PHASES OF MATTER UNIT PLAN

By: Erin Fergus

EDTE 301P
November 19, 2018
 Table of Contents
Introduction Letter to Parents …………………………………………………………page 3
Lesson One: Phases of Matter………………………………………………………..pages 4-5
Lesson Two: Categorizing Based on Properties……………………………………..pages 6-9
Lesson Three: Chemical Reactions………………………………………………….pages 10-13
Lesson Four: Building a Shield……………………………………………………pages 14-15
Lesson Five: Many Ways to Build a Cube…………………………………………pages 16-17
Lesson Six: Hypotheses on Gummy Bears…………………………………………pages 18-19
Lesson Seven: What Actually Happened to the Gummy Bears …………………pages 20-21
Lesson Eight: Design Proposals for Towers……………………………………..pages 22-23
Lesson Nine: Building the Tower………………………………………………….pages 24-25
Lesson Ten: The Strongest Tower…………………………………………………pages 25-27
Final Assessment……………………………………………………………………pages 28-29
Links…………………………………………………………………………………page 30

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November 2018
Dear Parents,

I am so excited to begin this month’s unit on the Phases of Matter! Students will learn

about the three phases of matter and their atomic structures in addition to various properties of

matter. Students will build on these scientific concepts to apply their knowledge to science

experiments and engineering projects. Students will use math skills throughout this unit as well.

This unit has been carefully planned in correlation with the NGSS (Next Generation

Science Standards) Science and Engineering Standards as well as California Common Core

Math. Incorporating all of these standards allows for students to connect their understandings to

various subjects and ultimately to the world at large. We will be doing many tactile activities and

experiments to help bring these scientific concepts to life in the classroom. Students will build

shields to help animals in need, and towers to hold paper clips, and ultimately use their

experiences and knowledge to create a mind map answering a Big Idea Question.

I cannot wait to see your children grow throughout this unit as scientists, mathematicians,

and engineers. We will have a lot of fun completing this unit, and everyone’s efforts will be

extremely appreciated. Thank you for your current and future support along this adventure!

Thank you!

Ms. Erin Fergus

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 Lesson One: Phases of Matter

Objective:
The student will be able to understand the structure and properties of matter in solid, liquid and
gas form by modeling.

Materials:
 Cheerios
 Marshmallow Atoms handout
 Stages of Matter Worksheet

Anticipatory Set:
1) Engage students
a) Show video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C33WdI64FiY
2) Activate Prior Knowledge
a) Discuss how all living things are made up of matter.
b) Ask students for examples of solids, liquids, and gases and chart responses on the board.
c) Ask students if they know any properties of these three phases of matter.
3) Instruction
a) Add the rest of the properties of these phases of matter to the board.
b) Define a solid, liquid, and gas.
(1) Solid : has a defined shape
(2) Liquid: can take the shape of its container, can flow easily
(3) Gas: no defined shape, atoms move about freely
c) Discuss how atom arrangement in each phase affects the properties of the state of matter.
(4) Atoms are close together in solids.
(5) Atoms are spaced out more in liquids.
(6) Atoms are spread out in gases.
4) Guided Practice
a) Teacher gives each student a handout.
http://www.cpalms.org/uploads/resources//46571/Marshmallowatoms.pdf
b) Teacher gives each student a handful of cheerios.
c) Tell the students that each cheerio represents an atom, which is the building block of all
matter. The students will then be asked to place the cheerios they were handed onto the
cube in the manner they think would represent how the atoms make up a solid. The
teacher should circulate and ask questions such as, "If solids have atoms very close
together, do you think the cheerios should be close together or farther apart?" Students
should reply close together. Cheerios should be placed very close together in rows.
d) Move to the outlined object labeled "liquid." Again, repeat that atoms are very small but
they make up all forms of matter such as a liquid. The students will be asked to place the
marshmallows from their cup onto the glass of water in the manner they thing would
represent how the atoms make up a liquid. Some students may pack the atoms close
together. The teacher should circulate and ask questions such as, "If liquids have atoms
farther apart and more fluid than solids, do you think the cheerios should be close
together or farther apart?" Students should reply a little farther apart than the solid.
Cheerios should be placed in an order, but with spaces in between.

