Julia Coston

Solids, Liquids, and Gases Lesson Plan

LESSON RATIONALE
This lesson is important because students see solids, liquids, and gases every day. They
are all around them and effect their everyday lives. It is important for them to see the value in
knowing what they are and how they exists. It allows them to broaden their understanding of the
world around them. It also helps them why we should value this knowledge.
READINESS
I.Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
A. Goal: The students should be able to know what makes something a solid, liquid or gas.
B. Objective:
 After completing each solid, liquid and gases activity, the students will be able to
identify a solid, liquid, or gas.
 After modeling the properties of a solid, liquid, and gas, the students should be
able to construct a model of a solid, liquid, or gas.
C. Standard:
1.PS.1: Characterize materials as a solid, liquid, or gas and investigate their properties,
record observations, and explain the choices to others based on evidence (physical
properties.)
SEPS.2: Developing and using models and tools
II. Management Plan
a. Time: 1 hour 20 minutes total
 5 minutes: Anticipatory Set
 10 minutes: Introduction
 8 minutes: Paper plate model
 15 minutes x3: Activity
 7 minutes: Human model
 5 minutes: Exit ticket
b. Space: The classroom (at their desks, and around the room)
c. Materials: bottles of water, large empty bottles, jar of coins, extra coins, balloons,
yard stick, tape, gloves, paper plates, hula hoops, exit tickets, string, table clothes,
paper towels.
d. Behaviors: I will have the students looking at various things, from a video to the
document camera, as well as getting up, being part of a demonstration, and doing
activities. This should help them stay attentive during the lesson. Working with
other classmates should also help keep the students engaged and excited about
learning.
III. Anticipatory Set:
a. I will set out three different objects on the table at the front of the room. On item
is a balloon filled with air, another is a bottle of water, and the last one is a jar of
coins. I will allow the students to look at the three item for a few seconds. Why do
you think I have these three items up here? I will allow the students to answer my
question, but still expect some confusion. What could I be talking about today that
I would need these items for? I will let them think and try to answer that as well.
 Why doesn’t someone come up here and look at my items maybe then we might
know. I will call on one student to come to the front. Go ahead and poke the
balloon, open the bottle and open the jar. Is each item up here the same? No?
How might they be different? What makes them different. I will have the student sit
back down and will call on a couple students to answer. Maybe they are different
because one item is holding a solid, one is holding a liquid, and one is holding a
gas, but how might I know that?
IV. Purpose:
a. Today, we will be learning about solids, liquids, and gases and will be
discovering what makes something is a solid, liquid, or gas. We learn and
experiment this, so we are able to identify them. They make up everything around
us and it is important for us to see the value this knowledge brings to our lives and
how we understand the world around us. Remember, what we value most grows
with what we continue to learn about what other people valued.

PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION

V. Adaptation
 I will have my typical early finishers spread out in different groups so they are not all
working together. If the happen to finish the activity before the timer goes off, I will ask
them to help another member of their group who might be struggling or falling behind.
 For my student with ADHD, I have the class up and moving for the majority of the
science lesson time. They are working on hands-on experiments and are working
together. This student is able to roam freely around the class if they need to and because I
am not at a set location, I am fully available to that student if I need to be.
 For my student who struggles with reading and writing, I have made it so there is little to
no reading or writing in this lesson. If there is something to read it is during the group
rotations and so the student has many people that can help them read the information or
they can work together.

VI.Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)

