Liquids
and Solids
T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E
Online version
and additional resources
available at
www.scholastic.ca/education/nlscience
Password:
Sci1nL2
Online version
and additional resources
available at
www.scholastic.ca/education/nlscience
Password:
Sci1nL2
2
Grade
Table of Contents
3 Welcome to the
Liquids and Solids
Unit
6 Planning Guide
12 Preparing for the Unit
Individual Teaching Plans
13 What Is a Liquid? What Is a Solid?
18 How Can We Describe Solids?
24 How Can We Describe Liquids?
31 What Happens When We Combine Liquids and Solids?
39 How Do Liquids and Solids Change When We Mix Them?
44 How Can We Mix Liquids and Solids to Make Useful Things?
50 How Can We Use Liquids and Solids to Keep Our World Clean?
55 What Materials Float? What Materials Sink?
60 Design Challenge: Build a Boat
Assessment
65
Specific Curriculum Outcomes Checklist
66
My Inquiry
67
Student Self-Assessment of Inquiry Process
68
Teacher Assessment of Inquiry Process
69
Inquiry Process Rubric
71
My Design
72
Student Self-Assessment of Design Process
73
Teacher Assessment of Design Process
74
Design Process Rubric
76
Additional Resources
78
Letter to Parents and Caregivers
Liquids and Solids
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 1
Let’s Do Science, Newfoundland and Labrador
Grade 2 Unit 2: Liquids and Solids Teacher’s Guide
Reviewers:
Catherine Phillips, NL
Janice Ryan, NL
Copyright ©2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
175 Hillmount Road, Markham, Ontario, Canada, L6C 1Z7.
Pages designated as BLMs or reproducibles may be reproduced under license from
Access Copyright, or with the express written permission of Scholastic Canada, or as
permitted by law.
All rights are otherwise reserved, and no part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, scanning, recording or otherwise, without the prior written
consent of the publisher or a license from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency
(Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright license, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or
call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.
ISBN 978-1-4430-4327-4
Printed in Canada.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 17 18 19 20 21
Science Cards
This collection of 12 Science Cards will support students’
exploration of liquids and solids with each large-format
card focusing on a different concept. The bright, colourful
photographs and detailed illustrations will engage students
and give them multiple opportunities to explore a variety of
concepts. These stand-alone cards can also be used at centres
to stimulate student explorations. Also, digital versions of
these cards are available on the Teacher’s Website to be used
with an Interactive Whiteboard.
In this unit, students develop their understanding of liquids
and solids through a variety of explorations and investigations.
Multiple components will engage students and support learning of
the specific science concepts.
Welcome to the
Liquids and Solids Unit
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 3
Science Read Aloud
The Read Aloud text allows you to introduce and
engage students with science concepts. Perfect Snow
by Barbara Reid is a delightful story that introduces
the concept of familiar liquids and solids, and how
they interact.
Anchor Video
The Anchor Video: Liquids and Solids, found on the Teacher’s
Website, introduces students to essential questions about the
properties of liquids and solids, what happens when we combine
and mix them, and how they can be made into useful materials. The
video gives a number of examples to activate students’ thinking and
to promote questions.
Posters
Two classroom posters—What Is the
Inquiry Process? and What Is the Design
Process?—will support students as they
follow the steps for guided and open
inquiries and learn to use the design
process to create a solution to a problem.
Interactive Whiteboard Activities
There are 9 interactive activities for the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) found
on the Teacher’s Website. These activities provide students with a variety
of hands-on learning experiences and the opportunity to apply learning in a
supported environment. The IWB Activities are tied to the teaching plans to
ensure that the learning is done in context.
2
3
4
1
What Is the
Inquiry Process?
ISBN: 978-1-4430-4041-9 Illustrations by Leanne Franson
Ask a question.
Make a plan.
Explore.
Record your
results.
Think about
the results.
Make conclusions.
Share what
you learned.
4
Science Library
The Science Library provides a collection of colourful and engaging non-
fiction and fiction texts at a variety of reading levels. These texts support
students as they explore various science concepts and skills. See the Science
Library Guide in the Teacher’s Guide Binder or online for brief summaries,
science connections, and suggested reading approaches (e.g., Independent
Reading and Read Aloud).
Teacher’s Guide
This guide provides detailed suggestions for using all of the components
including the Science Cards, Anchor Video, reproducible
Blackline Masters (BLMs), and IWB Activities with your
students. Visual cues such as book covers, thumbnail
images, and icons highlight the use of each component
along with tools such as Science Folders and Journals,
the Word Wall, and the I Wonder Wall. Strategies and
tools you need to assess students’ learning, such as
rubrics and checklists, are also included.
Embedded within the teaching plans are connections
to Guided and Shared texts from Literacy Place for
the Early Years, Grade 2 that relate to the concepts
explored in Liquids and Solids.
Teacher’s Website
In addition to the Science Cards, Anchor Video, and IWB Activities
mentioned above, the Teacher’s Website provides a digital copy of
the Teacher’s Guide for this unit along with access to an image bank
containing the variety of photographic images found on the Science
Cards and IWB Activities. These images may be used for teachers
to create new IWB Activities or for students to incorporate into
presentations. Find the Teacher’s Website at
www.scholastic.ca/education/nlscience
Password: Sci1nL2
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 5
Planning Guide for Liquids and Solids
Teaching Plans Specific Curriculum
Outcomes
Components Materials Literacy Place
Connections
What Is a Liquid?
What Is a Solid?
Students investigate
various objects in
order to identify them
as either liquids or
solids.
Skills [GCO 2]
• 1.0
IWB Activity 1
Science Card 1
BLM
Examples of
Liquids and Solids
IWB Activity 2
Anchor Video:
Liquids and Solids
sticky notes
students’ Science
Folders
students’ Science
Journals
digital camera (optional)
a “mystery box”
containing various liquids
and solids, such as a
block of wood, glue stick,
crayon, cotton ball, piece
of tin foil, ketchup packet,
travel-size hand sanitizer,
juice box, snack-size
tube of yogurt, liquid-
filled stress ball
How Can We
Describe Solids?
Students explore
and describe various
solids, then group
their descriptive
words into categories
(properties).
Skills [GCO 2]
• 12.0
• 10.0
STSE/K [GCO 1/3]
• 23.0
Science Card 2
IWB Activity 3
BLM
Properties of
Solids
IWB Activity 4
strips of paper
various small solids (e.g.,
cotton balls, sheets
of tin foil, sheets of
paper, plastic baggies,
crayons, blocks of wood,
erasers, drinking straws,
modelling clay, gummy
bears)
students’ Science
Folders
students’ Science
Journals
several chunks of
modelling clay or
chocolate
several mugs, shallow
foam trays, and small
baggies
kitchen scale
6
Teaching Plans Specific Curriculum
Outcomes
Components Materials Literacy Place
Connections
How Can We
Describe Liquids?
Students explore
and describe various
liquids, then sequence
liquids according to a
variety of properties.
Skills [GCO 2]
• 12.0
• 10.0
STSE/K [GCO 1/3]
• 23.0
IWB Activity 5
BLM
Sequencing
Liquids
Science Card 3
Science Card 4
several clear plastic
containers of various
shapes and sizes
250–500 ml of coloured
water
clear mug, shallow foam
tray, and small baggie
Properties of Solids
Anchor Chart
small clear plastic cups,
such as medicine cups
250 ml each of several
liquids (e.g., glue, milk,
vinegar, juice, cooking oil,
chocolate sauce, hand
lotion, shampoo) in clear
plastic cups
various containers (e.g.,
mugs, bowls, test tubes,
square pans)
students’ Science
Journals
3 clear containers
of same size and
shape, containing
100 ml of apple juice,
hair conditioner, and
molasses (separately)
sticky notes
students’ Science
Folders
a variety of liquids (e.g.,
bottle of glue, litre of
milk, bottle of vinegar,
bottle of cooking oil,
bottle of chocolate syrup,
hand lotion in dispenser
or bottle, bottle of
shampoo, bottle of water,
hand soap in dispenser,
jar of honey, bottle of
ketchup, container of
maple syrup)
ml measuring spoons
one large piece of stiff
cardboard for every
3–4 students; one side
should be covered with
parchment paper
several foil pans
Continued on next page...
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 7
Planning Guide for Liquids and Solids (continued)
Teaching Plans Specific Curriculum
Outcomes
Components Materials Literacy Place
Connections
What Happens
When We Combine
Liquids and Solids?
Students investigate
the ways in which
familiar liquids and
solids can interact
with one another.
Skills [GCO 2]
• 7.0
• 14.0
STSE/K [GCO 1/3]
• 24.0
Perfect Snow
(Read Aloud)
Science Card 5
Science Card 6
• BLM
Results Table
snow
bottle of oil-and-vinegar
dressing containing
rosemary/basil and black
pepper pods
beakers of water (one
per group)
eyedroppers of water
(one per group)
small portions of
cooking oil, maple syrup,
chocolate syrup, food
colouring, ground black
pepper, flour, grapes, and
dry cereal (one portion
of each per group)
small blocks of wood
(two per group)
cotton balls (two per
group)
pieces of cardboard (two
per group)
pieces of tissue (two per
group)
plastic blocks (two per
group)
sugar cubes (two per
group)
Styrofoam packing
“peanuts” (two per
group)
tin foil (one sheet per
group)
digital camera (optional)
sensory bottle (plastic
water bottle filled with
oil and coloured water,
with one or more solids
such as glitter, plastic
confetti, sea shells,
pebbles, beads, or fish
tank gravel)
plastic water bottles
pre-filled with an oil-and-
water mixture (one per
pair of students)
glitter, plastic confetti, sea
shells, pebbles, beads,
fish tank gravel, etc.
small spoons
hot glue gun
An Early Worm
Got Out of Bed
(“The Muddy
Puddle,” pages
16–17, Shared
Reading—Active
Learning Kit)
8
Teaching Plans Specific Curriculum
Outcomes
Components Materials Literacy Place
Connections
How Do Liquids
and Solids Change
When We Mix
Them?
Students explore the
ways in which familiar
liquids and solids can
change when they
are mixed with one
another.
Skills [GCO 2]
• 16.0
STSE/K [GCO 1/3]
• 25.0
Science Card 7 glass of water
bottle of food colouring
various mixing tools
sticky notes
safety goggles for all
students
small cups (30)
three pitchers of water
small quantities of
bubble bath liquid,
cooking oil, instant
coffee, drink mix, baking
powder, vitamin C
tablets, compressed soil
discs, and various other
liquids and solids (e.g.,
bar of soap, crackers,
tissue, dried fruit, salt,
sugar, sand, kitty litter,
honey, glue, chocolate
syrup)
digital camera (optional)
students’ Science
Folders
aprons for all students
plastic table coverings
and/or paper towels
large box of cornstarch
water
1 large bowl
1 small bowl
measuring cups and
spoons
empty, clear plastic water
or soda bottles (one per
group)
uninflated balloons (one
per group)
small funnels or spouted
containers (one per
group)
white vinegar
baking soda
3-2-1 Blast
Off!
(Shared
Reading—
Sequencing
Strategy Unit)
Continued on next page...
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 9
Planning Guide for Liquids and Solids (continued)
Teaching Plans Specific Curriculum
Outcomes
Components Materials Literacy Place
Connections
How Can We Mix
Liquids and Solids
to Make Useful
Things?
Students explore
how to create useful
mixtures of liquids
and solids.
Skills [GCO 2]
• 16.0
STSE/K [GCO 1/3]
• 26.0
Science Card 8
The Little Knight
Who Battled
the Rain
(Read
Aloud, Unit 1)
Science Card 9
IWB Activity 6
BLM
Recipe
Card
package of gelatin dessert
mix
electric kettle
several large clear bowls
measuring cups and spoons
stirring tools
ingredients, containers,
and tools to make a variety
of items that come with
instructions (e.g., orange
juice or lemonade from
concentrate, chocolate milk,
pudding or custard, chip
dip, or brownies, cakes, and
cookies)
flour, salt, cold and hot water,
food colouring, saucepan or
bowl, whisk or rotary beater
Mr. Fix-It
(Guided
Reading,
Level K)
How Can We Use
Liquids and Solids
to Keep Our World
Clean?
Students investigate
how to use liquids
and solids to keep
our world clean.