4
 e) Move to the outlined object labeled gas. Again emphasize that all matter is made from
atoms. The students will then be asked to place the cheerios from their cup onto the cloud
in the manner they thing would represent how the atoms make up a gas. The teacher
should circulate and ask questions such as "If gases have atoms very far apart, do you
think the cheerios should be close together or farther apart?" Students should reply farther
apart. Cheerios should be placed far apart and without a specific order.
5) Closure
a) The teacher will place an image of an object on the board and each student will write on a
sheet of paper the phase of matter of the object and the structure of its atoms. This is an
exit ticket that will be collected as students leave the classroom.
6) Independent Practice
a) Students will complete this worksheet.
https://www.slideshare.net/MMoiraWhitehouse/sponge-4state-of-mattercwk-dr
7) UDL
a) Students can draw the atomic structure for the exit ticket instead of writing it on
a sheet of paper.
b) Students who need extra support will have an adult working with them or sit near
a student who I know will help support them as I am walking around to help each
child during the lesson.
8) Assessment
a) Formative: Observations of how students are arranging the cheerios throughout
the lesson and the types of questions they are asking one another and the teacher
b) Summative: Exit ticket

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 Lesson Two: Categorizing Based on Properties

Objective: Students will learn to categorize objects based on physical properties by working at
stations.

Standard:
NGSS Science
2-PS1-1: Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials
by their observable properties.

Materials:
 2 Cotton balls
 2 Rocks
 2 Pieces of white printer paper
 Piece of tin foil
 Piece of wood
 Small red rubber ball
 Hard solid plastic red triangle
 Cloth
 Plywood
 balsa wood
 2 pencils
 2 paperclips
 A stainless steel fork
 a straw
 a pipe cleaner
 a popsicle stick
 a crayon
 a one inch thick piece of a stick
 and a metal bolt
 sandpaper of two different grits
 a mirror
 a piece of burlap
 a piece of felt
 a smooth plastic block
 a large bolt

Anticipatory Set:
1. Engage Students:
a. Place several items on rug and ask students, which items they think belong
together. These items will include a cotton ball, a rock, a piece of white printer
paper, a piece of tin foil, a piece of wood, a small red rubber ball, and a hard
solid plastic red triangle.
b. Give students an “I Can” phrase, which reads, “I can classify objects in three
ways.” Students repeat this phrase to me. This phrase is the basis for this lesson.

6
2. Activate Prior Knowledge
a. Ask students “Why did you put these objects together?”
b. Explain to students that they are using physical properties to categorize objects.
i. Physical property: any property that can be observed using the five senses
or can be measured without changing the matter
ii. Write this definition on the board.
iii. Also write on the board several common physical properties. Some
examples include color, weight, size, hardness and softness, flexibility
(malleability), roughness and smoothness (texture).
c. Explain that physical properties are a way to categorize matter.
d. Ask students to redefine matter based on their previous knowledge.
3. Instruction
a. Divide students into teams of 3-4 students
b. Each group will work at a station to classify objects. The first station students
will arrange the materials from hardest to softest. The second station students
will test materials to see which is easiest to bend, and then arrange them I order
from easiest to hardest to bend. At the last station, students will test the materials
to see which one is the roughest, and arrange items from roughest to smoothest.
c. Students will take notes on a journal page (see attachment below)
d. Students will rotate stations every seven minutes, and there will be three stations.
4. Guided Practice
a. Students work in groups at their stations, while I walk around from group to
group.
b. Station one includes cotton, rock, cloth, plywood, balsa wood, a pencil, a
paperclip, and a stainless steel fork. Station two includes a pencil, a paperclip, a
straw, a pipe cleaner, a popsicle stick, a crayon, a one inch thick piece of a stick,
and a metal bolt. Station three will include sandpaper of two different grits, a
mirror, a piece of burlap, a piece of felt, a smooth plastic block, a large bolt, and
a piece of white printer paper.
5. Independent Practice
a. Students return to their seats and using their notes from their journal, explain to a
partner how they classified objects from a specific station.
b. Students will be given question cards to use to question their partners. The first
one says, “Why did you put them in that order?” Another one says, “Why is that
object there instead of here?” The final card says “Question of your choice.”
Students will engage in a question and answer session with each of their partners.
6. Closure
a. Students read the “I Can” Statement given to them at the beginning of class.
b. Students give a thumbs up if they can do this, thumbs to the side if they can kind
of do this, or thumbs down if they cannot do this.
7. UDL
a. Students who need extra support writing in their journal will be given the option
to only draw their observations with labels instead of completing the sentences
provided within the journal.
b. Each station will include definitions of each property that the students are testing
to support students.

