After students understand the different states of matter, it's important that they understand how the states change between each other. In this activity, students will create a storyboard that illustrates the particle arrangement for each state of matter and describe the changes between each state. Use this activity at the beginning of the lesson to provide students with a foundation of knowledge or at the end to see what they've learned.
An increase in thermal energy increases the average kinetic energy of the particles in a system. This can either increase the temperature of the system or can cause the state to change. The change will be from a solid to a liquid or a liquid to a gas. Conversely, a decrease in thermal energy will decrease the average kinetic energy of the system. This change will cause a change in state from a gas to a liquid or a liquid to a solid.
This can also be an interesting place to introduce your students to sublimation. Sublimation is the process in which a substance goes from the solid to the gas state without becoming a liquid. Carbon dioxide (CO2), or dry ice, is an example of a material that does this. The opposite of sublimation is known as desublimation deposition.
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Student Instructions
Illustrate the particle arrangement of the different states and identify and describe the different state changes.
Capture your students’ attention by showing how matter changes state with items found at home or in the classroom. Visual, hands-on experiences help students understand abstract concepts more concretely.
Collect ice cubes, a clear glass, water, and an electric kettle (or pot and hot plate) before class. Having materials ready ensures a smooth demonstration and keeps students focused.
Show ice cubes melting into water, then heat the water to create steam, and finally capture condensation on a cool surface. Highlight each change by asking students to describe what they observe at every stage.
Engage students by prompting them to predict what will happen before each change of state. Encourage reasoning and connect their observations to the concepts of energy and particle movement.
Relate the demonstration to real-life moments, like ice melting in a drink or steam from a shower. Making connections helps reinforce understanding and shows the relevance of science in everyday life.
Changes in states of matter include melting (solid to liquid), freezing (liquid to solid), evaporation (liquid to gas), condensation (gas to liquid), sublimation (solid to gas), and deposition (gas to solid). Each involves particles gaining or losing thermal energy.
Thermal energy influences state changes by altering the average kinetic energy of particles. Increasing thermal energy can cause solids to melt or liquids to evaporate, while decreasing it leads to condensation or freezing.
Sublimation is when a substance changes directly from solid to gas without becoming a liquid. A common example is dry ice (solid carbon dioxide), which turns into gas at room temperature.
Students can draw or create storyboards that show particle arrangements in solids, liquids, and gases, and use arrows to label each state change. This helps visualize how particles move and rearrange during each change.
Melting is when a solid turns into a liquid, usually by heating. Evaporation is when a liquid changes into a gas, often at the surface and below boiling point. Both require energy but involve different state transitions.