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2nd Grade  Project 3 weeks

Matter Mystery: Solid, Liquid, Gas!

Jamie A
PS1.2.1
Productive Collaborator
Critical Thinker
Empowered Learner
Creative Contributer
+ 1 more
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Purpose

The purpose of this project is to engage second-grade students in hands-on exploration of the states of matter through interactive experiments and community partnerships. By examining real-world examples and conducting their own investigations, students will deepen their understanding of how temperature affects matter. This experience aims to foster collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity as students connect scientific concepts to everyday life, ultimately enhancing their ability to communicate their findings effectively.

Learning goals

Students will explore and understand the properties of matter by identifying and classifying materials as solids, liquids, or gases. They will engage in hands-on experiments to observe how temperature changes affect these states, fostering critical thinking and collaborative skills. Through creative projects and community partnerships, students will connect scientific concepts to real-world applications, enhancing their communication abilities and curiosity.
Standards
  • [Colorado] PS1.2.1 - Matter exists as different substances that have observable different properties.
Competencies
  • Productive Collaborator - Engages with others to achieve a common goal through building positive relationships, actively listening, showing empathy, and making individual contributions to a larger group.
  • Critical Thinker - Thinks deeply and makes informed decisions to create solutions or new understanding supported by relevant and reliable evidence.
  • Empowered Learner - Demonstrates mastery and application of academic competencies. Develops the skills and dispositions to persist through difficulties and plan for a future of self-improvement.
  • Creative Contributer - Interprets experiences, imagines and plays with new possibilities with curiosity, and creates approaches that are novel, useful, and valued by the world around them.
  • Effective Communicator - Engages diverse audiences respectfully by exchanging ideas and information responsibly, listening actively, speaking and writing clearly, and using print and digital media appropriately.

Products

Students will create a 'Matter Transformation Puzzle' that visually demonstrates the transition of a substance from solid to liquid to gas, allowing for interactive engagement and understanding of state changes. Additionally, they will develop a 'Temperature Timeline,' illustrating and annotating the process of a substance transitioning through different states of matter, combining artistic and scientific elements. These products will be displayed in a gallery format, encouraging students to share their insights and discoveries with peers and visitors.

Launch

Kick off the project with an 'Ice Cream Lab' event where students work in teams to make ice cream using different methods, such as shaking bags of ingredients in ice or using a hand-cranked ice cream maker. As they enjoy their creations, students will observe and discuss how temperature changes affect the state of matter. This engaging activity will spark curiosity and set the stage for exploring the states of matter through hands-on experiments and collaborative learning.

Exhibition

Students will host a 'Matter Transformation Gallery' where they showcase photographs and artifacts from their 'Matter Detective' scavenger hunt. Each student will narrate their discoveries and explain the science behind the observed state changes to visitors. Additionally, a 'Culinary Chemistry Day' will be organized, featuring student-led cooking experiments with the local chef, where they will demonstrate and explain the science of state changes in ingredients to classmates and families.
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