THE UNIT PLAN

Part 1: Introductory Information

DATE:2/3/15-2/6/15
UNIT TITLE: Whats the Matter with all this Matter? NAME: Amanda Mager
APPROPRIATE GRADE LEVEL: 9th grade COURSE: High School Physical Science
Central Question for the Unit: How is matter conceptualized visually, theoretically,
and graphically?
Ideal Student Answer to The Central Question: Matter can be conceptualized using a
variety of methods: visually seeing phenomena in everyday life, theoretically
thinking about what the matter looks like and behaves like at the particulate level,
and graphically by noticing the trends associated with increasing the temperature
and kinetic energy of a substance. Visually, we can see how different phases of
matter behave such as solids, liquids, and even gases. We can describe how these
substances interact with their environment in a number of ways: We can describe
how a substance interacts when being dropped, when being put in another
container, ect. On a theoretical level, we can create models that help us visualize
how molecules and atoms are interacting with one another at the particulate level
even though we have never been able to actually zoom in and see what it actually
looks like. Finally, we can rely on graphical data and trends to determine what phase
of matter a substance might be in, where phase changes occur, and temperatures
of interest for that substance (eg. Freezing point, boiling point, ect.).
List of Daily Lesson Titles
1. Matter: Its Kinetic!
2. Matter in Motion
3. Fun with Phase Diagrams
4. Dynamic Fluids Part I
5. Dynamic Fluids Part II
6. Variable Viscosity
7. Weird Water
Part 2: Learning Outcome Goals and Objectives for this Unit
Specific Unit Learning Goals:
1. Understand the relationship between increasing heat energy and molecular
motion of particles.
2. Get comfortable thinking about the motion of particles at a molecular/atomic
level.
3. Give a working definition of solids, liquids, gases, and plasmas.
4. Understand the difference between phases and phase changes.
5. Appreciate the trends associated with solids. liquids, gases, and plasmas as
they relate to everyday life situations.

6. Challenge themselves to think about how life would be different if phase

changes did not occur.
Specific Unit Learning Objectives:
Please keep in mind that these objectives should be measurable. Use a variety of
verbs that represent the different types of learning (cognitive, affective,
psychomotor, etc). The objectives in your individual lesson plans will likely be a
subset of this longer list.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to... (describe, explain, predict, etc.)
1. Define all the phases and phase changes.
2. Identify different phases and phase changes in a variety of settings. (In lab, in
book examples, and through graphs)
3. Distinguish between different phases.
4. Explain how particles are moving in different phases of matter.
5. Give examples of phases and phase changes in everyday life.
6. Relate increasing heat energy to increasing molecular kinetic energy.
7.Produce diagrams that illustrate what phases of matter look like and how the
particles interact with one another up close at a particulate level.
8.Compare and contrast different phase changes.
National and State Learning Objectives
STRAND
Physical
Sciences

Ohio Goals and Objectives

RELATED BENCHMARKS AND INDICATORS
A. Describe that matter is made of minute particles called atoms and atoms
are comprised of even smaller components. Explain the structure and
properties of atoms.
C. Describe the identifiable physical properties of substances (e.g., color,
hardness, conductivity, density, concentration, ductility). Explain how
changes in these properties can occur without changing the chemical
nature of the substance.

Scientific
Inquiry

A. Participate in and apply the processes of scientific investigation to create

models and to design, conduct, evaluate and communicate the results of
these investigations.

Scientific
Ways of
Knowing

B. Explain how scientific inquiry is guided by knowledge, observations,

ideas and questions.

