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Properties of Matter Lab

An 8^th grade STEM lesson

Author

Erin Carter

Date

1/15/2024

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Notes for teachers

The dollar store is great for most of these materials.
Each group will get one of each type of ice cup.
This lab is very tedious. It is best to have one student assigned to one ice cube. Once things get moving, it goes quickly and can be hard to manage.
Class discussion is usually where the most learning occurs.
Be sure students have learned about the most common properties of matter before this lesson or it won’t make sense for them.

List of Materials

Ice cube trays
Water, salt, Gatorade, tea, and clear soda
Thermometers (digital preferred)
Petri dishes (5 per group)
Ruler/measuring tape
Stopwatch
Lab sheet

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Standards

8.P1U1.2 – Obtain and evaluate information regarding how scientists identify substances based on unique physical and chemical properties.

8.P4U1.3 – Construct an explanation on how energy can be transferred from one energy store to another.

Science and Engineering Practices

Analyze & Interpret Data
Use mathematics and computational thinking
Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information

Crosscutting Concepts

Patterns
Scale, proportion, and quantity
Energy and matter�

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Objectives:

Today we will observe how different properties of matter affect its state of matter.

Today we will be analyzing data and creating graphs to help interpret data.

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Agenda (90 Minutes or Two 45 Minute)

90+ Minute Block

Lab Preparation – 20 minutes

Perform Lab – 25 minutes

Create Scatter Plots & Graph - 25

Class Discussion & Reflection – 20 minutes

Analyze & Conclude – 20 minutes

Three 45 Minute Blocks

Day 1:

Lab Preparation – 20 minutes

Perform Lab – 25 minutes

Day 2:

Create Scatter Plots & Graph - 25

Class Discussion & Reflection – 20 minutes

Day 3:

Analyze & Conclude – 20 minutes

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Intro/Driving Question/Opening

If ice cubes are made of different types of matter, will they have the same melting point?

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

Groups of 4 – 5 students

Lesson Flow:

Lab Preparation

Perform Lab

Graph Data

Class Discussion

Analyze & Conclude

Assessment

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

Lab Preparation

Step 1: Share the driving question with students.

Step 2: Have students analyze the materials on their list. Don’t pass out the ice cubes yet. That is a last-minute step.

Step 3: Have students think-pair-share about what ice cube they think will melt the fastest. You can also discuss why they think some ice cubes will melt faster than others.

Step 4: Review the lap procedures as a class. Model how measurements will be taken during the lab. You will need to model how to record their data as well. Review your classroom expectations as well. This lab has a lot of movement and students will need the reminder.

Perform Lab

Step 1: Have students assign their group members to an ice cube. They will be responsible for collecting all the data for that ice cube and then sharing it with their group.

Step 2: Allow students plenty of time to collect their data by following the lab procedures.

Step 3: When all the ice cubes have melted, groups will need to spend some time sharing their data with each other. Every student should have a completed data table regardless of what ice cube they worked with.

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

Graph Data

Step 1: Have students label the x and y axis of each graph. Time should always be the x axis.

Step 2: Students will then decide a range for the numbering based on their data. If numbers are larger, students should decide how they would like to skip count. Number the graphs. They do not have to be the same as the others. Each graph can be unique.

Step 3: Students will then graph their data points. (time, measurement) They will have all 5 ice cubes on one graph. All five ice cube measurements for height on one graph. All five for length on one graph. Color coding is helpful with this.

Class Discussion

Step 1: Once the class has completed their graphs, discuss their findings as a class. I like to pose a question and allow personal think time first. Then they discuss as a group. And then finally, share out as a whole class.

Step 2: Chart responses on large bulletin paper or in a living document displayed on the screen.

Questions to Ask:

Did all three graphs match each other? Did the data react the same way?
Which ice cube took the longest to melt? Why?
Which ice cube took the least amount of time? Why?
What physical properties of each ice cube played a role in how it acted?
How did energy transfer play a role in this lab?

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

Analyze & Conclude

Step 1: Students will need to answer the conclusion questions independently after the class discussion. This can be the final assessment, or you can choose to add on.

Assessment Options:

CER Report
System Poster
Exit Ticket Question

Lab Sheet Link:

Lab Sheet For Students

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Assessment

Formative

Class discussion
Revisions after research and testing
Group discussion of successes and failures.
One question exit ticket.

Summative

Conclusion questions on lab sheet.
Claim, Evidence, & Reasoning (CER) response to the driving question.
System Poster – a group or individual poster that shows the boundary, timeline, inputs and outputs, and flow energy through their wind turbine systems in a diagram. To extend the assessment you can have students create an energy tree and answer the driving question in CER format.

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Differentiation

Allow for short answer responses.
Verbal responses or drawn depictions of the students understanding.
Limit amount of ice cube in their lab. Suggested – two.
Only one type of measurement. Suggested – length.
Shadow a helpful student
Class discussion and guidance through each step.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Have student create a graph with all three measurement types on graph for each ice cube.
Have student explain what properties in each ice cube type is causing the difference in melting times.
Have student explain the energy transfer during the lab.