It is All About Heat

The term melting is obviously a change of state from solid to liquid. However, for young children observing melting can be used to learn how to use a thermometer and the concept of heat add... See More

The term melting is obviously a change of state from solid to liquid. However, for young children observing melting can be used to learn how to use a thermometer and the concept of heat added causing that change in state. Through active motion children melt two different materials in their hands. Using a thermometer they record the difference in temperature between the children with the melted material versus those whose material didn’t melt. Comparing this data can lead to an understanding of why things melt.

Great Exploration for Young Learners

This article details a simple activity that engages young students in a hands-on exploration of the states of matter. The article includes a lesson plan with extensions and a list of fictio... See More

This article details a simple activity that engages young students in a hands-on exploration of the states of matter. The article includes a lesson plan with extensions and a list of fiction and non-fiction trade books that relate to the states of matter. This lesson is sure to be a simple, yet effective way to teach young students of the states of matter.

The Matter of Melting

I chose to add this article to my library because it is geared towards younger elementary students. One thing I learned when reading through the article was that students often equate "disso... See More

I chose to add this article to my library because it is geared towards younger elementary students. One thing I learned when reading through the article was that students often equate "dissolving" with "melting" and that it's a good idea to do lessons, such as this, to differentiate the two for the students. If I were to teach this lesson to my students, I would use TEK 1.5B The student is expected to predict and identify changes in materials caused by heating and cooling. One thing I really agreed with when reading this article was the fact that if students have an area of confusion, the best way to clear up the confusion is to work through a hands-on activity.

It's a Solid no a liquid oops a solid

The difficulty young children have understanding the reversible change represented by melting is addressed using simple inexpensive materials. While the common confusion children have in dis... See More

The difficulty young children have understanding the reversible change represented by melting is addressed using simple inexpensive materials. While the common confusion children have in distinguishing melting and dissolving is mentioned, a way to address through through demonstration is missing.