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES
Learner will explain how thermal energy exists in the random motion

and vibrations of atoms and molecules. Recognize that the higher the
temperature, the greater the average atomic or molecular motion,
and during changes of state the temperature remains constant.
Learner will construct, interpret and apply physical and conceptual
models that represent or explain systems, objects, events or
concepts.
Learner will draw logical conclusions based on scientific knowledge and
evidence from investigations.
Learner will illustrate that the methods and procedures used to obtain
evidence must be clearly reported to enhance opportunities for further
investigations.
Learner will demonstrate that reliable scientific evidence improves the
ability of scientists to offer accurate predictions.
Learner will explain that inquiry fuels observation and experimentation
that produce data that are the foundation of scientific disciplines. Theories
are explanations of these data

B
B

Related National Education Standards

Content Standards: Grades 9
Physical Science: Properties and changes of properties in matter
Inquiry: Reasons for investigative reasoning to explore new
phenomena or to check previous results.
Part 3. Possible Student Misconceptions or Nave Ideas

Possible student naive conceptions

Gases are not matter because most
are invisible.
Gases do not have mass.

Air and oxygen are the same gas.

Particles of solids have no motion.
Materials can only exhibit properties
of one state of matter.

Melting/freezing and

Corresponding goal conceptions

Everything consists of matter because
everything surrounding us is composed of
tiny particles such as atoms and molecules.
Gases are composed of tiny particles such
as atoms and molecules and therefore
contain mass because the particles are
made up of matter.
Air is a mixture of gases that contains only
about 20% O2 gas. The rest of air is a
mixture of gases such as Nitrogen, Argon,
Helium, ect.
Particles in the solid state tend to be
reduced to a geometric structure where the
particles are reduced to vibrating motions.
Many materials can have in between
properties such as amorphous solids which
have no clear transitional period between
solid to liquid.
Melting and freezing can apply to many
different kinds of things. For example, iron

can be melted down and cast. When it is

cast, it is becoming a solid again ( hence
boiling/condensation are often
understood only in terms of water. freezing).

Particles are often misrepresented

in sketches. No differentiation is
made between atoms and
molecules.

All molecules are made up of atoms.

Molecules are the smallest functional unit
for a particular substance. Some particles
are only made up of atoms and some
particles are made up of molecules and
therefore atoms as well.

Part 4 Unit Assessment Strategies

Daily Bellwork answers: Review students answers to the bellwork daily to check
and see if there are any more additional misconceptions/ prior knowledge.
Compare Bellwork to Reflection questions: Reflection questions should be more
detailed responses compared to the bellwork earlier in the lessons. The reflection
questions should contain major points that were mentioned in the days lesson and
clear up any uncertainties in the bellwork question for the day.
Defining Matter Mini-Lab: Students will interact with different objects in a lab setting
and create working definition for the four phases of matter. Students will answer
guiding questions to help them define the states of mater. Review some of the
things that they are writing down to see that they are understanding the defining
characteristics of each phase.
Class Heating Curve with Labels: Work together as a class, have students fill in their
heating and cooling curve with blue and red colored pencils indicating the direction
where the curve is heating and where the curve is cooling. Students must label
where the phases are and where the phase changes occur (including directions).
Understanding Phase Diagrams Guided Practice: In this packet, students are
creating their own phase diagram and listing all of the phases, phase changes (with
directions), including all appropriate labels, including their working definitions for
phases, and pictures of the particulate level of each phase. In the last section of this
packet, students are exposed to different graphs and must answer questions
associated with those phase diagrams. (Eg. How many phases are present in this
graph? What is the melting point for gold?)
Buoyancy Boats Lab Packet: Students will be answering questions associated with
the buoyancy lab. There will be a range of questions; short one word answers simply
involving observations, inferences, and quick sketches and essay answers where
students are asked to elaborate.
Part 5: Individual Lesson Plans
Matter: Its Kinetic!
9th Grade Physical Science
Lesson 1 out of 8 of Unit Whats the Matter with all this Matter?

