The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

States of Matter Stations w/ Capstone Project

Exploring States of Matter with Stations and Design Project

A 2nd grade STEM lesson

Laurie Altringer

March 2023

Notes for teachers

This lesson starts with exploratory stations to learn about liquid, solid, and gas states, then finishes with a STEAM project (designing a toy) where students will need to apply their learning in a creative way.

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It would be helpful to have an adult at each station.

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I had to show the students an example of a final toy so that they could understand the expectations.

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• States of matter sorting cards- available free at Learning about states of matter with sorting cards - Gift of Curiosity
• States of matter atoms graphic- available free at States of Matter - Mrs. Thompson's Treasures
• Cheerios
• Liquid Glue
• Empty plastic bottles (16 oz-ish size)
• Balloons
• Vinegar
• Baking soda
• Different shaped containers
• Water
• Blue food coloring
• Funnels
• Graduated cylinders
• Arts & craft materials

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Materials

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2nd Grade

Science Standards

2.P1U1.1 Plan and carry out an investigation to determine that matter has mass, takes up space, and is recognized by its observable properties; use the collected evidence to develop and support an explanation.

2.P1U1.2 Plan and carry out investigations to gather evidence to support an explanation on how heating or cooling can cause a phase change in matter.

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Science & Engineering Practices

• Asking questions

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• Developing and using models

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• Constructing explanations and designing

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Objective:

Students will better understand gas, liquid, and solid states of matter through hands-on learning stations and a create-a-toy design challenge.

Time

Time frame: 90-120 minutes

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• 5-10 min: Introduce Stations

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• 25 min: Stations

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• 5 min: Debrief Stations

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• 10 min: Introduce design challenge

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• Remaining time: Plan and create a toy that incorporates all three states of matter in its design

In pairs students will visit different stations:

• Station 1: Sort cards into liquid, solid, gas columns
• Station 2: Use Cheerios to model atoms in liquid, solid, gas
• Station 3: Watch BrainPop video
• Station 4: Vinegar and baking soda reaction to blow up balloon
• Station 5: Measure the volume of liquid that different shape containers hold

Activities/Stations

Station 1: Sort Cards

Directions:

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1. Print out states of matter sorting cards, they are available free at:

https://www.giftofcuriosity.com/learning-about-states-of-matter-with-sorting-cards/

2. Students will sort them

3. An adult will check student answers for accuracy

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Source: A Gift of Curiosity

Station 2: Atom

Representation with Cheerios

Directions:

Students will glue Cheerios depending on atom density:

solid has densely packed atoms

liquid has moderately dense atoms

gas has spread out atoms

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Station 3: Watch BrainPop Video on Matter

Directions:

1. Watch video about matter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Dy5ZfFa9JI

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Source: BrainPop

Station 4: Vinegar & Baking Soda Reaction

Directions:

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1. Have 1-2 spoonfuls of baking soda inside a balloon
2. Have 1-2 inches of vinegar already in the bottle
3. Students will stretch the mouth of the balloon over the opening to the bottle and lift the balloon up so that the baking soda falls into the bottle

Source: Teach Beside Me

Station 5: More or Less Liquid in Each Container?

Directions:

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1. Have the same quantity of water in each container
2. Students will predict which container has the most water, A, B, or C.
3. Then, students will measure how much liquid is in each container using a graduated cylinder and funnel and discover that they have the same volume!

Source: Cool Science Experiments

Final Design Challenge:

Design a toy that incorporates all three states of matter: liquid, solid, and gas.

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Some ideas:

Liquid: water, liquid glue

Solid: cardboard, paper, pipe cleaners, googly eyes

Gas: Air (parachute), ball pumped up with air, balloon

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Assessment

Students will present the toys that they designed and will have to identify at least one material that was used for each state of matter: liquid, solid, gas.

Differentiation

Reduce the number of stations if a student is struggling.

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Have students work in pairs if working individually is too hard.

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If behavior challenges make the individual stations too difficult, complete them together as a whole class.

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Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Have students write about their toy design.

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Have students write about how they would change/improve their design.

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