Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to introduce and define the concept of matter.

Introduce book title and front cover of 'What's the Matter in Mr. Whiskers' Room?'. Orient students to the book through the predicting and connecting reading strategies.

Read pg 9-15 (2nd paragraph) 'What's the Matter in Mr. Whiskers' Room?'

Whilst students are listening they are trying to figure out what matter is.

Answer: Matter is stuff.

Resources

Ross, M.E. 2004. 'What's the Matter in Mr. Whiskers' Room?' Candlewick Press, Cambridge Massachusetts.

Annandale, K. et al, 2004, First Steps Reading Resource Book (2nd edition), Rigby, Melbourne, Australia.

Teaching tips

Use the Think-Pair-Square-Share strategy to involve all students in the thinking and talking.

Using a Predicting reading strategy activates student background knowledge and builds their expectations of what they are about to read. Using a Connecting strategy builds students' personal association with the text.

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to explain what a word wall is and discuss its purpose and features.

Word wall - Spot the Difference

Introduce the title of the word wall 'Spot the Difference' and explain its relevance to the unit e.g. it is about the concept of change and discovering differences before and after change occurs. (Put the title up on the wall)

Establish words and phrases that the students know to do with change and add to the word wall.

Optional: Students may like to write and draw their suggestions.

Resources

For information about teaching vocabulary development see:

Annandale, K. et al, 2004, First Steps Reading Resource Book (2nd edition), Rigby, Melbourne, Australia, p.87 Vocabulary Knowledge

Teaching tips

Use the Think-Pair-Square-Share strategy for all discussion items, this ensures all students are participants in the thinking process.

Purpose

Find out what the students already know and understand about the properties of food and how these change during the process of heating, cooling and melting. Also establish what the students know about the length of time required for change to occur and whether change is reversible.

Ask students to pose questions about how, when and why food changes. Find out what students want to investigate.

What students already know about properties of food

Without telling the students what it is, place in front of students a melted icy pole still in its wrapper and also a chocolate still in its wrapper. Tell the students you found the objects outside and that you need their help to figure out what happened. Use think-pair-share to think and discuss the prompting questions.

Students record their ideas using the 'What happened?' worksheet.

To promote more detailed thinking about the mystery object ask students;

What clues helped you to decide what they were before?

What do you think the person who left them there would think when they returned?

Do you think they look the same as when they left them? Would they still able to be eaten?

How could we change the objects back?

Using the 'Spot the Difference' chart, brainstorm with the class words that could be used to describe the object and write them in the 'After' column.

Ask students if they can think of a word to describe what happened between 'Before' and 'After'. Encourage students to think about how the object changed. Add the word melt between 'Before' and 'After'. Follow the same process for the 'Before' column. Then show the students a frozen icy pole and chocolate bar and ask if they have any more words to add to the 'Before' column.

Read pg 20-23 of 'What's the Matter in Mr. Whiskers' Room?'

Resources

Peers, S. et al, 2009, Primary Connections: Spot the Difference Stage 1. Australian Academy of Science, Canberra, Australia.

Ross, M.E. 2004. 'What's the Matter in Mr. Whiskers' Room?' Candlewick Press, Cambridge Massachusetts.

Annandale, K. et al, 2004, First Steps Reading Resource Book (2nd edition), Rigby, Melbourne, Australia.

What happened? worksheet

Spot the difference chart

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to teach students how to work cooperatively and introduce them to their cooperative learning pairs. The jobs of each role will be brainstormed within the teams and the clarified and listed as a class to refer to. During this activity students will also jointly construct their expectations of how the group should work together, creating a whole class 'Team Skills' poster.

Setting up Cooperative Learning Pairs (Activity 1)

Explain you are going to put them into cooperative learning pairs (investigation buddies) and that each team member will have a specific role (manager and speaker) but both members are responsible for contributing and working together during lessons. Tell students that their role will change each time. Each member will be given a badge to wear to remind them of their role for the activity.

*Allocate team roles before conducting any experiment or investigation activity requiring pairs.

Resources

• 2 large sheets of paper/cardboard (one for Team Roles chart, one for Team Skills chart
• 2 different coloured textas
• Team role badges (can be pinned on with a safety pin/paper clip)

Teaching Tips: Team Roles

Define the Cooperative Learning roles:

Manager - responsible for collecting and returning the teams equipment and materials, however, every member is responsible for cleaning and clearing up after an activity

Speaker - responsible for asking the teachers and/or other teams speakers for help. The speakers are the only students that may speak to the teacher and seek additional assistance

Teaching Tips: Team Skills

Tell students that during cooperative team activities students must:

• get into their teams quickly and quietly
• remain with their team
• take turns

Make a poster that will outline these 3 skills and display on science word wall to refer to at the beginning of each lesson when working in pairs.