Central Question: What makes a solid a solid, a liquid a liquid, and a gas a
gas?
Answer: Solids have a definite shape and volume. Solid materials have a specific
type of geometric arrangement in which they form when cooled. The kinetic motion
of molecules/atoms in the solid state are reduced to vibrating. Liquids have a fixed
volume when placed in a container, exhibiting a characteristic readiness to flow with
little to no tendency to disperse and have an amorphous shape. The kinetic motion
of atoms/molecules in the liquid state can be described as slipping and sliding
around one another. Gases are materials with variable volume (depending on
atmospheric conditions) that take up the shape of the closed container that they are
in. Gases diffuse readily. The kinetic motion of the atoms/molecules of gas can be
described as rapid bouncing around and highly energetic
Assessment strategies for this lesson:
-Review individual students observations, inferences, and ideas from the bellwork
question.
-Hand out a guided notes paper and mini lab packet and review students answers
to the questions in the mini lab and guided notes papers.
-Review the guided notes and mini lab answers to be certain that each student took
down the correct information and followed the lab procedure correctly.
-Fill in students descriptions and definitions of the different phases of matter on the
blank PowerPoint slides for them. Make a copy for myself and reference it each day
as we add more information to the slides as a class.
-End the lesson with a reflection question and see how students have expanded
their answers in comparison to the reflection question.
Goals: For students to
-Build upon their prior knowledge of the different phases of matter.
-Gain comfort in their ability to describe how different states of matter behave.
-Make a connection between temperature and the different phases of matter.
-Make a connection between kinetic energy of the individual particles that make up
matter and how the substance behaves as a result of that amount of kinetic energy.
-Make inferences about all of the different substances that they are interacting with
in everyday life.
Objective: For students to
-Define and describe each state of matter based on its physical properties.
-Identify the different states of matter based on the physical properties of the
substance.
-Distinguish between different phases of matter.
-Identify how kinetic energy relates to the different phases of matter.
-Infer how kinetic energy and temperature relate to one another.
-Compare the molecular motion of the particles between the different states of
matter.
Ohio State Competencies:
Matter was introduced in the elementary grades and the learning progression
continued through middle school to include differences in the physical properties of
solids, liquids and gases, elements, compounds, mixtures, molecules, kinetic and
potential energy and the particulate nature of matter.

Nave concepts/beliefs include:

- Students may think that models are physical copies of the real thing, failing to
recognize models as conceptual representations
-Students know models can be changed, but at the high school level, they may be
limited by thinking that a change in a model means adding new information or that
changing a model means replacing a part that was wrong.
-Students often do not believe models can duplicate reality.
-Students often think that breaking bonds releases energy
-When multiple models are presented, students tend to think there is one right
one.
-Students believe that air is not made up of particles.
-Students may think that air is massless.
-Students may think that particles cease movement in the solid state.
Intended Concepts/Beliefs include:
-Models serve as visual representations to describe how really small things or really
large things appear.
-Models can be developed overtime including additional information to describe a
particular phenomenon that may not have been appropriate or needed to be taught
before. While some models may be adjusted due to new discoveries, scientists are
always building upon ideas from the previous models before.
-Models serve as visual representations to zoom in or zoom out in order to get a
good understanding of what a particular object looks like.
-Breaking bonds simply transfers the stored potential energy into kinetic energy.
Creating bonds transfers the kinetic energy between atoms into stored energy.
-Many different visual representations such as models can be used to describe the
same phenomenon.
-Air is made up of a mixture of gases.
-The mixture of gases in air contain mass.
-Particles in the solid state are locked in a geometric arrangement and are therefore
reduced to vibrating as kinetic motion.
Materials needed: PowerPoint, a basket, 9 small wooden blocks, a plastic flat pan lid,
a beaker, an Erlenmeyer flask, a balloon, small pieces of aluminum foil, and pencils.
Teaching Strategy:
- Begin with bell question What is a solid, liquid, and gas? List examples of each.
- Discuss the bellwork question as class.
-Introduce the goal for todays lesson being By the end of this lesson, we will be
able to describe and define the characteristics associated with all of the four phases
of matter.
- Create empty PowerPoint slides for each phase of matter (we will also be
discussing plasma as a stage). Students will be defining each phase using their own
words by justifying the things that they have noticed about each phase.
-Have students break into groups of 2-3 and work on the mini lab. The mini lab will
consist of three different parts of an experiment. Students will work with different
objects such as solid blocks, different shaped beakers and flasks, balloons, and

