Sewage water is consumed by people, but they do not get sick.
Make observations and measurements to identify patterns of materials by their properties.
Water collected from a town may be contaminated. The town officials are requesting help to design a process that will identify the particles in the water and then clean the water.
Click here for NGSS, CCSS–ELA, and California ELD standards.
In the last lesson, students used their investigation questions to identify the presence and amount of contamination, reinforcing the idea that particles that are too small to be seen still exist in the water. They continued to revise models and create new ones to explain their understanding. Students also reviewed and added to their design questions about how to clean the water. The next question they will explore is “How can the properties of matter help us know what is in the water?”
This lesson centers on students’ understanding that properties such as magnetism and solubility of matter can be used to identify unknown matter, and those properties can be useful in solving problems such as separating matter into categories for identification. By using the properties of matter, students can begin to plan a design to solve the problem of separating and identifying the matter in the Town Water Samples.
In the next lesson, students will create a plan to separate substances using the properties of magnetism or a substance’s ability to dissolve into water.
Throughout the lesson, a flag () denotes formative assessment opportunities where you may change instruction in response to students’ level of understanding and making sense of phenomena.
Part I | 2 hours 30 minutes | |
45 minutes | Engage | |
60 minutes | Explore 1 | |
45 minutes | Explain 1 | |
Part II | 1 hour 45 minutes | |
60 minutes | Explore 2 | |
30 minutes | Explain 2 | |
15 minutes | Elaborate/Evaluate |
Analyze and interpret data from observations and measurements of patterns that indicate the properties of matter.
Students will review their prior knowledge of the basic properties of matter from second grade. Then they will build on that understanding to address the 5th-grade DCI properties of elements such as magnetism, conductivity (electrical and thermal), reflectivity, solubility, and measurement to identify unknown matter.
Record responses from students in three columns on your chart. Use these headings:
How to find out if there is iron in the cereal | Is it metallic iron of another form of iron? | Questions/Wonderings |
This can be referred to later in the lesson to see if students’ questions were answered and if their ideas for finding out if about iron in the cereal worked.
Test for properties of matter (weight, magnetism, and conductivity) and analyze data to determine patterns.
If students do not mention testing for electrical conductivity, suggest it to them. Fifthgrade students should have prior experience with electrical circuits, conductors, and insulators. If they don’t have this background knowledge, introduce it to them. You could hold up a tester and ask students what they know about it and then build from there.
Ask if anyone knows how to use the tester and build on the responses. If no one has knowledge of that, show students how to use the tester by placing an object between and touching the two open wires to see if the bulb lights.
If you ask students to write, rather than talk about their responses to the question, you can assess prior knowledge of the properties of matter that were taught in second grade. Student misconceptions regarding magnetism can also be assessed at this point.
Use one of these sentence frames as a discussion scaffold if needed:
One property that these items can be sorted/classified by is _____.
For example, the _____ can be classified as a(n) _____.
Another property that these items can be sorted by is _____.
Formative assessment: Students are responding to how they sorted based on the patterns of properties. Students should include magnetism and patterns of similarities of items. ESRs: These items are grouped together because they all are attracted to a magnet; these items are grouped together because they all conduct electricity.
Starting in second grade, students learned materials could be classified by observable properties. In third grade, students learned that magnetism is a force that causes objects to be pushed or pulled. In fifth grade, they understand how this force can be used to identify the properties of matter.
In grades K–2, students developed an understanding that patterns in the natural and human-designed world can be observed. In grades 3–5, this shifts to an understanding that similarities and differences in patterns can be used to sort for designated properties.
This activity can be a quick, whole-group formative assessment of the properties of matter for PS1.A (e.g.: not magnetic, conducts heat, conducts electricity, metal).
In the first sort (Step 15) students sorted into their own categories. In Step 21, students are asked to re-sort using the labels as categories. This may provide different categories than the students originally had thought of. It also provides academic language for the categories.
If needed, help students understand that one of the new properties, weight, will be used as they re-sort objects in the tray. When describing the term weight, do not include any discussion of mass. Instead refer to weight as the heaviness an object has compared to other objects. The purpose is to provide more concrete examples of using the CCC for Scale, Proportion, and Quantity.
Communicate information about the properties of matter that can be used to categorize objects.
A Frayer Model is completed by writing several examples and non-examples of the vocabulary term being defined.
In third grade, students learned that magnetism is a force that causes objects to be pushed or pulled. In fifth grade, they understand how this force can be used to identify properties of matter.
Advanced students can create a Frayer Model for the term weight while the teacher works with students who need more guidance on magnetism. When describing the term weight, do not include any distinction between weight and mass at this grade level.
Magnets are used to separate metals from other trash and lift heavy objects like vehicles at a salvage yard where old vehicles are crushed. Maglev trains like a monorail use magnets. In addition to these physical science uses of magnetism, there are also life science connections to the use of magnetism. Magnetism is used by several species to help with navigation (birds and tiger sharks).
The goal of the exit ticket is to get students to communicate how specific properties can be used as a process or method to separate matter that might be in the Town Water Samples. Students are making a claim about the merit of a solution by citing evidence which they will use in the next lesson.
Review the exit slips for student understanding before beginning Explore 2 (e.g., did they relate the idea of the small particles of iron to small weight/quantity?). Adjust Explore 2 accordingly.
Conduct an investigation to observe the property of solubility of different materials using scale and proportion.
This is the students’ first exposure to the property of solubility. The purpose of your questions is to elicit student’s background knowledge. Hopefully from the questions that students have asked, one relates to mixing. If not, ask the question: “What would be an important property of matter when making lemonade with fresh lemons? If you want your lemonade sweet, what might you do?” ESR: Add sugar. Ask, ”What must the sugar do to make the lemonade sweet?” ESR: Dissolve in the lemon juice. Ask, “What does dissolve mean?” Have students discuss with a partner.
Allow students to create their own data tables.
The goal of Step 38 is to get students to realize that they must weigh the cup when it is empty, then subtract the weight of the cup from the weight with the matter inside the cup. When students weigh the small cups of substances, they must weigh the cup separately and subtract the weight of the cup from the weight of the cup with the substance.
To conserve time, the weight of both the cups (clear plastic and small paper) can be completed in front of the class and the data recorded on the board. Alternatively, have an extra of each cup (empty) on the trays for students to do themselves.
If students do not know how to use the scales, demonstrate for them.
Analyze and interpret data from observations and measurements of the properties of matter.
Students are being introduced to the new element of PS1.A: amount (weight) of matter is conserved when it changes form, even in transitions in which it seems to vanish. Students may think the matter “disappears” or vanishes when mixed into the water, but the weight will indicate that matter is in the water; it’s just not visible. This helps students grasp the meanings of solubility and dissolving.
The retained solutions must be allowed to evaporate so that crystals or a film residue are left behind in the cups. You may wish to have them leave the wooden sticks in the cups so that the crystals and residue can be passed around on the sticks during the next lesson.
Evaporation depends on many factors and may take longer than expected. A heat lamp can be used to speed up the process. If you prefer, prepare a set of solutions and set them aside a week prior to beginning this exploration.
Ask questions/define problems to determine how to identify the different materials in water samples.