LESSON 1- WHAT IS MATTER?
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AIMS:
1. What is matter?
2. What vocabulary is associated with matter?
3. What are states of matter?
4. How does matter change states?
MOTIVATION:
Show students different types of matter- the first two pictures were taken from Google images, and the third picture was taken from http://chem4kids.com/files/matter_intro.html
Use these pictures to elicit a discussion: What do these pictures show? How are they alike? How are they different? (note the four planets are GAS giants). Explain that these pictures all show MATTER.
Have children log on to http://chem4kids.com/files/matter_intro.html to find the definition of matter. Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass (weight).
PROCEDURE:
1. Have children log on to the following sites- http://nyu.edu/pages/mathmol/textbook/statesofmatter.html
http://chem4kids.com/files/matter_intro.html
http://dept.physics.upenn.edu/courses/gladney/mathphys/subsubsection1_1_3_1.html
and fill in the following vocabulary database:
Click here for a blank student vocabulary database.
WORD | DEFINITION |
matter | Objects that take up space and have mass are called matter |
mass | Mass is how much there is of an object. Mass is related to how much something weighs. |
properties | A property describes how an object looks, feels, or acts |
density | Density is the mass of a substance per unit volume |
volume | Volume is the amount of space an object occupies. |
physical change | A change in the form of a substance, for instance, from solid to liquid or liquid to gas or solid to gas, without changing the chemical composition of the substance |
chemical change | The change of a substance into another substance, by reorganization of the atoms, i.e. by the making and breaking of chemical bonds. |
solid | A solid has a certain size and shape. |
liquid | It takes
the shape of its container. Liquids can flow, be poured, and spilled |
gas | A gas is matter that has no shape or size of its own. |
2. From the motivation pictures, students should be able to say that matter can exist in different forms. Elicit solid, liquid and gas. Have them log on to http://nyu.edu/pages/mathmol/textbook/statesofmatter.html and state the properties of each state of matter and why they are grouped together. In a blank database, have students search the web for picture examples of each state of matter, similar to what was done for the motivation.
STATE OF MATTER | EXAMPLE 1 | EXAMPLE 2 | EXAMPLE 3 |
SOLID | |||
LIQUID | |||
GAS |
3. Children are to log on to http://brainpop.com/science/matter/ and watch the Brain Pop movie "Matter Changing States."
ACTIVITIES:
1. Children can do a few different activities to show the states of matter and changes in matter. The following activity is taken from Chemistry for Every Kid, by Janice Van Cleave, John Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York 1989
SUPER CHAIN
Problem: How can we observe physical properties and
their changes? Hypothesis: We think if we make a physical change, then we can describe the before and after properties. Materials: 3x5 index card, scissors Procedure: 1. Describe the color, shape, size, and texture of the index card. 2. Fold the index card in half along the long side. 3. Starting at one end, make cuts about 1/4 inch apart, alternating from the folded edge to the open edge. All cuts are to stop 1/4 inch from the edge. 4. Slip the point of the scissors under the fold at point A and cut the fold until you reach point B. DO NOT cut the fold on the two end pieces. 5. Carefully stretch the card open to form a large chain. 6. Observe the physical properties again: size, color, shape, texture. OBSERVATIONS: The color and the texture of the card has not changed, but the size and the shape has. It started as a 3x5 rectangular card, but after it was a chain-like structure big enough to slip around person's body. CONCLUSION: We learned that we can make physical changes by changing the size and shape of a solid object. |
2. The following activity is taken from http://galaxy.net/~k12/matter/phases.shtml
THE THREE PHASES OF MATTERWARM-UPComplete the following table to review the properties of liquids and solids. Write "yes" or "no" in each column of the table.
MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT
LAB SAFETY AND PROTOCOLDo not wash the material you are about to make down the sink. Throw it in the trash. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ PROCEDURE
CONCLUSIONIs this material a solid, liquid or gas? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ |
FOLLOW UP:
1. Have children list five objects and describe what state they are.
2. Have children log on to http://brainpop.com/science/matter/matterchangingstates/index.weml
and take the BrainPop quiz.
Developed by Bonnie Glasgold, TeachNet, 2004