Lesson Plan #:AELP-PHY0028

Molecules and Temperature

An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan

Submitted by: Kathy D. Baim, Holy Rosary Elementary, Idaho Falls, Idaho
Endorsed by: These lesson plans are the result of the work of the teachers who have attended the Columbia Education Center's Summer Workshop. CEC is a consortium of teacher from 14 western states dedicated to improving the quality of education in the rural, western, United States, and particularly the quality of math and science Education. CEC uses Big Sky Telegraph as the hub of their telecommunications network that allows the participating teachers to stay in contact with their trainers and peers that they have met at the Workshops.

Date: May 1994

Grade Level(s): 1, 2, 3

Subject(s):

OVERVIEW and PURPOSE: The study of molecular concepts, especially their movement and relationship to temperature, is difficult for primary children to grasp. Through language arts, science experiment and movement activity, students will gain an understanding of temperature and molecular movement.

OBJECTIVES:

Students will be able to:

1. Explain that molecules are in everything living and nonliving.
2. Explain that molecules are too small to see but we can watch their movement.
3. Demonstrate molecular movement in hot and cold water and explain temperature rise and fall depending on molecular movement.
4. Through oral and written expression demonstrate an understanding of the following vocabulary words: temperature, molecule, movement, molecular movement, particle, rise and fall.
5. Through movement activity, demonstrate molecular movement as pertaining to rising and falling temperature.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS NEEDED:

Hot as an Ice Cube by Philip Balestrino Two clear cups/bowls and food coloring Observation page (see below)

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:

A. Read Hot as an Ice Cube by Philip Balestrino

Concepts to develop:

  1. Temperature is a measure of how hot or cold something is.
  2. Adjectives to describe temperature such as hot, cold, warm, lukewarm, chilly, sizzling and freezing.
  3. Heating something makes its temperature rise. As it cools off its temperature falls.
  4. Everything is made of tiny particles called molecules.
  5. Molecules are always moving.
  6. The faster the molecules in something move, the hotter it is. The more you heat something, the faster the molecules move. This is what causes its temperature to rise.
B. Experiment-To see that molecules of water move faster when the water is hot.
  1. Put water in two clear cups/bowls (one hot, one cold).
  2. Allow the water to sit for a moment to stop movement.
  3. Carefully put a drop of food coloring into the middle of each cup.
  4. Observe the molecules move the food coloring around (rapidly in hot water, slowly in cold water).
C. Observation page:

Name: ______________________
Date: _________________
Material: ____________________________________________
Procedure (What I did): _______________________________
A picture of what I saw:



Here are things I noticed: _______________________________________________________

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:

Extension Activity: Small groups of children act out being molecules. They start out as frozen water (clustered very still as frozen water molecules). Pretend the temperature is gradually rising until it reaches boiling (children move around rapidly) and then let the temperature fall again.