Unit 8: States of Matter and Gas Laws

Day 1, February 11th

Topic(s) of the Day:
Introduction to gas laws
Student Objectives:
Students should share their initial hypothesis as to why a tanker car that is sealed
off after being steam cleaned implodes.
Materials needed:

Scrap paper
Model paper
Markers/crayons/colored pencils

Activity

Questions

Introduce tanker car

scenario
The interior of the tank
car was washed out &
cleaned with steam.
Then all the outlet
valves were shut and
the tank car was
sealed. All the workers
went home for the
evening and when they
returned, this is what
they found
Students should share
out predictions as to
what they think
happened to the
tanker car (5 minutes)

What do you think the

workers found the next
morning?
What prior knowledge
do we have about
steam?
What is steam? What
does it look like?

Show video of tanker

car implosion
Students individually
brainstorm (10
minutes)

What was happening

inside the tanker or
outside the tanker that
made it crush?
WHY did the tanker

Standard/Learning
Target

To help students have

them think about
before and after,
and draw a diagram.

crush?
What CAUSED the
tanker to crush?

Class shares out initial

ideas as to what
happened (5 minutes)

What is pressure?
How does pressure
cause the implosion?
Whats happening
during/after?
What was happening
inside the tanker or
outside the tanker that
made it crush?
WHY did the tanker
crush?
What CAUSED the
tanker to crush?
How can we best
represent the steam and
what happens to it after
the implosion?
Ask about at least one
aspect of each groups
model

Each group creates a

model that best
represents what they
think happened to the
tanker car
Use microscope eye to
show microscopic level
of the situation (25
minutes)

Groups share out their

models
Each group member
should share out part
of their model (10
minutes)
Think back to states of
matter (5 minutes)

Notes:

What is a gas? What

does it look like?
What is a liquid? What
does it look like?
What is a solid? What
does it look like?