Classroom Resources: States of Matter
1 – 17 of 17 Classroom Resources
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Concentration, Precipitate, Molarity, Molality, Conductivity, Colligative Properties, Boiling Point Elevation, Freezing Point Depression, Distillation, Culminating Project, Graphing, Accuracy, Error Analysis, Interdisciplinary, Mixtures, pH, Buffers, Boiling Point, Freezing Point, Phase Changes | High School
Lesson Plan: Investigating Sea Water
In this lesson, students will consider their water footprint and means to obtain fresh water from seawater using a solar still. To understand the differences between fresh water and seawater, students will determine the composition of artificial seawater by using qualitative analysis to test for different ions in solution and calculate the molarity of different salts used in the recipe. Students will observe the effects of solutes in aqueous solutions by measuring conductivity and the freezing and boiling points of seawater and deionized water and determine total dissolved solids. In addition, students explore the buffering ability of seawater and the effect of carbon dioxide on its pH.
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Colligative Properties, Boiling Point Elevation, Freezing Point Depression, Concentration, Solute & Solvent, Boiling Point, Freezing Point, Phase Changes, Molecular Motion, Graphing, Physical Properties, Heat, Temperature | Middle School, High School
Activity: Simulation Activity: The Effect of Solutes on Boiling and Freezing Point
In this activity, students will use a colligative properties simulation to investigate the effects of different solutes, and different amounts of those solutes, on the boiling point and freezing point of a solution. Students will see particle-level animations of boiling and freezing with different types and amounts of solutes, as well as graphical representations of the results of each trial.
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Colligative Properties, Boiling Point Elevation, Freezing Point Depression, Concentration, Solute & Solvent, Boiling Point, Freezing Point, Phase Changes, Molecular Motion, Graphing, Physical Properties, Heat, Temperature | High School
Simulation: Colligative Properties
In this simulation, students will investigate the effects of different solutes, and different amounts of those solutes, on the boiling point and freezing point of a solution. Students will see particle-level animations of boiling and freezing with different types and amounts of solutes, as well as graphical representations of the results of each trial.
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Freezing Point Depression, Mixtures, Phase Changes, Freezing Point, Melting Point | High School, Middle School
Lab: How does Salt "Melt" Ice?
In this lab, students will consider why salt is used to aide in snow clearing and to help keep icy roads safe. They will investigate how salt ‘melts’ ice and determine the best type of salt to do so. Additionally, students will explore the advantages and disadvantages of the various different types of salt.
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Freezing Point, Phase Changes, Mixtures | Elementary School
Lab: Coffee Creamer Ice Cream
In this lab, students will investigate how dissolving salt (sodium chloride) in water changes the freezing point of the solution. While investigating this, they will make ice cream from small coffee creamer cups.
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Freezing Point, Phase Changes, Freezing Point Depression | Middle School, High School
Lab: Freezing Ice Cream
In this lab, students will investigate changing states of matter, chemical reactions, and the properties of ice and salt while creating their own ice cream.
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Freezing Point, Phase Changes, Temperature, Physical Change | Middle School
Lab: Lemon Ice
This activity explores the interaction between salt and water (ice) as a way to further investigate their impact on the state of matter of a substance. Students will use salt and ice to create a slushy lemonade drink without the use of a freezer. They will learn through this hands-on experiment how salt and ice can rapidly cool a liquid.
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Heating Curve, Phase Changes, Intermolecular Forces, Freezing Point, Melting Point, Boiling Point, Heat of Fusion, Heat of Vaporization , Molecular Motion, Temperature, Heat, Specific Heat | High School, Middle School
Activity: Simulation Activity: Heating Curve of Water
In this simulation, students will investigate qualitatively and quantitatively what happens as water changes states.
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Physical Change, Intermolecular Forces, Heating Curve, Phase Changes, Graphing, Heat, Exothermic & Endothermic, Temperature, Freezing Point, Melting Point | High School
Lab: Heating & Cooling Curve
In this lab, students will create a phase change graph by adding and removing heat to observe and record data during actual phase changes.
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Freezing Point, Melting Point, Phase Changes, Acids & Bases, Physical Change | Middle School
Lesson Plan: Stearic Acid
In this lesson, students investigate how stearic acid undergoes a phase change from solid to liquid and back from liquid to solid. Temperature readings will be collected at one-minute intervals once the acid melts, the heat escapes, and the acid cools. Students are introduced to the idea that energy loss does not always result in a continuous temperature drop.
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Intermolecular Forces, Mixtures, Intermolecular Forces, Colligative Properties, Freezing Point Depression, Solubility, Polarity, Phase Changes, Freezing Point, Density, Mixtures, Physical Properties | High School
Lesson Plan: Fuel Line Antifreeze
In this lesson students will explore the role of a gasoline additive, fuel line antifreeze (generally methanol or 2‑propanol), in reducing the potential of water to block fuel lines in freezing weather. Students will prepare test tube models of water-contaminated fuel tanks and explore the effect of adding different types of fuel line antifreeze. This lesson can be used to bolster concepts about miscibility, density, intermolecular forces, phase changes (freezing), and colligative properties (freezing point depression).
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Freezing Point, Solubility, Solute & Solvent, Phase Changes, Freezing Point Depression, Freezing Point, Physical Change, Physical Properties | Elementary School
Lesson Plan: Salting Roads in Winter
In this lesson, students investigate how the freezing point of water changes when salt is added.
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Exothermic & Endothermic, Physical Change, Temperature, Freezing Point, Boiling Point | High School, Middle School
Demonstration: Energy
In this demonstration, students will observe the exothermic and endothermic properties of state changes of substances with different freezing and boiling points.
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Freezing Point, Density, Freezing, Phase Changes, Melting Point, Molecular Motion, Physical Change, Physical Properties | Elementary School
Lesson Plan: Pothole Science
In this lesson, students investigate how the density and therefore the volume, of water changes when it freezes.
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Intermolecular Forces, Solubility, Intermolecular Forces, Intramolecular Forces, Polarity, Lewis Structures, Molecular Structure, Solute & Solvent, Mixtures, Melting Point, Freezing Point, Boiling Point, Physical Properties, Graphing, Mixtures | High School
Lab: Physical Properties (High School)
In this lesson, students investigate how intermolecular forces effect physical properties by investigating substances’ melting points as well as solubility.
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Molecular Motion, Heat, Phase Changes, Melting Point, Heating Curve, Freezing Point, Temperature, Graphing | High School, Middle School
Lesson Plan: Modeling the Melting of Ice
In this lesson, students will create a particulate model of matter that explains energy changes and transfer during a phase change.
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Heating Curve, Phase Changes, Intermolecular Forces, Freezing Point, Melting Point, Boiling Point, Heat of Vaporization , Molecular Motion, Temperature, Specific Heat, Heat, Heat of Fusion | Middle School, High School
Simulation: Heating Curve of Water
In the May 2015 issue, students explore the heating curve for water from a qualitative and quantitative perspective. Students compare illustrations of each physical state depicted on the curve and calculate the energy required to transition from one state to another.