Teacher

Unit:

Z. McCormic

Date

October 6, 2015

School

MMS

Chemistry: Part I

Lesson Title:

States of Matter: Water

NGSS: MS-PS 1-4 (Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle
Core Learning Goal(s)
motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or
or VSC Standard(s):
removed).
MD: 4.0, Topic C, Indicator 1 (Describe how the motion of atoms in solids, liquids and
gases changes as heat energy is increased or decreased), Objectives a (Based on data
from investigations and video technology, describe and give reasons for what happens to
a sample of matter when heat energy is added to it (most substances expand)) and b
(Describe what the temperature of a solid, or a liquid, or a gas reveals about the motion
of its atoms and molecules).
The student will be able to distinguish between the three states of matter and predict
Objective:
what will happen to water when heat is added or removed.
Assessment Focus:
(Key Idea)

Students will be using technology to study state, a physical property introduced during
the previous two lessons. This lesson allows for an in-depth study of the states of matter
through water at the molecular level, which will lead to a discussion of the water curve
in the next lesson.

Materials Needed:

-Drill Sheet
-Drill Padlet and ActivInspire
-Notes Sheet
-Powerpoint
-Gizmo Worksheets (1 and 2)
-Exit Ticket

Handouts:

Drill sheet (from day before), Notes sheet and Gizmo worksheets

-Computers
-ExploreLearning accounts activated

Give instructions both orally and in writing

Repeat instructions
Allow extra time as needed
Pair with more proficient student(s)
Visually impaired: preferential seating provided; may use magnifying glass and/or large text.
-Drill: What are the states of matter? Which has the highest amount of
Level(s) of
III Application
energy?
Blooms
-Following students writing out drill, will discuss three states with
taxonomy:
students. Will mention plasma, but will not go in-depth.

Adaptations and
Modifications:

Engagement
TIME__6 min_

Exploration
TIME__8 min_

Explanation 1

-Two large clear containers at front of room, one with cold water, the
other with warm water. Two volunteers will add a few drops of food
coloring to the containers, and students will make observations on note
sheets.
-Will create list of why one colored faster than the other, then test a
handful, with emphasis on temperature.
-Introduce how we are going to be studying the phases of water, but how
we want to emphasize on the molecular level what the molecules are
doing.
-Introduction and brief discussion of the 3 phases of water.
-No notes now, but will introduce Gizmo and what they will be doing

Level(s) of
Blooms
taxonomy:

I Knowledge

Level(s) of
Blooms
taxonomy:

I Knowledge
II Comprehension

-Students will get computers and log-in to ExploreLearning and

complete Phase Changes Gizmo.
-Gizmo has 3 parts: Intro to Phase Changes (includes graph), Molecular
Motion, and Altitude. Teacher will walk around classroom asking
questions, monitoring pace, and managing any issues with Gizmo.
-After 25 minutes, will have students close computers and regroup for
Explanation 2.

Level(s) of
Blooms
taxonomy:

III Application
IV Analysis
V Synthesis
VI Evaluation

TIME_8 min__

Extension 1
TIME_25 min_

Explanation 2
TIME_10 min_

Extension 2
TIME_25 min_

Evaluation

-Thorough explanation of 3 states of water, including diagrams and what

role heat/energy plays in the switching between the three states. Will
introduce terms that are used to go between state. Notes taken on graphic
organizer (Notes Sheet includes scaffold for students with learning
disabilities).
- Students will draw their water curve graph on board, and will talk about
what state is where with students and on handout.

Level(s) of
Blooms
taxonomy:

I Knowledge
II Comprehension

- Students will have time to complete Phase Changes Gizmo, or begin

extension Gizmo Phases of Water.
- Similar to last Gizmo, teacher will walk around class to monitor and
answer and ask questions.

Level(s) of
Blooms
taxonomy:

III Application
IV Analysis
V Synthesis
VI Evaluation

-Exit ticket with room temperature water. Students will draw molecules
at room temperature, then what will happen if heat is added or removed.

