Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 46308
Changing the State of Water: From Liquid to Vapor
Students will discover the cycle water goes through as the temperature is raised from cold to hot. They will discover the processes water takes from
the solid form to the vapor form.
Subject(s): English Language Arts, Science
Grade Level(s): 3
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, LCD
Projector, Speakers/Headphones
Instructional Time: 8 Hour(s)
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: states of water, types of matter, solid, liquid, gas, vapor, boiling, freezing, evaporation, condensation
Instructional Design Framework(s): Direct Instruction, Demonstration, Learning Cycle (e.g., 5E), Cooperative
Learning
Resource Collection: CPALMS Lesson Plan Development Initiative
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: Learning Cycle (5E Model)
Learning Objectives: What will students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
1. The students will be able to describe the changes water undergoes when it changes state through heating and cooling by using familiar scientific terms such as
melting, freezing, boiling, evaporation, and condensation.
2. The students will be able to keep records of investigations conducted on a chart.
3. The students will be able explain the cause and effect of raising or lowering the temperature of water.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students should know that water exists in different forms (solid, liquid, gas) (SC.2.P.8.2)
Students should know that water can change as a result of temperature change.
Students should know that freezing is the process which changes water from a liquid to a solid and it occurs at 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit).
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
1. How does water change? (It changes states, from solid to liquid to gas, it melts/freezes/condenses, etc.)
2. What happens to water as temperature changes? (It changes states; water melts/freezes/boils, etc.)
Engage: What object, event, or questions will the teacher use to trigger the students' curiosity and engage them in the concepts?
Day 1:
Engage the students by playing the Solids, Liquids, Gases video.
As they are watching, ask them to pay attention to the different states of water they can identify.
Discuss after watching. Ask, what states of water did you see? (solid, liquid, gas) In what forms did you see water? (In a puddle, as vapor, etc.)
Distribute the vocabulary match to assess their prior knowledge of freezing, condensation, boiling, evaporation, melting, and humidity (see formative assessment).
Discuss the correct answers to the vocabulary match with the students.
Ask students which terms are familiar to them.
Let them know that they will be experiencing how water changes states throughout the five processes: freezing, condensation, boiling, evaporation, and melting.
page 1 of 4 Distribute a blank vocabulary flipbook to each student (see formative assessment).
On the first tab, have them write "freezing."
Discuss what it means to freeze (lower the temperature to make a liquid into a solid, for water it occurs at 0 degrees Celsius, etc.).
Come up with a class definition of freezing together (example, the change of a liquid to a solid).
Draw a visual to correspond with the word and definition (ex. an ice cube tray in the freezer).
Ask students to share with a partner what freezing means.
Explore: What will the students do to explore the concepts and skills being developed through the lesson?
In the explore stage, you will demonstrate one process each day and the students will add the term and definition to their flip books as a culminating activity at the end
of each day's lesson.
Day 2: Melting
Display the term "melting" for the students.
Encourage students to discuss personal connections to the melting process (examples could include ice cream, ice, or any connection that the students have). Ask
them to describe the substance (i.e. ice cream) before and after it melts.
Explain that today they are going to see how long it takes to melt a piece of ice.
Remind students that temperature affects the state that water is in.
Encourage students to explore different methods to melt their ice cube (i.e. placing it in a sunny spot, rubbing it between their hands, breaking it into smaller
pieces, etc.).
Divide the class into groups of two to three students and have them hypothesize how long it will take to melt their ice completely.
List the group numbers next to their methods and have them use the clock to keep track of how long their ice cube takes to melt. See the attached observation form
for an example.
Since melting time will range depending on the student's methods, have students add "Melting" to the second tab of their vocabulary flip book when they are
finished.
When all students have melted their ice cubes, compare the melting time between groups and their methods.
Ask, how could we have sped up this process? (Use a frying pan, for example) Does combining methods speed up melting? What causes ice to melt in nature? (The
sun).
