What Can Water Do? LOWER PRIMARY Prep to Year 3 AT A GLANCE In this lesson, students will develop their understanding of the properties of water by carrying out four tasks to investigate how water can exist in the three states of matter—as a solid, liquid or gas. In each task, students will engage in the processes of predicting, observing, and explaining. CURRICULUM LINKS Year Strand Sub-strand Explicit Content Description Level Everyday materials can be physically changed in a variety of ways (ACSSU018). Elaborations: exploring how 1 materials such as water, chocolate or play dough change when warmed or cooled Science Chemical A change of state between solid and liquid can be Understanding Sciences caused by adding or removing heat (ACSSU046). Elaborations: investigating how liquids and solids respond 3 to changes in temperature, for example water changing to ice, or melting chocolate; predicting the effect of heat on different materials Science involves observing, asking questions about, and describing changes in, objects and events (ACSHE013) (ACSHE021) (ACSHE034). Elaborations: (F) exploring and observing using the senses: hearing, smell, touch, sight Science as Nature and and taste; (1) jointly constructing questions about the a Human Development F 1 & 2 events and features of the local environment with teacher Endeavour Science guidance; recognising that descriptions of what we observe are used by people to help identify change; (2) describing everyday events and experiences and changes in our environment using knowledge of science; identifying and describing sources of water Continued overleaf 1 66 LOWER PRIMARY | Prep to Year 3 | Water What – What Can Water Do? Pose and respond to questions about familiar objects and events (ACSIS014) Elaborations: considering questions F relating to the home and school and objects used in everyday life Pose and respond to questions, and make predictions about familiar objects and events (ACSIS024) (ACSIS037) 1 & 2 Questioning and Elaborations: thinking about "What will happen if……?" Predicting type questions about everyday objects and events With guidance, identify questions in familiar contexts that can be investigated scientifically and make predictions based on prior knowledge (ACSIS053). 3 Elaborations: listing shared experiences as a whole class and identifying possible investigations; working in groups to discuss things that might happen during an investigation Participate in guided investigations and make observations using the senses (ACSIS011) Elaborations: F using sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell so that students can gather information about the world around them Planning and Conducting Participate in guided investigations to explore and answer questions (ACSIS025) (ACSIS038) Elaborations: Science Inquiry 1 & 2 (1) manipulating objects and making observations of what Skills happens (2) manipulating objects and materials and making observations of the results Engage in discussions about observations and represent ideas (ACSIS233). Elaborations: taking part in informal F and guided discussions relating to students’ observations; using drawings to represent observations and ideas and discussing their representations with others Use a range of methods to sort information, including Processing and drawings and provided tables and through discussion, Analysing Data 1 & 2 compare observations with predictions (ACSIS027) and Information (ACSIS040). Elaborations: discussing original predictions and, with guidance, comparing these to their observations Compare results with predictions, suggesting possible reasons for findings (ACSIS215). Elaborations: discussing 3 how well predictions matched results from an investigation and sharing ideas about what was learnt Compare observations with those of others (ACSIS041) (ACSIS213). Elaborations: (1) discussing observations as Evaluating 1 & 2 a whole class to identify similarities and differences in their observations; (2) discussing observations with other students to see similarities and differences in results Continued overleaf 2 66 LOWER PRIMARY | Prep to Year 3 | Water What – What Can Water Do? Share observations and ideas (ACSIS012) Elaborations: F communicating ideas through role play and drawing Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a variety of ways (ACSIS029) (ACSIS042). Elaborations: 1 & 2 engaging in whole class or guided small group discussions Science Inquiry Communicating to share observations and ideas Skills Represent and communicate observations, ideas and findings using formal and informal representations 3 (ACSIS060). Elaborations: communicating with other students carrying out similar investigations to share experiences and improve investigation skill Cross Curriculum Priority Key Concept Organising Ideas OI.1 The biosphere is a dynamic system providing conditions that Sustainability Systems sustain life on Earth. General Capabilities Literacy; Numeracy; Critical and Creative Thinking; Ethical Behaviour 3 66 LOWER PRIMARY | Prep to Year 3 | Water What – What Can Water Do? TIME REQUIRED