Lesson Plan

Endorsement
Subject
Class
Unit
Lesson

Elementary Education - Fourth/Fifth Grade Classroom

Science
Elementary Science
Experiments with Liquids, and the Scientific Method
Dissolving Halloween Candy

Resources

4 Cups (any size, clear)

Milk (enough to fully submerge your chosen candy in your chosen cup)
Canola Oil (enough to fully submerge your chosen candy in your chosen cup)
Vinegar (enough to fully submerge your chosen candy in your chosen cup)
Water (enough to fully submerge your chosen candy in your chosen cup)
Halloween candy in the form of Candy Corn (or Candy pumpkins)

Standard

NDE (Nebraska Department of Education)

1. Inquiry, the Nature of Science, and Technology: Abilities to do Scientific Inquiry
SC2.1.1 Students will ask questions and conduct investigations that lead to
observations and communication of findings.
SC2.1.1.a Ask questions that relate to a science topic
SC2.1.1.d Describe objects, organisms, or events using pictures, words,
and numbers
SC2.1.1.e Collect and record observations
2. Physical Science: Matter
SC2.2.1 Students will observe and describe properties of objects and their
behavior.
SC2.2.1.a Observe physical properties of objects (freezing and melting,
sinking and floating, color, size, texture, shape, weight)
This science lab is projected for students that are in between the grades of
kindergarten and second grade. At this age level, the students are expected to be able to
ask questions that are relative to the topic being; conduct simple investigations, and
observe and communicate their findings. in the process of the lab, students are asked to
observe and describe the properties of the materials and their behavior throughout the
experiment. In the case of this experiment, students will really be focused on the colors
of the candy and how that will affect the liquids and how the liquids will make a
difference to the shape of the candy.

Introduction

Technology
Uses/Materials
Needed

This lesson is implemented to enforce the childrens knowledge about the scientific
method and science using liquids. The students will form a hypothesis as well as make
observations about scientific solutions. We want the students to watch a bried overview of
the experiment through the instructional video while we formulate scientific discussions
about it. We will then proceed to carry out the experiment ourselves so the students can
make more in depth observations and then formulate a conclusion based on the video
experiment as well as our own experiment.
How-to video: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcLoej0Eeoo)
Projector

Objectives

Objective 1: The students will make descriptions of the various unknown liquids.
Objective 2:The students will form hypotheses based on the ideas of floating and sinking.
Objective 3: The students will form a separate hypothesis based on the idea of dissolving.

Preparing the
Student

Assessment of
Student
Learning

Lesson
Sequence

A prior lesson about the scientific method, how to hypothesise and how to ask
questions.
A background knowledge of the different liquids being used in the experiment.

The children will first be in the blooms taxonomy level of knowledge when they are
asked what they think will happen to the candy corn when it is placed in each solution,
and when they are asked to choose what solution will dissolve the candy corn the fastest.
The children will also reach Blooms taxonomy level of evaluation when they are asked
to estimate the results each solution will produce, the children could also be asked why
they estimated this would happen.The children will also pass through Blooms Taxonomy
level of comprehension when they are asked to compare the candy corns in each solution
and contrast the different rates each one dissolved. They would reach the Analysis level
of Blooms Taxonomy when they are asked why they think the candy corn will react the
way that they hypothesized.
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Set up the experiment with four cups and the candy pumpkins that are needed. Fill
the first cup halfway with water. Fill the second cup halfway with milk. Fill the
third cup halfway with the canola oil. Fill the fourth cup halfway with vinegar. Set
the pumpkins aside. The experiment should be completely ready to be done with
your class.
Turn on the projector and direct the classes attention towards the video (on the
projector.)
Start the instructional video that directs the experiment.
Follow the video prompts to review the scientific method with the students.
Follow the videos progression to make a hypothesis and an observation as the
experiment proceeds.
When there is a provided pause facilitate the questions that are provided and lead
the class in discussion about their proposed answers.
When finished showing the video, have the students direct their attention towards
your set up of the experiment.
Have the students come one by one and observe the four different liquids. Then
have them sit back down.
Put one candy pumpkin in each liquid. (While the students are waiting to see the
change in the pumpkins, either provide a coloring sheet that is related to
Halloween or have them work on some sort of academic worksheet.)
After five minutes, have the students come up and observe the pumpkins in the
liquids. Have the students work on seat work while they wait again.
After ten minutes, have the students observe the candy corn in the liquids.
Remove the candy corn and set it in front of each liquid so that the students can
observe the full extent of the changes caused by each solution.
Have the students return to their seats and ask them to compare the results that
they hypothesized, the results that were provided in the video and the results that
were found from our experiment.
As a class, form a conclusion as to how the candy corn was effected by the
different liquids, and discuss why the results may be that way.

Measurement
of Success

Prior to presenting this lesson plan, students would have had experience to having to
create questions and hypothesis regarding science projects done in the class room. By
completing this lab, students will not only further their knowledge on the subject matter,
but should also be able to prove to the teacher that they understand the scientific process.
This experiment will also hopefully expose to the teacher if the students understand what
happens through science and are able to draw conclusions to what they had seen happen.
If they are unable to create an idea of what will happen or are unable to understand a
conclusion about what they had seen throughout the lab, future lessons will have to be
reconsidered.
By conducting this project, the students hopefully gain a better understanding of how to
create questions and predictions for labs. This lab should also help students become
better observers of science being that they will be able to see physical differences to not
only the candy pumpkin, but also to the liquids the candy was placed in.