Ask students to share their definitions of melting (melting is the change of a solid to a liquid).
Day 3: Evaporation
Display the term "evaporation" for the students.
Model evaporation by wiping a chalkboard with a damp cloth.
Explain that the water on the chalkboard begins to "disappear" because over time, it turns from a liquid to a vapor.
Ask students to make personal connections to the state of evaporation (examples could include a puddle drying up, wet clothes drying, etc.).
Explain that warmth in the air causes evaporation, the process of a liquid turning into a vapor.
Ask students to predict whether evaporation would longer on a warm day or a cool day.
Split your class into three or four groups.
Give each group:
a small paper cup (3 oz. size)
a ruler
a permanent marker
water (can be from the tap)
Instruct each group to decide how full to fill their cup and draw a line to measure the starting point of the water.
NOTE: If it is a hot day, this activity will work best. On cooler days, you may have to change the increment of time that you check the water. Test this before
deciding on a time frame with your class.
Have each group find a safe location to keep their cup (inside, outside, sunny spot, shady spot) and draw a line with their marker at 1 hour increments (or whatever
will work best depending on weather).
After the class has taken 4 measurements, have them use a ruler to measure the lines on their cups and chart on the observation form.
Encourage discussion. How did location of your cup affect rate of evaporation? How long do you think it would take to fully evaporate (if it didn't already)? What
would happen if you put more/less water in your cup? Etc.
Have students add "Evaporation" to the third tab of their vocabulary flip book with a corresponding definition and picture (the change from a liquid to a vapor, an
example could be a puddle drying up).
Day 4: Boil and Condensate
Ask students, "what do you need to do to water in order to cook noodles?" They should be able to generate the answer "boil it."
Have children describe what boiling water is like (hot, bubbly). If students are having a difficult time making a personal connection to boiling water, show the video
How to Boil Water. Please make sure not to display the ads.
Explain that when the temperature of liquid water is raised to 100 degrees Celsius (or 212 degrees Fahrenheit), it reaches its boiling point. At that point, bubbles
form and steam escapes the top.
Tell students that steam is the gaseous state of water, what is it called? (Water vapor).
Add the term "boiling" to the fourth tab of the vocabulary flip book with a definition (when water changes from a liquid to a solid at 100 degrees Celsius) and a
visual.
Display the term "condensation" for the class.
Explain that when water turns from a gas back into a liquid, it is called condensation.
To demonstrate condensation, get a glass of cold water (or a cold water bottle) out of the refrigerator.
Let it sit out for a few minutes and ask the students what they observe (water droplets will form on the outside of the container).
Explain that water vapor from the air condensed into liquid on the outside of the glass of water. .
Aother way to demonstrate condensation is to pour hot water into a bowl. Next, get a bowl of ice and place it over the hot water.
Guide students to explain that the water vapor (steam) from the hot water went through condensation to form liquid water droplets on the bowl of ice.
Have students add the term "condensation" to the fifth and final tab of the vocabulary flip book with a definition (when water changes from a gas to a liquid) and a
visual.
page 2 of 4 Explain: What will the students and teacher do so students have opportunities to clarify their ideas, reach a conclusion or
generalization, and communicate what they know to others?
Day 5:
In order for students to clarify their understanding of the processes which change the states of water, they will be demonstrating them with a skit.
Use freezing as an example to show students your expectations.
Be creative!
Use props or visuals to help explain yourself.
For example, tell students that you are water. Show them that you are in the liquid state (you could pretend to be fluid to fill a container, etc.). Explain that the
temperature is lowering. Make sure you use words that show the cause of your change (i.e. because the temperature is lowering). Tell the students that the
temperature is now 0 degrees Celsius, and you are no longer liquid. You are a solid! You just went through the freezing process.
Divide the class into four groups: melting, evaporation, condensation, and boiling.
Instruct them to personify their process.