Skills [GCO 2]
• 27.0
• 19.0
STSE/K [GCO 1/3]
• 28.0
Science Card 10
IWB Activity 7
honey, paint, cereal in milk,
mud, glitter
various surfaces or containers
(e.g., foil trays, pieces of
cardboard)
materials with varying degrees
of absorbency (e.g., towels,
newspaper, paper towels,
tissue paper, J-cloths, felt,
baby wipes)
ingredients to make
homemade cleaners (e.g.,
baking soda, water, vinegar,
olive oil, sea salt, peppermint
or citrus essential oil, eggs,
lemon juice)
small mixing bowls and tools,
measuring spoons and cups
empty spray bottle
old toothbrushes
dish tubs (one per small
group)
water
vegetable oil
small items to which oil would
adhere (e.g., rubber ducks,
small rocks, feathers)
various commercial cleaning
products (glass cleaner, dish
soap, laundry detergent)
students’ Science Journals
Keep Us Clean
(Guided
Reading,
Level J)
10
Teaching Plans Specific Curriculum
Outcomes
Components Materials Literacy Place
Connections
What Materials
Float? What
Materials Sink?
Students use the
inquiry process
to investigate the
buoyancy of different
self-chosen solids.
Students record
their predictions and
results on a graph.
Skills [GCO 2]
• 19.0
• 21.0
What Is the Inquiry
Process?
poster
Science Card 11
IWB Activity 8
bottle of oil-and-vinegar
dressing from
What
Happens When We
Combine Liquids and
Solids?
(see page 35)
3–4 samples each
of marbles, cotton
balls, sugar cubes,
blocks of wood, plastic
blocks, Styrofoam
trays, sponges, gummy
candies, and soda
crackers
tubs of water (one per
pair + one extra for
demonstration)
students’ Science
Journals
small amounts of various
items, such as paper
clips, crayons, craft
sticks, jelly beans, coins,
bars of soap, lumps of
clay, rocks, plastic toys,
ice cubes, feathers,
cans of diet cola, cans
of regular cola, pumice
stones, peeled oranges,
unpeeled oranges, and
pieces of string
digital camera (optional)
large box of salt
stirring tools
toy plastic buckets (one
per pair)
½ dozen raw eggs (if
permitted)
Design Challenge:
Build a Boat
Students use the
design process to
build a boat capable
of supporting a
specific number of
coins.
Skills [GCO 2]
• 30.0
• 31.0
• 32.0
STSE/K [GCO 1/3]
• 29.0
Science Card 12
IWB Activity 9
What Is the
Design Process?
poster
BLM
TAG
Feedback
(one per
group
tin foil
several coins of the
same size (10 per
group)
students’ Science
Journals
digital camera or tablets
(optional)
large tub of water
various buoyant
materials and adhesives
(e.g., craft sticks, stiff
cardboard, straws,
Styrofoam, tape, glue)
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 11
1. Curiosity Centre
The Curiosity Centre gives students an
opportunity to investigate science ideas and tools
through active participation, free exploration,
and independent play. In this hands-on centre,
students can explore objects related to liquids
and solids.
The Curiosity Centre could have
a variety of liquids and solids for students
to explore (except by taste, which should
be done under adult supervision), such
as cotton balls, sheets of tin foil, plastic
baggies, crayons, blocks of wood, erasers,
drinking straws, modelling clay, glue, milk,
vinegar, cooking oil, hand lotion, shampoo,
apple juice, hair conditioner, molasses, as
well as gummy bears, juice, and chocolate
sauce, if there are no allergy concerns
a variety of mixtures or combinations of
liquids and solids for students to examine
and use as a resource for drawing, such as
a lava lamp, snow globe, bottle of oil-and-
vinegar salad dressing
Check the centre frequently to ensure it is
well stocked with items. Invite students to
contribute to the centre by bringing in items
or photographs related to liquids and solids.
Remind students to tidy up the materials when
they are finished.
Note: You may choose to display new items
every few days or introduce items one at a time
throughout the unit. Allergy concerns must be
considered before adding any item to the centre.
Preparing for the Unit
2. Science Journals and Folders
Check that students are
recording appropriately in
their Science Journals,
ensuring that they date each entry and record
ideas using sketches with labels, lists of words,
or sentences. Continue to encourage them to
add new questions or ideas to their Journals as
often as they like.
Remind students that they should store
completed BLMs, drawings, graphs, etc. that are
related to the Liquids and Solids unit in their
Science Folders.
3. Word Wall
Add any relevant science terminology
to the Word Wall throughout the unit.
Urge students to use the terms as
often as possible as they work through the unit.
4. I Wonder Wall
Continue to build the I Wonder Wall
throughout the unit by posting
students’ questions as they arise. Refer
to the I Wonder Wall often and select questions
that students may be ready to answer.
5. Reading Centre
Add texts (books, magazines, and photographs)
relating to liquids and solids to the Reading
Centre. Or, you may choose to include these
texts in the Curiosity Centre. The titles in the
Science Library will help start off a collection of
books. Also, refer to the lists of texts pertaining
to Liquids and Solids in the Additional
Resources section of this guide (page 76).
Word
12
Focus: Students investigate various objects in order to identify them as either liquids or solids.
What Is a Liquid? What Is
a Solid?
Specific Curriculum Outcomes
Students will be expected to:
• 1.0 pose questions that lead to exploration and
investigation [GCO 2]
Performance Indicators
Students who achieve these outcomes will be
able to:
• ask questions to help them identify items as
either liquids and solids
• list several examples of liquids and solids
NOTES:
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 13
Attitude Outcome Statements
Encourage students to:
show interest in and curiosity about objects and events within the immediate
environment [GCO 4]
Cross-Curricular Connections
Social Studies
Students will be expected to:
describe how people’s interactions with their environment have changed
over time [2.4.2]
English Language Arts
Students will be expected to:
• speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts,
ideas, feelings, and experiences [GCO 1]
• Ensure students understand that they are not to taste any of the items from
the mystery box or around the classroom.
• Liquid and solid are just two of the possible states (or forms) of matter.
Other states include gas, plasma, and Bose-Einstein condensate.
• The state or form of any given type of matter depends on how close
together the particles are. Water in the form of ice, for example, has
particles that are much closer together than water in the form of
condensate.
Getting Organized
Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary
IWB Activity 1
Science Card 1
BLM
Examples of
Liquids and Solids
IWB Activity 2
Anchor Video:
Liquids
and Solids
sticky notes
students’ Science Folders
students’ Science Journals
digital camera (optional)
Prepare a “mystery box”
containing various liquids
and solids, such as a
block of wood, glue stick,
crayon, cotton ball, piece
of tin foil, ketchup packet,
travel-size hand sanitizer,
juice box, snack-size tube
of yogurt, liquid-filled
stress ball.
liquid
solid
Safety
Science Background
14
Mystery Box
Write the words “liquid” and “solid” on the Word Wall. Ask students if they
have ever heard these words. Ask:
What do you think a liquid is? Can you think of an example?
What do you think a solid is? Can you think of an example?
As students brainstorm, record any descriptive words on chart paper or the
IWB, such as “runny” and “hard.”
Introduce a mystery box that contains various liquids and solids (e.g., a block
of wood, glue stick, crayon, cotton ball, piece of tin foil, ketchup packet, travel-
size hand sanitizer, juice box, snack-size tube of yogurt, liquid-filled stress
ball). Invite students to take turns pulling items out of the box. As each item is
pulled out of the mystery box, ask:
Is this a liquid, a solid, or a mystery?
Have students pass each item around and examine it as they discuss the
question. Remind students not to use their sense of taste to investigate the
items.
Liquid or Solid?
Have students examine Science Card 1 and take turns identifying the items in
the photos. As each item is identified, write its name (e.g., tomato, basket) at
the top of a sticky note and post it on or beside the Science Card.
State of Matter Arrangement of
Particles
Movement of
Particles
Takes the Shape of
a Container?
Expands to Fill a
Container?
Solid
low no no
Liquid
medium yes no
Gas
high yes yes
ACTIVATE
Word
IWB Activity:
Challenge students to
sort items as liquid or
solid using Activity 1:
Is it a liquid or a solid?
(see the Teacher’s
Website).
CONNECT
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 15
Invite students to discuss each item and whether it is a liquid or a solid.
Encourage students to generate questions to help them decide. Record their
questions on the I Wonder Wall. If necessary, model with questions such as:
What makes something a liquid?
How do we know something is a solid?
Are all liquids runny? Are all solids hard?
As students make a decision about each item, invite someone to come up
and write an “L” or an “S” on the item’s sticky note. Students can also write
a “?” on the sticky note to indicate it is a mystery. (Students may find some
items difficult to classify, for example, students may classify vegetables as
solids but they contain liquid or moisture.)
Examples of Liquids and Solids
Provide a copy of BLM Examples of Liquids and
Solids for each student and have them fill in the
BLM by writing or drawing some of the liquids
and solids they identified from the mystery box
and Science Card 1. Have students store their
completed BLMs in their Science Folders.
Anchor Video
Play the Anchor Video: Liquids and Solids which is located on the Teacher’s
Website. Set a focus for viewing by asking students to think about what
makes something a liquid or a solid. You may choose to pause the video
to allow students to answer questions or to discuss any questions which
students may have. Ask students to identify the images in the video as liquid
or solid and add these to their Examples of Liquids and Solids list.
After playing the video, work with students to formulate broad definitions
for “liquid” and “solid.” Record each definition on chart paper and post it on
the wall. Have students record these definitions in their Science Journals.
Classroom Search
Invite students to search the classroom: half of them can look for liquids
while the other half looks for solids. Students can then create a digital or
hand-drawn collage of images showing the items they discovered.
IWB Activity:
Students can use
Activity 2: Spot the
liquids and solids (see
the Teacher’s Website)
to label items as liquid or
solid.
CONSOLIDATE
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 17
Name:
Examples of Liquids
Examples of Solids
Examples of Liquids and Solids
EXPLORE MORE
16
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd. Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 17
Name:
Examples of Liquids Examples of Solids
Examples of Liquids and Solids
Focus: Students explore and describe various solids, then group their descriptive words into categories
(properties).
How Can We Describe
Solids?
Specific Curriculum Outcomes
Students will be expected to:
• 23.0 explore properties of familiar liquids and
solids [GCO 1/3]
• 12.0 communicate while exploring and
investigating [GCO 2]
• 10.0 sequence or group materials and objects
[GCO 2]
Performance Indicators
Students who achieve these outcomes will be
able to:
• describe a solid using words related to its
properties
• group solids according to their properties
NOTES:
18
Attitude Outcome Statements
Encourage students to:
recognize the role and contribution of science in their understanding of the
world [GCO 4]
Cross-Curricular Connections
English Language Arts
Students will be expected to:
• communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond
personally and critically [GCO 2]
• use writing and other forms of representation to explore, clarify, and reflect
on their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and learnings; and to use their
imaginations [GCO 8]
Ensure students are not allergic to any substances being investigated.
• Remind students not to taste any solids they are exploring.
To identify, describe, and classify matter, we refer to its properties, or
characteristics.
The physical properties of matter include its colour, shape, size, texture
(feel), hardness, flexibility (ability to bend), odour, and taste. Mass,
volume, and density (the quantity of mass per unit of volume) are also
physical properties of matter. These properties can be observed without
changing the state of the matter.
Getting Organized
Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary
Science Card 2
• IWB Activity 3
BLM
Properties of
Solids
• IWB Activity 4
strips of paper
various small solids (e.g., cotton balls,
sheets of tin foil, sheets of paper,
plastic baggies, crayons, blocks
of wood, erasers, drinking straws,
modelling clay, gummy bears)
students’ Science Folders
students’ Science Journals
several chunks of modelling clay or
chocolate
several mugs, shallow foam trays, and
small baggies
kitchen scale
Prepare sets of five
items with different
colours, shapes,
sizes, textures,
hardness, flexibility,
and weight. You will
need one set for
every two students
in the class.
property
properties
texture
flexibility
weight
Safety
Science Background
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 19
Students may find it easy to identify certain substances as solids or
liquids, based on the physical properties they observe. Some matter (e.g.,
toothpaste, hair gel, playdough) may have properties of both solids and
liquids, however, and thus be more difficult to classify. This is because
liquid and solid are not opposite states of matter—all matter actually exists
along a continuum.
Describing Solids
Ask students to describe each object shown on Science Card 2. If necessary,
prompt them by asking:
What does the object look like?
What might the object feel like?
You may also provide samples of the objects shown to allow students to
explore physical sensory learning objects.
On strips of paper, record any words students use that describe properties
(e.g., blue, square, small, rough, hard, bendy, heavy).