Level(s) of
Blooms
taxonomy:

IV Analysis
V Synthesis
VI Evaluation

TIME_8 min__

References/Credits:

Explorelearning.com (gizmo)

Dimensions of
Learning:

Attitudes and Perceptions

Reflections:

Out of the _75_ students who turned in the __exit ticket__ activity,
_53_ / _75_ were correct (both states correct); 71%
_22_ / _75_ were incorrect (states backward); 29%
_0_ were incomplete

Analysis of Lesson
Effectiveness:

Acquire/Integrate Knowledge

Meaningful Use of Knowledge

Extend/Refine Knowledge

Habits of Mind

Based upon my data and informal conversations with my students, I could improve student understanding and
the effectiveness of this lesson byAddressing molecules earlier in the lesson, and perhaps adding in a demo
using the overhead. Students were confused by the tiny molecules, and were not familiar with the vocabulary.
Perhaps this would allow students to focus more on the content and the molecules than trying to get the
Gizmo to work correctly.

Lesson Reflection: This lesson was a tough one for my students. They had not seen this material
since elementary school, and the re-acquiring of knowledge took more time than I had
anticipated. They were familiar with the gizmo applications, but not this type of gizmo, as it was
more set and run than the last one they did. Students did a very good job working through their
issues with the gizmo and acquiring content knowledge, as is exhibited in the exit ticket.
If I were to give this lesson again, I would have a brief discussion with my class about
molecules and what they are, and show an example from the gizmo of what the molecules look
like. This would alleviate much of the frustration and confusion the students in the first class had.
I did make this adjustment with the final three classes, and they accomplished much more of the
worksheet (below) than the first class did. Next, I would focus my students on the first gizmo
only (Phase Changes). Only a handful of students had time to work on the second gizmo (Phases
of Water). Perhaps even switching the gizmos would yield better results for the students. During
the discussion of the phases of water and the energies associated, nearly all students were
actively engaged and understood what was going on in regards to water. I was pleased with this,
and I think the students could have benefited more from having this discussion before the gizmo
activity.
Students did appreciate the ability to use technology in the classroom, and it allowed
students to see activity at the molecular level, which is not possible in the middle school
classroom. This technology served as an appropriate guide to learning about the phases of water,
but still allowed students to draw their own conclusions and address misconceptions. I would use
this gizmo activity again, as it allowed students to actively build their own knowledge on the
phases of water and in an interactive and fun way.

Name: ______________________________________

Class: _______________________

Student Exploration: Phase Changes

Vocabulary: altitude, boil, boiling point, freeze, freezing point, gas, liquid, melt, melting point,
phase, solid

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

1. A family from Minnesota turns off the heat and flies to Florida for a winter holiday. When
they come home, all of their water pipes have burst. What do you think happened?
_________________________________________________________________________

2. Spaghetti takes about 9 minutes to cook at sea level, but about 14 minutes in the
mountains. Why do you think this is so?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Gizmo Warm-up
In the Phase Changes Gizmo, select the Micro view and
set the Ice volume to 50 cc. Click Play (
) and observe
molecules in the solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (air)
phases.
1. In which phase(s) are the molecules held rigidly together?
______________________________________________

2. In which phase(s) do the molecules move freely?

______________________________________________

3. In which phase(s) are the molecules held in a defined shape? ________________________

4. In which phase(s) do the molecules take the shape of their container? _________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Get the Gizmo ready:

Activity A:
Phase changes

Click Reset (
) and select Macro view.
Set the Water temperature to 10 C.
Set the Ice volume to 0 cc.

Question: How is temperature related to phase changes?

1. Predict: Based on your prior knowledge, predict the following:
A. At what temperature will water change from a liquid to a solid (freeze)? _______
B. At what temperature will water change from a solid to a liquid (melt)? _______
C. At what temperature will water change from a liquid to a gas (boil)? _______

2. Investigate: Use the Gizmo to explore phase changes. Use the Add/remove heat energy
slider to control the water temperature. Record your observations in your notes, then answer
the questions below:
A. At what temperature does water freeze? _______

This is the freezing point.

B. At what temperature does ice melt? _______

This is the melting point.

C. At what temperature does water boil? _______

This is the boiling point.

