The Interactive Science Classroom
Grades 4-6
Grade 5 Understanding Matter and Energy:
Properties and Changes in Matter
LEGEND:
Individual Activity
Group Activity
Demonstration
Outdoor Activity
Make Your Own Ice Cream
This is a great experiment for showing students how changes of state are accompanied by a change in energy. By this point, students will have most likely done the unit on energy and energy transformation. As students are making their ice cream, push them to consider why the ice cream is forming. As the cream freezes, what is happening to the ice cubes? How does this relate to energy transfer? Does it work the other way around (ie: does the cream lose energy?).
Expectations Addressed: 3.6
Phases of Water
Use this gizmo to give students the chance to observe what happens to water molecules when they go from one state to another. What happens when water is heated up? At what temperature does it become a gas? How would you describe the movement of molecules at different stages?
This activity is a great way for students to play with the variables involved in changes in matter without having to physically run a lab in which they heat up water (as the saying goes, it can be tedious to watch water boil). This Gizmo allows students to play and replay the changes in matter at their own speed, allowing them to really go at their own pace and to build their understanding through experimentation.
