Students in a 3rd grade class participated in hands-on activities and discussions to learn about the three states of matter - solids, liquids, and gases. They classified objects from a "NASA mission" as solids, liquids, or gases based on their properties. The teacher reinforced the concepts by reading a story and having students take guided notes. Students demonstrated their understanding of classifying materials and defining the key characteristics of the three states of matter.

1. Ray 1
3216 Elementary Science Methods
2014
StudentName: LeAnne Ray
LessonTitle: Solids,Liquids,andGases
Grade:3rd
Grade
Classroom Teacher:Ms. Jami Dickerson
Essential Standard(s) and ClarifyingStandards (s):
Essential Standard:
3.P.2—Understandthatstructure and propertiesof matterbefore andaftertheyundergoachange.
Clarifying Standards:
3.P.2.1—Recognize thatairisa substance that surroundsus,takesupspace,and has a mass.
3.P.2.2—Compare solids,liquids,andgasesontheirbasicproperties.
LessonObjectives:
Studentswill be able to understandthatairtakesupspace.
Studentswill be able toclassifyobjectsbasedontheirbasicproperties.
Studentswill have anunderstandingof whatmattermeans.
Studentswill have anunderstandingof whatasolidisand itsproperties.
Studentswill have anunderstandingof whataliquidisanditsproperties.
Studentswill have anunderstandingof whatagas is andits properties.

2. Ray 2
DifferentiationStrategies:
Since there isa studentinthe classroomwitha hearingaidinhisright earand is deaf inhisleft,Iwill be emphasizing lessonobjectiveswithvisual aids.
For eachactivitythere isa guidedworksheetwithall instructionsandnecessaryinformation tosucceedwiththe assignment.
For the lesson,there isaPowerPointforthe studentstofollowalongwith.
Big Ideas/ Content:
Matter: PropertiesandChange
IdentifyMisconceptions:( Identifyingstudents’misconceptionsaboutthe lessontopicidentifiedthroughprofessionalknowledge interview).
Most thinkthat air doesnottake up space.
Some do nothave an understandingof whatsolids,liquids,andgasesare andwhat theirbasicpropertiesare.
Most will viewthe terminology“properties”asthingsthatpeople own.
Some will thinkthatgasis the fuel youputin yourcar at the gas station.
Time Frame:
15 minutes
Engage Materials
Teacher Role Student Role (Response—Action)
Will blowupa balloonandask “whatjusthappened
to the balloon?”“Whatis inthe balloon?”
Will deflate the balloonandask“nowwhathappened
to the balloon?”“Whathappenedtothe air inside
the balloon?”“Diditdisappear,oris itstill exist?”
Will beginlessonbyaskingthe studentsabouthow
theywould describe airandwhethertheybelieve it
takesup space.
Will watchthe balloondemonstration.
Will thinkaboutwhathappenedtothe balloon
whenthe teacherinflateditandshare.
Will thinkaboutwhathappenedtothe balloon
whenthe teacherdeflatedit andshare.
Will thinkaboutwhathappenedtothe air inside the
balloonandwhetheritdisappearedorstill existsand
share.
Balloon

3. Ray 3
Will introduce the demonstrationbytalkingabout
the itemsusedandhowtheywill be used (pitcher,
cup, papertowel,andwater).
The pitcherwill be filledwithwater
The paper towel will be foldingandtapedinside the
cup on the bottomso that itwill notfall out
The cup will be turnedupside downandfully
submergedintothe pitcher.
Will listentothe teacherinorderto understand
whatis goingto happen duringthe demonstration.
Pitcher
Cup
Paper towel
Water
Askstudents“whatdo youthinkwill happentothe
papertowel?Will itstaydry or getwet?”
Askstudentstoput up one fingerif theybelievethat
the papertowel will staydryand putup two fingersif
theybelievethatthe papertowel will getwet.
Will raise one fingerif theybelieve thatthe paper
towel will staydry.
Will raise twofingersif theybelieve thatthe paper
towel will getwet.
Will performthe demonstration:
 Folda piece of papertowel andtape it inside
the glass.
 Fullysubmerge the glassintothe pitcher.
 Pull the glassoutof the pitcher.
 Showthe studentsthe papertowel.
Will watchthe demonstration.
Showa studentthe papertowel andask “what
happenedtothe papertowel?”
Will contemplate whathappenedtothe paper
towel?Whydidthishappen?

