Mixtures and Solution

Teacher Notes

Call on volunteers to read the words in the box. Dont define yet.
Guide the students in reading the passage. (They can read it silently
first and then orally or just orally.)
Discuss the passage as desired.
Have students answer questions 1-10 using appropriate strategies.
Make sure they can justify each answer choice. (You can do this
question by question or have them answer all 10 and then discuss.)
Use the vocabulary cards to play vocabulary games:
o Read My Mind
Pick one of the vocabulary words. Five clues are given about
that word. The class works individually (or in pairs, depending
on your group) to guess the word correctly. They have 5
chances to guess the word.
Have students number their paper from 1-5.
The first clueIt is a key word from the box on page 1 of the
passage. (Each student writes the word he/she thinks it is
next to #1 on his/her paper.)
Second clueIt has
letters. (Each student writes the
word he/she thinks it is next to #2.)
Third clueIt begins with the letter
. (Each student
writes the word he/she thinks it is next to #3.)
Fourth clueIt has
syllables. (Each student writes
the word he/she thinks it is next to #4.)
Fifth clueThe definition of the word is
. or use
the word in a sentence. (Each student writes the word he/she
thinks it is next to #5.)
Say, I know that you all have the correct word by now. What
is it? Who had the correct word by #1, by #2, by #3, by #4?
After you do this a few times, allow student volunteers to give
the clues and have their minds read.
o Read and Roll
Give each group a stack of vocabulary word definitions and a
number cube. Make sure each student has a piece of paper
on which to record his/her score and a pencil.

The student with the shortest first name goes first. He/she
reads the definition on the first card. If the student can recall
the vocabulary word that matches the definition, he/she rolls
the number cue and earns that number of points. If the
student is unable to recall the vocabulary word, he/she earns
no points. The definition is placed at the bottom of the stack
of cards.
The next player takes a turn.
Play continues until a student reaches the designated number
of points (usually 20-25). That student is the winner.

Answer Keys
Answer KeyMultiple Choice Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

A
D
B
C
A
D
A
D
C
C

Name

Date

Mixtures and Solutions

Key Words
combine

dissolve

ingredient

mixture

physical property

separate

solution
substance
We often mix, or combine, different kinds of matter in our daily lives. A salad is a
combination of vegetables or fruit. Iced tea is a combination of water, tea, sugar and
ice. Concrete is a combination of sand, gravel, and water. These combinations are
called mixtures. Even our backpacks contain a combination of books, notebooks, pens,
pencils, and paper.
A mixture is a combination of two or more objects or substances. The
substances that mix together are called ingredients. Mixtures can be made up of
solids, liquids, or gases. The ingredients in a mixture do not join togehter to form any
new substances.
Mixtures are physically combined. Each ingredient retains, or keeps, some or all
of its own physical properties. The ingredients in a mixture can also be physically
separated. Some mixtures such as trail mix (raisins, peanuts, chocolate chips, and
coconut) can be easily separated by just using your fingers. You might pick out all of
the raisins and eat the rest. Other mixtures might require using tools to get them
separated.
When you eat a mixture like trail mix, the ingredients taste the same as they do
when they are not mixed together. The raisins are sweet; the peanuts are salty, and the
chocolate chips are crunchy. The ingredients stay the same color. Mixing the raisins,
peanuts, chocolate chips and coconut does not change their physical properties.
Lemonade is another mixture that has the properties of its ingredients. It is
sweet like sugar, sour like lemons, and a liquid like water. But, can you take lemonade
apart? It would be more difficult to achieve, but you can take the ingredients in
lemonade apart. Letting the water evaporate would leave behind the lemonade powder
and the sugar.

