The Inquiry Project Grade 5 Curriculum: Investigating Water Transformations: Keeping Track of Matter

By terc

We expect puddles to dry up after the rain stops. We are not surprised when drops of water collect on the glass holding our cold drink. However, we never get to see the water that has evaporated from the puddle or see the drops before they appear on the glass. What makes these phenomena possible? Without using the terms molecules or atoms, this curriculum unit provides students with a set of experiences that helps them develop the understanding that particles too small to see can have weight, take up space, and can help us understand the story behind transformations such as puddles evaporating or drops condensing on a glass. In Section 1, Water, a liquid, students are introduced to the mystery of a disappearing sea and the scale at which evaporation can occur. They build and begin studying their own mini-lake. In Section 2, Water to Vapor, students investigate evaporation and condensation. In Section 3, Water to Ice, they consider how ice and water compare. In Section 4, Air, a Gas, they investigate air, a mixture of gases. And, in Section 5, Two Scales, students draw the connections between transformations at the visible level and their growing understandings of matter at the particle level. They apply their new understandings to their experiences with their mini-lakes and with bodies of water in the real world. This unit is the third in a series for Grades 3-5 that together provide a foundation for deeper understanding of the particulate model of matter. The three-unit series and associated resources are electronically available at inquiryproject.terc.edu

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 148395515X
• ISBN13: 9781483955155
• Release Date: April 2013
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 140 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 0.3" x 8.5"