Classroom Resources: States of Matter
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1 – 25 of 61 Classroom Resources
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Phase Changes, Boiling Point, Melting Point, Physical Properties, Freezing Point, Molecular Motion, Physical Change, Density, Heat, Temperature | Elementary School, Middle School
Lesson Plan: Investigating Water's States of Matter Mark as Favorite (1 Favorite)
In this lesson, students will identify properties of different states of matter and then work in groups to model the molecular arrangement in water as a solid, liquid, and gas. This lesson will also help students understand that the change in state is a physical change and how the solid state of water has unique properties.
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Freezing Point, Solubility, Solute & Solvent, Phase Changes, Freezing Point Depression, Physical Change, Physical Properties | Elementary School, Middle School
Lesson Plan: Salting Roads in Winter Mark as Favorite (3 Favorites)
In this lesson, students investigate how the freezing point of water changes when salt is added. Many students know that water freezes at 0°C, and many believe that all substances freeze at 0°C. The investigations in this lesson help students understand why salt is spread on roads in cold and snowy conditions.
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Freezing Point, Phase Changes, Mixtures | Elementary School
Lab: Coffee Creamer Ice Cream Mark as Favorite (13 Favorites)
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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Phase Changes | Middle School
Activity: Alphabet Review: States of Matter and Phase Changes Mark as Favorite (1 Favorite)
In this activity, students will play a game that tasks them with recalling and reviewing information that they have learned about states of matter.
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Heat, Specific Heat, Phase Changes | Elementary School, Middle School
Lab: The Insulation Investigation Mark as Favorite (5 Favorites)
In this lab, students will think critically about the properties, structure and function of materials as they design and build a device used to insulate an ice cube to prevent it from melting.
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Isomers, Intermolecular Forces, Molecular Geometry, Molecular Structure, Intermolecular Forces, Boiling Point, Melting Point, Phase Changes, Isomers, Molecular Structure , Distillation, Separating Mixtures, Physical Properties | High School
Lesson Plan: Structural Isomers Mark as Favorite (17 Favorites)
In this activity, students will use models to explore structural isomers, and create explanations for the impact of structure on intermolecular forces (London dispersion) and physical properties (boiling point).
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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 Mark as Favorite (14 Favorites)
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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Chemistry Basics, Identifying an Unknown, Solutions, Solubility, Melting Point, Phase Changes, Acids & Bases, pH, Strong vs Weak, Observations, Molecular Motion | High School
Activity: Simulation Activity: Identifying Unknowns with Safety Data Sheets Mark as Favorite (19 Favorites)
In this activity, students will use a simulation to learn about some of the sections of a safety data sheet (SDS) and how the information on SDSs can be used not only for safety purposes but also for identifying unknowns. Specifically, students will use “Section 9: Physical and Chemical Properties” to distinguish between two or three substances with similar appearances in a variety of lab-based scenarios. Particle diagrams are also included to help students visualize the substances’ behavior on a particulate level.
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Chemistry Basics, Identifying an Unknown, Solutions, Solubility, Melting Point, Phase Changes | High School
Simulation: Safety Data Sheets Mark as Favorite (12 Favorites)
Students learn about sections of a safety data sheet (SDS) and how the information can be used for safety purposes and for identifying unknowns. They will use the Physical and Chemical Properties section and particle diagrams to distinguish between substances with similar appearances in a variety of lab-based scenarios.
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Polymers, Chemical Change, Conservation of Matter, Phase Changes | Elementary School
Lesson Plan: Making Slime Mark as Favorite (3 Favorites)
In this lesson, students explore the science behind chemical reactions as well as the processes used by chemical engineering principles to develop new materials. The idea that mixing two substances can result in an explosion, the release of gas, and the formation of an entirely new substance is both fascinating and mysterious to most young students.
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Freezing Point, Density, Phase Changes, Melting Point, Molecular Motion, Physical Change, Physical Properties | Elementary School
Lesson Plan: Pothole Science Mark as Favorite (3 Favorites)
In this lesson, students investigate how the density and therefore the volume, of water changes when it freezes.
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Introduction, Lab Safety, Chemical Properties, Physical Properties, Chemical Change, Physical Change, History, Separating Mixtures, Elements, Mixtures, Density, Measurements, SI Units, Significant Figures, Dimensional Analysis, Scientific Notation, Accuracy, Molecular Motion, Phase Changes | High School
Lesson Plan: The Chemistry Basics and Measurement Quick Start Unit Plan Mark as Favorite (71 Favorites)
This Quick Start Unit Plan includes all the materials that a teacher will need for the first 10 class meetings of the school year. Each day is outlined with teacher notes, and includes slide presentations as well as directions for demonstrations, activities and labs to use. The fundamental topics covered in the 10 days of lessons are: laboratory safety, laboratory equipment, experimental design, classification of matter, chemical properties, physical properties, chemical change, physical change, phase changes, separation techniques, dimensional analysis, unit conversions, factor label method, accuracy, precision, significant figures, and percent error calculations. This Quick Start Unit plan aims to help students to build a foundation of understanding, and master important topics before moving deeper into the chemistry curriculum.