Making Ooblek (Activity 2)

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to experience making an unknown substance by following a recipe.

Read pg 20-23 of 'What's the Matter in Mr Whiskers' Room'.

Following the recipe found on page 44 make Oobleck in cooperative learning teams.

Note: Change tablespoons to teaspoons.

Prompt students to update the Word Wall. If necessary redefine any words you've used throughout the lesson.

Resources

Ross, M.E. 2004. 'What's the Matter in Mr. Whiskers' Room?' Candlewick Press, Cambridge Massachusetts.

Materials for making Oobleck:

• Plastic cover on table
• Snap lock bags (1 per group)
• Seven tablespoons of cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons of water
• Food colouring (optional)

Solids have a consistent shape that can stand alone, where as liquids and gases take on shapes of the space or containers they are in. Gases need the container to be sealed in order to keep the gas inside.

Liquids are visible, while gases are not

Features of Solids: (Some words relating to solids for the word wall are: hard, brittle, stiff)

• do not flow or expand easily
• cannot be compressed
• hold their shape/volume
• parts (atoms) can not move past one another (no change in shape)
• very little to no space between atoms

Features of Liquids: (Some words relating to liquids for the word wall are: fluid, drip, flow)

• can flow easily, does not expand (has a fixed volume)
• can be compressed easily
• take the shape of containers
• parts (atoms) can move past one another (some change in shape)
• little space between atoms

Features of Gases: (Some words relating to gases for the word wall are: float)

• can flow easily, can expand
• do not compress easily
• takes the shape of containers (needs to be enclosed to capture gas)
• parts (atoms can move easily past one another (rapid.consistent change in shape)
• lots of space between atoms

Review: Review word wall and previous lesson.

Activity 1: Bread and Toast

• Show students a slice of bread and a slice of toast.  
• Ask students questions.
• Record students’ responses in the class science journal.

Activity 2: Hot and Cold - This is a suggested portfolio piece

You may like to use this blurb for your contents page

Students use their senses (sight, touch and smell) to describe the differences they saw in a variety of foods after heating or cooling them. Students documented their findings.

You will need:

• Chocolate buds
• Resealable bags
• Popcorn
• Microwave
• Fridge/freezer

Introduce the enlarged copy of ‘Heat and cool’ (Resource sheet). Discuss the purpose and features of a table. Model how to complete the table.

Show students each of the foods they will be using to compare (chocolate & popcorn). Explain to students that they will be working in collaborative learning teams to observe what happens to each food when it is heated and then cooled again. 

Explain that students will need to melt the chocolate bud to observe how it changes. Ask students for ideas about how they might be able to do that. If a suggestion is to melt it in their hands, ask students how they can do that without getting melted chocolate on their hands. (Put the chocolate bud in a plastic resealable bag.) 

Discuss with students how they will know if the chocolate bud is melted when it is in their hands. Students might need to test the chocolate by pushing it to see if it is melted. Discuss how students will decide when it is fully melted, for example, when there are no hard lumps of chocolate. 

• Form teams and allocate roles.
• Students complete experiment.

Display the enlarged copy of ‘Heat and cool’ (Resource sheet). Ask Speakers to report to the class about their team’s findings. Complete the enlarged resource sheet using the team reports.

Activity 3: Reflection

Discuss with students the similarities and differences between the different sections of the resource sheet. Ask students if answers in any of the sections are similar or the same, for example, the ‘Before heating’ and ‘After cooling’ sections. Students might notice that the chocolate is almost the same after cooling as before heating, but the popcorn is not.

Ask students if they can think of other foods that are very different after heating and stay like that after they have cooled, such as bread and toast, cheese and melted cheese, raw egg and boiled egg. Ask students if they can think of any foods which seem to change back to what they were after heating and cooling, for example, water and ice. Ask students how knowing about changes to foods helps us. For example, would you buy warm popcorn at the movies if you knew that when it cooled down it changed back to kernels of popcorn?

• Update the word wall with words and images.

Purpose

This lesson has two purposes:

1. To reinforce/embed students' understanding of the terms solid, melt and liquid. This will be done by using the text 'What's the Matter in Mr Whiskers Classroom' and through hands on experiments. By the end of the lesson students will be able to explain what happened with the ice block in the previous lesson using the words solid, melt and liquid.

2. To provide an experience (experiment) from which the students can independently write about.

Mr Whiskers Classroom: solid, melting, liquid.

Prepare for and conduct the two experiments.

Read pages 24-27 'What's the Matter in Mr Whiskers Classroom' and then facilitate a class discussion that focusses on the terminology solid, liquid, gas, melt etc.

Resources

Ross, M.E. 2004. 'What's the Matter in Mr. Whiskers' Room?' Candlewick Press, Cambridge Massachusetts.

