Unit Overview

In this unit about states of matter, students solve two mysteries: one on freezing frogs and another on rising and shrinking lake water levels. They then experience  a lab in which they gather evidence to prove that that gases, liquids, and solids all consist of particles that behave differently in different states. The unit culminates in an engineering challenge in which students are tasked with applying their knowledge to solve to a phase-change-related problem in the city of Particleville.

• Next Generation Science Standards

  MS-PS1-4

  Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on qualitative molecular level models of solids, liquids, and gases to show that adding or removing thermal energy increases or decreases kinetic energy of the particles until a change of state occurs. Examples of models could include drawing and diagrams. Examples of particles could include molecules or inert atoms. Examples of pure substances could include water, carbon dioxide, and helium.]

• Inquiry Scale
  • Each lesson in the unit has an Inquiry Scale that provides directions on how to implement the lesson at the level that works best for you and your students.
  • “Level 1” is the most teacher-driven, and recommended for students in 4th-5th grades. “Level 4” is the most student-driven, and recommended for students in 7th-8th grades.
  • For differentiation within the same grade or class, use different inquiry levels for different groups of students who may require additional support or an extra challenge.
• Common Misconceptions
  • Learners often confuse an increase in particle motion with simply having fewer molecules (more space to move).
  • Learners initially think that a solid, liquid, and gas are completely different substances when in fact they have the same molecular composition.
  • Learners often think that the molecules themselves are expanding or contracting depending on their state, when it is really the substance that expands or contracts due to the motion of molecules.
• Vocabulary
  • • State
    • Liquid
    • Solid
    • Gas
    • Melt
    • Freeze
    • Evaporate
• Content Expert
  • Hans C. von Baeyer
    Chancellor Professor of Physics, Emeritus College of William and Mary
• Leveled Reading

  * To give our users the most comprehensive science resource, Mosa Mack is piloting a partnership with RocketLit, a provider of leveled science articles.

  • Gas - The Crazy Kids
    
    In this article, students will explore the properties of gases. They will look how these molecules independently move and collide. The article also discusses how volume and pressure in a gas can change.

  
  RocketLit serves NGSS aligned reading at 7 reading levels.
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  • Matter Changes
    
    With a little more or a little less heat, everything can change. In this article, we explore how heat changes matter from solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.

  
  RocketLit serves NGSS aligned reading at 7 reading levels.
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  • It's Not Magic . . . It's Just a Phase
    
    In this article, students investigate the concepts of freezing point, boiling point, and melting point through a magic trick. They'll read about how a magician makes water change phase through heating and cooling at each of these temperatures.

  
  RocketLit serves NGSS aligned reading at 7 reading levels.
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  • If I Freeze or Boil You, You Won't Change?
    
    In this article, students read about the difference between a chemical change and a physical change. They learn that in a physical change, a substance will change the way it looks, but this won't change what it is.

  
  RocketLit serves NGSS aligned reading at 7 reading levels.
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  • Solid!
    
    This article explores the formation and structure of a solid. Students will look at the concept of a repeating pattern and the lattices that hold together all of the building blocks that make up a solid.

  
  RocketLit serves NGSS aligned reading at 7 reading levels.
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  • Waiting For Water
    
    In this article, students read about the basics of fluids and their behaviors. They read about the basics of flow, fluid, condensation and the attractive forces that hold things together in liquids and solids.

  
  RocketLit serves NGSS aligned reading at 7 reading levels.
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