TCNJ Unit Plan #5

Physical Changes

Student Name: Sydney Rossi

Grade Level: 1st Grade

School Name: LawrencevilleElementary

Host Teachers Name: Kristen Potter

Guiding and/or Essential Questions:

What is a physical change?
Why do physical changes occur?
How can a solid change into a liquid?
What are some ways to speed up a physical change?
Pre-lesson Assignments and/or Student Prior Knowledge:
This will be students 5th day working with liquids in class. They will know the definition,
properties and examples of liquids.
Students will have 2 weeks experience working with solids specifically. They will know
the definition, properties and examples of solids.
Students will not be familiar with physical changes.
Standards:
2-PS1-1.: Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials
by their observable properties.
Learning Objectives and Assessments:
Learning Objectives
During discussion, students will verbally
explain how an object undergoes a physical
change.

On a worksheet, students will predict which

method will melt an ice cube the fastest and
which will melt it the slowest.

Assessment
During discussion, students will verbally
explain how an object undergoes a physical
change. Teacher will assess students verbal
responses for the inclusion of the idea that
objects can either be cooled or heated to change
their states.
On a worksheet, students will predict which
method will melt an ice cube the fastest and
which will melt it the slowest. Teacher will
assess the worksheet for the inclusion of a
prediction for the fastest method and a
prediction for the slowest method.

After the experiment, students will verbally

explain why they think the fastest method
melted the ice the quickest.

After the experiment, students will verbally

explain why they think the fastest method
melted the ice the quickest. Teacher will assess
responses for the inclusion of the idea that the
specific method added the most heat to the ice
cube out of all the other methods.

Materials/Resources:
Changing States posters
Cooler and ice cubes
The Great Ice Race Worksheet
17 containers from FOSS kit for ice
Container of warm water
4 hand towels
Plan for set-up/distribution/cleanup of materials:
Miss Kim will pass out the The Great Ice Race worksheet while students are at
the rug.
Miss Kim will pass out the ice cubes to each desk while students are at the rug.
Miss Kim will hand out hand towels to the group who gets assigned this method
before the experiment begins, but will instruct them not to begin yet.
Miss Rossi will come around with warm water to pour into the group who gets
assigned this method when the experiment begins.
Miss Rossi and Miss Kim will be on stand-by with paper towels throughout the
experiment.
Miss Kim and Miss Rossi will collect the ice cubes at the end of the experiment.
Step by Step plan:
1. Teacher will set up a scenario about a popsicle melting. She will say, Boys and girls, one
of my favorite things to eat during the summer is a Popsicle, but I ran into a big problem
one day. I was sitting on the beach and I decided to grab my favorite type of popsicle
from the cooler the red kind. I put it on towel and ran down to the ocean for a quick
swim; only when I came back, all that was left was a puddle of red juice. Can anyone tell
me why? Teacher will take responses.
2. Teacher will ask students if they can think of anything else that changes when it heats up
(chocolate, ice cream, ice, etc). Teacher will ask students if they think that objects
sometimes change when theyre cooled. Teacher will take responses. Teacher will explain
that liquids sometimes change when theyre cooled, such as how water changes into ice
and juice changes into popsicles.
3. Teacher will introduce the term physical change. Teacher will explain that all the
examples they just came up with our physical changes because the physical aspects (what
you can see) of the object change, but it is still the same object no matter what. Water is

