Los Angeles Charter Schools Science Partnership
Model-Based Inquiry Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: States of Matter
Topic/Focus Area: Changes in the States of Matter
Subject/ Grade Level: 3 Physical Science
Model: Students will draw and label a flow map of water changing states, describing how they
would make the change happen and listing 3 properties of each stage.
California Standards to be addressed:
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Grade: 3 Physical Science 1: Energy and matter have multiple forms and can be changed
from one form to another.
o PS1e: Students know matter has three forms: solid, liquid, and gas.
o PS1f: Students know evaporation and melting are changes that occur when the
objects are heated.
Student Objectives:
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Students will be able to identify the three states of matter, their properties, and explain
how matter can change into the different forms.
Engage
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Students will conduct ice cube experiment, Ice Cube Race.
Students will find ways to melt the ice cube.
Discussion what did they do to melt the ice cube.
What changes took place with the ice cube.
Scaffold: list what other items would be classified as solid or liquid – tree map
Come up with definition of solid and liquids
What will the next step be after liquids?
Think about 3 states of matter and how it changes from solid to liquid and liquid to solid
Explore
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Students will make popsicles – orange juice, apple juice
Wax Melting activity
Explain
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Students Venn Diagram/Double Bubble Map to show the similarities and differences
between the different states of matter.
Interactive web-site – adding heat and boil water (steam)
Gas State – dry ice demo, boiling water
Extend
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Goobleck
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Students make ice cream
Evaluate- Model
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Students will draw and label a flow map of water changing states, describing how they
would make the change happen and listing 3 properties of each stage.
Materials
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Ziplock Bags (quart size and gallon size)
Socks/gloves to protect hands
Ice
Rock salt
Measuring Cups/spoons
Cream/milk
Sugar
Vanilla
Additional toppings
Data Sheets
Pencils
Cups
Freezer to keep the ice
Refrigerator to keep milk/cream
Butcher paper
Thermometers
Vocabulary

solid
matter that has a definite shape and a definite volume
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liquid
matter that has a definite volume but no definite shape
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gas
matter that does not have a definite shape or definite volume
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element
basic kind of matter made up of just one kind of atom
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atom
element
smallest particle of an element that has the properties of that
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nucleus
the central part of an atom
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chemical symbol
a shorthand way to represent the name of an element
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matter
anything that takes up space and has mass
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4 states of matter solid, liquid, gas, plasma
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3 basic parts of an neutrons, protons, and electrons
atom
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mass
a measure of how much matter there is in an object
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volume
the amount of space an object takes up
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energy
the ability to make things change
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physical change / a characteristic of matter that can be detected or
measured with the property senses
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mixture
matter made up of two or more substances
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solution
a mixture in which the different particles of matter are
spread evenly
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melting
the change of state from a solid to a liquid
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evaporation
the change of state from a liquid to a gas
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condensation
the change of state from a gas to a liquid
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physical change
the process in which the size, shape, or state of matter
changes, but no new substances are formed
Learning Activities
which lead to
Model: Inquiry
Based; ELL and
Literacy Strategies;
Scaffolding
ENGAGE:
Ice Cube Race
Students are given a
cup with an ice cube
inside. They will
work with a partner
to see how fast they
can make the ice
cube melt; using
whatever methods
and tools they have
available in and out
of the classroom.
Teacher Questions
for Activity: Key
questions that show
progression from
lower to higher
order thinking
1) How can you
make the ice
cube melt?
2) Who can melt the
ice cube the
fastest?
3) What tools will
you need?
EXPLAIN:
1) What methods or
strategies did
you use to melt
your ice cube?
2) What changes
took place with
the ice cube?
Anticipated Student
Responses,
Questions and
Errors
Teacher Response
to Students and
Teacher
Intervention
Activities or
Strategies
Held it in my hand,
Ask was there a
rubbed it, put it in the temperature change.
sun.
When heat is added
to a solid, it melts
The ice cube started
into a liquid.
to melt.
Clarification: Simply
putting the water
Putting it in the sun
into the freezer will
or in my hands
create ice but it will
because it was hot.
not create an icecube. First the liquid
needs to be poured in
Putting the cup in the to an ice-cube tray
microwave.
since liquids take the
shape of the
container when the
liquid is frozen it will
Put it in the freezer.
look like an ice cube.
Held it in my hand,
How long did you
rubbed it, put it in the have to hold it? Rub
sun.
it? Etc. Did you pick
an effective method?
It melted; turns from
solid to liquid;
warmed up; more
wet
What was the
process? Use
scientific vocabulary.
The ones with the
most heat; rubbing in
hands
Why??? Extend by
talking about heat
and low to high
temperatures
4) Is there another
method that
would work
which was not
available?
Microwave, oven,
fire, hot water, sun?
Estimate the time it
would take in
microwave vs oven
vs sun, etc. Predict
most effective and
why.
5) How could you
Put it in the
Clarify/explain why
3) Which methods
were
fastest/most
successful and
why?
make it back into
a solid after it
melted and
would it be the
same shape?
