Baltimore County Public Schools
DRAFT DOCUMENT
PROJECT INNOVATION 2011
TR.EXPLORATION.01B
Basic Outline for CSI Chemistry Unit-4th grade
Overall Problem for the Unit – Lemonade Stand Mystery
Early one morning, Jasmine was preparing to reopen her successful summer business, a
lemonade stand. She gathered all the necessary utensils and ingredients from the kitchen and
headed outside. When she reached the stand she started to make the lemonade. She squeezed the
lemons into the pitcher, added just the right amount of sweetener, and then she poured enough
water in to fill the pitcher. She gave the solution a quick stir and she was ready for her first thirsty
customer.
It wasn’t long before her first customer arrived. It was her neighbor, Dr. Berkowitz, on
his way to his office. He wanted his usual cup of refreshing lemonade to drink while he walked
to the bus stop. Jasmine poured the lemonade and handed it to Dr. Berkowitz. As he walked
away, Jasmine called out, “See you tomorrow, Dr. B.”
Dr. Berkowitz took several steps before he took his first big drink of the lemonade. He
immediately spit it out on the ground and turned to ask Jasmine what happened to her delicious
lemonade. Jasmine was very surprised at his reaction. She decided to taste the lemonade
herself. It was bitter. Dr. B. was right! It was awful! Jasmine was confused. What happened
to the sweetener?
It will be your job to help Jasmine unravel this mystery. Can you help Jasmine identify
the perpetrator and a reason for sabotaging her business?
Lessons and Key Concepts throughout the unit
Lesson 1 – States of Matter – Solid, Liquid, Gas – Identification of the states of matter
and identifying the differences between the 3.
Lesson 2 – Differences between mass and weight. We measure mass using a balance and
in grams, we measure weight using a spring scale and in Newtons. Mass never changes
is a big idea throughout this unit. The mass of a baggie of 2 ice cubes is the same as the
mass of the baggie when the ice cubes melt.
Lesson 3 – Evaporation and Filtration – When you mix a solution of salt and water, you
can’t always see it but you know it is there because when the water evaporates it leaves
behind the salt.
Lesson 4 – Acids, Bases, and Neutrals – We use litmus paper to identify if something is
an acid, base, or neutral. We learn that red litmus paper stays read and blue turns red
then it’s and acid, if red turns blue and blue stays blue then it’s a base, and if they don’t
change color, it’s a neutral. We look at the pH scale to identify how acidic or basic a
substance can be.
Lesson 5 – Physical and Chemical changes – Identify the difference between these two
changes. Physical change is any change is size, shape or state of matter. A chemical
change creates a new substance.
Baltimore County Public Schools
DRAFT DOCUMENT
PROJECT INNOVATION 2011
TR.EXPLORATION.01B
Lesson 6 – Paper Chromotography – We use chromatography paper to test different
markers to see what marker was used to write a note left behind at Jasmine’s lemonade
stand. We observe the different colors that a black marker is composed of.
Lesson 7- Fingerprinting – We learn the 3 basic types of fingerprints (arch, whorl, and
loop) and identify our fingerprint type. We use our fingerprints to analyze the fingerprint
left behind at Jasmine’s lemonade stand.
Questions

It would be a cool idea if this game could involve solving a mystery similar to our
unit using all the basic concepts that we have learned.
Knowledge – Define the vocabulary words (words listed after unit outline)
Comprehension – Classify items as solids, liquids, and gas (solids-definite shape, size,
and volume, like a brick, liquids – definite volume, takes shape of container, and often
flows like water, gas – often invisible, fills up all space in a container, like air)
Classify items as acid, base, or neutral
Application – Choose the correct fingerprint based on the evidence and the types of
fingerprints (loop, whorl, or arch)
Analysis – Compare and contrast the different suspects in the case.
Evaluation – Based on the evidence, identify and give supports as to who you think
committed the crime.
Synthesis - Create a crime lab report to discuss the results of the case or possibly create
an investigation for others to solve based on the evidence that is discovered.
Baltimore County Public Schools
Vocabulary Word
DRAFT DOCUMENT
PROJECT INNOVATION 2011
TR.EXPLORATION.01B
Definition
acid
a substance that can taste sour: very strong acids can burn your
skin
base
a substance that is the opposite of an acid and can taste bitter;
very strong bases can burn your skin
chemical change
a change of matter in which a new substance is formed
condensation
the process of changing from a gas to a liquid
evaporation
the process of changing from a liquid to a gas
filtration
using a filter, a device with tiny holes that strains out solids
from a liquid or gas, to remove something unwanted
gas
the only kind of matter that always fills all the space inside a
container and takes the shape of the container
liquid
the form of matter that does not have its own shape, but takes
the shape of the container
litmus paper
a common indicator used to determine whether a solution is
acid or base
mass
the amount of matter in an object
matter
anything that has mass and takes up space
mixture
a combination of two or more different kinds of matter, each of
which keeps its own physical properties
neutral
a substance that is neither acid nor base
paper
chromatography
a method for separating mixtures into their different parts by
using special paper that absorbs a liquid material, such as water
physical change
a change of matter from one form to another without becoming
a new substance
physical property
a property that can be observed, measured, or changed without
changing the substance itself
Baltimore County Public Schools
DRAFT DOCUMENT
PROJECT INNOVATION 2011
TR.EXPLORATION.01B
solid
a form of matter that has a shape of its own
solubility
a measure of the amount of a material that
will dissolve in another material
solution
a special mixture in which the particles of
different kinds of matter are mixed evenly
water vapor
the gas state of water
weight
the measure of the pull of gravity on an
object