Curated OER
What's the Matter? (Living and Non-Living Things)
Understand how chemical reactions recombine atoms to create the "chemicals of life". An experiment, showing the basic chemical reactions of an iron nail or a match, helps young children start their understanding of permanent changes.
American Chemical Society
Curious Crystals
Crystals are more than meets the eye! Can learners tell them apart simply by observation? As they examine five samples with a magnifier, they find that appearance alone is not enough. This serves as an introduction to a mini unit on...
American Chemical Society
Change in Temperature - Exothermic Reaction
Alone, or as part of the intended unit on chemical reactions, this activity allows learners to experience an exothermic reaction. Here, learners add calcium chloride to a baking soda solution and watch the temperature rise! They will...
Curated OER
Changes In Matter, "The Big Chill"
Third graders investigate why ice cream does not go through any chemical changes when it is exposed to physical changes. They describe the three states of matter in either written or verbal form. Then students experiment with ice cream...
Center for Learning in Action
Introduction to the States of Matter
Liquids, gases, and solids are the states of matter in which scholars investigate in a lesson plan that offers in-depth information and engaging activities that look into the three states and the changes their properties make when mixed...
Curated OER
Observations of Properties of Matter
To guide learners through observations of chemical samples in the lab, this resource asks them to give all formulas and complete the attached data sheet. There are multiple questions about categories of elements and general behavior,
American Chemical Society
Using the Combining Test to Identify Unknown Liquids
Once investigators have learned how their mystery liquids interact with water during the preceding activity, they now use their observations to identify them. This is an ideal conclusion to the mini unit on the properties of water.
Beyond Benign
Packed Up Properties
Determine physical properties of potential packaging materials. Continuing from previous lessons in the series, the resource asks groups to identify physical properties of the substances. They test for conductivity, solubility, water...
North Carolina State University
Silly Stuff
It's time to get a little silly with this fun primary grade science activity. By simply combining two liquids, white glue and corn starch, a strange solid is formed, commonly known as silly putty. To ensure everything goes smoothly,...
Virginia Department of Education
The Colligative Properties of Solutions
How can you relate colligative properties of solutions to everyday situations? Pupils first discuss the concepts of density, boiling and freezing points, then demonstrate how to accurately determine the boiling and freezing point of...
Curated OER
Physical or Chemical- That is the Question!
Students observe the differences between physical and chemical changes in properties. Through the use of an interactive presentation, the students compare and contrast the changes and provide supporting examples of each type of change.
American Chemical Society
Using Color to See How Liquids Combine
Blue-tinted water is added to unknown liquids that have been tinted yellow to find out how they interact. This is a memorable activity that is part of an investigation on the properties of liquids, which is part of a unit on the...
Curated OER
What Are Physical and Chemical Properties?
In this properties worksheet, students compare and contrast physical properties and chemical properties. This worksheet is a graphic organizer.
Columbus City Schools
What’s Up with Matter?
Take a "conservative" approach to planning your next unit on mass and matter! What better way to answer "But where did the gas go?" than with a lab designed to promote good report writing, research skills, and detailed observation. The...
Curated OER
Water:Properties, Chapter 3
Hydrogen bonds, and polarity are described in this PowerPoint, and the reasons for tension and cohesion associated with water. The states of water under certain conditions are explained with information about the changes in density and...
Curated OER
Properties of Matter
Young scholars describe four states of matter and their characteristics, explain thermal expansion of matter, interpret state changes in terms of kinetic theory of matter, explain relationship between temperature and volume of a gas,...
Curated OER
Physical and Chemical Change of Six White Substances
Students investigate chemical and physical changes in reactions. In this chemical and physical change lesson plan, students mix 6 different white substances with water, vinegar and iodine. They make hypotheses about each substance and...
Curated OER
Properties of Matter
A collection of ten slides reveals bright graphics and photos. Though the title is "Properties of Matter," the content is incoherent. You will find a couple of slides on chemical reactions, a few on the example of the S.S. Hindenburg...
Curated OER
Putting the Ice in Hockey
Eighth grade physical science classes examine why the ice on which hockey is played is slippery. They do so by discussing phases of matter and the molecular motion in each. They read an article on a website and write out answers to 10...
Curated OER
Temperature Changes Everything
Middle school chemists visit interactive websites in order to discover what happens to molecular motion when heat is added to matter. They conduct an experiment that demonstrates the expansion of matter with the addition of heat. A lab...
American Chemical Society
From Gas to Liquid to Solid
From gas to liquid condensation to solid frost, water undergoes phase changes before students' eyes! Using ice, salt, water, and a metal can, they set up an investigation that can be used in a physical science setting, or as part of a...
American Chemical Society
Evaporation
This is one in several lessons that explore the relationship between temperature and phase changes of water. After some discussion, elementary physical scientists place wet paper toweling on a hot and a room-temperature water bag and...
American Chemical Society
Exploring Moisture on the Outside of a Cold Cup: For Dry Environments
If the area you live in is arid, or the preceding experiment in this unit didn't yield obvious results, use this one in place of it to help reveal where condensation comes from. The mini unit that this is part of a comprehensive...
Curated OER
Science: The States of Matter
Third graders conduct experiments in matter to create chemical changes resulting in gases. By mixing solids and liquids, they create a chemical reaction and capture the gas in balloons. After observing the balloons fill with carbon...