If You Show Me I Will Learn

Prior Knowledge: Matter has physical properties. Understand the definition of matter. What are some physical characteristics or properties of matter?

Anticipatory Set: The teacher will show students several objects identifying as a solid, liquid, or gas. Discussing and identifying the properties of each. Pictures can be sorted into each property so kids can compare identified objects…..be sure to include a picture of an igneous rock….as large as you can find...this will help with understanding size doesn't necessarily decide the weight or mass of something.

Instruction: In groups of four or five students, TL’s W, be given a digital cameras and a small plastic bowls. After discussing the proper handling of equipment and safety procedures, students will go out to the playground and collect data for the returning experiment. TLW be instructed to find objects that will fit inside the bowl. TLW first take a picture of the object in its natural setting, then put the object in the bowl to bring into class. The teacher will refer back to the sorted pictures on the wall paying special attention to the picture of the solid objects. From there…….. The conversation with the class would be interacting as to where the object might be found and the mass (measuring the amount of “stuff” in an object). Discussing the more mass an object as, the harder it is to move. Students will be asked to speculate as to why the objects they found on the playground had to fit inside the bowl. The teacher will then reveal the actual objects of the photographs found on the board. The teacher will direct teach the proper use of a triple beam balance by weighing each of the solid items in the Anticipatory Set. Students will share pictures taken with the digital cameras and estimate the weight of each item recording estimates in Science Journals. After question and answer review as to how to use the triple beam balance, student groups will measure each group’s item, recording data in Science Journal (including sketch of weighed items). Items will be listed from heaviest to lightest. Discuss how weight and mass are not the same thing. Explaining weight is the measure of the pull of gravity and mass as stated above is the amount of stuff in an object.

Elaborate: Students will be given objects of unknown mass. With the object in hand the student will hunt for another object that has the same mass within a given amount of time. Students will weigh items to see if they have a match.

Evaluation: Students will master a 10 question evaluation with 80 percent accuracy.