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 8. Assessment
a. Formative: Observations throughout the lesson as well as journal work
b. Summative: Students give a thumbs up, thumbs to the side, or thumbs down to
demonstrate understanding at the end of the lesson.

Classification Journal

Name __________________________________

Classifying Matter Journal Page

Center 1: I tested for hard and soft by __________________

____________________________________________________
________

Here is what I found out:

Center 2: I tested for the easiest to hardest to bend by

____________________________________________________
____________

Here is what I found

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Center 3 I tested for roughest to smoothest by

____________________________________________________
_______

Here is what I found

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 Lesson Three: Chemical Reactions

Objective: Students will learn that heating or cooling a substance may cause changes that can be
observed. Sometimes these changes are reversible, sometimes they are not (PS1.B). They will do
this by

Standard:
NGSS Science
PS1.B: Heating or cooling a substance may cause changes that can be observed. Sometimes these
changes are reversible, and sometimes they are not.

Materials:
 Lemons (enough for each child in class to have one half of a lemon)
 Cups for each students
 Knives
 Baking soda
 Lemon juice
 Water
 worksheet

Anticipatory Set:
1. Engage Students:
a. Show video about chemical reactions.
b. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIJ2qnUOOwQ

2. Activate Prior Knowledge

a. Discuss relation between phases of matter and heat/cooling
i. Example: ice (solid) is frozen, water (liquid) is kept at room
temperature, steam (heated) is gas
b. We know that water can change states, but can other objects?
i. Brainstorm students’ answers on the board.
3. Instruction
a. Use a brief Powerpoint presentation.
i. Define chemical reaction: when two or more substances are combined
to form a totally new substance. This process is irreversible and one
cannot get the original substance back once a chemical reaction has
taken place.
ii. Show the five signs of a chemical reaction: gas is given off, light or heat
is given off, there is a color change, solid precipitate is formed, and
water is formed.
iii. Ask students if they can think of any examples of a chemical reaction.
iv. Define physical change: affects the physical form of the substance, but
not the chemical makeup.
v. Ask students for examples of a physical change.
b. Tell students that they know will get to create their own chemical reaction.
4. Guided Practice

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ii) Each child will help slice the lemons in half using a paring knife. Learning how to use
a knife, with adult supervision, is an important skill and great for honing hand-eye
coordination! For students who need additional support, myself or an aid will cut the
lemons for him/her.
iii) Each student will get out a glass and juice the sliced lemons into the glass, making
sure the juice is free of any seeds.
iv) Brainstorm with the class how they could add carbonation to their lemon juice.
Lemon juice is an acid, which reacts when paired with a base, causing bubbly results!
v) The students will add the baking soda to the lemon juice and observe the results!
vi) Now the student will add water to the glass, filling it three-fourths full and then add
sugar to taste.
vii) Each can finish her lemony, fizzy water with ice cubes and enjoy!

5. Closure
a. Ask students what made that experiment a chemical reaction.
b. Ask students if any physical changes occurred as well.
6. Independent Practice
a. Students will complete a cut and past activity (see attachment below).
7. UDL
a. Students who are not allowed to use knives or have difficulty with this fine
motor skill will have pre-sliced lemons at their desk.
b. Baking soda will also be measured out for students who need additional
support.
8. Assessment
a. Formative: Students’ participation in activity
b. Summative: Cut and paste activity

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13
 Lesson Four: Building a Shield

Objective: Students will determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an
intended purpose by building a shield for an animal.

Standard:
NGSS Science
2-PS1-2: Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials
have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.