WATER ICE The solid form of water is ice. At Cairns temperatures, EXPERIMENT 1 this does not occur naturally. Water occurs as a solid Liquid to solid nearer to the earth’s poles or at great heights. Ice forms when water molecules stop moving and form crystals Allow at least 24 hours after placing water in freezer. (at temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius). EXPERIMENT 2 An interesting feature of ice is that it floats (ice is Solid to liquid lighter than liquid water). This is because it is actually 10-15 minutes for melting ice less dense than its liquid form (ie. Water expands as it (depending on outside temperature). freezes); most solids are more dense than their liquid form and they sink. EXPERIMENT 3 WATER LIQUID Liquid to gas Water is most commonly found as a liquid. Water 10-15 minutes occurs as a liquid in rivers, lakes and the ocean. Water EXPERIMENT 4 turns to a liquid at temperatures higher than 0 degrees Celsius and lower than 100 degrees Celsius. Liquid to gas #2 As a liquid, Water molecules are moving around freely 10 minutes (have more energy). Liquid water will follow gravity and fills up the container that it’s in, from the bottom up. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES It will follow the shape of the land which is how rivers Students will: and creeks form. 66 Respond to and pose questions about the changes Most of the liquid water on earth exists as a salt in state of water solution in the oceans, with smaller quantities of fresh 66 Participate in guided investigations to explore and water in lakes, rivers and clouds. The earth is in a respond to questions unique position within the solar system; it is just far 66 Use informal measurements in the collection and enough away from the sun to allow liquid water to recording of observations exist in large quantities. If it were closer to the sun, 66 Use a range of methods to sort information, all water would be gaseous (at high temperatures); if including drawings and provided tables it were further away, all water would be ice (at low 66 Compare observations with predictions and with temperatures). the observations of other students WATER VAPOUR 66 Represent and communicate observations in a The gaseous form of water is known as water vapour variety of ways or steam. When water molecules heat up they begin ASSESSMENT FOCUS to move faster and faster until they separate from each other and move freely in all directions as a gas. 66Recording responses to questions about water Clouds form when water vapour rises into the 66Participating in tasks atmosphere. The water molecules become cooler and 66Collecting, organising and interpreting data closer together in the upper atmosphere, where the air 66 With assistance, identifies factors causing pressure and temperature are lower. The cooled water changes to water vapour forms droplets which become suspended there. TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION These tiny droplets of water form mist, fog and clouds; and eventually rain. Like any other substance, water can be in a solid, liquid or gas form - which we call different states of matter. The amount of water vapour in the air is measured This set of experiments helps student understand the as humidity. The higher the humidity the more water effect of temperature on changing water into vapour in the air. In summer Cairns often has a different states. humidity level greater than 70%. 664 LOWER PRIMARY | Prep to Year 3 | Water What – What Can Water Do? Additional information on the experiments for the teachers: Resource 1 Experiment 1 – Freezing Water (Liquid to Solid) What happens when In this experiment, the water molecules in the container get colder and colder in we put water in a very the freezer until they stop moving (lose energy). Once they are no longer moving, cold place? they link together in a special way (a lattice) that separates them out. For as long as the temperature remains cold, the water molecules will remain in that position. Resource 2 Experiment 2 – Ice in Cairns (Solid to Liquid) What happens when Ice placed in the sun will melt (liquify). As the water molecules warm up, they start we put ice outside in to move around (getting energy from the sun). The hotter the temperature the Cairns? more quickly the ice melts. Experiment 3 – Painting with Water (Liquid to Gas) When water is heated by the sun it turns from a liquid to a gas (water vapour). The water molecules become heated by the hot pavement and are able to move Resource 3 off into the air. They will seem to have ‘’disappeared’’ but they are really just no What happens when longer close to each other. we paint with water Although evaporation may be a difficult concept for some students, the effect of out in the sun? heat from the sun on water is a common experience. For example, students may be able to relate this to fabric drying in the sun (clothes on the line, steam on roads in summer etc). Experiment 4 – Heating Water (Liquid to Gas #2) When water is heated artificially, it will also turn into water vapour or steam (a Resource 4 gas).