Mission Separation Teacher Resources
“In Project Based Learning (PBL), students go through an extended process of inquiry in
response to a complex question, problem, or challenge. While allowing for some degree of
student "voice and choice," rigorous projects are carefully planned, managed, and assessed to
help students learn key academic content, practice 21st Century Skills (such as collaboration,
communication & critical thinking), and create high-quality, authentic products & presentations.”
Buck Institute Website
If you are unfamiliar with Project Based Instruction, here are a few websites to get you started
on your journey.
http://www.bie.org/ Buck Institute Website
http://www.transformation2013.org/
http://www.pblu.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OWX6KZQDoE Video explanation of PBI
Objectives for Students:
 Observe physical properties of a mixture.
 Analyze the physical properties of the mixture to determine a procedure to separate the components of the
mixture.
 Classify matter based on physical properties, including mass, magnetism, relative density (sinking and floating),
and solubility in water.
 Use 5th grade math TEKS in a practical way to report results of separation.
Background:
Separating and recovering pure substances from mixtures is extremely important in scientific research and
industry. Often scientists need to work with pure substances, but naturally occurring materials are seldom pure. Often,
differences in the physical properties of the components in a mixture provide the means for separating them. This
scenario allows students to design, develop, and implement their own procedure for separating a mixture based on the
individual properties of its parts. The mixture they will work with contains salt, sand, poppy seeds and iron filings. All
four substances are in dry, granular form. Students are given a cup containing 15g each of the four components for a
total of 60g.
Possible Materials to make available for students:
cotton balls
aluminum foil
plastic spoons/forks
paper towels
distilled water
plastic straws
funnels
hot plate set on low with tongs (with supervision)
filter paper
evaporating dishes or other heatproof glassware
magnets
paper clips
plastic wrap
wood splints
electronic balance
transparent tape
petri dish
pipettes or cups of water (in limited amounts)
Magnifying glasses or microscopes
Collect Background Information: (Note – all data must be recorded in tables in their journals)
Students need to be able to request small samples of each of the components to test regarding physical properties. You
will need to make extra and have it in a central location for students to test out their hypotheses. Teachers need to walk
around and listen in on conversations. Clue cards are available below to assist teams that are struggling.
Suggested Web Resources for Students and Teachers:
http://www.chem4kids.com/files/matter_intro.html Chem4Kids Matter Unit
http://ethemes.missouri.edu/themes/261 Extensive list of upper elementary websites from Univ. of Missouri
Suggested Instructions for Students:
1. Make observations of your sample under a low-power microscope or magnifying glass. Draw a sample of your mixture
in your notebook.
2. Devise a step-by-step plan for separating the four components from the mixture. Mistakes in the procedure may be
costly to your success, so plan carefully and thoroughly your ENTIRE procedure. Get approval of your written procedure
and list of equipment before you begin. Glue it in your notebook.
3. Once your plan is approved, obtain a sample of your mixture. Your sample should have a mass close to 60g. Mass it to
confirm.
4. Separate your mixture while filling out the information on your Mission Separation Results Day 3. Glue it into your
notebook.
Formative Assessment: Probing questions to ask as students work on separation or in the class discussion after
presentations are made.
1. Evaluating Methods: How did you decide on the order of your procedural steps? Would any order have worked? Should
you change it?
2. Designing Experiments: If you could do that step over again, what would you do differently?
3. Designing Experiments: Are there any materials or tools that aren’t here that might have made your separation
easier? Why?
4. For each of the four components, describe the specific physical property that enabled you to separate the
component from the rest of the mixture.
5. In which part of your experiment did you create a solution? What substances made up the solution?
6. Can you tell me the definition in your own words for magnetism, solution, density, mass, mixture, etc?
List of Documents in this Project
1. Project Calendar
2. Project Overview
3. Teacher Resources
4. Day 1 Entry Document
5. Day 1 Project Summary
6. Day 2 Separation Procedure Page for Science Notebooks
7. Day 3-4 Calculation Page for Science Notebooks
8. Day 4 Self Check Rubric
9. Day 5 Oral Presentation Rubric
Clue Cards:
If teams seem to be struggling to figure out where to start or what step might be next, teachers can have “clue cards”
available to assist the teams.
Clue Card: Physical Property….MAGNETISM
Are any of your substances attracted to a magnet?
Could you use MAGNETISM to separate them? What
material could your wrap around your magnet to
make it really easy to collect the substances that
stick to the magnet?
Clue Card: Physical Property…DENSITY
Because of their DENSITY, some substances will
sink in water because they are more DENSE that
the water. Other substances will float in water
because they are less DENSE than the water. Can
you use this physical property to separate the
mixture?
Clue Card: Physical Property…SOLUBILITY
Can you use water to DISSOLVE one of your
substances, filter the liquid, and then evaporate the
water from the solution to get it back?
Clue Card: Physical Property…EVAPORATION
If you used water to help separate one of your
components and your mass in grams is still very
high, be sure that you have left time for the water
to dry out (EVAPORATE). It may help to remove it
as best as you can with paper towels so you are
massing your substance and not water you added.