3. Observe: Set up the Gizmo to observe freezing. What do you notice about the temperature
while the water is in the process of freezing? _____________________________________

4. Explore: Use the Gizmo to investigate melting and boiling. Does the temperature change
while either of these phase changes is occurring? _________________________________
5. Interpret: Select the GRAPH tab to see a graph of temperature vs. time. Click the button
until the whole graph is visible. What does the graph look like during a phase change?
(Insert graph on the next page)

6. Extend your thinking: Why do you think the temperature does not change much during a
phase change?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Graph from #5. Be sure to label the axes and the phase changes.

Get the Gizmo ready:

Activity B:
Temperature and
molecular motion

Click Reset, and select the Micro view.

Set Ice volume to 0 cc.
Set Add/remove heat energy to 0 J/s.

Question: Why do phase changes occur?

1. Compare: Set the Water temperature to 0 C and click Play. Observe the water molecules.
Click Reset, set the Water temperature to 100 C, and click Play again.
What do you notice? ________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

2. Observe: Click Reset. The mean molecular speed of the water molecules is displayed
below the container. Set the Water temperature to 0 C and Add/remove heat energy to
400 J/s. Click Play.
A. How does the mean speed of the water molecules change as they are heated?
________________________________________________________________
B. Does the mean molecular speed change as much as the temperature as the
water heats up? Explain.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

3. Explain: How is temperature related to the motions of molecules? _____________________

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Observe: Click Reset. Set the Water temperature to 20 C and the Ice volume to 50 cc.
Set Add/remove heat energy to 0 J/s. Click Play. How do the molecules in the liquid
interact with the molecules in the solid?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

(Activity B continued on next page)

Activity B (continued from previous page)

5. Observe: Click Reset. Set the Water temperature to 100 C and the Ice volume to 50 cc.
Click Play. How does this situation compare to the previous one?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

6. Propose a theory: Based on what you have observed, explain why you think phase changes
occur.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

7. Apply: Use your theory to explain what happens at the molecular level in each of the
following situations. Also, list the temperature at which each transition occurs.
A. Ice is warmed to the melting point. _______________________________________
__________________________________________________ Temperature: _____
B. Water is warmed to the boiling point. ______________________________________
__________________________________________________ Temperature: _____
C. Water is cooled to the freezing point. _____________________________________
__________________________________________________ Temperature: _____
8. Extend your thinking: Click Reset. Set the Water temperature to 0 C, the Ice volume to 0
cc, and Add/remove heat energy to -400 J/s. Click Play and wait until all the water freezes.
A. What volume of ice is created from 200 cc of water? _________________________
B. Why do water pipes sometimes burst in the winter? __________________________
___________________________________________________________________

Activity C:

Get the Gizmo ready:

Altitude and
phase changes

Click Reset.
Set Ice volume to 0 cc.
Set the Altitude to 5,000 meters (16,404 feet).

Question: The altitude of a location is its vertical distance above sea level. How does
altitude affect phase changes?
1. Form a hypothesis: As altitude increases, the air pressure decreases. How do you think the
lower pressure will affect the following? (Circle your answers.)
A. Freezing point:

Increase

Stay the same

Decrease

B. Melting point:

Increase

Stay the same

Decrease

C. Boiling point:

Increase

Stay the same

Decrease

2. Experiment: Use the Gizmo to find the freezing, melting, and boiling points of water at 5,000
meters (16,404 feet). Write these values below.
Freezing point: _______

Melting point: _______

Boiling point: _______

3. Analyze: How did altitude affect the freezing, melting, and boiling points of water?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

4. Challenge: Try to explain these results based on the fact that air pressure decreases with
altitude.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

5. Apply: Why does pasta take longer to cook in the mountains? ________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

6. Apply: A pressure cooker allows food to be cooked under high pressure. Why is this useful?
_________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

Name: ______________________________________

Class: _______________________

Student Exploration: Phases of Water

Vocabulary: boil, condense, density, freeze, gas, liquid, melt, molecule, phase, solid, volume

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

3. A pot filled with snow is left on a hot stove for a while. What would happen? _____________
_________________________________________________________________________

4. A phase is a state of matter, such as a solid, a liquid, or a gas. Which phases would you
see? Explain. ______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

5. A phase change is a change from one phase to another. What phase changes would you
see in this example? ________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Gizmo Warm-up
In the Phases of Water Gizmo, you can heat up or cool down
a beaker of water.
1. Press Heat to heat up the water. Wait until the temperature
stops rising and observe. What happens?
________________________________________________
________________________________________________

2. Why do you think the lid lifts up? _______________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________
3. Now press Chill to remove thermal energy from the water. What happens now? _________
_________________________________________________________________________

Activity A:

Get the Gizmo ready:

Phases of water

If necessary, press Chill and wait until the

temperature is -20C.

