Lesson Plan

Unit Topic: Science

Grade Level: 4

Lesson Topic or Theme: States of Matter

Lesson Objectives: (The student will be able to...)

1. Students will be able to describe the differences they see among a solid, liquid, and gas when they are heated up and chilled

2. Students will be able to define what a solid, liquid, and gas are.

Instructional Technique:

The students will work separately on this activity but the teacher will have planned time to come together as a class and discuss what they are seeing and learning from going through the website.

Instructional Materials:

• Dictionary

• Projector

• Pencils

• Computers

• Whiteboard

• Worksheet-

Name:

Date:

States of Matter

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/states-of-matter-basics/latest/states-of-matter-basics_en.htm

Before Activity:

1. Before you start the activity, define below what a liquid, solid and gas are. I also added the definition of Kelvins because that is what we will be measuring our temperature in for this activity.

Liquid:

Solid:

Gas:

Kelvin: a temperature scale that defines absolute zero as 0 degrees; water freezes at 273.16 degrees and boils at 373.16 degrees

During Activity:

1. While doing the activity record what you see when you put solid in water at a variety of temperatures. Are the molecules moving fast or slow? Are they at the bottom or top? Explain.

382K:

950K:

30K:

2. While doing the activity record what you see when you put liquid in water at a variety of temperatures. Are the molecules moving fast or slow? Are they at the bottom or top? Explain.

382K:

950K:

30K:

3. While doing the activity record what you see when you put gas in water at a variety of temperatures. Are the molecules moving fast or slow? Are they at the bottom or top? Explain.

382K:

950K:

30K:

Theoretical Perspective:

The students will be able to interact with atoms of water. This lesson is important so that the students can better visualize how each state of matter reacts in water at different temperatures. By doing the handout assigned during the activity students will be able to reiterate what they have learned.

Procedure:

1. Introductory Activity:  

To start the students will define what a solid, liquid and gas are and look at the definition of a Kelvin. This will help them become familiar with the materials we will be talking about and working with during class.

2. Step-by-Step:

1. The students will first do the activity of defining a solid, liquid and gas by looking into dictionaries in the classroom and becoming familiar with the definition of Kelvin.

2. Then we will discuss as a class the definitions so that the students fully understand what each item is they will be working with.

3. The teacher will then pass out the worksheets and show the students the top of the page where they need to write their definitions. The students will then have time to grab dictionaries and find the definitions,

4. After that, the teacher will show the students the website that they will be working with. The teacher will do this by going to the teacher computer and projecting it on the whiteboard the front of the class.

5. Once the teacher is on the website they will show the students how to click on water so they are using the right material and how to change between liquid, solid and gas. After that, the teacher will show the students how to move the temperature bar at the bottom of the page to change the temperature in the class. Lastly, the teacher will show the students the top left corner of the glass where the thermometer is to tell you the temperature in the glass so they can record their results correctly.

6. After the teacher explains the website they will then explain the part of the worksheet that goes along with the website. The teacher will tell the student what 3 temperatures they are supposed to be measuring for solid, liquid and gas. Also, the teacher should tell the students that they need to record the speed of the molecules in the glass, where the molecules are located and anything else they see happening inside the glass.

7. The teacher will then set up the students in a computer lab to work independently on the website and their worksheet. While the students are working the teacher should walk around and observe the students progress and communicate with them about what they are seeing.

8. Once the teacher feels most students are halfway done the class will come all together and discuss their thoughts so far.

9. Once the discussion is over the students will finish the activity.

10. When all students have completed the activity the whole class will turn in there worksheets to the teacher and come back together for another discussion and answer any lingering questions.

3. Closure:

To close the activity everyone will come back together and discuss results and anything else that they found to be interesting. This is also a time for students to ask any lingering question and to get answers from both students and the teacher.

4. Adaptations For Different Learners:

For students that may struggle the teacher should help them further after she has explained the introduction activity. See what questions the students might have or may need help with. Have the students try their best and if they are still struggling further in pair a student that really understands the material and website up with the struggling student to help them.

Evaluation:

1. How/when will you determine if you have met your objectives?

Please list each of your stated objectives for the lesson. Then demonstrate how you will document successful completion for each.

1. The students will be able to describe the differences they see among a solid, liquid, and gas when they are heated up and chilled. This will be demonstrated because on the interactive site, there is a tool to change the temperature and then the change will show with the molecules in the box on the screen. The students just have to observe the changes. They have a spot on the worksheet to write down their observations and explanations.

2. The students will be able to define what a solid, liquid, and gas are. The three different states of matter have differences shown in the interactive site, the student just has to define what each state is doing and what shape it takes when its in a contained space. With the resources given, it should not be hard for the student to describe what they see when playing around on the site.

2. Concerns or Questions about teaching this lesson:

When teaching this lesson, the teacher should be aware of the skill level of their students. This lesson may be too advanced, or not challenging enough for all classrooms. Another concern could be one’s lack of computer skills, or scientific knowledge on the subject.