still water whether you drink it out of a cup or it is an ice cube. Chocolate is still
chocolate whether it is in the free-flowing chocolate form or in a bar. Physical changes
happen when an object changes size, shape or form.
4. Teacher will present and explain the three Changing States posters to show students the
different ways physical changes can occur.
5. Teacher will say, Today we will investigate physical changes in an activity called The
Great Ice Meltdown. Do you think ice always melts at the same speed or do you think
you can do things to speed up or slow down the process? Teacher will take responses.
6. Teacher will brainstorm with the students specific ways they can melt ice on the board.
7. Teacher will tell students that they will be using 5 specific methods to melt ice today:
warming it in their hands, breathing on it, wrapping it in a hand towel, placing it in hot
water and placing it in cold water.
8. Teacher will send students back to their desks to write predictions on their worksheet
which method they think will melt the ice the quickest and which method will melt it the
slowest.
9. Teacher will say, Miss Kim will be handing out ice cubes to each one of you. You must
use self-control while investigating the ice cubes today because I will only give you one
cube. If it falls on the floor or I see you mishandling it, you'll be told to throw it away. I
will assign each table group a specific method to use to melt their ice cubes. When I start
the timer, you will begin using that method to melt your cube. Do not begin before I tell
you or you will have to sit out. The hand-warming table will only have 1 ice cube
because I tried this method out and your hands get very cold so youll want to work as a
group to warm it. Some groups may have a method that isnt as involved as the others,
such as the two water groups, so the two water groups must draw a picture of their ice
cube in their notebook while they are observing it. When your ice has melted (it doesnt
have to be everyone in your groups, only your own), raise your hand and Ill stop the
timer. Not every group will get a chance to watch their ice cube completely melt because
itll take too long, but itll still be fun.
10. As Miss Kim passes out the ice cubes, Miss Rossi will assign each group a method to use
to melt their ice. Teacher will remind students not to begin melting until she has started
the timer because we want it to be a fair race. Teacher will begin the timer.
a. Table 1: Cold water
b. Table 2 + Kailee: Warm water
c. Table 3: Breathe on it without touching
d. Table 4: Wrap in towel and hold
e. Table 5: Warm in hands
11. When the first ice cube is completely melted, teacher will stop the timer and announce
the time/method of the fastest melt. Teacher will tell students to stop trying to melt their
ice and to turn their attention to her. Teacher will call a person from each table group to
share the method they used and the status of their ice cube.
12. After students have shared the status of their ice cubes, Miss Rossi will explain that Miss
Kim will collect the ice cubes because it may take a lot longer for some cubes to melt and
we need to move on. Miss Rossi will ask students why they think the winning method
melted the ice cube the fastest. Miss Rossi will ask students why they think the other
methods did not melt the ice cube as fast. Teacher will explain that the winning method

added a lot of heat to the ice cube, while some of the other methods barely added any
heat.
13. Teacher will ask students about to think about the shape of the ice versus the shape of the
water that was the result of the ice melting. What is different between the two? Teacher
will work with students to develop the idea that the ice was a solid so it had a definite
shape, while the water is a liquid so it took the shape of the container.
14. Teacher will explain that all objects, whether they are solids or liquids, are made up of
little tiny pieces that we cannot see with our eyes called molecules. The way the
molecules are set up or arranged determines whether that object is a solid or a liquid.
15. Teacher will call on four students using popsicle sticks to come to the front of the room.
Teacher will arrange these students so that they are making Ts with their arms and
forming a square. Teacher will explain that this is the way the molecules in a solid look.
Since the molecules are neatly arranged and right next to each other, the object has a
definite shape. Teacher will ask the four students to step off to the side of the rug, but to
stay in formation.
16. Teacher will call 5 students up to the rug using popsicle sticks. Teacher will instruct these
students to walk around each other. Teacher will explain that this is how molecules in a
liquid look, which is why liquids can flow and take the shape of their container. Teacher
will ask all students to return to their seats.
17. Teacher will administer the mid-assessment. Students will be told to take this silently.
Teacher will instruct students to raise their hand when theyre finished.
Key Questions:
What is a physical change?
What causes a physical change to happen?
What are some ways to speed up a physical change?
Which method do you think will melt the ice the quickest/slowest?
Why do you think that method melted the ice the quickest/slowest?
How did the shape of the ice differ from the shape of the water?
Logistics:
Timing:
Intro/Scenario: 5 minutes
Physical Change Discussion: 10 minutes
Experiment Directions: 10 minutes
Experiment and share: 5 minutes
Mid-assessment: 5 minutes
Transitions:
Teacher will use the attention signal to regain students attention after each
transition as needed.
Classroom Management:

Teacher will use the attention signal to regain students attention after each
transition as needed.
Miss Kim will monitor P.Z. for behavioral issues throughout the lesson.

Differentiation
Students may write or draw their predictions of which method will be the fastest/slowest.