plastic covers. The mini lab will have guiding questions that ask students to think of
the defining characteristics for each phase.
- After students complete the mini lab, discuss as a class what the defining
characteristics for each phase were and type those things in the PowerPoint slides
created for each of the four states of matter.
- Use an online computer program that models what is happening at a particulate
level during the different phases. Students will be answering guiding questions that
ask how particles are behaving and moving during each phase.
- As a class, discuss more defining characteristics for each phase based on the
things that they observed during the online simulation. Fill in the additional ways to
define the phases into the PowerPoint slides created for the four states of matter.
- Have class watch a short video clip about plasma and fill; in important information
regarding plasma in their guided notes section.
- As a class, we will then describe the defining characteristics for plasmas and then
fill in those ideas into the PowerPoint slide for the four states of matter.
- End the lesson with a reflection question. Have students think about What is
happening at an atomic/molecular level during the melting of ice or the vaporization
of a liquid?
Reflection:
The bellwork question might want to be reworded in order to trigger past memories
and experiences working with different phases of matter. It might have been better
to have visuals in the front of the classroom of a beaker of ice, a beaker of water,
and a blown up balloon. Students would have been able to walk up to the beakers
and interact with the substances and spark up their thoughts from past science
classes where they already have defined solids, liquids, and gases previously. The
mini lab ran smoothly, but students seemed to need more direction than I thought.
For future classes, I may need to go through the mini lab step by step as a class
before setting students loose to work on it. I let students work in groups of 2-3,
which worked out best when I let them pick their group members. However, I did
notice that a couple of my special ed students were copying answers because they
didnt understand some of the questions. When we got together as a class and
defined solids, liquids, and gases, I was very impressed with how much they pulled
from the lab to define the characteristics associated with the different phases. When
we moved on to using the computer program, I was very impressed with one
students description as to how substances lose attractive forces as kinetic energy
increases. The only bad thing about the program I used was changing between
substances. I showed them solid Neon and then solid Oxygen. I asked them How
would you describe the motion of the particles. In one animation, one substance
crawled to the right and the other crawled to the left. So, students started thinking
that Neon would always move left and Argon to the right which was not the point. I
think next time, I would stick to one substance as to not confuse them. The class
definitely liked coming up and typing in their definitions into the PowerPoint for the
different phases. They liked that it was up to them as to how they defined things. A
lot of students who dont normally participate wanted to get involved in the
discussion which was great. I liked the plasma video on YouTube, but I wish I had
some interactive program where students could actually see the electrons being
stripped off. A lot of students kept saying that plasma is in their blood. I clearly need
a better visual when explaining plasmas to the students.

Matter in Motion
9th grade Physical Science
Lesson 2 out of 8 in Unit Whats the Matter with all This Matter
Central Question: Describe what is happening at a molecular level as water moves
from the solid stage to the liquid stage. Does this transition have a name?
Answer to Central Question: When water is moving from the solid state to the liquid
state, the kinetic energy of the molecules increases and the crystalline structure of
ice begins to break down. The molecules go from being in a tight crystalline
structure reduced to vibrating to more energetic and the molecules begin to slip and
slide past one another. When water is moving from the solid state to the gaseous
state, the kinetic energy of the molecules increases even more as the motion of the
molecules goes from slipping and sliding up against one another to bouncing around
and flying past one another, bumping into and ricocheting off of all kinds of
surfaces. The transition is known as a phase change. The name of this phase
change is melting.
Assessment Strategies for this Lesson:
-Review individual students observations, inferences, and ideas from the bellwork
question.
-Hand out a guided notes paper and blank heating curve for water. Students will fill
both papers as we go over the content during the lesson.
-Review the guided notes and make sure that everyone in the classrooms graph for
the heating curve looks the same to be certain that each student took down the
correct information.
Goals:
For students to
-Build upon their prior knowledge of the different phase changes that they are
familiar with in everyday life.
-Gain comfort in their ability to describe how phase changes occur.
-Make a connection between temperature and the changing of phases.
-Make a connection between the increasing of kinetic energy being related to the
increase in temperature of a substance.
-Gain comfort in drawing out phase change diagrams.
-Inquire as to what phase diagrams would look like for other substances other than
water.
Objectives:
For students to
-Define and describe each phase change.
-Identify where the different phase changes occur on the phase diagram.
-Identify where the different phases occur on a phase diagram.
-Identify how kinetic energy and temperature are related to each other.
-Reconstruct the phase diagram for water as a class.
-Describe the trends associated with the phase diagram. (Eg. Sloped lines represent
phases while flat horizontal lines represent phase changes. Ect.)
-Define exothermic and endothermic processes.
-Predict whether or not certain phase changes would be endothermic or exothermic
reactions.

