Grade: 6th
Subject: States of
Matter
Unit: Interactions of
Matter
Duration: One class (45
minutes)
Objective: Students will be able to identify the molecular speed of materials and they change into
different states.
Brief summary of unit: Students will be able to explain the changes of matter during chemical and
physical changes.
Purpose of Lesson: To allow students the opportunity to act out the speed and changes molecules
go through during chemical and physical changes.
Essential Questions:
 What causes molecules to change during phase changes?
 How are molecules different after a chemical change?
Targeted Knowledge and Skills:
 Definition of vocabulary.
 Understanding of the difference between chemical and physical changes.
Materials/Preparation Needed: examples of the states of matter (solid, liquid, gas, plasma), slow
and fast science songs (They Might Be Giants CD), salt, chex mix
Key Vocabulary: plasma, chemical change, physical change, molecule, tempo
Lesson Details:
Warm up (preparation):
Watch the “Meet the Elements” video
Have the kids describe what is happening with the colored dots (molecules)
Lesson (action):
Explain the molecular movement during physical changes. Use the chex mix and melting ice as
examples. Show that the molecules are still the same during physical changes. During phase
changes the molecules either speed up or slow down.
Discuss why a chemical change is different. Cite the example on p. 42 in the textbook. Explain why
table salt isn’t deadly. Show select frames from the warm up video, particularly the diagram of the
human body.
Have the students select a science song. The students will use the song to pretend they are a
molecule going through changes based on the tempo of the song. Students will then map out and
identify the changes they went through.
Review (reflection):
Students will name other songs that would work well for the activity and explain why they would
work.