Building Blocks of Science® A New Generation: Matter 2nd Edition 1-Use Unit Kit

Grade 2. In a series of 5 lessons spanning 14 class sessions, Matter introduces students to the 3 states of matter—solids, liquids, and gases. They explore the differing arrangement of particles and observe and record different characteristics of each state. Students develop an understanding that not all solids or liquids are the same, and that solids can be malleable and liquids can vary in thickness and fluidity, or viscosity. Students then build on their conception of states of matter by creating mixtures. They observe the outcome of combining solids with solids and solids with liquids.

Students also learn that matter has different properties. Some matter is hard but malleable, conducts heat and electricity, and has shiny or reflective surfaces while other matter is porous, insulates against heat and electricity, and has dull surfaces. Still other matter is soft, filled with air, and floats. Some matter absorbs water, some matter does not. Students learn what each of these kinds of matter is good for in making structures and products that people can use.

Finally, students learn that there are 2 kinds of changes that can occur in matter. In physical changes, many of which can be reversed, shape, volume, size, or other physical characteristics may change but the matter retains its identity. In chemical changes, these characteristics may change as well but the matter also changes identity. Chemical changes cannot be reversed. Through discussion and investigation, students learn to distinguish between these 2 types of change.

Building Blocks of Science® lessons are structured in 30-minute class sessions, making it easy to fit science into your day. The Matter 1-Use Unit Kit includes a Teacher's Guide (item #514602A), teacher and student access to digital materials, and enough supplies and apparatus to teach the unit once to a class of up to 24 students.

Next Generation Science Standards®
The Building Blocks of Science® unit Matter, 2nd Edition, integrates process skills as defined by the Next Generation Science Standards.

Performance Expectations

• 2-PS1-1: Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.
• 2-PS1-2: Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.
• 2-PS1-3: Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new object.
• 2-PS1-4: Construct an argument with evidence that some changes caused by heating or cooling can be reversed and some cannot.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

• PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter
• PS1.B: Chemical Reactions

Science and Engineering Practices

• Analyzing and Interpreting Data
• Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
• Engaging in Argument from Evidence
• Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

Crosscutting Concepts

• Patterns
• Cause and Effect
• Energy and Matter

Assessment
This unit offers several ways to assess students, including a pre- and a post-unit assessment opportunity. Teachers can also use class discussions and charts to assess each lesson. Student activity sheets and science notebook entries—including drawings, writings, and dictated statements—can be used to gauge individual understanding of objectives and key vocabulary throughout the unit. The Assessment Observation Sheets supplied with each lesson help teachers document and measure students' progress and knowledge using informal assessment. A general rubric is provided to help teachers evaluate individual students at any point in the unit. The rubric provides a progression of skills and understanding that covers exploration, vocabulary, concept building, and notebook entries. Finally, a summative assessment gives students the opportunity to demonstrate unit-specific content knowledge by responding to questions in a variety of formats.

Lesson Summaries
Lesson 1: Same Pieces, Different Look
Everything that we can see or feel is made up of smaller parts, from buildings to automobiles to living things. In this lesson, students assemble a pyramid-like structure, then disassemble it and make other structures from its parts to learn how the parts fit together. Students also subtract and add parts to see how different arrangements can result in different things. This helps set up the idea that all matter is made of particles and that different combinations of particles result in different structures.
Lesson 2: What's the Matter?
Matter can be observed in three states: solid, liquid, and gas. This lesson begins with a pre-assessment to determine students' prior knowledge of the states of matter in which water can be found. They observe and organize the different states of water. As they observe and record different characteristics of each state of matter, students make the connection between the states of matter and the differing arrangement of molecules in each state.
Lesson 3: Solids, Liquids, and Mixtures
By observing the varying behaviors of different solids and liquids, students conclude that their characteristics can also vary. They discover that solids can be malleable and that liquids can vary in thickness and fluidity, or viscosity. Students test viscosity of liquids by measuring the time it takes for a solid to move through them in a graduated cylinder. Students build on their understanding of states of matter by creating mixtures. They observe the outcome of combining solids with solids and solids with liquids.
Lesson 4: Describing Matter
Matter has different properties. Metals tend to be hard but malleable, conduct heat and electricity, and have shiny or reflective surfaces. Wood tends to be hard but porous, insulates against electricity and low heat, and has a dull surface. Foam tends to be soft, filled with air, and lightweight. Paper tends to be neither hard nor soft, is highly malleable, and absorbs liquids. Students are tasked with describing these properties, as well as with understanding how these properties can be used in materials.
Lesson 5: Heating Matter
When something melts or freezes, energy is being put into or taken out of it. To heat something, energy must be added. To freeze something, energy must be withdrawn. Some substances change state during the process of heating or freezing but return to their previous state once the energy levels go back to normal. Other substances change and can never go back to the way they were before. In this lesson, students heat and freeze coconut oil to observe how it changes state with the addition and subtraction of energy.