Ohio State Competencies:

Phase changes can be represented by graphing the temperature of a sample vs. the
time it has been heated. Investigations must include collecting data during heating,
cooling and solid-liquid- solid phase changes. At times, the temperature will change
steadily, indicating a change in the motion of the particles and the kinetic energy of
the substance. However, during a phase change, the temperature of a substance
does not change, indicating there is no change in kinetic energy. Since the
substance continues to gain or lose energy during phase changes, these changes in
energy are potential and indicate a change in the position of the particles. When
heating a substance, a phase change will occur when the kinetic energy of the
particles is great enough to overcome the attractive forces between the particles;
the substance then melts or boils. Conversely, when cooling a substance, a phase
change will occur when the kinetic energy of the particles is no longer great enough
to overcome the attractive forces between the particles; the substance then
condenses or freezes. Phase changes are examples of changes that can occur when
energy is absorbed from the surroundings (endothermic) or released into the
surroundings (exothermic). When thermal energy is added to a solid, liquid or gas,
most substances increase in volume because the increased kinetic energy of the
particles causes an increased distance between the particles.

Nave concepts/beliefs include:

Heat is a substance
-Temperature is a property of a particular object. (Metal is naturally cooler
than plastic).
-The temperature of an object depends on its size.
-When temperature at a particular phase change remains constant,
something is wrong.
-Breaking bonds releases energy.
Intended concepts/ beliefs include:
-Heat is a type of energy also known as thermal energy. Thermal energy can
exist in many different forms including some sort of flame (which would be
considered a substance) but, thermal energy itself is not a substance.
-Temperature is the measure of the average kinetic energy associated with
substances. The average kinetic energy associated with different substances
explains their characteristics (such as how well they conduct heat and
electricity, the phase they exist naturally in at room temperature, ect
-Again, the temperature of an object is measured by the average kinetic
energy associated with a substance. No matter what, a particular substance
will act pretty close to uniform when thinking about the molecular motion
of the material so size difference does not matter.
-Kinetic energy is always increasing when a phase change occurs. The
temperature does not go up because on a molecular level, making a
substance change state requires energy. After all the material has changed
state, the temperature can rise again.

