Lesson #1 Ball O Clay

North Carolina Essential

Science Standard: Matter:
Properties & Change
5.P.2 Understand the interactions of matter and energy and the
changes that occur.
5.P.2.2 Compare the weight of an object to the sum of
the weight of its parts before and after an interaction.
5.P.2.2 (Unpacked) Students know that the weight of
an object is equal to the weight of the sum of its
parts. This is true in all closed systems.
5.P.2.2 Assessment Example:
Given a series of pictures showing a pitcher of ice
changed to liquid water, what will be true of the weight
of the pitcher in the first and last picture in the
series? Why?
a. It will be less in the first picture.
b. It will be less in the last picture.
c. It will be the same in both pictures.
d. It will be more in the first picture because the ice takes
up more space.
Integration:
CCSS.Math.Content.5.NF.B.7c Solve real world problems involving
division of unit fractions by nonzero whole numbers and division of
whole numbers by unit fractions, e.g., by using visual fraction models and
equations to represent the problem.
Essential Content Knowledge:
Vocabulary
Physical property: the characteristics of a piece of matter.
Matter: anything that has mass and volume.
Mass: a measure of the amount of matter in an object
Volume: a measure of the amount of space something take up.
Five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, hear
Qualitative measurement: using words or phrases in order to
describe the size of matter.
Quantitative measurement: using precise numbers in
order to describe the size of matter.
Closed system: a collection of matter that contains any
byproducts of change the matter goes through.
The weight of an object is equal to the sum of the weights of its parts.
Lesson #1 Ball O Clay

 Often times, when an object is divided into parts, it is difficult

to retrieve all the parts to demonstrate this principle.

If the weight is different once the object is reassembled, then the

dismantling didnt occur in a closed system.
*Integration: Since the weight of the original large ball of clay will
represent the whole, it can be expressed as weight of the original large
ball of clay weight of the original large all of clay which is equal to 1.
The fraction of clay missing at the end of the experiment can also be
expressed as1 ( weight of the original ball of clay weight of the new
large ball of clay)
Materials & Preparations:
A ball of moldable clay that is large enough split into workable
pieces for groups of students.
An accurate scale or balance. Preferably one for each group of
students, but they can share if necessary.
A large area for the teacher to write and writing instruments
(chalkboard & chalk, whiteboard & markers, SmartBoard, etc)
Students will need to have a notebook (preferably one specifically
for science) and something to write with.
Students will need to be split into groups of no more than four
students in the middle of the lesson.
A small zip lock bag with four or five items inside that are
measurable with the balance. (Example: pencil, paper clip, scissors,
eraser, Unifix cube)
Procedure:
1. Ask the class what are some examples of physical properties of
matter.
2. Explain that they are going to go to centers where they will find the
mass of each of the items in the bag. Next, they are to estimate the
total weight of the bag, then check their estimate.
3. After each group completes this task, have the class come back
together as a group and discuss their measurements and their
predictions. What strategy did each group use to make their
predictions?
4. Next, hold up a ball of clay for the class to see and ask them to
describe the physical properties of the ball of clay using four of
their senses (exclude taste). Review their five senses if necessary.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Write the physical properties of the clay that the students list on
the board. List as many as the students give that are appropriate.
Be sure to get a qualitative measure of size and a quantitative
measure of mass.
Break the clay ball up into as many approximately equal sized
pieces as there are groups of students. Ask them to describe the
physical properties of their groups clay ball and write them in
their science notebooks. All the physical properties of the small
clay balls should be the same as the original larger clay ball with
the exception of the size and mass. Have the students find the
mass of the small balls of clay with the balances.
Ask the students to share their findings. Ask the students what
they notice about their physical properties compared to the list on
the board. Point out that the only physical properties that have
changed between the original large clay ball and the new small clay
balls is size and mass. Write the masses of the students individual
clay balls on the board. Ask them if they notice a relationship
between the weights of each of their clay balls and the weight of
the original clay ball. Some students may notice that the sum of
the weights of the small clay balls should equal the weight of the
original clay ball.
*Integration: Ask the students to find what fraction of the mass
of the original clay ball their small clay ball is. If you add all the
students fractions together, the answer should be 1, which
represents the whole original mass.
Once all the groups are done, collect all the pieces of clay and
mold them back together as one whole piece. Ask the students
what they think the mass of the clay ball is now and have them
justify their answers. Find the mass of the ball to see if they are
correct. With an accurate enough scale, the new mass of the clay
ball should be slightly less than the original. Ask the students to
come up with logical reasons why this may be.
Undoubtedly, some clay will be stuck to students hands, desks,
floor, etc. This is why the new mass of the clay will be slightly less
than the original mass of the clay. Ask the students what would
need to be done in order to make the initial and new masses the
same. Explain to them that what they are describing is called a
closed system.
*Integration: Ask the students to find what fraction of the original
ball of clay was lost during this experiment.

Adaptations & Modifications:

In order to make recording data in data charts easier, the units of
measurement should be provided so that students could simply record
raw figures. The items that Lesson #1 Ball O Clay the students were to

measure were also included in the chart. When splitting the classroom
into groups, be sure to make sure that students that labeled exceptional
children in reading are grouped with other students that will be able to
provide appropriate and reliable support.
Classroom Management:
In the beginning of this lesson, students will quickly go through a
quick vocabulary review as a class then they will split into groups to find
the mass of the objects in bags. Be sure students are in appropriate
groups and they know how to use the equipment correctly. The most
difficult aspect of this lesson in regards to classroom management is the
splitting into groups multiple times. Be sure that the students understand
expectations between large groups and small groups.
Assessment:
Formative assessments may be made throughout the lesson. For
example, note the methods that student groups used to predict the
total mass of the bags that they were given to initially measure.
A summative assessment using SCHOOLNET may be used.
Resources:
North Carolina Essential Standards
Common Core

Lesson #1 Ball O Clay

tHE

NAME:
The weight of an object is equal to the sum of its parts!
Item

Mass (in grams)

eraser
pencil
paper clip
highlighter
clip
plastic bag
How much does the bag weigh with all the items in it?

Guess (in grams):

Actual (in grams):

Lesson #1 Rubric
Student

The student was able to

accurately
find the weight of the objects
they
were tasked with measuring.
0 - No
1 Yes

The student understood the main

concept of the lesson.
0 - No understanding
1 - Limited understanding
2 - Is able to apply the
main
concept to new examples

Lesson #1 Ball O Clay