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States of Matter - Solids, Liquids & Gases
Objectives
To understand the three states of matter.
To understand that certain types of matter have different phases.
Resources
Cambridge Primary Science Book 4 | Large sheet of blank paper | Old magazines
Today's Lesson
Main Activity
Turn to page 49–50 in Cambridge Primary Science Book 4.
Read 'Materials, Substances and Particles' and discuss these with your child. Point out how certain types of matter have three different phases. For example, water - it can exist as a solid state in the ice phase, as a liquid state, in the water phase and as a gas state as in the water vapour phase.
Once you have finished your reading and discussion, ask your child to look through old magazines and to cut out any pictures that they can find of different solids, liquids and gases. They should then divide a large sheet of blank paper into three labelled sections - Solids, Liquids and Gases - and glue the pictures into the appropriate section. Are there pictures of anything that can be either a solid or a liquid? For example, chocolate is normally in solid form but can be melted into a liquid.
Now look at the Solids, Liquids and Gases PowerPoint together. Discuss how the particles behave in the two states of matter, solids and liquids, as shown by the diagrams. Then consider gases and refer to the examples of gases that your child has found in the magazine pictures.
📊 READ - Solids, Liquids and Gases PowerPoint
Challenge your child to complete the description of how gas particles behave, and then to draw a diagram to help the reader understand their description. This could either be done on paper or straight onto the PowerPoint resource, which could then be saved for future reference. Watch the 3 States of Matter video from 2:54 to watch an explanation.