STAGE 1: a) Big Ideas, Rationale & Essential Questions

Big Ideas (from Draft Curricula)

Rationale / Relevance
Identify a Big Idea from at least 3
WHY is this unit of importance to
different curricular areas.
your students learning?
Grade 3:
Science: all matter is made of
particles.
Art: the arts connect our experiences
to the experiences of others.

This unit is important because

everything around us is made of
matter. All matter can change state
and it is important for us to
understand the changes taking place
around us and within us.

Grade 4:
Science: matter has mass, takes up
space, and can change phase.
Art: the arts connect our experiences
to the experiences of others.
Language Arts: exploring texts and
story helps us understand ourselves
and make connections to others the
world.

STAGE 1: b) What students will

CORE Competencies
Choose from at least one of the
three CORE competencies. Create
an I statement that links to a
facet of your chosen competency.
Critical Thinking:

be learning goals for the unit

Curricular Competencies
Students will be able to:
At least one from each curricular
area.

Identify questions about

Essential Questions
Open-ended and thoughtprovoking questions that link the
curricular areas and engage
students.
How can you explore the
phases of matter?

How does matter change

phases?

How does heating and cooling

affect these changes?

Why is matter known as the

material of the universe?

Content
Students will know and
understand:
(state in your own words)

Solid, liquids and gases are

I can experiment with the

different states of matter.
I can ask questions and
consider options. I can use my
observations, experience and
imagination to draw
conclusions and make
judgements.
Communication:
I can represent my learning
and tell how it connects to my
experiences and efforts.

STAGE 2: Assessment Evidence

of learning goals

familiar objects that can be

investigated scientifically.
Compare results with
predications, suggesting
possible reasons for findings.
Represent and communicate
ideas and findings in a variety
of ways, such as diagrams,
and simple reports, using
digital technologies as
appropriate.

phases of matter
The affect of temperature on
the states of matter
Matter is made up of particles
each state has a different
composition of particles.

- Acceptable, authentic evidence demonstrating achievement

What evidence will I gather, reflect on and record?

How will I guide the self-assessment, goal setting and reflection?

Rich Culminating Task:
Other Evidence:
(summative)
(formative)
Description of authentic activities or products that Through what other evidence will students
allow students to demonstrate the desired
demonstrate achievement of the desired results as
understandings that culminate in rich evidence of they move towards the culminating task (s)?
learning.
( draft products, observations, conversations
( ie poster, showcase, presentation, video, skit,
write/say/do)
essay, project)
How will students reflect upon and self assess their
learning?
Matter reflection.
Teacher Observations
On the final day of this unit, students will engage in a
Discussions
class discussion/review of all of the key learnings that
KWL chart
took place. After the review, students will be asked to
Brochure/worksheets
write a reflection based on guiding questions. This will

allow students to demonstrate their understandings of

what matter is, why its important, and how it changes.

Prediction/what really happened sheets

Ticket out the door

Prediction worksheets/ experiments.

Throughout this unit students will be given the
opportunity to learn and show their learning in a
variety of ways. We will be focusing on the process of
making hypothesis and testing these theories. At the
beginning of each matter-based experiment, students
will be asked to make a prediction based upon
previous learnings. After observing the outcome
students will compare the result to their prediction by
writing a sentence and drawing a picture on a
worksheet. Class discussions will follow.

STAGE 3: Learning Plan

What learning experiences will you design to allow students to engage with the content and develop their
skills in the competencies? What sequence will best develop the learning?
Describe appropriate learning that helps ALL learners
acquire knowledge and skills
make meaning
transfer learning
Learning Intention
Activity
Lesson 1:
Introduction to matter.
I can identify and differentiate solids, liquids and gases
and their properties.

Teacher will lead a conversation about what matter is and each

of the three states.
Video will be shown.

Discussion on how the particles move/interact during each

state.

Properties of matter poster with definitions.

Teacher/students will create a poster on chart paper illustrating

and defining the properties of each state.

Lesson 2:
I can identify and describe solids, liquids and gases and
their properties.

Kinesthetic activity- being matter.

Teacher will lead the class in an activity where the students are
representing the particles and how they move during each
state.

Review

Teacher will lead class in a review by starting a KWL chart with

the students. (first 2 columns can be filled out).
Review the three states, their properties and definitions.

Matter scavenger hunt.

In pairs, students will be required to find three examples of

each state of matter within the classroom.
Students will come back to the carpet for a debrief.

Create matter brochure.

Students will be given a blank piece of paper. They will be

expected to fold it into three, creating a brochure. Each inside
page will represent a state of matter.
Teacher will provide a guiding sentence structure that students
will use to write a definition in their own words for each state.
Students will draw a picture of an example of each state and
what the particle formation looks like.

