Unit 5 - Matter

unit

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Natural Science

matter

everything is matter!

WHAT ARE WE LEARNING?

Introduction

Reading

Mass and volume ...............

What is air?..............................

Types of aircraft...................

Measuring volume ............

Lab experiment......................

What is density?.................

Steam workshop....................

Density experiment ..........

1. what is matter?

Experiment (optional)

• Matter is everywhere.
• We can find matter in three different states: solid (like ice or a table), liquid (like drinking water or orange juice) and gas (like air).
• Do you think the air is matter? Yes, it is. We can´t see the air but it is matter. Air is matter and matter has weight, and takes up space, whether is a liquid, a solid or a gas.

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1. WHAT IS MATTER? ACTIVITY

ACTIVITY

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2. solid, liquid, gas: experiment

Step 1: Put one ice cube on a plate. Write down what time is it.

For this experiment you need: one ice cube, one plate and a watch.

Step 2: Observe the ice cube. Soon it will become liquid. When it's all liquid, write down what time is it.

Step 3: Now, water will evaporate. Observe how long it takes to go from liquid to gas. Write down the time when it's dry.

Step 4: Answer the questions: How long did it take to go from solid to gas? How can you make it go faster? Complete the observation sheet.

Lesson 3: Materials have different properties.

Watch the video and click here:

Activity

Matter makes up different materials. And materials have different properties. They can be transparent or opaque, rigid or flexible, elastic or non-elastic, resistant or fragile. For example:

• Glass (cristal): It´s transparent, we can see through it. It´s fragile.
• Plastic (plástico): It can have different colours and shapes. It´s light, long lasting and cheap.
• Aluminium (aluminio): It is a strong metal, but very light. Steel (acero): It is one of the strongest metals.
• Rubber (goma): it is flexible and long lasting.

activity: Some materials are natural, and some materials are manufactured. answer:

1. Are glass, plastic, aluminium, steel and rubber natural or manufactured?

2. Do you know any natural materials?

lesson 4: Materials observation

Look around your house. Choose three objects and complete this information about them:

• Name of the object:
• Material:
• Properties:
• Made from:
• Uses:

You have some examples in your book, page 71 (Alex and Carla´s school trip project).

properties of matter: Mass and volume

First, watch this video about mass and volume.

Mass and volume

Mass: is the amount of matter something contains. An apple has greater mass than a grape. We can measure mass in grams (g).

Volume: is the amount of space that something occupies. A car has greater volume than a bicycle. We can measure volume in millilitres.

Measuring mass and volume.

75%

THINK! How can you measure the volume of a potato?

For this challenge you will need a measuring jug, water and a potato (or something similar like a fruit).

1. Put water (about 2 glasses) into the jug.
2. Measure its volume in milliliters.

Challenge: How could you measure the volume of the potato? Write your answer or send me a picture of your experiment.

what is density?

Density helps to explain why some objects float on water and why other sinks.

Cork has a lower density that water. This is why it floats on water. Iron has a higher density that water. This is why it sinks.

Optional experiment

density experiment

For this experiment, we will need different liquids with different density. Three liquids available in our house are a liquid shop, water and oil. Some of other liquids you can also use are ribbon alcohol, pure milk, syrup, pure honey, etc. You can add food colouring to the different liquids if you have.

Instructions

A new source of fuel

Did you know that aeroplanes can use seaweed to fly? Aeroplanes normally use jet fuel, which comes from fossil fuels. Seaweed can be used to make biofuel. In a single flight, biofuel produces 80% less carbon than jet fuel. Giant kelp is one of the fastest-growing seaweeds in the world. A team of researchers in the United States of America believe it is better source of biofuel than other plant matter. It is easy to grow. Diana Kim, a marine ecologist, says that only 0,5% of the Earth’s oceans is needed to grow enough giant kelp to use for air travel. It is more expensive to make biofuel from crops like corn, soy and palm oil. Forests are destroyed to cultivate these crops. Giant kelp might be cheaper, more sustainable solution. We need to grow enough giant kelp for all the air travel in the world, without harming the environment.