Question: How does temperature affect the phase of water?

1. Observe: In the Gizmo, solid ice is gray, liquid water is blue, and water vapor gas is light
blue. Heat or Chill the water as needed to reach the temperatures below.
A. What phase is the water in at -20C?

(Circle one):

solid

liquid

gas

B. What phase is the water in at 30C?

(Circle one):

solid

liquid

gas

C. What phase is the water in at 105C?

(Circle one):

solid

liquid

gas

2. Hypothesis: How does the temperature affect the phase of water? ____________________
_________________________________________________________________________

3. Predict: Predict the phase of water at the six temperatures given below. List your predictions
in the Predicted phase row of the table. Then fill in the Actual phase row using the Gizmo.
Temperature

-10C

10C

50C

90C

110C

120C

Predicted phase
(solid, liquid, or gas)
Actual phase
(solid, liquid, or gas)

4. Analyze: While testing your predictions, you may have noticed that there were specific
temperatures at which the phase of the water always changed.
A. At what temperature does water melt (change from solid to liquid)? _____________
B. At what temperature does water boil (change from liquid to gas)? _______________
C. At what temperature does water condense (change from gas to liquid)? __________
D. At what temperature does water freeze (change from liquid to solid)? ____________
5. Extend your thinking: Describe an example of a phase change youve seen in real life.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Activity B:

Get the Gizmo ready:

Comparing
phases

Click Chill until the water is completely frozen.

Question: How are the phases of water different from one another?
1. Form hypothesis: One of the three phases holds its shape. The other two do not.
A. Based on your experience, which phase has a fixed shape? _____________
B. Which phases have a shape that can change? _____________ and _____________
2. Observe: Water is made of small particles called molecules. Use the magnifying glass to
see the molecules of ice. Then click Heat to observe the liquid and gas phases. Draw a
sketch of the molecules in each phase below.
Solid

Liquid

Gas

3. Analyze: Based on your sketches, why do solids have a fixed shape while liquids and gases
do not? ___________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Observe: Another way that phases are different is how they fill a container. Press Chill until
the water is completely frozen. Observe the ice without the magnifying glass.
A. Does the ice reach the top of the container, where the lid is? ____________
B. Click Heat until the ice is gone. Does the liquid water reach the top? ____________
C. Click Heat until the water boils. Does the water vapor reach the top? ____________

5. Draw conclusions: Which phase always fills its container? ________________

Which phases do not always fill their containers? _______________ and ______________

Extension:
Volume and
density

Get the Gizmo ready:

Press Chill until the water is completely frozen.

Introduction: The density of a substance refers to how much matter is packed into a particular
space, or volume. The denser the object, the more tightly packed it is. Objects that are less
dense tend to float in denser materials.
Question: How do phases of water compare in volume and density?
1. Form hypothesis: Answer the following questions based on your personal experience and
the observations you have made of the Gizmo:
A. Does an ice cube in water float or sink? ___________________________________
B. When water boils, bubbles of water vapor form in the water. Do these bubbles tend
to rise or sink? _______________________________________________________
C. Which phase of water is densest? ______________ Least dense? ______________

2. Observe: Be sure all the water is frozen. Drag an arrow from the left side of the Gizmo to
mark the top of the ice. Then press Heat. Watch until all the ice has melted.
A. Does the liquid water take up as much space as the ice? ______________________
B. Wait until all the water has boiled away. Which takes up more space, the liquid water
or the water vapor? ___________________________________________________
C. Which phase of water is densest? ______________ Least dense? ______________
(Note: In most substances, the solid phase is densest. Water is unusual.)

3. Extend your thinking: Look at all three phases of water through the magnifying glass. How
does the spacing of molecules fit with what you found about densities of ice, liquid water,
and water vapor?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________