4th Grade Matter Unit Blueprint—Helpful Teacher Tips

Helpful Teacher Tips

BSCS T.R.A.C.S Investigation Changing Properties

Safety: Students must be wearing goggles while working with powders. Also, students should wash hands after completing labs.

Team Suggestions: The module is designed for students working in teams of three. Each lab has specific team jobs identified in the Teacher's Guide.

Student-generated data tables: Teachers will need to provide varying degrees of support for students who have difficulty constructing tables or have fine-motor difficulties.

Unless otherwise noted, plan to complete one BSCS Lesson per week.

Several lessons require advanced planning. Make sure to read Information for the Teacher and Prepare Ahead sections for each lesson.

Doing Science (Pages 21- 36 in Teacher's Edition)

Complete entire section as an introduction to science. However, by the 2007-08 school year, all incoming fourth grade students will have completed this introductory section in a previous grade.

Lesson 1: Which is Which?

It is recommended that during the first day complete Steps 1, 2, and 5 because Step 5 is a natural progression following Step 2.

Lesson 2: Exploring Five White Powders

Optional: Students bring in protective clothing (See pages 15 & 56 in Teacher's Guide.)

Planning Ahead: Arrange for cabbage juice to be made for Lessons 3 & 4.

Lesson 3: Investigating with Other Liquids

Safety Alert: Make sure to read Information for the Teacher on page 65 in the Teacher's Guide before conducting the lesson.

Gloves are not necessary for the experiment.

Use of iodine: The teacher must add the iodine. The students should not handle the iodine.

Teachers should keep the liquids in the containers because they will use them in Lesson 4. (Teachers are advised to dump the liquids per the note on page 66 in the Teacher's Guide.)

Put the cabbage juice back in the refrigerator! This is critical to keeping the juice from decomposing and smelling.

Lesson 4: The Mystery Mixture

Make sure to read Information for the Teacher on page 73 in the Teacher's Guide before conducting the lesson.

Point of Clarification: Students can use any and/or all the liquids in designing and conducting their experiments.

Lesson 5: Does it Disappear?

Safety Alert:

• This is one of the unusual situations where students will be allowed to taste items in science.
• The Shabonee Food and Beverage permission request must be submitted to the nurse prior to conducting the experiment.

Make two quarts of the mixed drink.

Suggestion: Double the amount of water from 5 mL to 10 mL (refers to Step 3 on page 51 of the Student Guide).

Optional: Student reading on pages 52-54

Lesson 7: The Secret Mixture

Suggestion for sharing/revealing identities of secret mixtures:

• Make sure you allow sufficient time for groups to share their results with the team that created the secret mixture.
• Have a class discussion about the exploration of the secret mixtures. See questions listed on page 94 in Teacher's Guide.

BSCS T.R.A.C.S Investigation Heat & Changes in Materials

Doing Science

Do not repeat this section—it's the same as in Investigating Properties.

Lesson 1: What Does Heating Do?

• Use unwaxed, small paper cups for heating.
• Per page 43 in Teacher's Edition, it is suggested that students remain together through Lesson 3.
• Working with two teams at a time, 5–10 minutes of heating time is necessary to observe changes.
• SAFETY:
  • Only the teacher should use the blow dryer.
  • Students should not be allowed to eat the chocolate.

Lesson 2: What Does Cooling Do?

The sample data table contains only one column for predictions. See Step #2, bullet #3 on page 31 in Student Guide for suggestions on how to label the predictions. Students might also want to add additional columns to their tables.

Per the second triangle on page 56 in the Teacher's Edition, it states 10 minutes are needed for cooling. This is insufficient. Allow at least 20 minutes for the items to return to room temperature.

Lesson 3: How Hot Is It?

• See Lesson Extension on page 70 in Teacher's Edition for additional practice using the thermometers. This is a good activity to add to the lesson in Day 1.
• Use demonstration thermometer to help teach students how to read thermometers
• Two insulated Thermos bottles have been added to the kit for the hot and cold water

Lesson 4: Where Does the Heat Flow?

Student-Generated Graphs:

• While a double-line graph is one of the better ways to display the data, allow students to plot their own data. Students may be inclined to make bar graphs and/or use separate sheets of graph paper to graph the temperatures of the warm and cold water.
• Once students have constructed the graphs, the class can discuss the different types of graphs generated. If no student created a double-line graph, the teacher can propose that method and model the construction of the graph on the overhead. This is also a good opportunity to point out to students that the numbers on the X-axis are not properly positioned for a bar graph. When a bar graph is constructed, the numbers should be placed in between the grid lines.

Lesson 5: It's Melting!

If time within the unit is limited, choose to complete either Lesson 5 or 6. Each lesson has its merits. Lesson 5 is a natural progression from Lesson 4. Lesson 5 also explicitly addresses heat flow in the Teacher's Edition. Lesson 6 would probably be considered a more exciting/dramatic experiment. The students actually witness water beginning to freeze. If Lesson 6 is selected, the teacher should address heat flow by having students discuss and diagram it. Both lessons require students to construct graphs, which should be used for assessment purposes.

Tips for Lesson 5:

• Cut bottom edge of plastic backing of thermometer to expose the bulb slightly or use the electronic thermometers on the cart in the workroom.
• The sample data table on page 85 in the Teacher's Edition shows the minutes return to 2, 4, 6...once the ice is removed. To make the table and graph align, it is suggested that the Time column on the table be modified so that once the ice is removed, the time continues as 22, 24 ...up to 30 minutes.
• Use teacher-generated graph in place of the one provided in the Teacher's Edition.

Lesson 6: It's Freezing!

Use teacher-generated graph in place of the one provided in Teacher's Edition. The Vignette of Walter is optional (Step 7 on page 98).

See Lesson Extension on page 101 about optional ice cream activity.