Then, spread the word strips on a table or the floor and ask students how
they might sort or group them (e.g., “blue” and “red” are both colours).
Write the categories they generate on chart paper (colour, shape, size,
texture, hardness, flexibility, weight), prompting as necessary. Explain that
these categories are properties, or ways to describe how something feels or
looks. By describing an object’s properties, we can tell someone else about
the object even if we don’t know what it is. Add the words “property,”
“properties,” “texture,” “flexibility,” and “weight” to the Word Wall.
Observing Properties
Invite students to choose partners. Give each pair a small collection of
various solids (e.g., items from the Curiosity Centre such as a cotton ball, tin
foil, sheet of paper, plastic baggie, crayon, block of wood, eraser, drinking
straw, modelling clay, gummy bear). Students can manipulate each solid and
observe its colour, shape, size, texture, hardness, and flexibility.
Have each pair choose three properties from the chart paper and write them
on the top row of BLM Properties of Solids. Then invite them to record
several solids on the left side of the chart. Students then record three
properties for several solids in their collection (e.g., the cotton ball is white,
round, and soft). Have students store their completed BLMs in their Science
Folders.
Possible Misconceptions
ACTIVATE
Word
IWB Activity:
Challenge students to
predict the solids based
on their descriptions
using Activity 3: What
solid am I? (see the
Teacher’s Website).
CONNECT
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 23
Properties of Solids
Choose three properties and write the properties in the top row of the chart.
On the left side of the chart, list some of the solids you are exploring.
Fill in the chart with words that describe each solid.
Name:
_______________________________________________________________
20
Sorting by Property
Have each pair of students join another pair and combine their objects. Then
have the two pairs sort their objects according to various properties (e.g., all
of the round objects, all of the flexible objects). Students can draw and label
the groups of objects.
Properties of Solids Anchor Chart
Have students use their observations and their BLMs to generate points for a
class Properties of Solids Anchor Chart (e.g., “solids have a colour, shape,
and size”; “solids have a certain amount of hardness, roughness, and
flexibility”). Record the Anchor Chart on chart paper or the IWB, and have
students copy the chart into their Science Journals.
Provide pairs of students with chunks of modelling clay or chocolate. Ask:
Is this material a solid? How do you know?
Invite students to transfer their chunks of modelling clay/chocolate from one
container to another, such as from a mug to a shallow foam tray to a baggie.
Ask:
What happens to this solid when you put it in a different container? Does
its shape change, depending on the shape of the container?
Can you change the shape of this solid?
Invite students to change the shape of the modelling clay/chocolate by
breaking it into pieces (e.g., crushing it inside a baggie). Ask:
When you break this solid apart, are all the pieces still modelling clay/
chocolate? Are all the pieces still solids?
Use a kitchen scale to weigh a large chunk of modelling clay/chocolate. Have
students record the weight. Then invite a volunteer to break the chunk into
smaller pieces, and weigh the pieces. Have students record the weight and
observe that it is the same as the original weight. Ask a volunteer to break
the pieces into even smaller pieces, and weigh them, noting that the weight
is still the same.
Invite students to use their observations of the modelling clay/chocolate to
add points to the class Anchor Chart, such as “solids do not change shape on
their own” and “solids have a certain weight.” Make sure students add these
points to the chart they have copied into their Science Journals. Invite
students to record any questions they may have on the I Wonder Wall.
IWB Activity:
Students can sort solids
using Activity 4: Sorting
solids (see the Teacher’s
Website).
CONSOLIDATE
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 21
Barrier Game
Have pairs or small groups play a solids barrier game. Students/groups face one
another, with a book standing between them, blocking their view of one another.
Each side is given a set of the same four objects and a sheet of paper divided
into four quadrants. One side places its objects on its sheet of paper, and then
tells the other side which object should go where on its sheet of paper. The rule
is that students must not use the names of the objects—they can only describe
the objects’ properties (e.g., “Put the blue, hard, rough solid in the top left
corner. Put the red, flexible, smooth solid in the middle.”). Once both sides have
their objects in the same places on their sheets of paper, they can switch roles
and play again with different objects.
Note: If students need help with positional vocabulary, see the Unit 3: Relative
Position and Motion Guide.
EXPLORE MORE
22
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd. Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 23
Properties of Solids
Choose three properties and write the properties in the top row of the chart.
On the left side of the chart, list some of the solids you are exploring.
Fill in the chart with words that describe each solid.
Name:
_______________________________________________________________
Focus: Students explore and describe various liquids, then sequence liquids according to a variety of
properties.
How Can We Describe
Liquids?
Specific Curriculum Outcomes
Students will be expected to:
• 23.0 explore properties of familiar liquids and
solids [GCO 1/3]
• 12.0 communicate while exploring and
investigating [GCO 2]
• 10.0 sequence or group materials and objects
[GCO 2]
Performance Indicators
Students who achieve these outcomes will be
able to:
• describe a liquid using words related to its
properties
• sequence liquids according to a variety of
properties
NOTES:
24
Attitude Outcome Statements
Encourage students to:
willingly observe, question, and explore [GCO 4]
Cross-Curricular Connections
English Language Arts
Students will be expected to:
• speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts,
ideas, feelings, and experiences [GCO 1]
Getting Organized
Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary
IWB Activity 5
BLM
Sequencing
Liquids
Science Card 3
Science Card 4
several clear plastic containers of various
shapes and sizes
250–500 ml of coloured water
clear mug, shallow foam tray, and small
baggie
Properties of Solids Anchor Chart
small clear plastic cups, such as medicine
cups
250 ml each of several liquids (e.g., glue,
milk, vinegar, juice, cooking oil, chocolate
sauce, hand lotion, shampoo) in clear
plastic cups
various containers (e.g., mugs, bowls, test
tubes, square pans)
students’ Science Journals
3 clear containers of same size and
shape, containing 100 ml of apple
juice, hair conditioner, and molasses
(separately)
sticky notes
students’ Science Folders
a variety of liquids (e.g., bottle of glue, litre
of milk, bottle of vinegar, bottle of cooking
oil, bottle of chocolate sauce, hand lotion
in dispenser or bottle, bottle of shampoo,
bottle of water, hand soap in dispenser, jar
of honey, bottle of ketchup, container of
maple syrup)
ml measuring spoons
one large piece of stiff cardboard for
every 3–4 students; one side should be
covered with parchment paper
several foil pans
Display the
Properties of
Solids Anchor
Chart from
How
Can We Describe
Solids?
(see pages
18–23).
Set out the clear
plastic containers,
the coloured water,
and the ball/block.
• behave
• behaviour
• flow
• swirl
• sequence
• viscous
• viscosity
• colourless
• transparent
• transparency
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 25
Ensure students are not allergic to any substances being tested.
• Remind students not to taste any of the substances they are investigating.
Students may observe that some solids actually “pour” or “flow” in the
same way as liquids do (e.g., salt pouring from a box, sand flowing from
a bucket). A collection of many small particles of solid materials (such as
sand) can pour like liquids but each individual particle maintains its shape.
In addition to the physical properties of colour, odour, and taste, liquids also
have differing degrees of viscosity, or resistance to flow. Viscosity depends
on the measure of internal friction in a liquid. Liquids having high viscosity
are thicker and stickier in consistency than liquids with low viscosity. High
viscosity liquids flow more slowly.
Students may think that the amount of liquid in one container can change
if it is poured into another container. For example, if the liquid in a coffee
mug is poured into a tall, narrow flower vase, students may believe that
there is more water in the vase than there was in the mug.
When describing the colour of water, vinegar, and similar liquids, students
may use words such as “clear.” Explain that this is actually a measure of
the liquid’s transparency and that the word they should use is “colourless.”
Observing Liquids
Display several clear plastic containers in a variety of shapes and sizes. Invite
student volunteers to come up one at a time and pour a measured amount
of coloured water from one container to another. The rest of the class should
observe how the liquid behaves in each case.
Then invite a few students to transfer an amount of liquid from a clear mug to
a shallow foam tray to a baggie. Ask students to recall what happened during
the previous teaching plan when they transferred modelling clay/chocolate into
these same containers. Ask:
What happens to the shape of the liquid when it goes from one container
to another?
How is this different from how the solid behaved?
What are some ways that liquids are different from solids?
Elicit from students that liquids change to take the shape of the container
they are in, but solids do not; and that liquids flow, but solids do not. (See
the Science Background section for a clarification of solids that seem to
“flow.”) Begin a Properties of Liquids Anchor Chart on chart paper or the
IWB, with the first two points being “liquids change to take the shape of
Safety
Science Background
Possible Misconceptions
ACTIVATE
26
their container” and “liquids flow or pour.” Invite students to record any
questions they may have on the I Wonder Wall.
Describing Liquids
Refer students to the Properties of Solids Anchor Chart created in How Can
We Describe Solids (see pages 18–23). Review the properties of solids, and
then ask students which of these properties they might be able to observe in
liquids (e.g., colour, texture). Pencil in a question mark beside each of the
properties they mention. Tell students that they will have the opportunity to
check their predictions and discover some other properties of liquids.
Observing Properties
Group students into small groups and provide each group with four small
clear plastic cups containing samples of different liquids (e.g., glue, milk,
vinegar, juice, cooking oil, chocolate sauce, hand lotion, shampoo). Have
each group investigate its liquids by observing colour, smell, and behaviour.
Encourage students to pour each liquid slowly into various containers (e.g.,
mug, bowl, test tube, square pan) and observe how it flows. Students may
wish to take notes in their Science Journals.
Note: See the Possible Misconceptions section on page 26 for how to help
students differentiate between a lack of colour in a liquid and a high degree
of transparency.
Sequencing Liquids
Perform a “swirl test” with equal quantities of apple juice, hair conditioner,
and molasses, in separate clear containers of the same size and shape. Have
students observe how easy or difficult it is to swirl, or move, each liquid,
and then work as a class to order, or sequence, the three liquids from easiest
to most difficult to swirl. When the class has agreed on the sequence, label
each container “1,” “2,” or “3” with sticky notes. Draw a continuum/two-
headed arrow on chart paper and label it with the names of the liquids in
order. (Match the format of BLM Sequencing Liquids on page 30.)
Ask students for other ideas for ordering or sequencing liquids, and write
their responses on chart paper (e.g., from thickest to thinnest, from fastest-
to slowest-flowing, from easiest to hardest to see through). Ask each group
to choose one method (including from easiest to hardest to swirl) and to
sequence their liquids from the Observing Properties activity accordingly.
Students should label their liquids with numbered sticky notes. Once a group’s
IWB Activity:
Students can use
Activity 5: What liquid
am I? (see the Teacher’s
Website) to predict the
liquids based on their
descriptions.
CONNECT
Sequencing Liquids
Name:
Sequencing Method: from
1
2 3 4
to
30 Unit 2: Liquids and Solids
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 27
sequence has been checked and approved, students can fill in the continuum
on BLM Sequencing Liquids, adding pictures of their liquids in the sequence
they determined. Invite students to share their results with the class. Remind
students to store their completed BLMs in their Science Folders.
Liquids Anchor Chart
Have each group explain how it sequenced its liquids. Record any new points on
the Properties of Liquids Anchor Chart (e.g., “liquids pour or flow at different
speeds,” “some liquids are thicker or thinner than others,” “some liquids are
more see-through than others”). Take this opportunity to introduce vocabulary
such as “viscous/viscosity” (how easily a liquid flows) and “transparent/
transparency” (how easily we can see through a liquid). Add these words to the
Word Wall, along with “sequence.”
Revisit the Properties of Solids Anchor Chart and have students confirm or reject
their predictions from the Describing Liquids activity. Copy any points from this
chart to the Liquids Anchor Chart (e.g., “liquids have a colour”). Students
should copy the completed Anchor Chart into their Science Journals. Students
can add new questions they may have to the I Wonder Wall.
Display Science Card 3 and ask students to identify the seven liquids shown
(water, hand soap, honey, strawberry smoothie, ketchup, maple syrup, paint).
Write the name of each liquid on a sticky note and place it on the card. Invite
students to describe the properties of each liquid. If necessary, prompt by
asking:
What does it look like?
How do you think it feels?
Discuss how the descriptions of each liquid support the properties of liquids as
noted on the Properties of Liquids Anchor Chart.
Viscosity Race
Invite students to examine Science Card 4. Ask:
What do you think is happening in the picture?
What materials were needed to hold the race?