Materials:
 Tape
 Glue
 Construction Paper
 Cardboard
 Scissors
 Pom Poms
 Macaroni
 Pipe Cleaners

Anticipatory Set:
1. Engage Students:
a. Tell students that today they will be creating shields to protect animals. These
animals are all alone and need to be able to defend themselves against the forces
of nature such as wind and rain. How can these students help these innocent
animals? It is the job of the students to work in teams to build shields with
materials I will provide. As humans we must support other living beings in any
and every way we can. These animals need their help and I hope they are up to
the challenge!
2. Activate Prior Knowledge
a. Discuss properties of solids with students.
b. Ask students what they know about shields. What properties make a good
shield?
3. Instruction
a. Students will be placed in groups of 3-6 people.
b. There will be a table of materials placed in front of the students.
c. They will be given time to discuss with one another which materials they want
to use and write a plan. This plan will create reasoning for each material chosen.
4. Guided Practice
a. Students will begin building the shields in their groups.
b. I will walk around the classroom and ensure I work with each group.
5. Closure
a. Each group will show their shield and give their reasoning for choosing the
materials they created.
6. Independent Practice

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 a. For homework, students will be given a list of materials and told to draw a
shelter for the animal to live in to protect itself. These animals have previously
lost their homes due to humans taking resources from the forest. Since the
humans have cut down too many trees and destroyed other natural resources,
many animals do not have a home. What can these students do to support these
animals? Can they design a shelter that supports these animals who are losing
their homes to industrialization? They will share these drawings and rationale
for their designs with their groups the next day. As a bonus, students should
write about why it is important to be cautious of using too many resources, and
recognizing that animals as well as humans need a place to live on this Earth.
7. UDL
a. I will predetermine the students’ groups to ensure they include students of all
levels of ability.
8. Assessment
a. Formative: I will walk around the classroom and make sure that each group
member is participating in the brainstorming and building processes.
b. Summative: I will hear each group’s rationale for the shield they built and I
will collect the students’ drawings designing a shelter for an animal.

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 Lesson Five: Many Ways to Build a Cube

Objective: Students will learn how an object made of small set of pieces can be disassembled
and made into a new object by re-building cubes made of snap blocks.

Standard:
NGSS Science
2-PS1-3: Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a
small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new object.

Materials:
 Snap cubes
 Timer
 Journals

Anticipatory Set:
1. Engage Students:
a. Students will receive a specific number of snap cubes arranged into a larger cube
at each of their desks.
b. I will ask students, “Do you think that you can break apart these cubes and
rearrange them to make the same shape?”
2. Activate Prior Knowledge
a. I will ask students if they can think of any other objects that can be disassembled
and made into a new object. Some examples may include Lego sets and train
sets.
3. Instruction
a. Students will have five minutes to break apart their cubes and rebuild them.
They are allowed to rearrange these cubes in any way they want, but they must
be sure to use all of the snap cubes in their final product. I will tell students when
they have one-minute left to build, and then have a timer go off when the five
minutes have ended.
4. Guided Practice
a. Students will break apart their cubes and rearrange them in any way they wish.
b. Students are allowed to talk to one another, but must build their own cube.
c. After five minutes, students will walk around the classroom and observe others’
creations and make positive comments or ask questions to one another.
5. Closure
a. I will ask students, “What did you notice about your peers’ creations?”
b. I will then ask students, “Why do you think we all came up with something
different?”
c. Then, I will say, “I asked you at the beginning if it is always possible to take
something apart and put it back together in a different way. Some of you said yes
and some of you said no. What do you think now?”
d. Students’ responses to these questions will give me an idea of their conceptual
understanding.
6. Independent Practice

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 a. Students will respond to the prompt, “Is it always possible to take something
apart and put it back together and why do you think so?” in their journal. I will
evaluate these responses.
7. UDL
a. If students need extra time they will be allowed to complete this activity in a
small group setting, so they feel less rushed and pressured.
b. Students can receive sentence frames in their journals for the Independent
Practice. These will read “I believe that it is ______________ possible to take
something apart and put it back together because _____________” and students
fill in these blanks.
8. Assessment:
a. Formative: I will observe how students rearrange blocks during the lesson
b. Summative: Journal responses and oral answers during the Closure

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 Lesson Six: Hypotheses on Gummy Bears
Objective: Students will construct an argument with evidence that some changes caused by
heating or cooling can be reversed and some cannot by testing their own hypothesis and
completing their own experiment.

