Kat- Lesson Plan Solids Liquids Gases

Lesson Name or Number:		What Do We Know About Solids, Liquids, and Gases			Date:	Feb 11th 2014
Name:	Kat Fiddler		Subject:	Science- Solids, Liquids, Gases			Grade(s):	2

                                                                                                                                 

Rationale:  

This lesson is relevant to the grade two science curriculum because it allows children to explore substances using the knowledge they have gained throughout the solids, liquids, and gases unit. Teachers can use this lesson as a form of assessment in which students express their knowledge through discussion as well as through their predictions and conclusions. This lesson includes hands on, auditory, and visual queues for all types of learners.

Prescribed Learning Outcome(s): 

2-2-01 - Use appropriate vocabulary related to their investigations of solids, liquids, gases.

2-2-15 – Recognize that the states of solids and liquids remain constant in some circumstances but may change in other.

Instructional Objective(s):

The objective of this lesson is to have students learn to express their knowledge about the three states of matter and use constructive reasoning in order to come to a conclusion about unknown substances. This lesson provides students the opportunity to use their newly learned knowledge in a context that could be similar to a real life experience.

Prerequisite Concepts and Skills: 

 For this lesson, students should have the knowledge that helps us decide whether a substance is a solid, liquid, or gas. This means that the students will be able to recall how these three states of matter look, act, and change. This knowledge would be covered within a variety of learning outcomes such as 2-2-02, 2-2-03, 2-2,04, and 2-2-05.

Materials and Resources:

Teacher	Students
Cornstarch Magic (baking soda & water) Beaker/ Measuring cup Examples of liquids (water) Examples of solid (rock) Worksheet for students (attached) Hand washing station	Pencil Prediction/ Conclusion worksheets

Lesson Activities:

Teacher Activities	Student Activities	Time
Activate: -Begin by asking students what they know about the three states of matter -Have students guess what will happen when you pour the liquid into the container. Do the same with a solid object. -Show students “cornstarch magic” substance Acquire: -Give students PREDICTION/CONCLUSION charts -Have a mock chart made up on the whiteboard -After students predict, explain to them that sometimes, solids, liquids and gases stay the same sometimes, and change other times. Just like when we heat ice, it turns from a solid to a liquid. When we put pressure on the liquid form of cornstarch magic, it becomes a solid until we let go and release the pressure.	Activate: - Have students feel/play with the substance (Have hand wash station near by or put in plastic bags) -Ask students while they are exploring the substance if they think the substance is a liquid or solid Acquire: -Have students fill out predictions of what the cornstarch magic substance could be and explain why in their own terms -Have students write down in the conclusion side of their worksheet that sometimes substances can be different states when in different situations.	10 min 10 min
Teacher Activities	Student Activities	Time
Apply: -Have a discussion about what other objects can change or are more “flexible” -Talk about “flexible” solids like rubber, nylon, Styrofoam etc.	Apply: -Have students write some examples in the conclusion side of their worksheet	5 min

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Differentiated Instruction (DI):

This lesson is universal as it is beneficial for all learners and allows all types of students to succeed. Since the activity has a variety of sections, we are able to touch on many different styles of learning. Students who learn kinesthetically benefit from the section of the lesson where they can feel the cornstarch magic and apply their discoveries to their learning. Students who learn though auditory means will benefit from the discussion sections of the lesson. Students who are visual learners benefit from both seeing the cornstarch magic substance as well as having a worksheet to document their learning. Students are encouraged throughout this lesson to learn either independently or discuss with others.

Modifications for this lesson are as for students within the classroom that may have special needs or learning disabilities. Students who have sensory issues may not want to touch the substance. These students will be encouraged to watch others investigate the substance so that they are able to learn how the substance reacts to pressure. Students who may have difficulty writing can be encouraged to draw pictures on their worksheets rather than writing. Students can also express to the teacher or an educational assistant what their predictions and conclusions about the substance are. Teachers and educational assistants will be encouraged to circulate throughout the room while students are making predictions and conclusions and having discussions with their peers.

Organizational Strategies:

The teacher and the educational assistant(s) should circulate the room in order to listen to and facilitate discussions amongst the children. During the investigation aspect of the lesson, a teacher will organize the children. The children should be lined up and waiting for their turn to explore the cornstarch magic. If there is more than one adult in the room there can be more than one line for the children to wait for their turn. Children are encouraged to think about what we are learning about while they wait. The worksheets help the students stay focused by having specific sections for the different parts of the lesson.

Behavioural Management Strategies:

In order for the lesson to run smoothly, the teacher can individually pick students to come up and explore the substance. This selection can be done using choose sticks (random) or by which children are sitting nicely (rewarding positive behaviors). The adult supervision and circulation throughout the room is important to keep children on task and behaving. If students are not able to stay on task or are acting out they can be given warnings and if they can still not comply those children will be removed to a quiet part of the classroom where they can collect themselves and relax until they are reading to come back and learn with the rest of the class.

Assessment and Evaluation:

The assessment of this lesson is done in a variety of parts. In part, the lesson itself is an assessment on how the students apply their prior knowledge of the unit to a new lesson. Other assessment parts of this lesson include the worksheet, which is a concrete assessment piece that will come out of this lesson as well as the active discussion as a class and between students and their peers. It is important that the teacher pay attention to the vocabulary the students are using in order to properly achieve 2-2-01.

Extensions:

This lesson provides context for future discovery lessons. Once children have a base idea of how to discover a substance and apply their prior knowledge to conclude about a certain object or substance, it will be easier for the class to discover other new substances. This can be useful for a variety of inquiry lessons, not only pertaining to science. The skill of being able to use prior knowledge to learn/find out/conclude about new things is a universal skill in which this lesson facilitates.

Substance Name:
PREDICTION	CONCLUSION