4. Ray 4
Will have a final discussionabouthowairtakesup
space.
Since the papertowel isdry,air wasin the cup.
The air was pushedtogetherwhenthe waterwent
intothe cup.
Will listentothe teacher’sexplanations.
Tell students“touchyournose if youthinkair takes
up space and touchyour headif you thinkairdoes
not take up space.”
Will touchtheirnose if theythinkairtakesup space.
Will touchtheirnose if theythinkairdoesnot take
up space.
OrganizingKnowledge (Sequencingcore ideas,practicesandconceptsthatenable studentstoacquire developmentallyappropriate expertise).
Time Frame:
25 minutes
Explore (Performance Task) Materials
Teacher Role Student Role (Response—Action)
Will work in their classroom assigned table groups.
Will pass out “NASAMission” Worksheet.
Will explainthe promptof the assignmentand
furtherinstructions:
A spaceshiphasarrivedbackhome inFloridafromits
latestexplorationtoMars. The astronautshave
broughthome several itemsthattheywishfor
scientiststoclassify.NASAhasaskedforyouto
classifythese itemsintogroupsbasedonwhatyou
thinktheyare.So that otherscientistscan
understandyourwork,NASA isaskingthatyouname
each group,name eachitem,listall of the
characteristicsof these itemsineachgroup,and
sketcha drawingof these items.
Will write name anddate on the “NASA Mission”
worksheet.
Will be listeningandfollowingalongwiththe
prompton theirworksheettitled“NASA Mission”.
Worksheet: “NASA
Mission”

5. Ray 5
Belowisthe chart that NASA hasrequestedyouto
use.Theybelievethatthese itemsare goingtofit
intothree differentcategories.Will youfigure out
whatgroups theyare and what theircharacteristics
are? Happyclassifying!
Will pass out the containers of itemsneededforthe
assignment.
May take itemsoutof the binto lookat themmore
closely.
Will monitorthe discussionwithineachgroup,
answerquestions,andprovideguidance if needed.
Will classifythe six itemsintothreecategories,
name the categories,andname the objects
Will describe characteristics,orwhatmakesthe
itemsfitin the same group,of the itemsgrouped
together.
Will recordwhattheydecide ontheir“NASA
Mission”worksheet.
Each group will create aposterof the information
theycollectedforone of theirgroups.
5—containers
5—inflated balloons
5—rocks
5—water bottles
5—small hand sanitizers
5—pencils
5—pictures of steam
coming out of a pot
Will monitorthe discussionwithineachgroup,
answerquestions,andprovideguidance if needed.
The postershouldinclude:
 StudentNames
 Group name for itemsthatare grouped
together
 Properties of the group
 Picturesandwordsof the itemsin the
group.
6—poster boards

6. Ray 6
Time Frame:
20 minutes
Explain (Expectations of student explanations—Teacher questions and guidance to develop students’
explanations)
Materials
Teacher Role Student Role (Response—Action)
Will bringthe studentsbacktogether. Will finishupanyfinal adjustments.
Will goaround to eachtable withthe stickslabeled1,
2, 3, 4, or 5 to determine the orderinwhichthe
groupswill present theirfindings.
Will draw a stick 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 to determine when
theirgroupwill presenttheirfindings.
Popsicle sticks
Cup
Will listentowhateachgroup hasto say.
Will keeppostersafter the group has shared.
Will presentthe informationthey collectedtothe
class.
 Talk aboutwhytheygroupeditemstogether
 Talk aboutwhattheynamedtheirgroup
 Talk aboutthe propertiesof the group
Whennot presenting,theywillbe listeningtotheir
classmates’presentations.
Will collectthe “NASAMission” worksheetand pass
out “The Three States of Matter” worksheet.
Will pile theirworksheetsonthe table forthe
teacherto collect.
Will write theirname anddate on the worksheet.
Worksheet: “Three States
of Matter”
Afterall groupshave shared theirfindings,the
teacherwill provide informationaboutthe properties
of solids,liquids,andgasesfromPowerPoint.
Ask: whatis Matter?
The basic definition: Matterisanythingthattakesup
While listeningtoteacher,studentswillbe usingthe
worksheetgiventothemtofill inthe blanksof the
notes.
Whenasked,studentswillanswerthe teacher’s
questions.
Whentoldby the teacher:on worksheet,decide
PowerPoint

