The purpose of this WebQuest is to introduce you to the concept of matter. Matter is everywhere and is in everything. You are made of matter. The computer that you will use for this activity is made of matter. The food you eat, the liquid you drink and the air you breathe are all made of matter. See what you can learn about the different states of matter as you complete this WebQuest.
Introduction
Essential questions:
-What are the 3 states of matter?
-What are the characteristics that distinguish one state of matter from another?
You have been assigned to research one of the 3 states of matter: solid, liquid or gas. To conduct your research, you should use the following: -your textbook -videos -websites -articles Take notes on the information you find. Your notes will be part of your overall grade. You will do the following after you have completed your research: -make a flip book -make a poster to demonstrate why your state of matter is the most important -give an oral presentation on what you learned
Task
Resources - Links
Article
Videos Websites |
Change of states (matching game)
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Changing states of matter
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Phases of matter
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Solids and liquids
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Solids, liquids and gases (matching game)
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States of matter (game)
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What is matter?
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Resources - Files
General
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Study guide
Matter-states.doc
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Evaluation Rubric
| Basic (1) | Limited (2) | Proficient (3) | Excellent (4) | Outstanding (5) | |
| Independence in using the internet. | Student didn't get on computer | Student could only find websites with help. | Student found websites with some help. | Student found websites with minimal help. | Student did not need help finding websites. |
| Participation/on task | Student did not participate and was not on task. | Student participated and was on task at least 25% of the time. | Student participated and was on task at least 50% of the time. | Student participated and was on task at least 75% of the time. | Student participated and was on task 100% of the time. |
| Knowledge learned | Student work showed no new knowledge learned about the states of matter. | Student work showed little new knowledge learned about the states of matter. | Student work showed some examples new knowledge learned about the states of matter. | Student work showed specific examples of new knowledge learned about the states of matter. | Student work showed many specific examples of new knowledge learned about the states of matter. |
| Quality of work | Student did not complete any of the tasks. | Student work successfully completed 25% of the tasks. | Student work successfully completed at least 50% of the tasks. | Student work successfully completed at least 75% of the tasks. | Student work successfully completed 100% of the tasks. |
| Flip book | Student did not complete any of the flip book. | Student work successfully completed 25% of the flip book. | Student work successfully completed at least 50% of the flip book. | Student work successfully completed at least 75% of the flip book. | Student work successfully completed 100% of the flip book. |
| Poster | Student did not complete any of the poster. | Student work successfully completed 25% of the poster. | Student work successfully completed at least 50% of the poster. | Student work successfully completed at least 75% of the poster. | Student work successfully completed 100% of the poster. |
| Oral presentation | Student did not attempt the oral presentation. | Student work successfully completed 25% of the oral presentation. | Student work successfully completed at least 50% of the oral presentation. | Student work successfully completed at least 75% of the oral presentation. | Student work successfully completed 100% of the oral presentation. |
I hope you enjoyed learning about the states of matter. 
Conclusion
Standards
Grade 4
Physical Science (PS) Topic: Electricity, Heat and Matter
This topic focuses on the conservation of matter and the processes of energy transfer and transformation, especially as they apply to heat and electrical energy.
Content Statement
The total amount of matter is conserved when it undergoes a change.
When an object is broken into smaller pieces, when a solid is dissolved in a liquid or when matter changes state (solid, liquid, gas), the total amount of matter remains constant.
Content Elaboration
Grade 4 Concepts:
Some properties of objects may stay the same even when other properties change. For example, water can change from a liquid to a solid, but the mass of the water remains the same. Parts of an object or material may be assembled in different configurations, but the mass remains the same. The sum of all of the parts in an object equals the mass of the object.
When a solid is dissolved in a liquid, the mass of the mixture is equal to the sum of the masses of the liquid and solid.
Common Misconceptions
• Gases are not matter because most are invisible.
• Gases do not have mass*.
• When things dissolve, they disappear.
• Melting and dissolving are confused.
• Mass* and volume, which both describe an amount of matter, are the same property.
• Breaking something or dissolving makes it weigh less.
• Changing the shape changes the mass and volume.
• Students believe matter is lost during burning.
• Students believe that a warmed gas weighs less than the same gas that is cooler (Driver, Squires, Rushworth & Wood-Robinson, 1994).