Lesson 3:
I can identify and describe solids, liquids and gases and
their properties.

Review.
Matter worksheet.

Properties of matter worksheet (students fill in characteristics

of each state).

Rootbeer Float activity.

Teacher will lead a discussion about the activity and how it

encompasses all states of matter.
Students will complete a ticket out the door after the activity.

Lesson 4:
I can creatively demonstrate the states of matter.

Art activity: melting paint.

Teacher will lead an art activity where art is created through

changes in state of paint.

Discussion.

What happened to the paint and why?

Lesson 5:
I can describe how matter changes state and what
happens during this process.

Introduction to matter changing states.

Teacher leads discussion on how matter changes state. Relate

back to art activity.
Can students think of any examples?

States of matter diagram.

Teacher will create a diagram on chart paper that depicts the

changes of matter and how they change (heat/cooling ect).

Lesson 6: I can create a hypothesis to make predictions

and use observations to compare this prediction to the
outcome.

Introduction to hypothesis/prediction.

What is a hypothesis?
What kind of language do we use to make a hypothesis?
Review the changes in state diagram.
Explanation of balloon/soda experiment.
Students will be asked to think/pair/share about what they
think will happen.
Students will write/draw their prediction.
Teacher will perform the experiment with students observing.
Class discussion.
Students will fill in the outcome and compare to their
hypothesis.

Lesson 7:
I can describe how matter changes state and what
happens during this process.

Review changes in state.

Show videos/make predictions.

Show videos representing changes in state.

Students create states of matter diagram.

Students will create a changes of state diagram on the back of

their brochure, depicting the three states of matter and how
they change.

Lesson 8:
I can write a reflection summarizing my knowledge of the
states of matter and their changes.

Discussion on what we have learned.

At the carpet, students will help the teacher complete the KWL
chart, filling in what they have learned.
Teacher will create a matter web with the students providing
information that they have learned.

Students will write a reflection (what have you

learned about matter, what did you like best?).

RICH CULMINATING TASK

Lesson 9: I can use my knowledge of the states of matter and their changes to make predictions about the
outcome of four experiments.
Students will rotate between four different matter stations. Students will be required to make educated
predictions of what will happen at each station based on the knowledge they have acquired over the past
two weeks.
Station 1: Pop/Mentos.
For this activity, Students may be taken outside depending on weather for this experiment.
The students will be supplied a bottle of Diet coke soda & mentos mint candy
I will explain that diet coke contains both gas and liquid (if students don't make connection)
I will have students make an 'hypothesis' of what they think will happen if I mixed the solid mentos with the
liquid soda and gas bubbles.
Then, we load a pack of mentos in the bottle
When dropping the mentos in, the gas bubbles all stick to the mentos.
Because the gas bubbles were jumping around taking up so much space, there wasn't enough space for
the liquid in the bottle anymore.

So the liquid was pushed out

Station

2: Balloons.
Show students a typical balloon filled with oxygen. Ask them what is inside and what state of matter it is.
Ask students if it is possible to fill a balloon with a solid or liquid.
Teacher shows students the 3 balloons. One if filled with gas (oxygen), another with water (liquid), and the last with ice
(solid).
Ask the students how the particles are positioned/ move around for each, the water, the ice, and the oxygen.
Gently toss each balloon one at a time in a circle to each other. Compare how each moves.
Teacher asks students what they think will happen to the inside of each if we pop the balloons. Make predictions.
Teacher pops each balloon and students observe what happens to the ice (maintains shape), the water (takes shape of
the container it is popped into), and the oxygen (disperses through the air).
Compare these results to our predictions.

Station 3: Volcano Eruption.

Teacher will show a small group of students the materials that will be used during the science experiment.
They will use their previous knowledge of matter to create a prediction as to what will happen when the materials all mix
together.
This prediction will be written down on a worksheet. Students will share their predictions to the group.
Teacher will perform the experiment while students observe.
Teacher will have discussion with the group explaining what happened during the experiment.
Students will use observations and compare the findings with their hypothesis.
They will check a box that indicates if their hypothesis was correct or incorrect.
Student will then report their observations of what happened during the experiment and will define if the materials were
solid liquid or gas.
Station 4: Elephant Toothpaste.
Teacher will show a small group of students the liquid inside of the water bottle- ask students what state of matter we are
looking at.
Teacher will inform students we will be adding yeast to the liquid mixture- students will be asked to make a hypothesis
about what they think will happen.
In pairs, students will have their own water bottle and supplies to do their own experiment.
When the teacher gives the go ahead, students will add their yeast to their liquid mixture.
Students will observe the reaction that takes place- what state of matter can we see now?
Students will then write a sentence and draw a picture of what they saw happen.
Discussion- how did that differ from your prediction?