Standard:
NGSS Science
2-PS1-4: Construct an argument with evidence that some changes caused by heating or cooling
can be reversed and some cannot.
NGSS Math
2.MD - Measure and estimate lengths in standard units.
2.MD-1: Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers,
yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.

Materials:
 Gummy bears
 Rulers
 Cups
 Water

Anticipatory Set:
1. Engage Students:
a. Explain that today we will be completing a lesson with gummy bears.
b. Ask students what they think would happen to a gummy bear if they were to soak
it in water overnight?
2. Activate Prior Knowledge
a. Ask students to define hypothesis
i. Hypothesis: tentative, testable answer to a scientific question
b. Ask students what happens to other items when they soak in water.
c. Ask students if soaking an object in water would be a physical or chemical change
and why?
3. Instruction
a. I will show a slide describing how to form a hypothesis.
i. If _______________________, then _____________________.
b. Students will write a hypothesis answering the question, “What will happen to a
gummy bear if it were to soak in water overnight?”
4. Guided Practice
a. Students will measure their gummy bears using rulers and record this information.
b. Students will create their own hypothesis on what they think will happen to the
gummy bear. This will include a sketch.
c. Students will place their gummy bear in a cup filled with two cups of water.
d. Students will label the cup with their name, so they do not get confused.
e. Students will record any initial observations.
5. Closure
a. Students will share their hypotheses in a small group of 3-4 students.
6. Independent Practice

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 a. Students will write their hypothesis and two to three additional sentences as
support for their hypotheses. These additional sentences will describe why these
students have formed these hypotheses.
7. UDL
a. Students who need extra literacy support will receive handouts with sentence
frames, so they only need to fill in the blanks.
b. Students who need extra support can receive a visual of measuring units (inches,
centimeters, and feet) to help them measure.
8. Assessment:
a. Formative: I will observe students’ engagement in the activity and their
participation in group sharing.
b. Summative: I will collect students’ hypotheses and supporting sentences.

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 Lesson Seven: What Actually Happened to the Gummy Bears?

Objective: Students will conclude if their hypotheses were correct by observing the results of
their experiment.

Standard:
NGSS Science
2-PS1-4: Construct an argument with evidence that some changes caused by heating or cooling
can be reversed and some cannot.
NGSS Math
2.MD - Measure and estimate lengths in standard units.
2.MD-1: Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers,
yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.
2.MD-4: Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the
length difference in terms of a standard length unit.

Materials:
 Gummy bears
 Cups of water
 rulers

Anticipatory Set:
1. Engage Students:
a. I will bring out the trays of gummy bears and place them at the students’ tables.
Students will barely be able to contain their excitement, but should wait to
uncover results.
2. Activate Prior Knowledge:
a. Students will discuss with one another their hypotheses.
b. Students will discuss if they still believe in their hypothesis or if they think
something else will occur.
3. Instruction:
a. Students are instructed to observe their gummy bear and note its physical
features.
b. The gummy bears will have almost tripled in size.
4. Guided Practice:
a. Students use a ruler and balance scale to measure their gummy bears.
b. Students record information in their journals.
c. Students will take note on whether or not their hypotheses were correct
5. Closure:
a. We will discuss what happened with the gummy bears in regards to their length
and weight.
b. I will ask students to share what their results were and why they think this
occurred.
6. Independent Practice:
a. Students will write their conclusion and rationale for the experiment using a
worksheet provided (see attachment below).

20
 7. UDL:
a. Sentence stems are provided for the independent practice.
b. Think-pair-share is used to support ELLs.
8. Assessment:
a. Formative:
i. Observations on students’ ability to measure using the tools provided and
track data in their journals
b. Summative:
i. Students’ rationale for the experiment

Independent Practice Worksheet:

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 Lesson Eight: Design Proposals for Towers

Objective: Students will determine which objects will be efficient in the production of a tower
by creating a sketch.

Standard:
NGSS Engineering Standard
K-2-ETS1-2: Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of
an object helps its function as needed to solve a given problem.

