: . Mix 1/8 cup (1/4 of the small plastic cup) glue with 1/8 cup water and put in the bowl . Stir to mix the water and glue . Add a drop or two of food coloring to color . Pour the saturated borax solution into the bowl while the student stirs until all of the glue has become slime . Let the kid pick up the slime out of the bowl (it will be wet) . As the kid plays with the goop, it will take on slime consistency (water needs to drip/evaporate off)  Should have slime

Discussion:  Ask the kids what they think the slime is (solid, liquid, gas)  Talk about the fact that not all things are solids, liquids, or gases, that there are some things in between with characteristics of multiple states  Talk about Jello, the slime, etc  Talk about how temperature causes phase change: o Ice -> Water -> Steam . Ask the kids if they know the temperatures . Melting: 0 degrees Celsius, 32 degrees Fahrenheit . Evaporation: 100 degrees Celsius, 212 degrees Fahrenheit o Metal . Gold melts at 1800 degrees F! o Rocks -> Lava . Lava is around 2200 degrees F! o Name a metal that is a liquid at room temperature . Mercury (used to be used in thermometers)  Thermal expansion o Matter expands when it gets very hot or very cold o Ever put a can of soda in the freezer? (kids: do not try this at home) o Ice cubes are usually bigger than the water you put in there originally o Cracks in sidewalks are there to allow for thermal expansion  What is the hardest solid? o Diamonds (well, they recently invented something stronger) o Spider silk is among the toughest solids known to man based on weight. It has been estimated that a sting of the silk spiders use in making their webs that is as thick as a pencil could stop a Boeing 747 jet (we just think it's soft to the touch) Richardson 3

 Random facts o If you put a cup of hot coffee and of cold water in the freezer at the same time, which will freeze first? . Answer: they'll both freeze at the same time, because the heat will transfer to the other cup (think MC-delta-T) Q/A:  See if they have any questions