Liquids, Solids, Gases, Oh My!

We are learning about the states of matter- solids, liquids, gases...oh my! We did such a simple experiment that shows students how air has mass. It is so hard for students to understand that air has weight, or mass!

Do you need a simple way to show your students that air has mass?

Here is what you will need:

- a large glass bowl, filled up about 3/4 with water

- a plastic or glass cup (I used plastic so that my students could do this with a partner and then I would not have to panic about glass breaking!)

- a napkin or paper towel

- curious and interested students who have formed a hypothesis about what will happen to the napkin when the cup is placed in the water :)

Directions:

Place a napkin/paper towel inside a glass or plastic cup. You might want to tape the nakin so that it stays put! Fill a large bowl with water. Place the cup inside the bowl, straight down.  If it is sideways, water will go inside the cup!

Push the cup down touch the bottom of the bowl.

You can't see from here, but the paper towel/napkin is dry!

This student does not believe it! She pulled the cup out of the water and felt the napkin.

YES!

It is completely dry!

Lesson learned: an "empty" cup is really not empty!

Check out this site for more detailed directions:

Air Takes Up Space

Not learning about matter? Snag this copy of the PHMPRC chart that we used for your next experiment.

We filled out the PHMPRC as we completed this experiment. Click here to download the file for free PHMPRC on google documents.

**Thanks Kelly (my third grade coworker who is currently on materity leave and I am missing very much!) for sharing this lesson (and the bowl!) with me!**

Want another easy experiment that shows air has mass? All you need is a yardstick, two balloons, string...and the link to this website so you can follow the step by step directions:

Air Has Mass

Alternative assessment idea:

Students create a Solids, Liquids, Gases...Oh My! book to show what they learned!

Click on the picture to enlarge the image! This is our bulletin board with all the books that the students created.

This student did not leave ONE INCH of his book uncolored or uncovered!!! I always try to find some way to assess my students, other than the traditional pencil and paper test. This book that they created really showed me how much they learned!

This is the rubric that I created to grade their books:

Click here to download the rubric that I created (for free) on google documents:

Solids, Liquids, Gases...Oh My! Rubric

Find our Solids, Liquids, Gases...Oh My! on our TPT store

Our Spring Break is treating us well :) 

Hope you are enjoying your night too!