 Introduction to Solids, Liquids, and Gases
o Solids, liquids, and gases make up everything in our world. But what exactly are
they and how do we know? If I say that my desk and all of your desks are a solid,
how do I know that for sure? We are going to watch a video that helps explain to
us what they are. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ4WduVp9k4 As you
watch the video pay close attention to what she says makes something a solid,
liquid, and gas.
o Can anyone tell me how we know something is a solid? I will let the students
answer until I get the answer I need. So if solids have a specific shape that cannot
be changed even if you put it in something, which one of my items up here has a
solid? I will let one student answer. Now what makes something a liquid? Great!
Now if we know that then which item up has a liquid in it. Right! The bottle is
holding water which is a liquid! Finally how do we know that something is a gas?
This one is a little tricky. I will help the students if I see them struggling. So then
how do I know that my balloon is holding a gas? Great job! Yes, because the gas
is the reason the balloon is filled up. Now let’s go through these definitions one
 more time. A solid has a definite or specific shape and volume. What else in this
room might be a solid? That’s right! A book has a definite shape and volume. A
liquid takes on the shape of the container it’s in and fills up all the space. What
else in the room could be a liquid? Right! The coffee I was drinking earlier took
on the shape of my cup it was in and is in fact a liquid. Finally, a gas does not
have a fixed shape or volume; it moves freely. What is the room could be a gas.
Great job! The air coming from the vents is a gas and moves around the room
freely.
 Solids, Liquids, and Gases Model
o Now that we have identified what is a solid, liquid, and gas. We need to talk
about what the particles look like for each type of matter. The video we watched
earlier talked about them so I am going to play the end for you one more time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ4WduVp9k4 (1:51 – 2:39)
o She showed us what the particles look like in a solid, liquid, and gas and now I’m
going to see if you can show me. I am going to pass out paper plates and coins to
each person and together we are going to create what particles look like in a
solid, liquid, and gas. I give every student a plate, and a good amount of coins.
The first substance we are going to create is a solid. Does anybody remember
what the particles look like when they part of a solid? Have one of the students
answer what the particles look like in a solid. Yes! The particles are so tightly
packed together that they can’t move at all. They are structured a certain way.
Now I want everybody to order their coins on their plate and fit them as tightly
together as you can. Do not hesitate to look at my plate over the doc cam if you
are having trouble. I will get up and look at their plates before moving on. Okay,
now on the next particle which is liquid. Clear your plates. What do the particles
look like in liquid? Tell the people you are sitting next to. Now can someone tell
me what happens to the particles? Pause for an answer. Great! Now let’s take our
plate and take some coins to create what the particles look like in a liquid. Give
time for that as well. I will again walk around to see that they have done that one
correctly. Lastly, is a gas. Can I have one student who thinks they really know
what the particles look like in a gas show it on my last plate for the class? Let the
student who volunteers do it for the class to see. Awesome! As you can see there
are barely any coins or particles on the plate. That is because the particles are so
far apart that you can barely tell that they are there. This is why we can walk
around everywhere without telling that the air we breathe is surrounding us.
 Solid/Liquid/Gas Activity
o Now that we understand what a solid, liquid, and gas are and know what the
particles look like when they create them, we can do my fun investigation. We are
going to create our own solids, liquids, and gases. In the back of the classroom I
have stations for every substance and I am going to split you up into three
groups. Group one will make the solid station, group two will go to the liquid
station, and group three with go to the gas station. When my timer goes off I will
tell you to rotate and I will tell you where you will go next. I split the class into
three groups and have the students go to the table that corresponds with what
group they are in. At this table, you will take the glove, write you name on it, and
fill it with water. If you need help please ask me! Then, I will come tie it for you. I
 want you to write down what you think will happen to it in the freezer. Then, I
want you to take it home at the end of the day and put it in your freezer. Come
back tomorrow and tell me what happened to you glove of water. At this table you
will be trying to move water from one water bottle to another. They are different
sizes and I want you to see how many bottles of one you need to fill another, write
down how many it took. Lastly, at this table, you will take a balloon and blow it
up. I will then come tie that as well. You will have a yard stick with an empty
balloon taped at one end. I want you each to try taping your blown up balloon to
the other side and holding your string in the middle. When you have done this,
write down or draw what happened. When each group has gone through each
rotation. I will have them come sit back down at their seats.

VII. Check for understanding:

a. Solids, Liquids, Gases – human model
i. Once everybody is in their seats I will get ready to recap the lesson. Now
class, does anybody remember what particles look like in a solid? I will
give students a chance to answer. Correct! The particles are closely
packed together so they can’t move. I will then pull out a hula hoop. Let’s
see how many students we can fit in this hula hoop. I need lots of
volunteers because remember we are showing what particles look like in a
solid.. I will let the students raise their hands and then come up to the front.
One by one, I will try and fit as many of them into the hula hoop until I
can’t fit anymore. Then I will ask the students in the hula hoop, Can you
guys move? No, you can’t because you guys are so tightly packed together
that it is now impossible for you guys to move. Remember that this is how
the particles in a solid are. I will have all those volunteers sit back down
and I will ask for some new volunteers. I will only choose a few because of
the liquid demonstration. Once they are in place I will ask them if they can
move. You guys can move easily then the people before right? Wait for
their answer. This is because there are a little less of you in the hula hoop.
This is how particles in a liquid are. There is a little bit of room to move
bit not a ton of room. Then I will have them all sit down again and call up
only one volunteer and tell them to move around as much as they want.
You can move about the hula hoop freely, right? This is what a gas
particle is like. They can move around the area they are in very freely.
Once I have gone over that I will have the student sit back down and I will
put the hula hoop away.

VIII. Review learning outcomes / Closure

When we have finished our human particles model. I will have the students complete an exit
ticket for me as one final way I know that they know what a solid, liquid, and gas is. Right now I
am handing out an exit ticket for everyone. I want you to do this on your own do not talk to your
neighbor while filling it out. I will read each question for you once so you all know what I am
asking you. Once everybody has a ticket I will read the questions. Question 1: The picture below
is either a solid, liquid, or gas. Which one is it? Circle the correct answer. Wait a little while.
Question 2: What do the particles look like in a solid? Please draw your example in the square
box. Once the students have finished their exit ticket I will have them put it at the corner of their
desk so I can collect it. I will then have them start packing up to get ready to leave school.

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

Formative:
I will be assessing students, as they create their paper plate models. I will be walking around and
listening as they talk to each other during the group activity. I will give input and help where is
needed and will keep instilling the definitions in them as they create their activity. Also, through
the questions I ask, from the video clip and after the whole lesson, I will be able to see who truly
understands the concepts and who is still a little confused.
Summative:
Through the exit ticket, I will be able to assess how well the students understand what exactly a
solid, liquid, and gas are. I will also be able to see if they understand what each is made up of
and what they look like in a state of matter.

REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS

1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why not?
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
3. How should I alter this lesson?
4. How would I pace it differently?
5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
7. Would it have been better for me to be the only one explaining the topic or did adding
the video help?
8. Did having them do the paper plate model help them grasp the differences in each state
of matter and its particles? Why or Why not?
9. What did the exit ticket show? How many students had grasped the knowledge by the
end of the lesson?