October+States+of+Matter+Lab

= **Background Information for Teachers about the States of Matter ** = Properties or characteristics of an object describe matter. A block of wood, milk and air all have properties. All material is in three states of matter- solid, liquid or gas. The “state” of matter refers to the group or category of matter that has similar characteristics or properties. In other words you group the objects together according to their properties or characteristics.

The block of wood is a solid. A solid has a certain shape and size. A solid keeps its same shape when moved. You can change a solid by chemically changing the composition of it or by heating or cooling the solid.
 * __ Solids : __**

Milk is a liquid. Milk is liquid matter. It has size and volume. Volume means it takes up space. But milk doesn’t have a specific shape. It takes the shape of the container it’s in. Liquids can flow be poured, and spilled. When you spill a liquid it goes everywhere. The liquid is taking the shape of the floor an expansive boundary (until it hits a wall). You can’t spill a block. When you drop it, its shape and size remain the same.) **__ Gases: __**   Gases are all around you. Often gases are invisible. You need oxygen to breathe but you can’t see it. It is a gas. A gas is a state of matter that has no shape or size of its own. Gases are often colorless. Gasses are all around you. You can feel gas when the wind blows. The wind is moving gases or air. Air is many gases mixed together.
 * __ Liquids: __**

Matter: a substance of a particular kind. Generally we speak of three states of matter, gases, liquids and solids. There is more than these three states or occurrences of matter, but this lab is concerned with these three. Solid : having three dimensions of length, width and breath, depth relating to geometric figures. Solid objects resist change unlike liquids and gases. Liquid : a substance or kind of matter in a condition which flows and whose shape but not volume can be changed by the container it is in. Gas : a substance that has the ability to expand infinitely. Gases also take the shape of the container it is in, but the container has to be an enclosed container or the gas will expand out of that container. ** The intended learning for this lab: ** · Students will demonstrate an understanding of the three states of matter, gas, liquid and solid. · Students will experience discovering some of the characteristics of a gas, a liquid and a solid. · Students will demonstrate an understanding that solids, gases and liquids are all forms of matter, and that matter is anything that takes up space and has weight.
 * __ Vocabulary: __**

__Click on the links below to download the lab documents:__