Tell students that the picture is showing a “Viscosity Race” (review the meaning
of “viscosity” as needed) with a variety of liquids (water, hand soap, maple
syrup, and ketchup). Ask:
Which liquid do you think won the race? Why?
Does the winner have the highest viscosity or the lowest viscosity?
Group students into different small groups. Display a variety of liquids (e.g.,
glue, milk, vinegar, juice, cooking oil, chocolate sauce, hand lotion, shampoo,
and any of the liquids shown on Science Card 3). Have each small group choose
CONSOLIDATE
Word
28
four liquids to race. Provide measuring spoons and small clear plastic cups for
students to measure out equal amounts (30 ml) of their chosen liquids.
Note: This activity may require a volunteer to assist students and provide
supervision as needed.
Make sure students understand that the winner of the race should be the liquid
with the lowest viscosity, or the lowest amount of thickness/stickiness. Have
each group discuss among themselves which liquid they predict will win their
race and record their prediction on a sticky note. If group members disagree,
they should write each prediction on a sticky note with the name(s) of the
members making the prediction.
Assist each group in setting up a piece of parchment-paper-covered cardboard
with the bottom edge resting in a foil pan. The cardboar
d should be propped up
solidly on an angle. Once all groups are set up for their race, have two students
in each group stand behind their piece of cardboard, holding one of the four
cups of liquids in each hand. Remind students that the liquid that reaches the
foil pan first is the winner.
Count down from three to have all groups tip their cups at the same time.
Students should observe and record their group’s results, and then assign a
“Viscosity Value” from 1–4 to each liquid (with 4 being the highest viscosity, or
the slowest racer). Have students record the results of their group’s race in their
Science Journals by drawing an illustrated viscosity continuum. (Students could
alternatively fill out another copy of BLM Sequencing Liquids.)
This process can be repeated with all of the 1s to see which liquid in the class is
the overall winner, or has the lowest viscosity of all.
What Liquid Am I?
Divide students into two groups. Give one group a slip of paper with the name
of a liquid written on it. Have students in this group describe the properties of
the liquid to the other group, without mentioning the name of the liquid. The
other group must guess the liquid based on the clues. Once the liquid has been
identified, have groups change roles.
Sequencing Liquids
Name:
Sequencing Method: from
1
2 3 4
to
30 Unit 2: Liquids and Solids
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
EXPLORE MORE
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 29
Sequencing Liquids
Name:
Sequencing Method: from
1 2 3 4
to
30 Unit 2: Liquids and Solids © 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Focus: Students investigate the ways in which familiar liquids and solids can interact with one another.
What Happens When We
Combine Liquids and Solids?
Specific Curriculum Outcomes
Students will be expected to:
• 24.0 investigate the interactions of familiar
liquids and solids [GCO 1/3]
• 7.0 make and record observations and
measurements [GCO 2]
• 14.0 communicate procedures and results
[GCO 2]
Performance Indicators
Students who achieve these outcomes will be
able to:
• predict the ways that specific liquids and solids
will interact with one another
NOTES:
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 31
Attitude Outcome Statements
Encourage students to:
be open-minded in their explorations [GCO 4]
Cross-Curricular Connections
English Language Arts
Students will be expected to:
• communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond
personally and critically [GCO 2]
• respond personally to a range of texts [GCO 6]
Getting Organized
Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary
Perfect Snow
(Read Aloud)
• Science Card 5
• Science Card 6
• BLM
Results Table
Literacy Place:
An Early Worm
Got Out of Bed
(“The Muddy
Puddle,” pages
16–17, Shared
Reading—Active
Learning Kit)
snow
bottle of oil-and-vinegar dressing
containing rosemary/basil and black
pepper pods
beakers of water (one per group)
eyedroppers of water (one per group)
small portions of cooking oil, maple
syrup, chocolate syrup, food colouring,
ground black pepper, flour, grapes, and
dry cereal (one portion of each per
group)
small blocks of wood (two per group)
cotton balls (two per group)
pieces of cardboard (two per group)
pieces of tissue (two per group)
plastic blocks (two per group)
sugar cubes (two per group)
Styrofoam packing “peanuts” (two per
group)
tin foil (one sheet per group)
digital camera (optional)
sensory bottle (plastic water bottle
filled with oil and coloured water, with
one or more solids such as glitter,
plastic confetti, sea shells, pebbles,
beads, or fish tank gravel)
plastic water bottles pre-filled with an
oil-and-water mixture (one per pair of
students)
glitter, plastic confetti, sea shells,
pebbles, beads, fish tank gravel, etc.
small spoons
hot glue gun
Arrange for an
Elder or Indigenous
Knowledge Keeper
to visit the class to
describe the perfect
snow for building
a traditional snow
house.
Combine 3 parts
olive oil and 1 part
balsamic vinegar in
a bottle. Add a sprig
of rosemary or basil
and some black
pepper pods. Do not
shake the bottle—
the oil and vinegar
should remain
separated.
Create a sensory
bottle by filling a
plastic water bottle
with oil and coloured
water, and adding
one or more solids
such as glitter,
plastic confetti, sea
shells, pebbles,
beads, or fish tank
gravel.
• combined
• combination
• interact
• interaction
• dense
• density
• predict
• prediction
• results
• results table
• sink
• float
• absorb
• dissolve
32
Remind students not to taste any of the substances they are investigating.
You may choose to have students wear aprons and/or gloves while they are
combining liquids and solids.
• Students are not to handle the hot glue gun.
Because of variables such as density, absorbency, and buoyancy, simply
combining various liquids and solids will yield several observable results,
including floating, sinking, absorbing, and dissolving. No stirring or agitation
is required for students to observe these results.
Summary
An overnight snowfall sets the stage for two boys to anticipate recess and the
endless possibilities of “perfect” snow.
Begin by asking students if snow is a liquid or a solid. Explain that snow is
made of individual ice crystals. Lead students to conclude that individual
snowflakes are solids. Then show students the cover of the book and ask:
What is “perfect” snow?
What can you do with perfect snow?
What do you think these boys are doing?
Involve students in a Think-Pair-Share strategy. After providing time for
students to ponder the questions, have them turn to the person next to them
and share their thinking. After students have had a chance to share their
thinking with a partner, invite a few students to share their ideas with the class.
Ask students to listen as you read to discover why the boys think this snow
is perfect and what they do with the perfect snow.
As you read the story to students, pause frequently to discuss the text and
illustrations. Prompts for discussion could include:
Why do you think the boys are happy to see snow?
Safety
Science Background
ACTIVATE
Read Aloud:
Perfect Snow
Before Reading
During Reading
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 33
What does it mean when the text says, “Jim packed a handful”? (He
pressed the snow together to make it stick together.)
When Jim says that conditions are perfect to build a snow fortress, what
do you think he means? What “conditions” is he talking about?
Scott says that the snow is perfect to the build the World’s Greatest
Snowman. What made the snow perfect?
Why do Jim and Scott decide to work together? (There’s not enough snow
for all the kids to build separate things.)
What do the kids do to the snow when they’re building with it? (They pack
it and pile it high.)
Was it a good idea to combine a snow fort with the snowmen?
What happens to the perfect snow when it rains during the night?
What do you think “slush” is? What might it be perfect for?
Prompts for discussion could include:
What properties made the snow perfect for building a snowman fort?
(It was wet. It was heavy. It packed together well.)
Would other snow have worked?
If possible, have students gather snow from outside. Ask them to describe
the snow’s properties. Ask:
Is it wet or dry?
Does it pack together or fall apart?
Tell the students they are going to work in small groups to investigate the
snow and to test whether they can make the snow “perfect” by adding water.
Students can gather the materials they need and use them to carry out the
investigation. Students can record their observations in their Science
Journals. Prompt by asking:
What will happen if you mix the snow with a little water? With a lot of
water?
What will happen to fluffy, dry snow?
What will happen to heavy, wet snow?
Explain to students that perfect snow for building is called packing snow. This
is wet, heavy snow that falls when the temperature is close to freezing (0°C).
These warmer snowflakes have more moisture which acts like a ‘glue’ to hold
the flakes together when pressure is applied to pack it. When the air is very cold
(below freezing), the snow is fluffy and dry and doesn’t stick together. If you
pack snow that is too wet (slush), it packs too hard and becomes lumps of ice.
Perfect Snow for a Snow House
You might invite an Elder or an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper to visit the class
to describe the perfect type of snow for building a traditional snow house.
After Reading
34
Oil and Vinegar
Show students a bottle of oil-and-vinegar dressing containing a sprig of
rosemary or basil and some black pepper pods. Have them examine the
bottle and help them identify what liquids and solids have been combined.
Encourage students to observe and discuss how these liquids and solids are
interacting in the bottle (the black pepper pods sink to the bottom, and the
oil floats on top of the vinegar). Encourage students to brainstorm why these
interactions occur. Explain that
the oil is less dense than the vinegar, so it floats; and
the pepper pods are more dense than both the oil and vinegar, so they
sink.
“Density” is how tightly the particles in a substance are packed
together.
Add the words “dense” and “density” to the Word Wall. Invite students to
add any questions they may have to the I Wonder Wall.
Predicting Results
Display Science Cards 5 and 6, and explain that they show how different
liquids and solids might be combined. Ask students to identify each liquid
and solid shown on the cards. Then invite a few students to take turns
choosing a combination suggested on the cards (such as adding some black
pepper to a beaker of water) and predicting the result of the combination.
List any verbs that students use on the left side of a sheet of chart paper or
on the IWB, such as “mix (dissolve),” “soak up (absorb),” “float,” and
“sink.” Title the list Combination Results.
Combination Class
Distribute a copy of BLM Results Table to each student and then have
students form small groups. Ask each group to choose a total of five
combinations from Science Cards 5 and 6 to investigate. Groups should
record their combinations in the first column on their BLMs, and then record
their prediction of the result of each combination, using words from the
Combination Results list.
Note: Students may choose to combine items with water, or they can combine
solids with solids, non-water liquids with solids, or non-water liquids with
one another.
Provide each group with a beaker of water, an eyedropper of water, and
samples of the liquids and solids they have chosen to investigate. Then have
Word
CONNECT
CONSOLIDATE
Results Table
Name:
Combination Tested Predicted Result Actual Result Prediction
Supported?
38 Unit 2: Liquids and Solids
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 35
groups combine each of their chosen pairs of substances, either drawing or
digitally photographing first the separate substances and then the combined
substances. Have groups describe their observations of their actual results
on their BLMs. Students will then determine and record whether their
predictions were supported or rejected.
Note: Students should not actively mix pairs of substances, but simply
observe what happens when they are combined. Mixing substances will be
done in the following teaching plan.
Bring the class back together and revisit the list of Combination Results. Ask
groups to name combinations that they now know fit into each category (for
example, pepper floats on water, a sugar cube soaks up (absorbs) water).
Record each combination to the right of the appropriate result. Add the
words “dissolve,” “absorb,” “float,” and “sink” to the Word Wall.
Sensory Bottles
Show students a sensory bottle. Shake the bottle vigorously and have
students observe the results (the solids float and drift in the liquid). Explain
that sensory bottles can be used by people as a tool to relax and relieve
stress.
Tell students they are going to make their own sensory bottles, and further
explore how different solids react in liquids. Have students partner up, and
ask each pair to choose a bottle pre-filled with an oil-and-water mixture.
Provide small spoons and a variety of small solids (glitter, plastic confetti,
sea shells, pebbles, beads, fish tank gravel, etc.) and invite each pair to
choose and add a small amount of a few different solids to their bottle.
Encourage each pair to discuss and explain their choice of solids. When
bottles are complete, attach the lids with a hot glue gun.
Word
Literacy Place Connection:
Read or revisit “The Muddy Puddle” from An Early Worm Got Out of
Bed (Shared Reading). Ask:
What liquid and solid combine to make mud?
Is mud a liquid or a solid? Why do you think so?
EXPLORE MORE
36
More Combinations
Place Science Cards 5 and 6 at the Curiosity Centre and invite students to
choose some of the materials shown on the cards (or other materials) to
combine, predict what will happen, and then test the combinations. Students
can record their predictions and results in their Science Journals.
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 37
Results Table
Name:
Combination Tested Predicted Result Actual Result Prediction
Supported?
38 Unit 2: Liquids and Solids © 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Focus: Students explore the ways in which familiar liquids and solids can change when they are mixed
with one another.
How Do Liquids and Solids
Change When We Mix Them?