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Phase Changes, Melting Point, Heat | Elementary School
Lesson Plan: Chocolate Changes Mark as Favorite (1 Favorite)
In this lesson, students will review what they know about the three states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas). They will perform a word sort about states of matter and discuss how substances can exist in more than one state of matter. Following this they will contribute to a KWL (Know, Want to know, Learned) chart. The teacher will conclude the lesson with a demonstration using chocolate.
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Phase Changes, Physical Change, Melting Point, Introduction, Observations | Elementary School
Lesson Plan: Let's Get Physical About Water Mark as Favorite (0 Favorites)
In this lesson, students will learn about the phase changes of matter. During the course of two days students will perform several short experiments in order to change the state of water and they will record their observations.
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Solubility, Solute & Solvent, Molecular Motion, Phase Changes, Reaction Rate | Elementary School
Lesson Plan: Particles in Motion Mark as Favorite (1 Favorite)
In this lesson, students learn that particles that make up matter are in constant motion.
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Heat, Law of Conservation of Energy, Specific Heat, Temperature, Calorimetry, Phase Changes, Boiling Point, Melting Point, Heating Curve, Intermolecular Forces, Molecular Motion, Phase Diagram | High School
Lesson Plan: Phase Changes and Heat Transfer Unit Plan Mark as Favorite (25 Favorites)
The AACT high school classroom resource library and multimedia collection has everything you need to put together a unit plan for your classroom: lessons, activities, labs, projects, videos, simulations, and animations. We constructed a unit plan using AACT resources that is designed to teach the Phase Changes and Heat Transfer to your students.
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Half Lives, Radioactive Isotopes, Radiation, Phase Changes | High School
Activity: Radioactive Dating: The Demise of Frosty Mark as Favorite (35 Favorites)
In this activity students will investigate the idea that carbon dating is based on gathering evidence in the present and extrapolating it to the past. Students will use a simple graph to extrapolate data to its starting point and then pool the data to make a graph that simulates half-life. Students will be introduced to solving mathematical problems that involve half-life.
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Physical Properties, Physical Change, Chemical Change, Matter, Phase Changes | Elementary School
Activity: Analyzing Root Beer Floats Mark as Favorite (1 Favorite)
In this activity students will observe the states of matter while making a root beer float. They will also discover the differences between a solid, a liquid and a gas.
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Molecular Motion, Phase Changes | Middle School
Activity: Atoms in Motion Mark as Favorite (19 Favorites)
In this activity, students will explore how particles that make up matter are in constant motion. The students will use an online PhET simulation to compare the ways that atoms and molecules move in samples of solids, liquids, and gases. This activity will help students improve their understanding of the particle level.
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Intermolecular Forces, Phase Changes | High School
Activity: The Behavior of Solids and Liquids Mark as Favorite (33 Favorites)
In this activity, students will be able to explore and explain behaviors of liquids and solids based on the individual particles in the states of matter
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Heat, Specific Heat, Phase Changes, Intermolecular Forces | High School
Activity: "It's a Phase" Puzzles Mark as Favorite (2 Favorites)
In this activity, students will complete either a crossword puzzle or a word search puzzle for common vocabulary terms related to the topics of phase changes and heat transfer. This activity provides an opportunity for students to increase their familiarity with the terms that they will be expected to use when learning about thermochemistry.
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Freezing Point Depression, Mixtures, Phase Changes, Freezing Point, Melting Point | High School, Middle School
Lab: How does Salt "Melt" Ice? Mark as Favorite (53 Favorites)
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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Chemical Change, Physical Change, Chemical Change, Scientific Method, Melting Point, Phase Changes | Middle School
Lab: S'more Change Please Mark as Favorite (10 Favorites)
In this lab, students will be able to demonstrate the difference between a physical and chemical change by making ooey, gooey, yet yummy S’mores!
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Phase Changes | Middle School
Project: Sharing Matter Mark as Favorite (3 Favorites)
In this project, students will design a lesson and activity about the states of matter to share with elementary school students. This project embraces the spirit of the famous quote by Roman philosopher Seneca: by teaching, we learn. In order to successfully teach one of the states of matter to younger students, each group must have advanced knowledge of the subject.
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Freezing Point, Phase Changes, Freezing Point Depression | Middle School, High School
Lab: Freezing Ice Cream Mark as Favorite (44 Favorites)
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.