ACS: Inquiry in Action - Matter is Made of Tiny Particles (Lesson 1.1)
Students squeeze a flexible plastic bottle filled with air and another filled with water to investigate the questions: Is an "empty" bottle really empty? and Can you force the molecules of a gas or a liquid to be closer together?
Students will develop a model to describe that matter is made up of tiny particles, too small to be seen. Students will use the model to describe the differences in attraction among the particles of a solid, liquid, and gas. Finally, students will use their models of solids, liquids, and gases to explain their observations in the lesson.
Matter on Earth is in the form of solid, liquid, or gas.
Solids, liquids, and gases are made of tiny particles called atoms and molecules.
In a solid, the particles are very attracted to each other. They are close together and vibrate in position but don't move past one another.
In a liquid, the particles are attracted to each other but not as much as they are in a solid. The particles of a liquid are close together, always moving, and can slide past one another.
In a gas, the particles have very little attraction to each other. They are very far apart compared to the particles in a solid or liquid, and are constantly moving. The particles don't interact with one another but just hit and bounce off of each other when they collide.
NGSS 5-PS1-1: Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.
Students are introduced to the idea that matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms and molecules.
Students observe a solid metal hammer and a nail and view a molecular model animation of the particles in a solid.
Students squeeze a flexible plastic bottle with a balloon on top of the bottle to develop a model of the particles of a gas.
Students also try to squeeze a bottle filled with water to develop a model of the particles of a liquid.
Students watch a short animation that illustrates the incredibly tiny size of atoms and molecules.
Finally, students make an argument that even though a mound of shaving cream keeps its shape, it is not a solid, and that even though sand takes the shape of its container, it is not a liquid.
Print the student activity sheet and distribute one per student when specified in the activity. The activity sheet will serve as the Evaluate component of the 5-E lesson plan.
Chemistry, Matter
Matter, Atoms
Lesson Plan (PDF) | Student Activity Sheet (PDF) | Student Reading (PDF) | Teacher Background (PDF) | Connections to NGSS (PDF)
ACS: Inquiry in Action - Matter is Made of Tiny Particles (Lesson 1.2): Dissolving M&Ms
Students place M&Ms in water and in a sugar solution to investigate the question: Will an M&M dissolve as well in a sugar solution as it does in plain water?
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade/chapter-1-investigating-matter-at-the-particle-level/dissolving-an-m-and-m.html
ACS: Inquiry in Action - Matter is Made of Tiny Particles (Lesson 1.3): Dissolving and Back Again
Students dissolve salt in water and allow the water to evaporate to investigate the question: What process causes salt to dissolve in water and then the water to evaporate?
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade/chapter-1-investigating-matter-at-the-particle-level/lesson-1-3--dissolving-and-back-again.html
ACS: Inquiry in Action - Matter is Made of Tiny Particles (Lesson 1.4): The Water Cycle
Students use water, ice, and plastic wrap to model the ocean and cold upper atmosphere to investigate the question: What are the main processes in the water cycle that make it rain?
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade/chapter-1-investigating-matter-at-the-particle-level/lesson-1-4--the-water-cycle.html
ACS: Inquiry in Action - Substances Have Characteristic Properties (Lesson 2.1): Using Dissolving...
Students compare the dissolving of salt and sugar and then conduct a dissolving test on unknown substances marked A, B, and C to investigate the question: Can substances be identified by how well they dissolve in water?
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade/substances-have-characteristic-properties/lesson-2-1--using-dissolving-to-identify-substances.html
ACS: Inquiry in Action - Substances Have Characteristic Properties (Lesson 2.3): Mixing Liquids t...
Students test four known and one unknown liquid with water to investigate the question: Can you identify an unknown liquid based on how different liquids interact with water?
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade/substances-have-characteristic-properties/lesson-2-3--mixing-liquids-to-identify-an-unknown-liquid.html
ACS: Inquiry in Action - Substances Have Characteristic Properties (Lesson 2.2): Identifying an U...
Students test four known liquids and an unknown liquid on two different paper surfaces to investigate the question: Can you identify liquids based on how they interact with different surfaces?
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade/substances-have-characteristic-properties/lesson2-2--identifying-an-unknown-liquid.html
ACS: Inquiry in Action - Substances Have Characteristic Properties (Lesson 2.4): Density and Sink...
Students repeatedly reduce the size of a clay ball while placing it in water to investigate the question: Does changing the amount of material in an object change the object's density?
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade/substances-have-characteristic-properties/lesson-2-4--density-and-sinking-and-floating.html
ACS: Inquiry in Action - Substances Have Characteristic Properties (Lesson 2.5): The Density of L...
After seeing the teacher compare the weight of equal volumes of water and corn syrup, students compare the weight of equal volumes of water and vegetable oil to investigate the question: Is vegetable oil more or less dense than water?
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade/substances-have-characteristic-properties/density-of-liquids.html
ACS: Inquiry in Action - Substances Can Mix and React to Form New Substances (Lesson 3.2): Explor...
Students help design a test using baking soda, corn starch, and cream of tartar to investigate the question: Which two of the three ingredients in baking powder react to make it bubble when water is added?
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade/chapter-3/exploring-baking-powder.html
ACS: Inquiry in Action - Substances Can Mix and React to Form New Substances (Lesson 3.5): Differ...
Students combine citric acid with calcium chloride and citric acid with baking soda to investigate the question: What are the similarities and differences between the two reactions? and Do substances react in a characteristic way?
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade/chapter-3/different-substances-react-differently.html
ACS: Inquiry in Action - Substances Can Mix and React to Form New Substances (Lesson 3.4): Chemic...
Students add laundry detergent powder (a base) and cream of tartar (an acid) to a red cabbage indicator to investigate the question: What can the color of an indicator tell you about the substances added to it?
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade/chapter-3/chemical-reactions-and-color-change.html
ACS: Inquiry in Action - Substances Can Mix and React to Form New Substances (Lesson 3.3): Formin...
Students combine an Ivory Soap solution with an Epsom salt solution to produce a solid "soap scum" to investigate the questions: What happens when you mix soap with hard water? and Is soap scum different from soap?
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade/chapter-3/forming-a-precipitate.html
ACS: Inquiry in Action - Substances Can Mix and React to Form New Substances (Lesson 3.1): What's...
Students design and conduct a test using baking soda and baking powder with vinegar to investigate the question: Will baking soda or baking powder produce more gas when vinegar is added?
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade/chapter-3/baking-soda-vs-baking-powder.html
ACS: Inquiry in Action - Mass is Conserved in Physical and Chemical Change (Lesson 4.1): Conserva...
Students measure the mass of substances before and after melting, dissolving, and a chemical change to investigate the question: Is mass conserved during physical and chemical changes?
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade/chapter-4/conservation-of-mass.html
ACS: Inquiry in Action - Engineering Design (Lesson 5.1): Engineering a Floatation Device
Students test citric acid and cream of tartar with baking soda to investigate the question: Which reaction produces more gas? and How much of each reactant should be used to fill a bag with gas to make a cell phone float?
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade.html