Matter

When I teach the unit of matter, the students investigate the states and measurement of matter, mixtures and solutions, and how matter changes (Indiana Department of Education, 2009). The students compare mass by using a balance to compare the mass of different classroom objects. They drop objects into a cylinder and measure the height of the displaced water to calculate volume. The students then select different liquids and compare their densities by using a glass container to pour different combinations of liquids on one another to observe density. As part of the mixtures and solutions lesson, the class takes a fieldtrip to the local grocery store and records mixtures and solutions from each aisle of the store. Within the lesson of how matter changes, the students first observe ice cubes in a pan over heat of the stove. The second experiment is putting unwrapped crayons in one cup and chocolate squares in another. Then, the cups are left on a sunny windowsill to observe how long it took to change into a liquid. Next, the cups are put back into a freezer to record how long it takes for the crayons and chocolate to become a solid. During the investigations, the students write their observations, record their data, and later write their conclusions on a word processing program. I introduce the Internet resources after the students acquire the requisite background knowledge.

I have found two websites that add growth to their understanding and can add a differentiated component to the lesson. The first website is the American Chemical Society which include articles, activities, puzzles, and games. The site is http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content. The second is http://www.chem4kids.com/ containing student interaction information.