Lesson Overview

Students will:

• Consider why different objects, made of the same material, have different observable properties
• Conduct an experiment to examine how materials made with the same basic stuff can have differing properties. Students will later get to present their findings to the class
• Learn the connection between the properties they observed and the chemical structure of the substances (slime) they made. Students are introduced to the term polymer and how it dictates material structure and properties.
• Model the chemical structure of polymers and experiment with how that chemical structure leads to the observed properties of the explore

Lesson Objectives

Students will be able to:

• (3rd-5th) Analyze how variables affect the behavior of a substances
• (6th-8th) Design an experiment, using variables, to compare the properties of two similarly created substances

This lesson is aligned with these Next Generation Science (NGS) Standards.

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Disciplinary Core Idea (DCI)

PS1 Matter and its Interactions – PS1.A Structure of Matter

• (3rd-5th) Because matter exists as particles that are too small to see, the matter is always conserved even if it seems to disappear. Measurements of a variety of observable properties can be used to identify particular materials.
• (6th-8th) The fact that matter is composed of atoms and molecules can be used to explain the properties of substances, diversity of materials, states of matter, phase changes, and conservation of matter.

Science & Engineering Practice (SEP) 

Asking Questions and Defining Problems

• (3rd-5th) Ask questions that can be investigated and predict reasonable outcomes based on patterns such as cause and effect relationships

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

• (6th-8th) Conduct an investigation and/or evaluate and/or revise the experimental design to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence that meets the goals of the investigation.

Crosscutting Concept (CCC)

Structure and Function

• (3rd-5th) Different materials have different substructures, which can sometimes be observed.
• (6th-8th) Structures can be designed to serve particular functions by taking into account the properties of different materials, and how materials can be shaped and used.

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