Teachers’ notes – Changes in the home
Synopsis
In this activity, learners explore reversible and irreversible changes to a range of familiar
household materials. Using video they share ideas about what happens to sugar when it is
added to water and stirred. Learners consider the alternative viewpoints about what happens
to the sugar and predict what will happen to a range of familiar household substances when
they are added to water and stirred. They plan, carry out and reflect on an enquiry to find out
how quickly sugar dissolves. Learners share their ideas and understanding about changes to
materials by creating a concept map. They consider the changes happening to different foods
when they are heated or mixed and create a commentary for the video. Learners explore their
ideas and find more information about the processes involved in making ice cream, using a
KWHL grid to record their current understanding and any gaps in their knowledge or skills.
They determine success criteria for a successful recipe and create a recipe for ice cream.
Learners swap recipes and make ice cream following one of the recipes. They assess each
other’s recipes using success criteria.
Curriculum links
The sustainable Earth:
3. a comparison of the features and properties of some natural and made materials
4. the properties of materials relating to their uses
5. how some materials are formed or produced
Skills
Communication: 1, 2 & 3
Enquiry – Planning: 2, 3, 4, 5
Enquiry – Developing: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7
Enquiry – Reflecting: 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
Activities
Tab 1
The aim of this tab is for learners to explore ideas about what
happens when sugar dissolves in water. They are provided with a
video of a spoon of sugar being added to a beaker of water and
stirred until it dissolves. They are required to suggest what they
think happens to the sugar. Rollovers support discussion.
Tab 2
Four talking heads provide alternative viewpoints about what
happens when sugar is added to water and stirred. Learners
consider their own and others’ ideas about what happens to
sugar in water.
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Tab 3
Learners use prior knowledge and understanding to predict what
will happen to a range of familiar household substances when
they are added to water and stirred. Clicking on buttons 1-10 can
changes the image of the material to be added to water.
Tab 4
Learners plan and carry out an enquiry to investigate how quickly
sugar dissolves. They write their own question to investigate and
can drag and drop the statements to show how the variables will
be managed in the investigation. There are some blank cards to
allow learners to write their own variables to match their own
question. In discussion of children’s attempts to plan an
investigation on screen, learners could be encouraged to develop
investigable questions which contain both and independent
variable (the variable to be changed) and the dependent variable
(the variable to be measured). The buttons, ‘Plan’, ‘Develop’ and
‘Reflect’ aim to help learners follow their plan, record and analyse
findings and reflect on their results and how their plan was
successful and how it might be improved.
Tab 5
Learners explore their ideas and understanding about some of
the changes to materials by creating a concept map. They are
provided with a range of words and phrases relating to changes
in materials and are required to drag and drop these and add
lines and annotations to create a concept map.
Tab 6
Learners consider the changes that might happen to different
breakfast items when they are heated or mixed. They watch a
video showing how typical breakfast items change whilst being
prepared, e.g. egg, beans, toast, milk, coffee, etc. Rollover
questions encourage learners to observe carefully and record as
many changes as they see. Additionally, they are asked to infer
changes that they might not be able to see such as changes in
texture, temperature and smell. Finally, they are invited to
consider whether or not the changes are reversible.
Tab 7
In this tab, learners are encouraged to use their science skills
and knowledge to record a commentary for the video. Asking
learners to role-play being scientists is one way of encouraging
the deployment of scientific enquiry skills. It also encourages
learners to foreground and apply their understanding of the
processes of change in materials to explain any of the changes
observed in this familiar context of cooking foods.
Tab 8
Learners are asked to think about some of the changes to
materials they have noticed when they have been involved in
making each of the foods shown in the pictures on screen.
Clicking on ‘Next’ reveals a KWHL grid which learners can use to
record their thinking. The KWHL may help learners identify gaps
in their understanding of the changes involved in making some of
these foods.
Tab 9
In this tab, learners choose a food they would like to make and
find or create their own recipe for this food. Learners share ideas
and determine success criteria for a successful recipe. Clicking
on the button ’Recipe’ prompts the learners to share and review
their recipes and prepare the food. An important part of
preparing the foods is for learners to observe using all their
sense the ways in which the materials change. They might also
be able to directly link some of these changes to particular
processes such as mixing, heating, cooling, freezing.