Mixtures are separated by using the different physical properties of their

ingredients. Some mixtures contain items made of iron. A magnet will separate the iron
from the other ingredients. You could pick nails out of sand by using a magnet.
Mixtures with small particles can be separated by sifting or filtering. You might use a
sieve or strainer to separate sand from water. As you pour in the mixture, the sand will
be trapped as the water passes through the sieve. Filters trap particles even smaller
than the grains of sand. Air conditioning filters trap tiny particles of dust and separate
them from the gases in the air.
Some mixtures have particles or ingredients so small that you cant see them.
You cant see the particles of salt when it is mixed with water. This is because the salt
dissolves in the water. When one or more substances dissolve in another substance,
the result is a special kind of mixture called a solution. The particles of salt spread out
evenly in the water so that the solution looks the same throughout. Although you cant
see the salt in the water, you can still separate the salt-water mixture. If you boil the
salty water until the water evaporates, all of the salt will remain in the pan.
In a solution some properties of the ingredients stay the same while others
change. For example, if you mix sugar and water, the dissolved sugar is still sweet.
Other properties of the sugar change. Dissolved sugar is no longer a white powder.
The water is still a clear liquid, but a sugar-water solution has a higher boiling point and
a lower freezing point than pure water.
The ingredients in a mixture like Italian salad dressing can also be separated.
When you use this type of salad dressing, you have to shake it up before you can pour
it on your salad. The oil, the vinegar and the spices in the dressing dont dissolve. The
ingredients only stay mixed for a short period of time. After sitting for a while, the spices
will sink below the vinegar and the oil will rise to float on top of the vinegar. By allowing
time for the ingredients to sink or float, you can easily separate the oil from the vinegar
by using a spoon to skim off the oil. You can separate the spices by pouring the
remaining mixture through a sieve or a filter.

1.

Why is it possible to separate the

ingredients in a mixture? The
ingredients in a mixture
A
B
C
D

4.

A
B
C
D

retain their own physical

properties
change color when they are
mixed together
look exactly the same as
before being mixed
are not able to be separated
by hand.
5.

2.

C
D

The ingredients in most

mixtures are different states of
matter.
Air is a mixture made up of
gases and small particles of
dust.
Some mixtures contain
ingredients made of iron.
Mixtures are separated by the
physical properties of their
ingredients.

6.

A mixture is a combination of
A
B
C
D

two or more solids

two or more ingredients
a solid and a liquid
a liquid and a gas

keeps
ingredients
mixtures
separated

A worker in a hardware store

accidentally poured some steel
nails into a container of aluminum
nails. All of the nails look exactly
alike. What would be the best way
to separate the mixture of nails?
A

3.

Powdered drink mix and water

Salt and water
Italian salad dressing
Chocolate syrup and milk

Which word in paragraph three is a

synonym for retains?
A
B
C
D

What is the main idea of paragraph

six?
A

Which of the following is NOT a

solution?

B
C
D

Heat the container until the

aluminum nails melt.
Use a hand lens to see the
difference between the nails.
Pour water into the container
to see which nails float.
Drag a magnet through the
container to remove the iron
nails.

7.

Which of the following substances would dissolve in water?

A
B
C
D

Powdered drink mix

Milk
Flour
Cooking oil

Use the illustrations below to answer questions 8-10.

1. Sand and iron

filings

8.

3. Salad
Dressing

4. Mixed
Nuts

Which of the mixtures shown above could you separate using only your hands?
A
B
C
D

9.

2. Ocean
water

Sand and iron filings

Ocean Water
Salad Dressing
Mixed nuts

What is the best way to separate the ingredients in the first mixture?
A
B
C
D

Allow the water to evaporate

Allow one ingredient to float on top of the other
Use a magnet to pull out the iron filings
Use a sieve to strain the solids from the liquids

10. Which mixture could you separate by allowing one substance to float on top of
another?
A
B
C
D

Mixture 1
Mixture 2
Mixture 3
Mixture 4

Combine

To mix different ingredients

together

Dissolve

To mix evenly and separate

into particles too small to be
seen

Ingredients

The substances that mix

together in a mixture

Mixture

A collection of ingredients in
which the substances do not
join together

Physical property

A characteristic of matter that

can be observed using the
senses

Separate

To split or divide a mixture

into its parts or ingredients

Solution

A type of mixture in which

one or more ingredients
dissolve in another

Substance

A kind of matter that can mix

with other matter