- Breaking bonds simply transfers the stored potential energy into kinetic
energy. Creating bonds transfers the kinetic energy between atoms into
stored energy
Materials needed: Blue and red colored pencils, rulers or some other straight
edge, a beaker with ice cubes in it, and a hot plate.
Teaching Strategies:
-Begin with a demonstration set up in the front of the room. Take ice cubes
and put them into a beaker and put the beaker on a hot plate and let the ice
cubes begin to melt.
-While the demonstration is occurring, ask a bell question: What is
happening at a particulate level when the solid water is changing into liquid
water? Does this transition have a name? If so, what is the name?
-Discuss the bellwork question as a class. Let it be known that the goal for
today is to be able to know the names of all the phase changes and what
phase changes look like if we were to graph the data.
-Hand out the guided notes page so students can fill in the definitions and
concepts as we go through the PowerPoint.
-Put the PowerPoint definitions of phases that the class defined from the day
before up in the corner so students can refer back to those definitions as
needed in class.
-Pass out the empty phase diagram for water and fill it in with each of the
phases and phase changes as a class. Students can use blue and red colored
pencils to represent the curve as heat energy increases and as heat energy
decreases.
-Ask students to get into groups and discuss some of the trends that they
notice about the phase diagram they filled in. Have students list their ideas
and turn those in at the end of class.
Reflection:
It is really important to become tech savvy when trying to work with a
document camera at the same time as I am working with a PowerPoint
presentation. It might have actually been easier to just draw out a large copy
of my students empty phase diagram graph with a sheet of white butcher
paper and fill it out on the board with colored markers. This would have
saved me a lot of time when showing my students what my graph looked
like. My students seemed to really like that I had an actual demonstration
prepared at the beginning of class. Once they noticed my setup in the front
of the room, they immediately got in their seats and were quiet (this is not
typical for them). For future lessons, it might be a good idea to keep that in
mind and have more bell questions that use demonstrations like that. My
students very easily grasped the names of the phase changes and
understood endothermic reactions from exothermic reactions. Some students
even knew the name of the phase change when a substance goes from a
solid to a gas! However, my students struggled with noticing the trends

associated with the graph we created. I feel that my wording may have been
poor and that my students simply didnt understand what I was asking.
Maybe next time I could simplify the question by asking Where does a solid
occur. How can you tell by the graph that that is where the solid is
occurring?
Fun With Phase Diagrams
9th grade Physical Science
Lesson 3 out of 8 in a unit titled Whats the Matter with All This
Matter?
Central Question: What can be inferred about a particular substance based
on its phase diagram?
Answer to central question: Relying on a phase diagram, you can determine
at what temperature a particular substance exists as a solid, liquid, and gas.
You can determine a particular substances boiling, freezing, and melting
point and make inferences about the characteristics of that particular
substance at room temperature based on those temperature ranges.
Assessment Strategies for this Lesson:
-Review individual students observations, inferences, and ideas from the
bellwork question.
-Evaluate students performance on the phase diagrams guided practice
packet. The packet includes: a graph that the students will have to complete,
questions relating to the heating curve for iron, and questions relating to the
cooling curve for stearic acid.
Goals:
For students to
-Build upon their prior knowledge of the different phase changes that they
are familiar with in everyday life.
-Gain comfort in their ability to describe how phase changes occur.
-Make a connection between temperature and the changing of phases.
-Make a connection between the increasing of kinetic energy being related to
the increase in temperature of a substance.
-Gain comfort in drawing out phase change diagrams.
-Inquire as to what phase diagrams would look like for other substances
other than water.
-Gain comfort in taking information from a phase diagram for a substance
and applying it to answer questions such as What is the boiling point for
iron?
Objectives:
For students to
-Identify where the different phase changes occur on the phase diagram.
-Identify where the different phases occur on a phase diagram.
-Define phase changes based upon the working definitions from lesson one.

-Illustrate what phases look like at a molecular level.

-Identify how kinetic energy and temperature are related to each other.
-Create a phase diagram given a table of data.
-Describe the trends associated with the phase diagram. (Eg. Sloped lines
represent phases while flat horizontal lines represent phase changes. Ect.)
Ohio State Competencies:
Phase changes can be represented by graphing the temperature of a sample
vs. the time it has been heated. Investigations must include collecting data
during heating, cooling and solid-liquid- solid phase changes. At times, the
temperature will change steadily, indicating a change in the motion of the
particles and the kinetic energy of the substance. However, during a phase
change, the temperature of a substance does not change, indicating there is
no change in kinetic energy. Since the substance continues to gain or lose
energy during phase changes, these changes in energy are potential and
indicate a change in the position of the particles. When heating a substance,
a phase change will occur when the kinetic energy of the particles is great
enough to overcome the attractive forces between the particles; the
substance then melts or boils. Conversely, when cooling a substance, a
phase change will occur when the kinetic energy of the particles is no longer
great enough to overcome the attractive forces between the particles; the
substance then condenses or freezes.
Nave concepts/beliefs include:
-Heat is a substance
-Temperature is a property of a particular object. (Metal is naturally cooler
than plastic).
-The temperature of an object depends on its size.
-When temperature at a particular phase change remains constant,
something is wrong.
-Breaking bonds releases energy.
Intended concepts/ beliefs include:
-Heat is a type of energy also known as thermal energy. Thermal energy can
exist in many different forms including some sort of flame (which would be
considered a substance) but, thermal energy itself is not a substance.
-Temperature is the measure of the average kinetic energy associated with
substances. The average kinetic energy associated with different substances
explains their characteristics (such as how well they conduct heat and
electricity, the phase they exist naturally in at room temperature, ect
-Again, the temperature of an object is measured by the average kinetic
energy associated with a substance. No matter what, a particular substance
will act pretty close to uniform when thinking about the molecular motion
of the material so size difference does not matter.
-Kinetic energy is always increasing when a phase change occurs. The
temperature does not go up because on a molecular level, making a