Scaffold: list what
other items would be
classified as solid or
liquid—tree map
freezer/make it
really cold. Same
shape?
No…depending on
the container it was
in and the solid will
not be as large
because some of the
water was lost
the shape and density
are different. Talk
about using different
containers and that
evaporation results
in less water. Revisit
vocabulary terms.
Come up with
definition of solid and
liquids. What are the
definitions for solid,
liquid and gas?
What will the next
step be after liquids?
Think about 3 states
of matter and how it
changes from solid to
liquid and liquid to
solid
ENGAGE: Making
Popsicles using
Orange juice/apple
juice
What was required to
make the liquid into a
solid?
What else could be
used to create the
same effect?
EXPLORE: Melting
FOSS Activity
It has to get really
cold; freezer.
Extremely cold
weather
outside…leave it out
to freeze.
What other additional
liquids are there that
could be frozen?
Soda? Water? Milk?
Liquid soap?
Yogurt?
Do you think you
could melt these
Yes. Except the rock
What temperature is
the freezer? What is
the freezing point?
How cold does it have
to be?
Compare length of
time to putting it in
the freezer.
Compare length of
time according to
different
consistencies.
Predict.
Why would the rock
not melt?
Grouping: create
groups of four
What would you have
to do to melt them?
Materials:
Caution—Be sure to
go over hot water
safety in the
classroom.
1 marked container
(2 cm)
Burn it. Make it hot.
Put it in the
microwave. Sun.
Add heat by heating
up the water.
1 unmarked
container
Thermometers (one
for each group)
1 set of four samples
in cup
4 toothpicks
Hot water 60 degrees
Celsius
Butter
Chocolate
Candle
Pebbles
EXPLAIN: Melting
Activity
Foss student
worksheet
What changes did you
observe?
Margarine melted
Chocolate melted
What materials
melted completely?
Margarine
How do you know?
How could you melt
them?
On the back of the
What changes in the
states of matter did
you observe?
Prompt: Changed
form—what are the
properties of liquid?
Changed shape
Moves around
Hotter water
What temperature do
you think the water
needs to be?
Extension
conversation: The
margarine shows that
worksheet students
will draw a model of
the materials before
and after they put the
cup in the hot water
container.
Pictures will vary
but will show a
change in the
substances from the
before to the after.
Check students
understanding of
melting as a change
from solid to liquid
state, and that heat
causes the change.
EVALUATE: Melting
Activity FOSS
Worksheet
EXPLORE: Melting
Activity FOSS
the water was warm
enough to make it
melt. The chocolate
also melted but not at
the same rate. Do you
think the candle
would melt over time
with the same heat or
more intense heat?
Do you think the rock
could ever melt?
Hypothesis: How long Responses will vary.
would it take for the
candle wax to melt?
Think of when you
have candles on
birthday cake.
What happens if you
do not blow out the
candle right away?
EXPLORE: Water
Evaporation.
Where did the liquid
go?
Which container of
water will evaporate
fastest? Use different
variables like
containers, lids,
location, etc.
What was needed for
change?
EXPLAIN: Gas State
Dry ice & Boiling
Water
demonstrations
Which variable
caused the greatest
amount of
evaporation?
Up in the air;
disappeared/vanish
ed
Emphasizing/explaini
ng the vocabulary—
evaporation
Heat; light; time
How MUCH heat was
needed: How would
we figure that out?
The one with the
most heat/light
Would light alone
cause evaporation?
(See above)
EXTEND: Students
will make Goobleck
What different states
of matter did you
observe? What
caused the change in
the different states?
Liquid, solid
What is the definition
of a solid and would
this really fall into
that category?
EXTEND: Students
will make ice-cream
What were the liquids
that were used?
Milk, vanilla, cream
Students will write
down what they
observe in 5 min
increments and
measure the
temperature.
What were the solids
that were used?
What other liquids
could we have added?
Predict the changes
they would have
made.
Were any gases used?
What changes in the
states of matter took
place throughout the
experiment?
Plastic bags, ice, salt,
sugar, measuring
devices,
socks/gloves, any
additional toppings
No
Liquids slowly
became solid
(freezing); became
harder; became ice
cream!
Became harder;
became ice cream;
ice melted
What physical
changes did you see
during each interval
from the beginning
stage to the end?
Did the temperature
change? How?
Yes…got colder)
What other solids
could we have used?
Did any of the solids
disappear? (sugar
and salt)
Could we have used
any? How?
Will it stay a solid/ice
cream/hard forever?
Did your predictions
come true? What did
you observe? What
did you see?
Did you see any
changes in the state?
Describe the changes
during each interval.
How did it feel during
each interval?
Did you notice how
cold your hands got?
Did that affect your
ingredients? How
cold did things get?
What
process/strategy did
you use? Compare
with a neighbor.
EVALUATE: Students
are asked to draw
and label a flow map
(model), describing
what caused the
change in states, and
listing 3 properties of
each state of matter
Shake, pass back
and forth with
partner, move up
and down, side to
side, etc.
What was the most
popular strategy?
Who was done first
and what did they do
to complete it the
fastest?