Diana L. Sammis
2nd Grade
Lesson Duration
Science
OOBLECK: Solids, Liquids and Gases
Lesson Framework/Overview:
Social Interaction Models are used to help students understand how working together as a group can help them reach a goal successfully. OOBLECK is a substance where categorization is a difficult task because of its texture and consistency. For this lesson, discussion is a great way for students to bounce their ideas off of each other and try and find an answer that they are all happy with at the end of the lesson.
The lesson will be about the classification of matter into solids, liquids and gases. The students will have OOBLECK prepared and given to them to examine and make inferences. The students will then use the process of Group Investigation to discuss their opinions about the substance and then all agree on a final label that they feel encompasses the true qualities of the substance.
Standards, Goals Performance
Indicators, and Objectives:
MST 1: Students will use scientific inquiry as appropriate to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.
Goal 1. The student will use the scientific method to devise questions and find answers independently and also as a group.
Performance Indicator 1: The student will work in a group of students to try and figure out what category OOBLECK belongs to: solid, liquid or gas.
MST 7: Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.
Goal 2. The student will take skills used in mathematics, technology and science and use them to make intelligent decisions about things that happen in their everyday lives.
Performance Indicator 2: The student will use different skills to differentiate between solids, liquids and gases.
MST 4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
Goal 3. The student will use scientific concepts to research and support their inferences made about things with facts discovered through research in the world and also perceive the importance of these things in the world and how they reached that point in the world.
Performance Indicator 3: The student will interpret information gathered from research and collaborative learning and conclude how they came about making their decision by observing the process.
Objective 1: Given a prepared substance of OOBLECK, the student will participate in a group to determine what category of matter the OOBLECK falls into.
Objective 2: Given OOBLECK, the students will work as a group and discuss how they think OOBLECK is a solid, liquid or gas and further discuss as a group how they reached their decision.
Anticipatory Set:
I will have a ball, water and a balloon. I will ask the students if they know what each object is. Following these questions, I will bounce the ball to show it is a solid, pour the water to show it is a liquid and let the air out of the balloon to show it is a gas.
I will then ask the students if they know of any other types of categories. “Are there any other ways of describing matter other than as a solid, liquid or gas? Are you sure about that? Maybe we should try and see if there are in case we missed one. For example, what is an egg, or water? Is it a solid, liquid or gas?”
“It’s important to understand what things are so we can understand how they came to be or what can be done with them. Can you play baseball with Kool-Aid? Can you wash your car with a desk? Can you place your desks on a vapor floor?”
I will also have the students stand up in their seats to explain how molecules work in the states of matter. I will have them stand perfectly still to demonstrate how molecules behave in solids. I will have them dance around a bit to show how molecules behave in a liquid. I will have them go limp and crumple to the floor and show them how molecules in a gas behave. Then I will ask them if they all crowd together, spread a bit further apart and then finally completely distance themselves from each other what will happen in each instance?
Why?
It is at this point I will pass out globs of OOBLECK to the class and ask the students in groups to try and classify the substance without offering my opinion.
Body of Lesson:
For this lesson, Group Investigation will be used to figure out what category the students think the OOBLECK falls into. To help the students with their discovery and discussion process, I will assign a worksheet that asks for the students to draw their predictions of what will happen to the OOBLECK given certain conditions.
I will give them plastic cups and trays so they may work with OOBLECK and see how it conforms and behaves under the proposed conditions.
One student will be the recorder, another will be the OOBLECK scientist, another will verbalize what they see and another will read the results of their research and experimentation.
When they are finished they will present the results to the class and their justifications for why they feel this way.
Materials:
- OOBLECK
- Worksheet
- Containers (plastic cups, trays)
- Bartholomew and the Oobleck, written by Dr. Seuss (book ISBN: 0-394-90075-8)
- Web sites with information about the following topics: molecules, liquids, solids and gases and how the behave
Time on task: 45 minutes
Monitoring Cooperative Learning Process:
Along with the worksheet, I will walk around and make sure that there is not anyone hurling projectile OOBLECK through the air across the room into someone else’s group. Using the worksheet as a gauge to determine how far along and also how well students are following the discovery process will allow me to help guide them if necessary. Also, it will let me know if the allotted time of 20 minutes is too long or short for the activity.
Positive Interdependence: If students are arguing about their final answer, I will explain that time is limited and they must all agree unanimously about their conclusions. They will have to find a way to prioritize their observations and use them to draw a conclusion.
Individual Accountability: One student will be assigned as the person who asks questions to the rest of the group. This will ensure that that person knows the material and that others in the group are following along. Also, the groups are small and made up of 3 people. This will allow for less miscommunication and distractions. If I notice some students misbehaving or not on task, I will ask them random questions about how far they have gotten and what has been discovered about the OOBLECK.
Group Processing: After
the lesson has concluded and we have discussed our results, I will ask the
students if they encountered any difficulties.
I will let them comment on how they felt in their roles in each group
and if they did an activity like this again, what changes would they want to
make and what sort of things would they like to integrate into the next lesson.
Social Skills and Face-to-Face Interactions: As I am monitoring the lesson and circulating around the room, I will check to make sure that group interactions are kept on a courteous and respectful level. Any arguments that begin will be quickly extinguished. Also, if I see someone ridiculing or criticizing another student’s opinion, I will explain that this is not how we work as a group and that everyone has a right to express themselves. Also, it is important that one person does not monopolize the discussion and that everyone feels they are an integral part of the group exercise.
Independent Practice: During recess I will ask the students if they can find examples of the states of matter on the playground. Without formally assigning groups, they can consult each other on the playground to find their answers and know that they need to complete the assignment.
Assessments:
To assess how each student progressed through the group and how well they learned the material, I will ask random questions and see how well they answer the questions. Also, as I move around the room, I will monitor group interactions and use the attached rubric to grade each student’s group processing performance.
Diagnostic Assessment: During the AS, I will gauge how much the students know about solids, liquids and gases by how well they categorize the objects and other things I show them.
Formative Assessment: During the lesson, students will be asked to fill out a worksheet with the results of the exercises with the OOBLECK. I will use their observations to see how much effort they put forth and how well they understand the purpose of the collaborative learning.
Summative Assessment: At the end of the lesson, each student will be asked to read aloud their results and explain why came to conclusion they did and also I will ask them on a one-on-one basis why they chose this label.
Closure: An explanation of how working together helped each group reach its goal will be conducted. I will explain how there are other situations where it’s important for people to work together as a group. For example, if a building needs to be built, does just one person build it? No there’s an architect, carpenter, surveyor etc. I will write their responses on a large pad so they can see it for a few days afterward and think about their experiences and reflect on them.
Supplementary Practice: I will read them a book called Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss.
Critique Questions:
Did my anticipatory set adequately help the students understand why it was necessary to work together as a group.
Were my examples clear enough and did I spend enough time on assessing their prior knowledge or did I move too quickly?
Did the students understand why I used OOBLECK and should I use it in another matter states lesson?
Integration of Technology:
I will have the students go to some web sites and use them to play games and find out about matter.
The following websites can be used:
http://www.fortunecity.com/business/redstone/1574/id63.htm
http://www.elytradesign.com/ali/html/game.htm
http://www.abpischools.org.uk/resources/solids-liquids-gases/index.asp
http://198.66.197.122/modulesK-2/SolidsandLiquids/index.html
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If we put the OOBLECK in this container what do you think will happen? Draw your answer.
What did happen? Draw your answer.
If we take the OOBLECK and hold it in our hands, what do you think will happen? Draw your answer.
What did happen? Draw your answer.
Now what do you think OOBLECK really is:
Solid Liquid Gas
Why?