substance change state requires energy. After all the material has changed
state, the temperature can rise again.
- Breaking bonds simply transfers the stored potential energy into kinetic
energy. Creating bonds transfers the kinetic energy between atoms into
stored energy
Materials needed: Boxes of colored pencils for students, a ruler or other
straight edge, dry erase markers, posters of different heating and cooling
curves for various substances.
Teaching Strategies:
-Begin with having an image of a heating curve for some substance other
than water on the board.
-For the bell question, relate to the image of the heating curve and ask
students What is the freezing point for this particular substance?
-Discuss as a class the answer to the bell question. Practice more examples
as a class as to how you can tell based on the graph where different phases
and phase changes are occurring.
-Using data from the cooling of water vapor until it turns into ice, plot out the
cooling curve for water. Show students that the properties of cooling curves
are really just the same as those of heating curves just the exact opposite.
-Put the PowerPoint definitions of phases that the class defined from the first
lesson up in the corner so students can refer back to those definitions as
needed in class.
- Hand out the phase diagrams guided practice packets and have students
complete them in groups of 2-3. What is not completed in class is assigned
for homework.
Reflection:
Students had a better understanding of the general trends associated with
heating and cooling curves. Students really did a great job interpreting
graphs to answer questions about a particular substance other than water. I
thought that cooling curves would be difficult for interpret data from, but my
students did a great job and even noticed that stearic acid only existed in
two states from the graph I gave them. The only bad thing about this lesson
was the fact that students did not follow the directions completely. In the
portion of the packet where they had to graph based on the data I gave
them, they skipped some of the components completely. On the graph, I
asked for students to include the units for the x and y axes, I asked for them
to label all phases, I asked them to label all phase changes and include the
correct directions associated with the phase changes, I asked students to
define the phases, and to draw pictures at a particulate level for each phase.
I even included an example as to what mine looked like. I still had students
forgetting to label axes, draw pictures, define phases, ect. Next time, I will
need to go over the packet with the entire class first verbally giving them
instructions before setting them loose.

Buoyancy Boats
9th grade Physical Science
Lesson 4 out of 8 in a unit titled Whats the Matter with All this
Matter?
Central Question: How can a ship stay afloat in water even though it is so
massive and metal is so much more dense than water?
Answer to Central Question: A greater force is pushing up upon the ship that
is opposing the force of the weight of the ship. This force is known as the
buoyant force and if this force is equal to the force of the objects weight, the
object will float.
Assessment Strategies :
-Review individual students observations, inferences, and ideas from the
bellwork question.
-Evaluate students performance on the lab packet.
Goals:
For students to
-Inquire as to why heavy things float.
-Build upon their prior experiences with boat designs to create a boat that
holds a lot of weight.
-Appreciate the forces that keep people afloat in water.
-Appreciate the simplicity of the two forces involved in keeping objects
afloat.
-Make a connection between Archimedes Principle and buoyancy.
Objectives:
For students to
-Define buoyancy force
-Define Archimedes principle
-Label the forces in the free body diagram with the appropriate directions for
the forces.
-Accurately draw a free body diagram for a sinking object.
-Accurately draw a free body diagram for a floating object.
-Describe how buoyancy force is related to Archimedes principle.
-Design a boat made out of aluminum foil, paper, and masking tape that can
hold a lot of pennies in it without sinking.