Specific Curriculum Outcomes
Students will be expected to:
• 25.0 investigate changes that result from the
interaction of materials and describe how their
characteristics have changed [GCO 1/3]
• 16.0 use appropriate tools [GCO 2]
Performance Indicators
Students who achieve these outcomes will be
able to:
• describe some ways that liquids and solids can
change characteristics when they are mixed
together
• identify mixtures as reversible or irreversible
NOTES:
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 39
Attitude Outcome Statements
Encourage students to:
consider their observations and their own ideas when drawing a conclusion
[GCO 4]
Cross-Curricular Connections
Art
Students will be expected to:
• explore a range of art materials, processes, and vocabulary to develop art
making skills [1.3.4]
English Language Arts
Students will be expected to:
• communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond
personally and critically [GCO 2]
• interpret, select, and combine information using a variety of strategies,
resources, and technologies [GCO 5]
Getting Organized
Components Materials Before You
Begin
Vocabulary
Science
Card 7
Literacy
Place:
3-2-1 Blast
Off!
(Shared
Reading—
Sequencing
Strategy
Unit)
glass of water
bottle of food colouring
various mixing tools
sticky notes
safety goggles for all students
small cups (30)
three pitchers of water
small quantities of bubble bath liquid, cooking oil, instant
coffee, drink mix, baking powder, vitamin C tablets,
compressed soil discs, and various other liquids and
solids (e.g., bar of soap, crackers, tissue, dried fruit, salt,
sugar, sand, kitty litter, honey, glue, chocolate syrup)
digital camera (optional)
students’ Science Folders
aprons for all students
plastic table coverings and/or paper towels
large box of cornstarch
• water
1 large bowl
1 small bowl
measuring cups and spoons
empty, clear plastic water or soda bottles (one per
group)
uninflated balloons (one per group)
small funnels or spouted containers (one per group)
white vinegar
baking soda
Set up three
mixology
areas, each
stocked
with 10
small cups,
a pitcher
of water,
and various
mixing tools.
• mix
• mixture
• reversible
• irreversible
40
Remind students not to taste any of the substances they are mixing.
You may choose to have students wear safety goggles, aprons, and/or
gloves while they are combining liquids and solids.
A mixture is the combination of two or more substances that results in
a reversible or irreversible change to the substances. Some substances
combine so evenly that you can’t tell them apart (e.g., salt water). Other
substances stay separate, even when you combine them (e.g., gravel in
water). Some substances, such as oil and vinegar, look like they are evenly
combined when they are first mixed, but eventually become separated.
Water Colours
Tell students that you are going to show them how the coloured water in the
previous teaching plan’s sensory bottles was made. First, show students a glass of
water and a bottle of food colouring. Ask them to describe some of the properties
of each, including colour and viscosity. Then, add a drop of food colouring to the
glass of water, but do not mix it yet. Ask students to observe what happens when
the water and food colouring are simply combined. Then, stir the water gently and
have students describe how the food colouring and the water change when they
are mixed (the original colour of the food colouring becomes less intense). Have
students predict what will happen if you mix in a few more drops of food colouring
(the water’s colour will become deeper), and then proceed with the addition of
more drops to support or reject their prediction.
Let’s Make a Volcano
Have students use various resources to research how to make a volcano out
of papier mâché, using baking soda and vinegar (or another combination) to
simulate an eruption. Choose a set of instructions from their research, gather the
necessary materials, and build a volcano as a class. Discuss how the liquids and
solids were combined to create the papier mâché. Then ask:
How did the liquid and solid change when they were combined inside
the volcano?
Mad Mixology
Display Science Card 7. Ask students to take turns identifying a mixture and
predicting what two liquids or solids were mixed together (water and bubble
bath liquid; water and an effervescent tablet, such as vitamin C; water and
oil; water and instant coffee; water and soil; water and drink mix; lettuce
and other vegetables). Note their predictions on sticky notes and affix them
to the card. Ask:
Safety
Science Background
ACTIVATE
CONNECT
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 41
How do you think the liquids and solids changed after they were mixed?
Tell students that they are going to experiment with different liquids and
solids to test their predictions and to investigate other mixtures.
Have students form three groups. Provide each group with safety goggles, small
cups, a pitcher of water, and mixing tools. Then provide one group with small
quantities of bubble bath liquid, cooking oil, and various other liquids (e.g.,
honey, glue, chocolate syrup). Provide a second group with small quantities
of instant coffee, drink mix, baking powder, and various other granular and
powdered solids (e.g., salt, sugar, sand, kitty litter). Provide a third group with
small quantities of vitamin C tablets, compressed soil discs, and various other
liquids and solids (e.g., bar of soap, crackers, tissue, dried fruit).
Have each group decide on a method for recording the mixtures they create
and how each substance changed after it was mixed. For example, groups
can use any combination of notes, drawings, and digital photos, noting their
observations before, during, and after each mixture. They can also create their
own version of BLM Results Table (see page 38). Have students store their
completed notes, drawings, photos, and/or tables in their Science Folders.
Remind students that they should mix each of their materials with water
and record the changes that result. Once a group has supported or rejected a
prediction posted on Science Card 7, students can either add a check mark to
the sticky note or correct the prediction. Invite students to add any questions
they may have to the I Wonder Wall.
Stay or Stray
Have students do a Stay or Stray activity to share their results with other
groups, i.e., have one student from each group “stray” to another group
and explain how each of their mixtures changed the characteristics of the
materials involved; the other students in each group “stay” and explain their
results to “straying” students.
Results Table
Name:
Combination Tested Predicted Result Actual Result Prediction
Supported?
38 Unit 2: Liquids and Solids
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Literacy Place Connection:
Revisit or read 3-2-1 Blast Off! to find out how the combination of water and
a seltzer tablet can power a rocket! Challenge students to create and launch
their rockets. Ask:
What was the result of combining this liquid and solid?
How did the materials change when they were mixed?
The combination of the seltzer tablet and vinegar creates carbon dioxide.
The pressure which builds up as this carbon dioxide gas is produced “fuels”
the rocket.
CONSOLIDATE
42
Bring students back together and discuss whether any of their mixtures are
reversible, or could be “un-mixed.” Help students to realize that once mixed,
some combinations of liquids and solids cannot be returned to their original
state—they are irreversible or not reversible.
Slime!
Assist students in making “slime” with cornstarch, water, and food
colouring. They will need approximately 2 parts cornstarch to 1 part water.
Students should wear aprons during this activity, and cover their mixing area
with plastic or paper towels. First, have students add a few drops of food
colouring to a small bowl of water and stir gently. Then, have them pour
about half of the coloured water into a large bowl containing the cornstarch
and mix the two with a spoon. More water can be added as needed, a little
at a time, as students continue mixing. If too much water is added, more
cornstarch can be added. The goal is to create a substance that flows easily
but that can also be formed into a ball when pressure is applied. Once
students have created their slime, invite them to decide if it is a liquid or a
solid, and to explain their reasoning.
Note: This activity may require a volunteer to provide supervision and
assistance as needed.
Fizzy Balloons
Use this activity to reinforce students’ understanding of the baking soda–
vinegar reaction that made the papier mâché volcano “erupt.” Give each
small group of students an empty, clear plastic water or soda bottle and
an uninflated balloon. (All students should wear safety goggles during this
activity.) Have each group use a small funnel or spouted container to pour
1/3 cup of vinegar into their bottle. Then ask one student in each group to
stretch open the mouth of the balloon while another student adds 1 teaspoon
of baking soda into it. Students should make sure all the baking soda goes
into the main part of the balloon, and that none remains near the balloon’s
mouth. Students can then carefully attach the mouth of the balloon to their
bottle, making sure none of the baking soda spills inside.
When all groups have reached this stage, ask one student in each group to
hold the mouth of the balloon securely on top of the bottle, while another
student tips the balloon up, allowing the baking soda to pour into the bottle.
Students will see their balloons inflate because of the reaction between the
baking soda and the vinegar.
EXPLORE MORE
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 43
Focus: Students explore how to create useful mixtures of liquids and solids.
How Can We Mix Liquids
and Solids to Make
Useful Things?
Specific Curriculum Outcomes
Students will be expected to:
• 26.0 explore ways to use combinations of
liquids and solids to make useful materials
[GCO 1/3]
• 16.0 use appropriate tools [GCO 2]
Performance Indicators
Students who achieve these outcomes will be
able to:
• identify several useful mixtures of liquids and
solids
• follow a simple recipe to create a useful
mixture
NOTES:
44
Attitude Outcome Statements
Encourage students to:
appreciate the importance of accuracy [GCO 4]
Cross-Curricular Connections
Art
Students will be expected to:
• explore a range of art materials, processes, and vocabulary to develop art
making skills [1.3.4]
English Language Arts
Students will be expected to:
• communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond
personally and critically [GCO 2]
use writing and other forms of representation to explore, clarify, and reflect on
their thoughts, feelings, and learnings; and to use their imaginations [GCO 8]
You may choose to have students wear aprons and/or gloves while they are
combining liquids and solids.
Getting Organized
Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary
• Science Card 8
The Little Knight
Who Battled
the Rain
(Read
Aloud, Unit 1)
• Science Card 9
• IWB Activity 6
BLM
Recipe
Card
Literacy Place:
Mr. Fix-It
(Guided
Reading, Level
K)
package of gelatin dessert mix
• electric kettle
• several large clear bowls
• measuring cups and spoons
• stirring tools
ingredients, containers, and
tools to make a variety of items
that come with instructions (e.g.,
orange juice or lemonade from
concentrate, chocolate milk,
pudding or custard, chip dip, or
brownies, cake, and cookies)
flour, salt, cold and hot water, food
colouring, saucepan or bowl, whisk
or rotary beater
Set out a large clear bowl, a
whisk or fork, a measuring
cup, and the package of
gelatin dessert mix. Fill the
electric kettle with water
and identify the closest
outlet.
Arrange for an Elder or
an Indigenous Knowledge
Keeper to visit the class
to discuss traditional
recipes and, if possible,
to demonstrate making a
recipe.
• recipe
• ingredient
Safety
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 45
Useful Mixtures
Ask students to recall aloud some of the mixtures they created in How Do
Liquids and Solids Change When We Mix Them? (see pages 39–43). Record the
mixtures on chart paper or the IWB. Then ask students to identify the mixtures
that are useful in some way (e.g., instant coffee, drink mix, expanded soil discs).
Display Science Card 8 and ask students to identify useful mixtures of liquids
and solids being used in the illustrations (brushing teeth–toothpaste and
water, washing the dog–shampoo and water, cooking–vegetables and broth,
cleaning–cleaning agents and water, painting–watercolour paints and water).
Provide prompts such as:
What activities do you see?
Who is using a mixture of liquids and solids?
How are these mixtures useful?
Revisit The Little Knight Who Battled the Rain (Read Aloud, Unit 1) and
discuss what useful mixture the Little Knight created to help save the people of
his village (chocolate cake).
Then display Science Card 9 and ask students to identify the foods and drinks
that are made by mixing liquids and solids (hot chocolate, pancakes, beaver
tails pastry, soup, chili, coffee, poutine, and hotdogs). Ask:
What foods and drinks do you see?
Who is using a mixture of liquids and solids?
How are these mixtures useful?
Challenge students to find the large images within the illustration.
Gelatin Dessert
Display a package of gelatin dessert mix and show students where the
instructions are. Explain that, to make a mixture of liquids and solids
turn out the way we want, we must combine the correct amount of each
substance. Instructions, or recipes, tell us what liquids and solids to
combine, and what amounts to use.
Modelling how to follow the instructions on the package and measure
accurately, make the gelatin dessert for students, using a large clear bowl and
a whisk or spoon. At various stages, stop and ask for students’ observations
of the liquid (hot water) and the solid (gelatin powder), including their taste,
texture, and colour. Make sure students are observing the changes that occur in
each substance as it is mixed with the other. Invite students to record any new
questions on the I Wonder Wall.
ACTIVATE
CONNECT
IWB Activity:
Students can identify
items needed to
make several different
recipes using Activity
6: What’s cooking?
(see the Teacher’s
Website).
4646
Recipe Cards
Tell students they are going to put together a class recipe book. Add
the words “recipe” and “ingredient” to the Word Wall and review their
definitions with students. Provide ingredients, containers, and tools to make
a variety of items that come with instructions on the package (e.g., orange
juice/lemonade from concentrate, chocolate milk made with cocoa powder
or chocolate syrup, instant pudding/custard, chip dip). If you have access to
an oven, items can also include brownies, cakes, and cookies.