Materials:
 Popsicle sticks
 Toothpicks
 Liquid glue/glue dots
 Dry pasta
 Tape

Anticipatory Set:
1. Engage Students:
a. Tell students that today they will be acting as engineers and work in teams to
build towers. Ultimately, we will see which tower can hold the most paperclips.
b. Have students define engineers and write a definition on the board.
i. Engineer: person who designs, builds, or maintains engines, machines, or
public works
2. Activate Prior Knowledge
a. Remind students of the definition of properties.
i. Physical property: any property that can be observed using the five senses
or can be measured without changing the matter
ii. Chemical property: characteristic of an element or compound that can
only be observed or revealed during a chemical reaction
b. Each object has properties, which can help it support a structure.
3. Instruction
a. Students will be divided into teams of three.
b. Students will be given a list of objects to use for their towers.
i. These objects will include popsicle sticks, toothpicks, liquid glue,
c. Before they build though, they need to create a detailed plan and sketch to get
approved.
4. Guided Practice
a. Students will develop a plan in groups.
b. Students will write a list of objects they need to build their tower.
c. Students will draw a sketch of what they believe their tower will look like.
5. Closure
a. Students will present their proposal to the class.
6. Independent Practice

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 a. Students will write a journal entry describing why they think their design
proposal will work. They will include any worries they may have about the
building as well.
7. UDL
a. I will provide sentence frames for the journals. They will read “My design
proposal is efficient because ___________. I am worried about
_______________.”
b. I also will assign students groups, so they are balanced.
8. Assessment
a. Formative: I will observe students during the planning process of building their
tower and take note of their rationale for their decisions and plan. I will also
observe how students work in teams.
b. Summative: I will collect and read the journal entries.

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 Lesson Nine: Building the Tower

Objective: Students will be able to test the effectiveness of certain objects by building a tower.

Standard:
NGSS Engineering Standard
K-2-ETS1-2: Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of
an object helps its function as needed to solve a given problem.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.
RI.2.1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate
understanding of key details in a text.

Materials:
 Popsicle sticks
 Liquid glue/glue dots
 Toothpicks

Anticipatory Set:
1. Engage Students:
a. I will show students a picture of the tallest tower in the world, which is Burj
Khalifia in the United Arab Emirates and stands at 2,717 feet tall.
b. Students will receive an article to read about the Burj Khalifia, its building
process, and some of the engineers who worked on it. Students will read this
individually at their desks.
i. http://teaching.monster.com/training/articles/9447-the-worlds-tallest-
building
2. Activate Prior Knowledge:
a. Students will answer comprehension questions about this article
i. Where is the Burj Khalifia?
ii. How long did it take workers to complete the Burj Khalifia?
iii. What is inside the Burj Khalifia?
iv. How has this building inspired you to begin your own construction
process?
b. Students will sit with their group and the teacher and aids will hand out the
materials.
c. Students will review their plans with their teams and ensure they have enough
materials to begin building.
3. Instruction:
a. Once the students have decided they have sufficient and proper materials then
they can begin building with their groups. I will have a timer on the wall, so
students are aware of the time limit set.
4. Guided Practice:
a. Students will begin building their towers at their stations.
b. They will have twenty minutes to work together. I will warn them at the halfway
point and when they have five minutes left.

24
 c. Students will be writing a step-by-step procedure of their building process. This
can be bullet points.
5. Closure:
a. Students will present their towers to the class.
6. Independent Practice:
a. Students will write in their journals about what went well during the building
process and why they think this is. Students will connect their building experience
to the Burj Khalifia?
7. UDL:
a. When reading the article, a group of students who need additional literacy support
will complete a guided reading. For this, students will have headphones and
follow along an oral reading of this article.
b. One student can act as a scribe for each group and write down the procedure
during the lesson. Students can later copy this into their own journal for their
records.
8. Assessment
a. Formative: I will observe students’ efforts during the building process to ensure
that they are engaged and that they are writing a procedure list as well.
b. Summative: I will collect the procedure that students have written. I also will
collect students’ journals.

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 Lesson Ten: The Strongest Tower

Objective: Students will be able to analyze data by testing the tower they previously built.

Standard:
NGSS Engineering Standard
K-2-ETS1-3: Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to
compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.

