5.5CD: Mixtures
Matter and Energy
Separating Mixtures Game
Description
Students match a mixture with an appropriate tool to separate it, then design a series of steps to
separate a more complex mixture (solution).
Materials
1 Attachment: Mixture Cards (per group)
1 Attachment: Tool/ Equipment Cards (per group)
1 Attachment: Sequencing Cards (per group)
Baggies (per group)
Card stock (per student)
Scissors (per student)
Procedure
1.  Mixture Match Game Directions
•  Duplicate several sets of the cards on card stock and cut apart. Place one set of
Mixtures Cards and one set of Tool/ Equipment Cards in each baggie.
•  Have students work in groups of three or four.
•  Students will place the Mixtures Cards in a pile and draw a card. They will then
determine which tool in the other set of cards works best to separate it. Have students
discuss why the tool works and share their supportive reasoning before the next
student’s turn.
2.  Discuss correct matches at the end of the game, as appropriate.
3.  Separating Mixtures Game Directions
•  Duplicate the Sequencing Cards and arrows on card stock, then cut apart.
•  Ask students to envision, sand, sugar, iron filings, and rice combined into one container.
Students will discuss a plan for separating this mixture. The cards and arrows will be
used to create a sequence for separating the complex mixture.
•  Allow students to look at the cards and create multiple options for sequences until one
makes the most sense.
4.  Discuss the final sequence with students. In the case of misconceptions, ask questions that will
prompt them to fix the sequence on their own.
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Matter and Energy
Guiding Points
•  Students must understand that mixtures can be separated into their individual parts.
•  Students must be able to identify the physical properties of both the ingredients and the
mixtures/ solutions they form.
•  Students must understand that the physical properties of a substance will determine the method
for separating the mixture.
•  Students must understand that solutions are a type of mixture in which one ingredient dissolves
in another.
Guiding Questions
1.  What are ingredients?
2.  Why is it important to know the physical properties of the ingredients in the mixture in order to
separate the mixture?
3.  Suppose you had a mixture that contained a substance made of iron. Based on iron’s physical
properties, what is an example of a tool that you could use to separate the iron from the
mixture?
4.  If you had a mixture in which one ingredient dissolved in water and another ingredient did not,
which tool or equipment could you use to separate the mixture?
5.  If you had a mixture of salt water, how could you separate the salt from the water?
Attachments
Mixture Cards
Tool/ Equipment Cards
Sequencing Cards
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5.5CD: Mixtures
Matter and Energy
Attachment: Mixture Cards
Lettuce
and
tomatoes
Rocks
and
sand
Salt
and
sand
Paperclips
and
marbles
Red
marbles
and blue
marbles
Salt and
water
Uncooked
rice and
gravel
Sand and
water
Flour and
uncooked
rice
Spaghetti
and
meatballs
Tiny red
beads and
tiny white
beads
Aluminum
nails and
iron nails
Bran
cereal
and
raisins
Tea leaves
and hot
water
Cooked
macaroni
and boiling
water
Raisins
and
peanuts
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5.5CD: Mixtures
Matter and Energy
Attachment: Tool/ Equipment Cards
Beaker, filter,
and funnel
Beaker, filter,
and funnel
Fork
Fork
Magnet
Magnet
Sieve
Sieve
Craft stick
Craft Stick
Colander
Tea Strainer
Hot plate
Tweezers
Tweezers
Tweezers
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5.5CD: Mixtures
Matter and Energy
Attachment: Sequencing Cards
Use a magnet to separate the iron filings.
Use a strainer to separate the rice.
Pour water into the mixture to dissolve the sugar
Pour the mixture through a filter set inside
a funnel to separate the sand.
Evaporate the water using a hot plate to
separate the sugar
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