7. Ray 7
space and has mass.
Ask: whatare the Statesof Matter?
There are three statesof matter:solids,liquids,and
gases.
Ask: whatis a Solid?
A solidisthe simplestandmosttangible state of
matter
A solidhasthese three mainproperties: ithasa
definiteshape,ithas a definitemass,andithas a
definitevolume.
A solidwill alwayslookthe same andtake upthe
same amountof space.
Ask: whatis a Liquid?
A liquidisthe mostfluidandever-changingstate of
matter
A liquidhasthese three mainproperties: itdoesnot
have a definite shape,ithasa definitemass,ithasa
definitevolume.
A liquidwillalwaystake upthe same amountof
space and take the shape of itscontainer.
Ask: whatis a Gas?
A gas isthe most complex anddifficulttounderstand
state of matter
whetheritems onslide eleven are solids,liquids,or
gases.
 Contentsinside emptywaterbottle
 Glassbowl
 Steam
 Milk
 M&Ms
 Vinegar

8. Ray 8
A gas has these three mainproperties: itdoesnot
have a definite shape,itdoesnothave a definite
mass,it doesnothave a definite volume.
A gas doesnotalwaysweighthe same or take upthe
same amountof space.
However,like aliquid,agas will alwaystake the
shape of its container,nomatterthe size or shape of
that container.
Will reviewkeypoints:
Matter is anythingisanythingthathasmass and
takesup space.
The three statesof matterare: solids,liquidsand
gases.
Solids:have adefinite shape,massandvolume.
Liquids:have adefinite massandvolume,butnot
shape.
Gases:do not have a definite mass,volume,orshape.
Will collect“The Three States of Matter Worksheet” Will create a pile of the worksheetsforthe teacher
to collect.
Metacognition(Providingopportunitiesforstudentstofindoutwhattheyknowthroughself-monitoring&reflection).
Time Frame:
15 minutes
Elaborate Materials
Teacher Role Student Role (Response—Action)
Will readthe book“What Isthe WorldMade Of?All
AboutSolids,Liquids,andGases”byKathleen
Will listentothe storyand try to pickout the Book: “What Is the World
Made of?All about Solids,

9. Ray 9
WeidnerZoehfeld. importantthings. Liquids, and Gases”
Will askquestionsaboutthe storyto make sure
studentswere fullyengagedandtooksomething
away fromit
What isa solid?
What isa liquid?
What isa gas?
What isthe main ideaof thisstory?
What issomethingthatyoulearnedfromthisstory?
Whencalledon,will answerthe questionsthe
teacherasks.
Evaluate
(Ask students to examine, evaluate, and correct their preconceptions).
Materials
Teacher Role Student Role:
Will complete arubricbasedon the worksheetsthat
the studentsturnedin.
Evaluationwill dependonwhatthe students
completedonthe worksheets.
Turn inworksheetstoteacher. Worksheetstoturnin
References(Listand/or Hyperlink):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0064451631/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.chem4kids.com/files/matter_intro.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/science/materials/solids_liquids_gases/read/1/

10. Ray 10
Rubric ( Any rubric used for you evaluation)
Below Average Understanding
1
Average Understanding
2
High Average Understanding
3
Score
Classifyingobjects
based on similar
properties.
“NASA Mission”
The studenthas little orno
understandingof howto
classifyitemsinto different
groupsbasedon common
properties.
The studentunderstands
howto classifyitems,but
doesnothave a complete
understandingof why
theyare grouped
together.
The studentunderstands
howto classifyitemsbased
on theirpropertiesand
understands whytheyare
groupedtogetherbasedon
theirdescriptions.
Understandingwhat
matter is.
“The Three Statesof
Matter”
The studenthas little orno
understandingof whatmatter
is.
The studenthas an
understandingof what
matteris,but it isnot a
fully developeddefinition.
The studenthas a well-
developedunderstandingof
whatmatter is.
Takes guidednotes
efficiently.
“The Three Statesof
Matter”
The studenthas little orno
understandingof howto
complete guidednotes.
The studenthas an
understandingof howto
complete guidednotes,
but doesnotalways
complete themcorrectly.
The studenthas an
understandingof howto
complete guidednotes
efficiently.