For each cooperative learning team you will need:

1 ice cube

1 sheet of aluminium foil

1 magnifying glass

1 cup of water

1 paintbrush (per student)

Purpose

The following activities focus on the structure and language features of a procedure. They are linked to Update 4, Making Oobleck. They may be completed during the literacy block. There is also a literacy placemat that may be used as an alternative to the activities in this learning module - see 'Procedure Placemat in T:Drive'

1. Structure of a Procedure

Model the steps of the procedure text type. During the modelling process create a one text model. This will be used throughout the unit by students to guide and assess their success as writers of the new text form.

Purpose: To instruct

Form: Experiment

Goal/Aim: Oobleck

Materials:

Plastic cover on table
Snap lock bags (1 per group)
Seven tablespoons of cornstarch
4 tablespoons of water
food colouring (optional)

Method:

Place plastic cover on table
Put 7 teaspoon of cornstarch, 4 teaspoons of water & a drop of food colouring into snap lock bag
Close snap lock bag
Mix with fingers until the mixture forms a solid
Open snap lock bag and check with the solid (Oobleck) forms a liquid when held

Evaluation:

How the Oobleck change states of matter? (e.g. from a solid to a liquid)

2. Language features: Nouns and pronouns

For beginning stage students focus on:

Nouns and pronouns, e.g. ingredients, utensil, cornflour etc.

Show students multiple stimuli to do with nouns & pronouns procedures/recipes. Located in T drive. Noun stimulus

Note: For kindergarten teachers expose students to formal language of scientific procedures, including grammar.

Talk to students about the need for use of appropriate language/ terminology for particular circumstance. E.g. in an experiment we don't use 'stuff' we use explicit nouns, e.g. water, ice etc.

 3. Language Features: Signal Words

Teach signal words to do with time. Use first, next, then, finally.

Sequencing Activity:

Prepare the Oobleck instruction out of order, remember to leave a gap at the beginning of each instruction for students to add the appropriate signal word.

Prompt students to update the Word Wall.

4. Language features: Verbs and tense

Teach simple present tense, offer written as a 'command'. E.g. Mix, put, close, open.

Open discussion about when we all do/have done things. E.g. Last night I read my book. today I will read my book. Before I was reading my book.

Present Tense Sentence Strips:

Create sentence strips that omit a tense verb. Students then use a word bank and pick the appropriate verb to fit into the sentence (present tense verb). E.g. Suzie will _____ the sugar. Bobbie will ______ the dough in the oven.

Prompt students to update Word Wall.

5. Language features: Adverbs

Teach adverbs that give detailed information on how, where, and when each action is completed. E.g. slowly, thoroughly, gently.

Create adverb matching activity -

A set of adverb cards
A set of sentence cards (without the adverb)

Instruct students to match up the adverb to an appropriate sentence. E.g. 'Slowly' 'Stir the hot spaghetti'.

Prompt students to update Word Wall.

Resources

Annandale, K. et al, 2005, First Steps Writing Resource Book (2nd edition), Rigby, Melbourne, Australia. p.g 95 - Procedural text form, p.g. 32 - One - text model

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to introduce the concept of how different materials can be combined, including mixing for a particular purpose. Firstly, they will explore and describe the properties of cooked spaghetti, linking it to what they have learned about solids, liquids and gases. Spaghetti is a solid and, even though it changes, is still a solid after heat is applied through cooking. 

Introduce and engage students to learning about spaghetti by listening to the poem 'Spaghetti' by S. Silverstein. - Saved on T drive

Discuss with students about if/when they've got messy with spaghetti. Get students to justify their answer. (note: replay poem)

Tell students that they will be working in their cooperative learning teams to investigate uncooked and cooked spaghetti and that this will involve using their senses.

Show students the equipment table and explain that this is where the managers collect and return equipment.

Once teams have completed the activity bring them back together to discuss their findings and write them onto the 'Spaghetti - Spot the Difference' chart.

Students then illustrate a part of the 'Spaghetti' poem. Replay the poem for them and then discuss what part they may like to draw.

Tell students that they will be using spaghetti to create the illustration. Discuss how/why cooked spaghetti could be used to make the picture. Review the properties of cooked spaghetti (pliable, stretchy, bendy etc).

Show students an example of an annotated drawing using spaghetti strands and words. Explain that the writing and drawing were done before the spaghetti was added.

Pose questions - Do you think the spaghetti will stick to the paper? How? Why/why not?

Note: the spaghetti will be sticky enough to stick to the paper and will dry and harden over night.

Add any new/learnt words/words and images to the word wall.

Resources

Peers, S. et al, 2009, Primary Connections: Spot the Difference Stage 1. Australian Academy of Science, Canberra, Australia.

