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Let's teach! Primary

Lesson 1

What is the difference between a solid, a liquid and a gas?

Lesson Plan

Preparation

  • Obtain the items mentioned in the first few paragraphs of the student summary: a book, a bottle of glue, a ruler, a cup of water, a chair and a blow-up balloon.
  • Collect the equipment needed for the investigation sheet: a basketball, netball or football could be used. The bicycle pump can be used to remove the air from the ball if it is already inflated.

Curriculum links

  • Australian Curriculum: ACSSU046, ACSHE050, ACSIS215, ACSIS058, ACSIS060
  • NSW Curriculum: ST2-6MW-S, ST2-4LW-S, ST2-1WS-S
  • Victorian Curriculum: VCSSU056, VCSSU059, VCSIS070, VCSIS071, VCSIS072
  • WA Curriculum: ACSSU046, ACSHE050, ACSIS215, ACSIS058, ACSIS060

Suggested teaching strategies

  • Collaborative learning

Introduction

  • The student summary and worksheet should be used together. Ensure students understand the meaning of the word ‘properties’.
  • Display the items mentioned in the first paragraph of the student pages. Place them in various locations around the classroom so students will easily see them. The answers have been provided in the assessment section.
  • The student summary and worksheet should be used together.

Development

  • Provide students with printable versions of the student summary and worksheet. Have students complete the worksheet.

Differentiation

  • Students could work in pairs or a small group to complete the experiment worksheet. However, ensure that all have the opportunity to weigh and heft the materials, rather than simply copy the measurements or observations of other students.

Conclusion

  • After discussing their observations from the investigation sheet, talk about whether any parts of the activity could be improved; e.g. scales not being sensitive enough to register weight, ball not being fully inflated.

Assessment

Student summary answers

Most children will not give ‘gas’ for an answer. Many will say ‘liquid’ because when sand is dry, it purs out of a container like a liquid. The answer is ‘solid’. Each little grain of sand is a solid. The same happens when you pour cereal out of a packet. But each piece of cereal is also a solid.

Worksheet answers

1. Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass (weight).
2. (a) liquid, (b) gas, (c) solid, (d) liquid
3. They all have mass/They all take up space
4. (a) Yes, (b) No, (c) No, (d) No, (e) No, (f) Yes
5. (a) packed together tightly, hardly move, (b) close together, always moving around each other, (c) far apart, spread out to fill up the space
6. Possible answers: sugar, flour, rice, nuts, pepper

Science as Human Endeavour question

Possible answers: car tyre, bike tyre, gas over, gas barbecue, bicycle pump, gas hot plates, gas hot water system

Investigation sheet answers

1. Students should say the cup is light/hardly weighs anything. Its weight should just register on the scales.
2. Students should predict the cup would feel heavier and measuring will prove that.
3. Measuring will show the cup with the solid (eraser) is heavier.
4. The inflated ball will be slightly heavier than the deflated ball because it is now filled with air.
5. Answers should indicate that solids, liquids and gases have weight.

Student Pages

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Intro 1
Lesson 1
What is the difference between
a solid, a liquid and a gas?
Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Intro 2
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Lesson 1
What is the difference between
a solid, a liquid and a gas?
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Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 1

How many of these things can you find in your classroom?

a book
a bottle of glue
a ruler
a cup of water
a chair
a blown-up balloon

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 2

They are all different types of matter.

Science – Unit 2 – Lesson 1 – image – balloons

Science – Unit 2 – Lesson 1 – image – water glass

Science – Unit 2 – Lesson 1 – image – books

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 3

Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass (weight).

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 4

Matter is all around you - even the air is a form of matter!

Matter can be a solid, a liquid or a gas.

These are called states of matter.

Science Year 3 Unit 1 Lesson 1 Slide 5

We can tell the difference between solids, liquids and gases because they have different properties (things they can do).

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 6

All solids, liquids and gases can be weighed.

A solid like a pebble won’t weigh much but it can be weighed.

Science Year 3 – Unit 2 – Lesson 1 – image - pebbles

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 7

A gas like the air may feel like it doesn’t weight anything at all but it too can be weighed.

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 8

A solid has a definite size and shape.

It can be hard like a brick or soft like a pillow.

A solid can change its shape only if we do things to it like bending it or cutting it.

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 9

A liquid has an exact size but does not have a definite shape.

It changes shape according to the type of container it is in.

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 10

A liquid can be poured but a solid cannot.

We say a liquid can flow.

Some liquids are thicker than others; for example, honey is thicker than milk.

Science – Unit 2 – Lesson 1 – image – honey

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 11

A gas does not have a shape or size.

It spreads out until it fills the container it is in.

Like liquid, a gas can flow.

Science – Unit 2 – Lesson 1 – image – bubble

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 12

A gas like the air has no colour - we cannot see it.

We can feel air blowing and see bubbles of air if we blow into a straw placed in a glass of water.

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 13

Why do solids, liquids and gases have different properties?

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 14

Matter is made up of tiny particles.

In a solid, these particles are packed together so tightly they can hardly move.

That’s why a solid keeps its shape.

Science – Unit 2 – Lesson 1 – image – solid matter

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 15

In a liqued, the particles are close together, but they are always moving around each other.

That’s why a liquid can flow.

Science – Unit 2 – Lesson 1 – image liquid matter

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 16

In a gas, the particles are far apart.

They bounce off each other and flow so easily they can spread out to fill up any space.

Science – Unit 2 – Lesson 1 – image – gas matter

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 17

Do you think sand is a solid, a liquid or a gas?

The answer is on the next slide.

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 18

Most children will not give ‘gas’ for an answer.

Many will say ‘liquid’ because when sand is dry, it pours out of a container like a liquid.

The answer is ‘solid’.

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Slide 19

Each little grain of sand is a solid.

The same happens when you pour cereal out of a packet.

But each piece of cereal is also a solid.

Science – Unit 2 – Lesson 1 – image – cereal

Science Year 3 Unit 2 Lesson 1 Final Slide
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Downloads

Student Summary

Summary of student page information

Worksheet

Activities for students to complete

Investigation Worksheet

An experiment to consolidate learnings