Ohio State Competencies:

Force is a vector quantity, having both magnitude and direction. The (SI) unit
of force is a Newton. One Newton of net force will cause a 1 kg object to
experience an acceleration of 1 m/s2 . A Newton also can be represented as

kgm/s2 . The opportunity to measure force in the lab must be provided (e.g.,
with a spring scale or a force probe). Normal forces and tension forces are
introduced conceptually at this level. These forces and other forces
introduced in prior grades (friction, drag, contact, gravitational, electric and
magnetic) and can be used as examples.
Nave concepts/beliefs include:
- Objects float in water because they are lighter than water.
-Objects sink in water because they are heavier than water.
-Mass/volume/weight/heaviness/size/density may be perceived as equivalent.
-All objects containing air float.
Intended concepts/ beliefs include:
-Objects float in water because the buoyancy force that points in an upward
direction is equal to the gravitational force that points directly downward.
-Objects sink in water because the force is unbalanced in that the
gravitational force that points downward is greater in magnitude than the
buoyancy force that points upward.
-Mass is the amount of matter that something is made up of and never
changes. The volume and weight can change based on the forces acting
upon it (such as gravity). The size and density of a substance can change
based on the temperature of the environment that the substance is enclosed
in.
-Many objects containing air in them will sink. Some kinds of pumices will
sink. The reason things float is because the buoyancy force equals the
gravitational force on the object.
Materials needed: 6in x 6in cut squares of aluminum foil, 10cm cut pieces of
masking tape, sheets of notebook paper, marbles, washers, pennies, pieces
of cut up sponge, pieces of cut up Styrofoam, tanks filled with water.
Teaching Strategies:
-Start the lesson with a bellwork question that is identical to the central
question. Refer to a picture of a large ship in the water and ask students
How is this ship able to stay afloat in water if metal is denser than water?
-Have the students discuss their ideas as a class.
-Refer back to free body diagrams and the fun with forces lesson and
formally define what buoyancy force is. Practice drawing free body diagrams
for both floating and sinking materials on the board as a class.
- Introduce Archimedes Principle.
-Have students break up into groups of 3-4 and complete the lab activity.
Reflection:
I was very impressed that some students already knew that the reason a
boat floats is because of buoyancy. When asking my bell question in class in
the first 2 minutes of my first video clip, I had a couple different students

shout out buoyancy. I found it interesting that when I asked the students
what buoyancy was, they couldnt really describe it. I was also very
impressed that students remember the Guess that Force game we played
together last semester. At about 7 minutes into my first video clip, when I
asked students what forces they thought were involved in keeping the boat
afloat, they mentioned buoyancy force, gravitational force, and even friction
and air resistance. I was glad that they remembered the names of some of
the forces from last semester. When asking how to draw in the free body
diagram on the board, my students had no trouble telling me the directions
the forces acted and the abbreviations for the forces. Learning from my
lesson the day before, I decided to go over the lab step by step before letting
them branch out and get started. I noticed that scores were much higher this
time and that students followed the instructions of the lab better. Once we
got to the boat designing portion of the lab, some students asked me Can
we get a prize if we get the most pennies in our boat? It didnt occur to me
that an incentive might motivate students further. Ill have to keep that in
mind next time. I was impressed with one groups design. They were able to
fit 99 pennies in their boat! Most people could only fit around 70 pennies in
their boats. Most of the boat designs were similar: Students avoided using
the paper, they used masking tape to secure the corners where water could
cave in, and they made a flat pan shape. I had one group with a monopoly
hat looking design. It didnt hold very many pennies, but the design was
original. If I were to do this lesson again, I might want to ask a couple more
essay type questions in the lab packet to ensure that they understood the
concept of buoyancy.