Role badges

500g uncooked spaghetti in small bunches, 1 per team

500g cooked spaghetti divided into containers, 1 per team

1 plastic plate per team (to put spaghetti on)

each students science journal

'Spaghetti - Spot the Difference' chart

 Purpose

In this update students understand that combining materials, such nas a solid (spaghetti) and a liquid (water) does not necessarily change the state of an object. 

Word chain

Explain that we are going to create a word chain to describe how spaghetti changes. The three things that must be included are 'uncooked spaghetti', 'cooked spaghetti', and 'can't be changed back'.

Write words that students suggested for the 'spaghetti - spot the difference' chart onto the blank cards. Display the words so students can see them.

As a class pick the word that should come first in the process, 'Uncooked spaghetti'. Next, join the words to the chain that describe the properties of the uncooked pasta (hard, snap, brittle, sharp, pointy etc). Finally, add the word that explains how the food changed (cook). Note: this is the important part.

Display the word chain.

Think-Pair-Share

Let students discuss each question in their pairs. Prompt by asking each question. Then draw the discussion together with a class vote. The final reflection should enable each student to reinforce the correct understanding that spaghetti remains a solid even after adding heat and water.

Resources

Blank cards for creating the word chain.

Purpose

In this update students explore how combining different materials does not always change its state of matter. It reinforces the year 2 science understanding in the Australian Curriculum: Different materials can be combined, including mixing, for a particular purpose.

Teaching Tips

Activity 1 and 2 should be done as a whole class.

For Activity 2, each class in the unit should make a different colour. These can then be shared between classes for Activity 3 so students can experiment with mixing colours.

Use the Think-Pair Shares so students think individually, drawing on what they have already learned about solids, liquids and gases. Then use whole class discussion to clarify understandings. Students reinforce their understanding in their science journals. 

Resources

Pasta

Spaghetti

Jar liquid pasta sauce

Jar pasta sauce with chunks of tomato

Paint

1 cup salt

1 cup flour

1 cup water

range of food colouring

Purpose

The purpose of this update is to explore the relevance of learning about matter. It will engage and connect students further to their learning.

The Numbered heads Together Strategy involves students writing on small whiteboards to record their responses to a series of questions. After each question, they share their ideas and come up with a group response. Then one student holds up a whiteboard with that group response. 

The final reflection in science journals should show understanding of the importance of knowing about matter in real life situations.

Activity 1: Match and Sort (Notebook File)

 

Activity 2: Jelly experiment

Think-Pair-Share - What do the students think will happen in the experiment (PREDICTION). Prompt with questions.

Complete experiment of making jelly.

Teacher supervision for mixing and stirring in the HOT water.

Activity 3: Procedure writing - Making Jelly

Students write procedure after experiment with scaffolding. Have a class discussion for:

• What materials were needed?
• What ingredients were needed?
• What was the method used to complete?

Ensure students use scientific words from the word wall.

Allow time for students to write their procedure.

Activity 4: Video/Photos

Think-Pair-Share - Prompt students with questions on what they have just done. Ask questions to gauge discussion within the classroom.

Students in pairs are to take turns in video recording each others retelling of how they made their jelly.

Students then watch their video retell and share with peers in the class.

Extension: Students take photos of their experiment and share with a peer on what is happening in each of their photos.

Reflection: Students can share videos and photos to the class. Students can also share their favourite part of the experiment and why including scientific language is important.

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate their learning in a new context using a range of modalities.

Activity 1

Engage students in a reflective circle time. Use the following questions:

What is matter?

How can matter change?

What cause matter to change?

Can matter be change back?

What are some real world examples of matter changing? etc

Activity 2

Explain to students that they are going to create a triptych artwork that depicts their understanding of Solid, Liquid and Gas.

They will then explain what they have produced using scientific language. For example, A students may choose to paint a blue wash on one of the panel to depict liquid, on another panel they may choose to paint only warm colours to depict fire (gas), on the last panel they may paint a tree to represent a solid. Provide students the option to use various media e.g. paint, charcoal, paper, crayons etc.

Resources

Supply students with a wide range of materials including paint, drawing materials and collage materials.

Activity 3

Conduct a carousel feedback (Kagan Structure) allowing students to pair up and give positive feedback on some of the other class mates work.

Set up: Students spread out artworks around the room (on tables). Each project has feedback forms attached (post it notes)

1. Pairs stand in front of an assigned artwork (not one of their own)
2. Students choose who will be person A and who will be person B.
3. For a specified time, teams discuss their reactions to the artwork, with no writing.
4. Student #A records feedback on feedback form. Students are encouraged to include positive comments. Student B places post it underneath artwork.
5. Teacher calls time. (buzzer, timer)
6. Teams rotate, observe, discuss, and give feedback on next artwork. Pairs alternate recorders each round.
7. Pairs continue until each pair has given at least 3 artworks feedback.
8. Students can review the feedback they received in pairs with their investigation buddy.