Have small groups of students choose one item and read the instructions on
the package. They can then gather any necessary containers, tools, and other
ingredients. Each group will fill out BLM Recipe Card while making the food
item. Encourage groups to add drawings to their BLM. As students work,
remind them how important it is to follow the package instructions and to
measure accurately.
Note: This activity may require a volunteer to provide supervision and
assistance as needed.
Traditional Recipes
Invite an Elder or Indigenous Knowledge Keeper to visit the class and discuss
traditional recipes for making foods such as Bannock or Caribou Stew. If
possible, the visitor can demonstrate making the recipe and students can
record it on BLM Recipe Card.
Recipe Book
Bring students back together and have them share their completed BLM
Recipe Cards. Then have the class discuss and decide how to sort and order
the cards to create a recipe book (e.g., “just add water” items followed by
“just add milk” items; simplest to most complicated; breakfast to lunch to
dinner to dessert). Once the order has been decided, students can gather
the BLM Recipe Cards, make a Table of Contents and front and back covers.
Multiple copies can be made for students to take home.
Flour Finger Paint
With students’ assistance, prepare a batch of finger paint using the following
recipe. Invite students to share why they think this is a useful mixture.
When the paint is ready to use, have students create small paintings of their
favourite food recipe.
Word
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 49
Recipe Card
How to Make
Name:
Amount Ingredients
Tools and Containers
Instructions
1.
CONSOLIDATE
EXPLORE MORE
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 47
Recipe for Flour Finger Paint:
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 ¼ cup hot water
1 ½ cup cold water
food colouring
Combine flour and salt in a saucepan or bowl and add cold water. Beat with
a whisk or rotary beater until smooth. Add hot water and boil until mixture
is thick. Beat until smooth. Keep in refrigerator and add food colouring as
needed.
Literacy Place Connection:
Read or revisit Mr. Fix-It (Guided Reading, Level K). Prompts for discussion
could include:
Once Mr. Fix-It had fixed the broken lamp, what liquids did he combine?
Why was it important for him to mix the paint colours?
Discuss whether this mixture resulted in a reversible or irreversible change.
48
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd. Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 49
Recipe Card
How to Make
Name:
Amount Ingredients
Tools and Containers
Instructions
1.
Focus: Students investigate how to use liquids and solids to keep our world clean.
How Can We Use Liquids
and Solids to Keep Our
World Clean?
Specific Curriculum Outcomes
Students will be expected to:
• 27.0 identify problems to be solved [GCO 2]
• 28.0 apply their knowledge of liquids and
solids to maintain a clean and healthy
environment [GCO 1/3]
• 19.0 select and use materials to carry out their
own explorations and investigations [GCO 2]
Performance Indicators
Students who achieve these outcomes will be
able to:
• identify what liquids and solids to use for
cleaning various messes
• describe how to use liquids and solids to help
keep their world clean
NOTES:
50
Attitude Outcome Statements
Encourage students to:
be sensitive to the needs of other people, other living things, and the local
environment [GCO 4]
Cross-Curricular Connections
English Language Arts
Students will be expected to:
• respond critically to a range of texts [GCO 6]
• create texts collaboratively and independently, using a variety of forms for
a range of audiences and purposes [GCO 9]
• You may choose to have students wear aprons and/or gloves while they are
exploring different cleaning products.
Getting Organized
Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary
• Science Card 10
• IWB Activity 7
Literacy Place:
Keep Us Clean
(Guided Reading,
Level J)
honey, paint, cereal in milk, mud, glitter
various surfaces or containers (e.g., foil
trays, pieces of cardboard)
materials with varying degrees of absorbency
(e.g., towels, newspaper, paper towels, tissue
paper, J-cloths, felt, baby wipes)
ingredients to make homemade cleaners
(e.g., baking soda, water, vinegar, olive oil,
sea salt, peppermint or citrus essential oil,
eggs, lemon juice)
small mixing bowls and tools, measuring
spoons and cups
• empty spray bottle
• old toothbrushes
dish tubs (one per small group)
• water
• vegetable oil
small items to which oil would adhere (e.g.,
rubber ducks, small rocks, feathers)
various commercial cleaning products (glass
cleaner, dish soap, laundry detergent)
• students’ Science Journals
Create a number
of contained spills
(such as honey,
paint, cereal in milk,
mud, and glitter) on
various surfaces
and/or in various
containers (e.g.,
foil trays, pieces of
cardboard).
For each small
group of students,
fill a dish tub with
water mixed with
vegetable oil.
Submerge various
small items in the
water (e.g., rubber
ducks, small rocks,
feathers).
• custodian
• germs
Safety
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 51
Cleaning products work because they contain some kind of detergent.
The surface active agents, or surfactants, in detergents are composed of
particles that are attracted to both water (or another liquid solvent) and
dirt or grease. These particles help spread the solvent over the stain, attach
to the dirt, and then help the solvent take the dirt away.
We use different cleaning products for different stains because a stain can
be made up of proteins, fats, starches, inorganic matter, petroleum, etc., so
the product must contain the correct ingredients to break up the stain (i.e.,
enzymes, acids, or other petroleum-based substances). We may also need a
product that contains an abrasive, if the stain is difficult to remove.
Students might think that simply using water is enough to clean their teeth,
body, clothes, or dishes. Water particles do not attach to dirt or grease
particles, however, so some kind of detergent (toothpaste, soap, laundry
detergent, dish soap) must be mixed with the water to remove the dirt or
grease.
Custodians of the World
Ask students what kinds of things we clean at home (e.g., teeth, bodies, hair,
bedrooms, clothes, furniture, floors, windows, pets, dishes). Ask them what
kinds of things the school custodian cleans. Then invite students to imagine
that they have been given jobs as the Custodians of the World. Ask them to
brainstorm what problems they might have in this job. Students may respond
with some of the following:
How do we clean certain things?
Can we use one type of cleaner for everything?
How do things get dirty?
How does our environment get dirty?
Can we clean our air? How?
Why do some people not have clean water to drink? How can we help?
How can we keep things from getting dirty?
Record the problems that students identify.
Keep Our World Clean!
Display Science Card 10 and invite students to examine the photos and
discuss the questions. Add to the list created above as students identify new
problems, such as:
Is there a difference between solid and liquid messes?
How can we clean oil spills that affect wildlife and our oceans?
Science Background
Possible Misconceptions
ACTIVATE
52
How can we keep our environment from getting dirty?
How can we stop germs from spreading?
Tell students that they will be exploring liquids and solids to try to solve
some of these problems.
Clean It!
Display a series of contained spills of various liquids and solids, such as honey,
paint, cereal in milk, mud, and glitter on various surfaces and/or in various
containers (foil trays, pieces of cardboard, etc.). Provide students with several
types of materials with varying degrees of absorbency (e.g., towels, newspaper,
paper towels, tissue paper, J-cloths, felt, baby wipes). Working with one spill
at a time, invite students to discuss with an elbow partner which material they
think would be most effective at cleaning up the spill, and why. Volunteers can
take turns testing their predictions until the spill is cleaned up.
Homemade Cleaners
Explain to students that many of the products we use to clean our bodies,
our homes, and our world contain ingredients that can make us sick and that
are harmful to the environment. Invite students to help you create a variety
of cleaning products using all-natural and non-toxic ingredients, such as the
following:
A paste made with baking soda and water for scrubbing rust, mildew,
and hard-water stains
A water–vinegar solution in a spray bottle for cleaning glass (3 tbsp
vinegar per 2 cups water)
An olive oil–vinegar solution for cleaning wood furniture (1 part oil to 1
part vinegar)
A toothpaste made with 4 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp sea salt (finely
ground), 4 drops peppermint or citrus pure essential oil, and enough
water for desired consistency
A shampoo made with 2 eggs, 3 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp olive oil, and
2 tsp lemon juice
Students can measure, pour, and mix the ingredients for any of the products
above, with supervision. Invite partners to experiment with any of the
first four products, providing them with cloths, paper towels, crumpled
newspaper (for glass cleaning), and so on, as appropriate.
Literacy Place Connection:
Read or revisit Keep Us Clean (Guided Reading, Level J). Discuss with students
how useful combinations of liquids and solids, such as soap and water, can
help people to stay clean and healthy.
CONNECT
IWB Activity:
Challenge students to
match each item or mess
with the liquid or solid
they would use to clean
it using Activity 7: Keep it
clean! (see the Teacher’s
Website).
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 53
Oil Spill
Have students predict the best way to clean up an oil spill, based on their
investigations of cleaners. Provide small groups with tubs of water mixed
with vegetable oil and ask them to find the best way to clean off the items
that have been submerged in the water (e.g., rubber ducks, small rocks,
feathers). Groups should have access to the materials from the previous
activities, as well as to commercial cleaning products such as glass cleaner,
dish soap, laundry detergent, and so on. Have groups record their results in
their Science Journals.
Revisit the list of problems created at the beginning of the teaching plan
and ask students which ones they feel they have solved. Encourage them to
research solutions to the ones they haven’t solved. Invite students to add any
new questions to the I Wonder Wall.
How Do We Stop Germs From Spreading?
Have students brainstorm ways we can use liquids and solids to keep from
spreading germs to others when we are sick. For example, we can use a
tissue or our sleeve to cover our nose and mouth when we sneeze or cough.
We can wash our hands very well with soap. Some people take cough syrup
to keep them from coughing. Some people wear a mask over their nose and
mouth to keep their germs from spreading or from catching someone else’s
germs. Students can work in small groups to create posters illustrating these
strategies, and post them around the classroom or school. Add the word
“germ” to the Word Wall.
CONSOLIDATE
EXPLORE MORE
Word
54
Focus: Students use the inquiry process to investigate the buoyancy of different self-chosen solids.
Students record their predictions and results on a graph.
What Materials Float?
What Materials Sink?
Specific Curriculum Outcomes
Students will be expected to:
• 19.0 select and use materials to carry out their
own explorations and investigations [GCO 2]
• 21.0 construct and label concrete-object graphs
or pictographs [GCO 2]
Performance Indicators
Students who achieve these outcomes will be
able to:
• list several solids that float in water and several
that sink
• create concrete-object graphs and pictographs
to represent exploration results
NOTES:
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 55
Attitude Outcome Statements
Encourage students to:
show concern for their safety and that of others in carrying out activities and
using materials [GCO 4]
Cross-Curricular Connections
Math
It is expected that students will:
• construct and interpret concrete graphs and pictographs to solve problems
[2SP2]
English Language Arts
Students will be expected to:
• speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts,
ideas, feelings, and experiences [GCO 1]
• use writing and other forms of representation to explore, clarify, and reflect
on their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and learnings; and to use their
imaginations [GCO 8]
Getting Organized
Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary
What Is the Inquiry
Process?
poster
• Science Card 11
• IWB Activity 8
bottle of oil-and-vinegar dressing from
What Happens When We Combine
Liquids and Solids?
(see pages 31–38)
3–4 samples each of marbles, cotton
balls, sugar cubes, blocks of wood,
plastic blocks, Styrofoam trays, sponges,
gummy candies, and soda crackers
tubs of water (one per pair + one extra
for demonstration)
• students’ Science Journals
small amounts of various items, such
as paper clips, crayons, craft sticks, jelly
beans, coins, bars of soap, lumps of clay,
rocks, plastic toys, ice cubes, feathers,
cans of diet cola, cans of regular
cola, pumice stones, peeled oranges,
unpeeled oranges, and pieces of string
• digital cameras (optional)
• large box of salt
• stirring tools
• toy plastic buckets (one per pair)
• ½ dozen raw eggs (if permitted)
Fill several
tubs with
water.
• dense
• density
concrete-object
graph
• pictograph
56
Remind students not to taste any of the substances they are investigating.
The weight of an object is the measure of gravitational force acting on that
object. The buoyancy of an object placed in liquid is the measure of the
upward force of the liquid acting on that object. When the upward force
acting on an object in liquid is greater than the downward force of gravity (or
its weight), the object floats, and vice versa.
Objects that are less dense than the liquid they are in will float. Objects that
are more dense than the liquid they are in will sink.
Salt water is more dense than unsalted water. Therefore, an object that sinks
in unsalted water (because it is more dense than the water) may float in salt
water, if the salt water is more dense than the object.
Students may think that if an item is small, it will float, and if an item is
large, it will sink. This is because they believe that the size of an object is
what determines its buoyancy.
Students may also think that objects have a greater chance of floating if
they are placed in more water. For example, they may believe that a pebble
that sinks in a glass of water may float when placed in a pond.