Allow students to refer to their vocabulary flip books, trade books, text books, and internet resources to help them come up with a 1-3 minute demonstration of
their state of water, using props and creativity.
Elaborate: What will the students do to apply their conceptual understanding and skills to solve a problem, make a decision,
perform a task, or make sense of new knowledge?
Day 6:
Distribute copies of the Water Changing States process sheet.
Allow students to use only their vocabulary flipbooks to help them generate 3 to 5 sentences on each change of state using their vocabulary terms correctly in the
correct section.
See Summative Assessment tab for instructions and scoring.
Summative Assessment
Students will complete the Water Changing States sheet scored by the Water Changing States Rubric.
Students will name the process which takes water from one state to another (example, from liquid to gas), provide temperature (if known), provide an example and
cause (increase or decrease of heat), and add a graphic, either a drawing or diagram.
Formative Assessment
Students will complete a vocabulary match to demonstrate their prior knowledge of the processes water goes through to change states.
Feedback to Students
During the lesson, the class will create a vocabulary flipbook with a child generated definition, a graphic, and an example for the terms:
1. boiling
2. condensation
3. freezing
4. melting
5. evaporation
Teacher will guide students along with wording and ensure that they understand each concept.
Each student needs a premade vocabulary flip book. This can be made using 3 sheets of blank paper staggered to leave about a 1" space between each sheet. Fold
the stack of papers so that the top two "tabs" are equal to the other tabs. Staple the top to hold in place. Here is an example.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
For students with special needs, you can have the vocabulary terms and definitions already printed out for their vocabulary flip books. Create a word bank for them to
use for the summative assessment.
Extensions:
Play the interactive game Changing State of Water with students. Please be sure to enlarge the screen view to"hide" the ads so students cannot view them.
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, LCD Projector, Speakers/Headphones
Special Materials Needed:
bag of ice, small paper cups (3 oz.)
two bowls
permanent markers
rulers
trade books on matter and water
Book suggestions:
Solids, Liquids, Gases (Simply Science) by Charnan Simon, Lexile 590L
What Is the World Made Of?: All About Solids, Liquids, and Gases By Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, Lexile 560L
All About Gases (Essential Science) by Peter Riley, Lexile 930L
Solids and Liquids (Essential Science) by Peter Riley, Lexile 930L
page 3 of 4 Further Recommendations: Please remind students of using safe science practices during the investigation.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Jessica Whelpley
Name of Author/Source: Jessica Whelpley
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Brevard
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
SC.3.P.9.1:
LAFS.3.RI.1.3:
Description
Describe the changes water undergoes when it changes state through heating and cooling by using familiar scientific
terms such as melting, freezing, boiling, evaporation, and condensation.
Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical
procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
Attached Resources
Worksheet
Name
Changing States of Matter:
Description
In this activity, students will see that the liquid water can change state again and freeze to become ice.
Unit/Lesson Sequence
Name
Water 1: Water and Ice:
Description
In three connected lessons students observe and describe water as it changes state. In Water 1: Water and Ice,
students explored how water can change from solid to liquid and back again. In the second lesson, students will focus
on the concept that water can go back and forth from one form to another focusing on a liquid changing to a gas. In
the third lesson, students investigate what happens to the amount of different substances as they change from a solid
to a liquid or a liquid to a solid.
Lesson Plan
Name
Description
Students will observe the amount of water in an open container over time, and they will observe the amount of water
in a closed container over time. Students will compare and contrast the sets of observations over time. This lesson can
Water 2: Disappearing Water :
be used in a unit on water that includes "Water and Ice" and "Melting and Freezing" that are also found on Science
NetLinks.
Presentation/Slideshow
Name
Water Phases:
Description
Water is ubiquitous on Earth, but is quite a unique substance because it easily exists in all three of its forms (liquid, ice,
vapor) on Earth, unlike the other substances that can exist in these three phases. This slideshow depicts water in each
of its three phases.
page 4 of 4