Engagement

Activity

How would this help students

meet the goal?
In small groups, the students are to This activity would help the
weigh a piece of paper and record
students to better understand
it. Then, they are to cut the piece of how atoms are never created
paper in half and weigh both
nor destroyed. Therefore,
smaller pieces of the paper and
when doing this activity it
record it. Finally, the students are
shows the students that when
to cut each smaller piece in half to
you change matter, the same
have four pieces of paper and weigh atoms still exist and should
all four pieces and record it. After
weigh the same. The whole
the students are finished they are
piece of paper still exists
supposed to compare the three
although you are cutting it
masses to see if they are all equal
into pieces.
or not. We will then have a
discussion about this activity being
a physical change and how the
same atoms with their same mass
always exists when matter changes.
The students are to go outside and
This activity would help the
observe the different objects they
students to distinguish
see. Taking a piece of paper and
between the three different
pencil outside with them, they are
states of matter. This would
to separate their paper into three
also challenge them to use life
different sections: solids, liquids,
objects they see daily that
and gases. When outside the
would fit under each section.
students are to write down anything
they see that would go under the
three different sections. The
students will have 5 minutes to
observe and record the different
objects. After the students are
finished, we will go back inside and
have a discussion about the
different objects they observed and
what section they would go under. If
a student put an object under the
wrong section, then we would
discuss why and which section it
should be under instead.
The students are to work in small
This activity would help the
groups and weigh a cup of water
students to understand that
and record it. Then, they are to
even when changing states

leave the cup of water in the freezer

for one day. When they return to
school the following day the
students are to weigh the frozen
water and record it. We will then
write down each groups weight of
the water being in a liquid and solid
state and discuss the change.

like going from a liquid to a

solid, the same atoms still
exist, and therefore the
weight will be the same.

Representation

Activity
Use video to show the difference in
motion of solids, liquids, and gases.
Go to this link and then click on the
right arrow to scroll over until you
reach the comparing solids, liquids,
and gases video. While showing
this video I could explain how solids
are tightly packed and vibrating
while liquids are close together and
slip-sliding past each other and
gases are far apart and bouncing
off each other.
http://www.middleschoolchemistry.c
om/multimedia/chapter1/lesson5
Show the image below while
explaining the difference between a
physical and chemical change.
Provide examples of physical and
chemical changes.

How would this help students

meet the goal?
This would help show the
students what the motion of
solids, liquids, and gases look
like in order to know what
happens to the motion of the
molecules after changing
state. This could enhance the
students understanding of the
three states and how the
molecules move about.

This would help the students

to understand the difference
between physical and
chemical changes in matter.
By providing examples of both
will help enhance their
understanding of what each
change looks like.

After discussing about physical and

chemical changes, I would give the
students a sheet of paper that has
drawings of different changes in
matter and they are to write down
next to the drawing whether it is a
physical or chemical change and
why.

This would show how much

the students understand the
difference between physical
and chemical changes. It
would help the students meet
their goal of understanding
the basics of physical and
chemical changes.

Action and Expression

Activity
Have the students use marbles to
show what a liquid, solid, and gas
state looks like. The solid molecules
would be tightly packed and
vibrating, the liquid molecules
would be close together and slipsliding, then the gas molecules
would be far apart and bouncing off
of each other. The students could
model their understanding between
the three different states of a
physical change. Each marble
represents one molecule.

How would this help students

meet the goal?
This would help the students
meet the goal because they
would have a better
understanding of going from
one state to another is only a
physical change. This is a
great activity to show the
students that the atoms
within the molecules do not
break apart and form new
atom groups. The marbles do
not break apart and reform;
therefore this would enhance
their understanding between

a physical and chemical

change.
Have the students do an experiment This activity would help the
and observe what happens. The
students meet the goal to see
students will work in their table
an example of a chemical
groups and put an Alka-Seltzer
change through observation.
tablet into water to see what
Due to the Alka-Seltzer tablet
happens.
dissolving in the water and
fizzing, this experiment shows
what a chemical change would
look like and would help the
students understand the
difference between a physical
and chemical change.
Matter can change in three different This activity would help the
ways. The students are to model
students to understand that
with the paper-clips in pairs to show matter can change in three
the three different ways matter can different ways. Two of the
change. Then, the students are to
ways are a physical change
compare their answers with other
and the other is a chemical
classmates and discuss any
change. I feel like seeing the
differences to try and come up with different ways visually, then it
a solution. Finally, the teacher will
would help the students
show the answers up on the board
better understand the ways
and students can compare their
matter can change. This will
answers to see if they understand
also show that they were
how matter can change.
paying attention during the
Introduce and Model New
Knowledge section of the
lesson.