Density Review
Display (or ask students to recall) the bottle of oil-and-vinegar dressing from
What Happens When We Combine Liquids and Solids? (see pages 31–38).
Review why the oil and vinegar are separated and why the pepper pods
are at the bottom of the bottle. Review the meaning of the words “dense”
and “density” on the Word Wall (how tightly the particles in a substance
are packed together). Tell students that the density of an object can help us
predict whether a solid will float or sink in a liquid.
Inquiry Process
Review the steps on the What Is the Inquiry Process? poster. Tell students
they are going to follow these steps to answer the questions
What solids float in water?
What solids sink in water?
Safety
Science Background
Possible Misconceptions
ACTIVATE
Word
CONNECT
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 57
Invite students to add their own questions about buoyancy and solids to the
I Wonder Wall. Then ask students to formulate a plan for answering these
questions. (They will probably suggest testing a variety of solids to see if
they float or sink.) Tell them you are going to model how to use the inquiry
process, and then they will use it to do their own investigations.
Making Graphs
Display Science Card 11 and discuss with students if they predict these
objects will sink or float in water. Model asking questions about the objects
on the card, such as:
Do sponges float? Do they sink when they get wet?
What about gummy candies? How dense are they?
Make a large concrete-object graph to show the predictions of which items
will float and which will sink. Create a T-chart on a sheet of chart paper,
with the headings “Float” and “Sink.” Provide a sample of each item on
Science Card 11 (marbles, cotton balls, sugar cubes, blocks of wood, plastic
blocks, Styrofoam trays, sponges, gummy candies, and soda crackers) and
have students place the samples on either side of the T-chart, according to
the class’s predictions.
Then, gather students around a tub of water. Tell them you are now going to
explore your questions and record the results. Ask students to help you
gently place samples of each item shown on Science Card 11 in the water one
at a time and observe what happens. Model drawing each item on a sheet of
paper and noting whether it sank or floated.
Invite students to discuss the results of your inquiry and to make
conclusions. Then, to share the results of what you have learned, help the
class reconfigure the concrete-object graph by moving samples to the correct
side according to the inquiry results. Students can copy this final graph
(as a pictograph) into their Science Journals.
Student Inquiry
Tell students it is their turn to use the inquiry process to explore floating
and sinking. Display a variety of items, such as paper clips, crayons, craft
sticks, jelly beans, coins, bars of soap, lumps of clay, rocks, plastic toys, ice
cubes, feathers, cans of diet cola, cans of regular cola, pumice stones, peeled
oranges, unpeeled oranges, and pieces of string. Student pairs can spend a
few minutes generating one or more questions based on these items, making
a plan to answer the question(s), and deciding how they will record their
results (e.g., on paper, with a digital camera).
Once you have approved students’ question(s), plan, and recording method,
provide each pair with a tub of water and allow them to select the items they
want to investigate. As each pair investigates, make sure they are recording
their results. Students can then draw a pictograph in their Science Journals
to show what they learned.
IWB Activity:
Students can use
Activity 8: Sink or float?
(see the Teacher’s
Website) to identify
which objects they think
will float in water and
which will sink.
CONSOLIDATE
58
Just Add Salt
Students can use smaller containers (such as toy plastic buckets) to
investigate how the results of their inquiry change if they use salt water
instead of fresh water, and if they then add more salt to the salted water. If
there are no allergies among students, provide raw eggs for them to test in
both unsalted and salt water, in addition to their original items.
EXPLORE MORE
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 59
Focus: Students use the design process to build a boat capable of supporting a specific number of coins.
Design Challenge:
Build a Boat
Specific Curriculum Outcomes
Students will be expected to:
• 29.0 demonstrate an understanding of sinking
and floating objects by solving a related
practical problem [GCO 1/3]
• 30.0 identify and use a variety of sources of
science information and ideas [GCO 2]
• 31.0 respond to the ideas and actions of others
and acknowledge their ideas and contributions
[GCO 2]
• 32.0 compare and evaluate personally
constructed objects [GCO 2]
Performance Indicators
Students who achieve these outcomes will be
able to:
• use the design process to build a boat that will
carry a specific number of coins
• offer feedback on designs during a gallery walk
• acknowledge and respond to other people’s
ideas
NOTES:
60
Attitude Outcome Statements
Encourage students to:
work with others in exploring and investigating [GCO 4]
Cross-Curricular Connections
English Language Arts
Students will be expected to:
• interact with sensitivity and respect, considering the situation, audience,
and purpose [GCO 3]
• interpret, select, and combine information using a variety of strategies,
resources, and technologies [GCO 5]
The ability of an object to carry extra weight and still maintain buoyancy
depends on its design, its materials, and the distribution of the extra weight.
How Is It Made?
Ask students to recall previous investigations they have done and what items
they have found that float. Record their answers on chart paper under the
heading Things that Float.
Display Science Card 12 and ask students to discuss the boats on the card.
Ask:
How are these boats the same?
How are they different?
Getting Organized
Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary
• Science Card 12
• IWB Activity 9
What Is the
Design Process?
poster
BLM
TAG
Feedback
(one per
group)
• tin foil
several coins of the same
size (10 per group)
students’ Science Journals
digital camera or tablets
(optional)
• large tub of water
various buoyant materials
and adhesives (e.g., craft
sticks, stiff cardboard,
straws, Styrofoam, tape,
glue)
You might arrange for a boat
builder familiar with building NL
skiffs or Indigenous kayaks or
canoes to visit the class.
Prepare large, uniformly sized
sheets of tin foil (one per group).
Ensure that the Curiosity Centre
or Reading Centre is stocked with
several books about boats and
boat building. You may wish to
cue tablets to approved Websites
showing various boat designs.
design
process
Science Background
ACTIVATE
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 61
Talk about what the boats are used for and what materials they might be
made of. Then ask how much weight each boat is meant to carry (a little
or a lot). Finally, discuss how each boat’s design might affect how much
weight they can carry. Tell students that they are going to be using the design
process to create their own boat for a specific purpose.
Special Boats
Invite a boat builder familiar with NL skiffs or Indigenous kayaks or canoes
to visit the class and discuss the uses of these boats and the features of the
boats that make them suitable for their purpose.
Design Process
Review the steps on the What Is the Design Process? poster. Ask students to
imagine that they have the following problem: they are stuck on a desert island.
The only material they have is tin foil. Ask students for ideas about how to
escape from the island (they will probably suggest making a boat with the foil).
Divide students into small groups and give each group a large sheet of foil and
10 same-size coins. Explain that the coins represent the weight of the people
in the group, and that the boat they build must be able to carry that weight
without sinking. Inform students that they will only be given one sheet of foil
for their first attempt. Prompt their thinking with questions such as:
What shape will you make your boat?
Where will you place the coins? Why?
How much tin foil will you use?
Give groups time to discuss their boat design and to gather various sources of
information and ideas. Sources could include books from the Curiosity Centre
or Reading Centre and approved Websites. Have each group decide on a
design, draw their model boat in their Science Journals, and then build it.
Encourage students to record their process, either with drawings or digital
photos or videos.
Gallery Walk
Have groups do a Gallery Walk to examine other students’ first attempts.
Each group should travel together, moving clockwise around the room. At
its first stop, have each group fill out a copy of BLM TAG Feedback and leave
the completed sheet for the designers. Students should be encouraged to take
notes on any ideas they want to incorporate into their own design.
IWB Activity:
Challenge students
to use IWB Activity 9:
Which boat? (see the
Teacher’s Website) to
identify how each boat
is used and which
features of each boat
make it work for that
use.
CONNECT
CONSOLIDATE
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 63
TAG Feedback
T = Tell the group something you like about the boat.
A = Ask the group a question about the boat.
G = Write a way to make the boat better.
62
Groups can then return to their boat, finalize their design, and test their boat
in a large tub of water. Groups should record their observations and thoughts
during the test. After each test, ask the group:
What did you learn from testing?
How can you improve your design?
Students can redesign and retest as necessary.
More Boats
Provide students with tin foil and additional materials (e.g., craft sticks, stiff
cardboard, straws, Styrofoam, tape, glue) and have them work in partners
to design another boat, using foil plus at least one other material. Students
should follow the design process when constructing this boat, as well.
Revisit any remaining questions posted on the I Wonder Wall and have
students discuss answers in small groups or with a partner. If there are
questions that cannot be answered at the time, these can remain on the
I Wonder Wall for students to research independently. Discuss what students
have learned about liquids and solids; how they can be described; what
happens when they are combined; and how we can use them to make useful
things and to keep our world clean.
EXPLORE MORE
WRAPPING UP THE UNIT
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 63
TAG Feedback
T = Tell the group something you like about the boat.
A = Ask the group a question about the boat.
G = Write a way to make the boat better.
64 Unit 2: Liquids and Solids © 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd. Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 65
Specific Curriculum Outcomes Checklist
Name: __________________________________ Date: _______________
Rating: 1 – not evident; 2 – with assistance; 3 – mostly on own; 4 – on own consistently
Specific Curriculum Outcomes Rating and Observations
23.0 explore properties of familiar liquids and solids
[GCO 1/3]
24.0 investigate the interactions of familiar liquids and
solids [GCO 1/3]
25.0 investigate changes that result from the interaction
of materials and describe how their characteristics
have changed [GCO 1/3]
26.0 explore ways to use combinations of liquids and
solids to make useful materials [GCO 1/3]
27.0 identify problems to be solved [GCO 2]
28.0 apply their knowledge of liquids and solids to
maintain a clean and healthy environment
[GCO 1/3]
29.0 demonstrate an understanding of sinking and
floating objects by solving a related practical problem
[GCO 1/3]
30.0 identify and use a variety of sources of science
information and ideas [GCO 2]
31.0 respond to the ideas of others and acknowledge
their ideas and contributions [GCO 2]
32.0 compare and evaluate personally constructed
objects [GCO 2]
1.0 pose questions that lead to exploration and
investigation [GCO 2]
7.0 make and record observations and measurements
[GCO 2]
10.0 sequence or group materials and objects [GCO 2]
12.0 communicate while exploring and investigating
[GCO 2]
14.0 communicate procedures and results [GCO 2]
16.0 use appropriate tools [GCO 2]
19.0 select and use materials to carry out their own
explorations and investigations [GCO 2]
21.0 construct and label concrete-object graphs or
pictographs [GCO 2]
My Inquiry
Name: _______________________________________________________
My question:
My plan:
My results:
My conclusion:
How I will share what I learned:
66 Unit 2: Liquids and Solids © 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Student Self-Assessment of Inquiry Process
Name: _______________________________________________________
Rating Scale = Great = Good = Needs to be better
Step 1
I asked a question.
I made a plan.
Step 2
I followed my plan.
I recorded my results.
Step 3
I thought about
my results.
I made a conclusion.
Step 4
I shared what I learned.
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd. Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 67
Teacher Assessment of Inquiry Process
Name: __________________________________ Date: _______________
1 2 3 4
Initiating and Planning
poses a question that leads to exploration or
investigation
makes a prediction based on an observed pattern
makes a simple plan
selects and uses materials
Performing and Recording
carries out the plan/follows a simple procedure
uses appropriate tools
makes observations
records observations and measurements
identifies and uses a variety of sources of information
and ideas
follows safety procedures and rules
Analyzing and Interpreting
sequences or groups materials and objects
constructs and labels concrete-object graphs or
pictographs
proposes an answer to the initial question and draws
a simple conclusion
poses new questions that arise from what was
learned
Communicating and Teamwork
communicates while exploring and investigating
communicates using scientific terminology
communicates procedure and result
responds to ideas and actions of others and
acknowledges their ideas and contributions
Comments:
68 Unit 2: Liquids and Solids © 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Inquiry Process Rubric
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
talks about things that are
of interest
asks simple questions
about objects and events
that are observable
uses observations to ask
questions to investigate,
but questions are not
always realistic
uses observations and
prior knowledge to ask
questions to investigate
makes guesses about the
outcome of an inquiry
makes simple predictions
about the outcome of an
inquiry, but they may be
hoped-for outcomes
makes simple predictions
about the outcome of
an inquiry based on prior
observations
makes thoughtful
predictions about
the outcome of an
inquiry based on prior
observations and
knowledge
with prompting, offers
ideas for a procedure
contributes ideas for a
procedure, but they may
not be complete
provides ideas for a simple
procedure
provides clear, sequential
steps for a simple
procedure
with prompting, identifies
some materials which
could be used to carry out
the plan
identifies some materials
which could be used to
carry out the plan
selects and uses materials
to carry out the plan
selects and uses
appropriate materials to
carry out the plan and
explains reasons for
choice
carries out the plan/
follows a simple procedure
with prompting
carries out the plan/
follows most of a simple
procedure
carries out the plan/follows
a simple procedure
carries out the plan/
follows a simple procedure,
making adjustments as
necessary
with prompting, uses some
appropriate tools with
assistance
selects and uses common
tools
selects and uses some
appropriate tools
selects and uses all
appropriate tools
makes simple observations
using senses
makes some relevant
observations using senses
makes relevant
observations using
appropriate senses
makes relevant, detailed
observations using
appropriate senses
with prompting, records
observations and
measurements
records observations and
measurements which may
be incomplete
records observations and
measurements accurately
records observations and
measurements accurately
in a variety of ways
gets information from a
teacher-chosen source
identifies some relevant
information from familiar
sources
identifies relevant
information from sources
of the same type
identifies relevant
information from a variety
of sources
needs help to follow safety
procedures and rules
needs occasional
prompting to follow safety
procedures and rules
follows most safety
procedures and rules
follows all safety
procedures and rules and
explains why they are
needed
INITIATING AND PLANNING
PERFORMING AND RECORDING
Continued on next page...