Materials:
 Towers
 paperclips

Anticipatory Set:
1. Engage Students:
a. Students will share what they wrote the previous night in their journals in a small
group. Then some students will share with the entire class.
b. Discuss that today we will be testing our towers, just as scientists and engineers
do, to see which can hold the most paperclips.
2. Activate Prior Knowledge:
a. We will discuss properties and how they are important to consider when building.
b. We will discuss how we took into account certain properties when building a
shield, and now we have done the same when building a tower.
3. Instruction:
a. Students will sit with their teams next to their tower.
b. I will go from tower to tower within the classroom and see how many paperclips
each tower can hold.
c. Students will stay in their seats when this happens.
4. Guided Practice:
a. I will place paperclips on the tower.
b. We will see which tower can hold the most paper clips.
c. We will write on the board how many paperclips each tower can hold.
5. Closure:
a. We will congratulate the group who built the strongest tower.
b. We will discuss which properties helped these towers support the paperclips and
how the structure supports it as well.
6. Independent Practice:
a. Students will write in their journal answering the prompt, “What properties made
a tower successful?”
7. UDL:
a. It may be difficult for all of the students to stay in their seats because of the
excitement of testing these towers. Therefore, students who need extra physical
supports when sitting such as a bear hug or a cushion will be given one.
b. Students who remain in their seats will be given positive reinforcement.
8. Assessment:

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a. Formative: I will observe how engaged students are throughout the tower testing
and how much they participate in the class conversation.
b. Summative: I will collect journal entries.

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 Final Assessment

Students will be creating mind maps to answer one of the questions provided below. For this
mind map, students will use worksheets, journals, and other previous project materials to develop
his/her final project. This mind map will be presented as a small poster (8.5” x 11”). They will
be hung around the classroom on a bulletin board. Students will use mostly visuals to create this
mind map. However, it is okay to use some words as well. After students have completed their
mind maps, they will have an individual conference with the teacher in which he/she explains the
mind map and answers the question using oral language to demonstrate understanding.

Questions:
How does the atomic structure of an object relate to its physical and chemical properties?
What is the difference between a physical and chemical change?
How do physical and chemical properties of objects help them form structures?
Why are hypotheses important to scientists and engineers?
What is the process of building a new item, and why are all of its steps important?

Rubric:

Student’s Name:

Needs Work Average Outstanding

3 5 points 10 points

Creativity Minimal effort is Some effort is shown, Effort is obvious and

shown. Student draws but only 5-7 pictures student draws 10+
less than 5 pictures. are included. pictures as evidence.

Content Images and words do Some correlation is Images and text

not seem to connect to noticeable between correlate completely.
main idea. images and text.

Relation to Images and words are Only half of the The majority of the
Coursework random and have little images and words are images and words are
to no connection to noticeably connected noticeably connected
coursework. to coursework. to coursework.

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 Conference Student is not Student is somewhat Student is confident in
confident in his/her confident in his/her his/her speech, and
speech and does not speech, but struggles answers the majority
seem to know what to answer some of the of the teacher’s follow
he/she is talking about teacher’s follow up up questions.
during the conference. questions.

Total: /40 points

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 Links:
Lesson One:
 http://www.cpalms.org/uploads/resources//46571/Marshmallowatoms.pdf
 https://www.slideshare.net/MMoiraWhitehouse/sponge-4state-of-mattercwk-dr
 http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceLesson/Preview/46571

Lesson Two:
 https://betterlesson.com/lesson/634510/ways-to-classify-objects

Lesson Three:
 https://www.education.com/activity/article/homemade-fizzy-water/

Lesson Four:
 http://www.mccracken.kyschools.us/Downloads/2%20NGSS%20UNIT%20Matter.pdf

Lesson Five:
 https://betterlesson.com/lesson/635840/building-things-in-different-
ways?from=master_teacher_curriculum

Lesson Six and Lesson Seven:

 https://betterlesson.com/lesson/634049/this-candy-is-not-what-it-seems?from=cc_lesson

Lesson Eight, Nine, and Ten:

 https://betterlesson.com/lesson/635162/testing-tower-materials-part-
1?from=breadcrumb_lesson

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