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd. Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 69
70 Unit 2: Liquids and Solids © 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
sequences or groups
materials and objects
based on simple teacher-
chosen attributes
sequences or groups
materials and objects
based on a few simple
attributes
sequences or groups
materials and objects
based on multiple
attributes
accurately sequences
or groups materials and
objects based on multiple
attributes
with prompting, constructs
a concrete-object graph or
pictograph
constructs a concrete-
object graph or pictograph
but title and labels may be
missing or inappropriate
constructs a concrete-
object graph or pictograph
with appropriate title and
labels
constructs a concrete-
object graph or pictograph
with appropriate title and
labels to accurately reflect
results
describes what happened draws a simple conclusion
based on observations, but
may not link conclusion to
the initial question
draws a conclusion based
on observations which link
to the initial question
draws a conclusion based
on observations and states
if it supports or refutes
their prediction
with prompting, identifies
some new questions but
they may not be about this
inquiry
identifies some simple new
questions on the topic of
this inquiry
identifies some new
questions on the topic of
this inquiry that could be
investigated
identifies new questions
on the topic of this inquiry
and suggests how they
could be investigated
willingly asks for help and
accepts help from other
group members
makes suggestions to
group members as to what
should be done
communicates with group
members, sometimes with
problems
communicates and works
effectively with group
members
understands some
scientific terminology but
rarely uses it
understands simple
scientific terminology, but
does not always use it
correctly
usually uses scientific
terminology appropriately
consistently uses scientific
terminology appropriately
with prompting, describes
the result and some of the
procedures
communicates basic
information about the
result and most of the
procedures
communicates most of
the information about the
result and procedures
accurately communicates
the information about the
result and procedures
listens to others and
learns from their
observations
listens to others and learns
from their observations,
and draws on their
language use
considers and responds
to the ideas of others
and learns from their
observations and
descriptions
considers and responds
to the ideas of others and
applies the observations
and descriptions to
their own ideas and
understandings
ANALYZING AND INTERPRETINGCOMMUNICATING AND TEAMWORK
Inquiry Process Rubric
(Continued)
My Design
Name: _______________________________________________________
The problem:
My solution and my plan:
How I will test my solution:
How my solution worked:
How I will share my solution and what I learned:
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd. Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 71
72 Unit 2: Liquids and Solids © 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Student Self-Assessment of Design Process
Name: _______________________________________________________
Rating Scale = Great = Good = Needs to be better
Step 1
I identified
the problem.
I chose a solution and
made a plan.
Step 2
I built my solution.
Step 3
I tested my solution.
I evaluated my solution.
Step 4
I shared my solution
and what I learned.
Teacher Assessment of Design Process
Name: __________________________________ Date: _______________
1 2 3 4
Initiating and Planning
identifies a problem to be solved
thinks of a possible solution to the problem and
makes a simple plan
selects and uses materials
Performing and Recording
carries out the plan/follows a simple procedure
uses appropriate tools
makes and records observations and measurements
constructs a prototype
follows safety procedures and rules
Analyzing and Interpreting
proposes an answer to the initial problem
compares and evaluates personally-constructed
objects
poses new questions that arise from what was
learned
Communicating and Teamwork
communicates while exploring and investigating
communicates using scientific terminology
communicates the procedure and result
responds to ideas and actions of others and
acknowledges their ideas and contributions
Comments:
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd. Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 73
74 Unit 2: Liquids and Solids © 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Design Process Rubric
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
works on a problem set by
the teacher or group
identifies a problem to
solve but it may not be
practical
identifies a practical
problem to solve
identifies a practical
problem to solve and gives
some criteria for solving it
suggests a solution to
the problem and, with
prompting, offers ideas
about procedure
suggests a solution to
the problem and makes a
simple plan
suggests several possible
solutions to the problem
and chooses one; makes a
simple plan
suggests several possible
solutions to the problem
that address the criteria;
chooses the best solution
and makes a simple plan
with prompting, identifies
some materials which
could be used to carry out
the plan
identifies some materials
which could be used to
carry out the plan
selects and uses
appropriate materials to
carry out the plan
selects and uses
appropriate materials to
carry out the plan and
explains reasons for
choice
with prompting, carries out
the plan/follows a simple
procedure
carries out the plan/
follows most of a simple
procedure
carries out the plan/follows
a simple procedure
carries out the plan/
follows a simple procedure,
making adjustments as
necessary
with prompting, uses some
appropriate tools with
assistance
selects and uses common
tools
selects and uses some
appropriate tools
selects and uses all
appropriate tools
makes simple
observations using
senses; with prompting,
records observations and
measurements
makes some relevant
observations using senses;
records observations and
measurements which may
be incomplete
makes relevant
observations using
appropriate senses;
records observations and
measurements accurately
makes relevant, detailed
observations using
appropriate senses;
records observations and
measurements accurately
in a variety of ways
constructs a prototype but
does not follow the plan
constructs a prototype
according to the plan but
the device may not be
useable
constructs a usable
prototype according to the
plan
constructs a usable
prototype according to the
plan with modifications for
improvement
needs help to follow safety
procedures and rules
needs occasional
prompting to follow safety
procedures and rules
follows most safety
procedures and rules
follows all safety
procedures and rules and
explains why they are
needed
INITIATING AND PLANNING
PERFORMING AND RECORDING
Design Process Rubric
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
with prompting, says
whether or not a solution
works
says whether a solution
works in terms of some
simple criteria
evaluates and explains the
effectiveness of a solution
in terms of simple criteria
evaluates and explains the
effectiveness of a solution
in terms of a broad range
of criteria
with prompting, makes
simple suggestions for
changes to improve the
device/solution
suggests some practical
changes to improve the
device/solution
suggests and makes
practical changes to
improve the device/
solution
makes effective changes
to improve the device/
solution
with prompting, identifies
some new questions but
they may not be on the
same topic
identifies some new
questions on the same
topic
identifies some new
questions that arise from
the solution
identifies new questions
that arise from the solution
and suggests how they
could be solved
willingly asks for help and
accepts help from other
group members
makes suggestions to
group members as to what
should be done
communicates with group
members, sometimes with
problems
communicates and works
effectively with group
members
understands some
scientific terminology but
rarely uses it
understands simple
scientific terminology but
does not always use it
correctly
usually uses scientific
terminology appropriately
consistently uses scientific
terminology appropriately
with prompting, describes
the solution and some of
the procedures
communicates basic
information about the
solution and most of the
procedures
communicates most of
the information about the
solution and procedures
accurately communicates
the information about the
solution and procedures
listens to others and
learns from their
observations
listens to others and learns
from their observations,
and draws on their
language use
considers and responds
to the ideas of others
and learns from their
observations and
descriptions
considers and responds
to the ideas of others and
applies the observations
and descriptions to
their own ideas and
understandings
ANALYZING AND INTERPRETINGCOMMUNICATING AND TEAMWORK
Design Process Rubric
(Continued)
© 2017 Scholastic Canada Ltd. Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 75
Additional Resources
100 Science Experiments by Georgina Andrews, Kate Knighton, and Stella
Baggott (Usborne, 2010)
Bill Nye the Science Guy’s Great Big Book of Tiny Germs by Bill Nye (Disney-
Hyperion, 2005)
Boat by Eric Kentley (Dorling Kindersley, 2000)
Change It!: Solids, Liquids, Gases, and You by Adrienne Mason (Kids Can
Press, 2006)
Cook Me a Story: A Treasury of Stories and Recipes Inspired by Classic Fairy
Tales by Bryan Kozlowski (Walter Foster Jr, 2016)
Does It Absorb or Repel Liquid? by Paula Smith, Susan Hughes, and Cynthia
O’Brien (Crabtree, 2014)
Does It Sink or Float? by Susan Hughes (Crabtree, 2014)
Is It Hard or Soft? by Helen Mason (Crabtree, 2014)
Is It Transparent or Opaque? by Susan Hughes (Crabtree, 2014)
Liquids and Solids by Ellen Lawrence (Bearport Publishing, 2015)
Many Kinds of Matter: A Look at Solids, Liquids, and Gases by Jennifer
Boothroyd (Lerner, 2011)
Mixing and Separating by Chris Oxlade (Heinemann, 2009)
Will It Float or Sink? (Rookie Read-About Science) by Melissa Stewart
(Children’s Press, 2006)
Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1949)
Elliot Bakes a Cake by Andrea Beck (Kids Can Press, 2000)
Elliot’s Shipwreck by Andrea Beck (Kids Can Press, 2000)
Germs, Germs, Germs by Bobbi Katz (Cartwheel Books, 1996)
Joe-Joe the Wizard Brews Up Solids, Liquids, and Gases by Eric Braun
(Picture Window Books, 2012)
Lulu’s Lemonade by Barbara deRubertis (The Kane Press, 2001)
The Magic School Bus Ups and Downs: A Book About Floating and Sinking
by Joanna Cole (Scholastic, 1997)
Washing the Willow Tree Loon by Jacqueline Briggs Martin (Simon and
Schuster, 1995)
What’s the Matter in Mr. Whiskers’ Room? by Michael Elsohn Ross
(Candlewick, 2007)
Whiz Kids: Tell Me How Ships Float by Shirley Willis (Franklin Watts, 1999)
Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen (Puffin UK, 1990)
Non-fiction Books
Picture Books
76
YouTube Video – States of Matter: Matter Chatter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C33WdI64FiY
BBC: School Science Clips – Solids and Liquids
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/8_9/solid_liquids_fs.shtml
BBC: School Science Clips – Reversible and irreversible changes [may require
adult support]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/10_11/rev_irrev_changes.
shtml
TVO Kids – Solids and Liquids [See videos such as: How Will Different
Liquids Affect an Egg Shell; Measuring Solids and Liquids; Volume, Mass and
Density; and Gastra Blast]
http://www.tvokids.com/search?search=liquids
IdeaPark – Webs of Wonder [requires registration]
http://www.exploreideapark.org/WebsofWonder.aspx
Let’s Talk Science
http://www.letstalkscience.ca/programs-resources/activities/item/what-
happens-when-we-mix-liquids.html
BrainPOP Educators
https://educators.brainpop.com
Websites
for Students
Websites for Teachers
Unit 2: Liquids and Solids 77
Dear parents and caregivers,
We are about to start a new unit in science in which we will be exploring familiar
liquids and solids through a variety of hands-on activities and investigations.
You can talk to your child at home about liquids and solids. Walk with your child
around your home and help him or her to identify different solids (including
furniture and clothing) and liquids (including condiments in your refrigerator and
cleaning products). Encourage your child to describe the characteristics or
properties of each item.
You can plan some activities with your child to focus on liquids and solids, for
example,
go on a scavenger hunt together to find the most see-through liquid, the
most flexible solid, or the least viscous (runny) liquid in your home
ask your child to help you clean various things around your home by
suggesting what liquids and solids could be used
You can also invite your child to help you prepare food by reading the recipe aloud
and adding or mixing ingredients. Discuss how each ingredient looks both before
and after it is combined with other liquids or solids.
To ensure a wide range of experiences and make connections between this topic
and your child’s world, he/she may choose to bring one or more personal items to
school for exploration during in-class activities. These items will be returned home
once explorations are completed. To determine whether the item(s) is appropriate
please contact me, your child’s teacher.
Sincerely,
78