Science Planning Unit 5C Gases Around Us Week/ Dat e Week One 09/01/06 Learning Objective To know the characteristic

c features of the solid and liquid states of matter. To sort materials as solids and liquids To describe the processes of melting and dissolving Input Show children the brick, candle, sugar lumps and water. Use items to review childrens knowledge. Demonstrate melting by lighting candle and observing the wax. Demonstrate dissolving by stirring a sugar lump into water, in their groups, give the children the cards to sort into solids and liquids. Ask children to think of ways that they can tell they are surrounded by air. (sensation of moving through the air on a bicycle, kite flying, windmills etc.) Build on childrens ideas to explain that air nothing, but a special kind of material called a gas. Inflate the beach ball. Demonstrate how it becomes firmer and more bouncy as you squeeze more air inside it. Discuss the use of a bicycle pump, and effect of getting a puncture. Main Activity Drop a marble, then drop a feather. Q Why does the feather fall more slowly? If they think it is just because of a weight difference, drop a pin to show that a light object can fall just as fast as a heavier one. Develop the idea that the large feather has to push more aside than the marble or pin, and so experiences more air resistance. Discuss use of air resistance in slowing down the fall of a parachutist. Q Does air have mass (and thus weight)? (Gases are much lighter than solids and liquids, but are not completely weightless. If air had no mass, it would drift off into space. Show balloon balance and ask children to predict what will happen if you let air out of one of the balloons. Let air slowly out of one balloon. Was prediction correct? Show list of objects involving air. Ash chn to think about these and discuss in grps how air make each thing work. Each child select an item and write a paragraph explaining how air makes them work. Plenary Ask representatives from each grp to read out some of their writing about the items on the board. Use childrens writing and demonstrations to summarise the key learning points: air is all around us; air is a gas; air has mass. Resources Brick Candle Sugar lumps Water Cards Beach ball Feather Marble Pin Coat hanger Pictures

Week Two 16/01/06

To know that porous materials are composed of solid particles or regions surrounded by gaps To know that when porous materials are dry, the gaps are filled with air To observe that water can displace the air from the gaps in porous materials

Show children container full to the brim with sand. Q Is it possible to get anything else in the container? Slowly pour some water on to the surface, so that it is absorbed into the sand without spilling over the edge. Q Where has the water gone? Explain that it has fitted in to the spaces between the sand grains. Q What was in these spaces before? (Air) Q What happened to the air as the water filled the spaces? (it was displaced into the air above the container)

Group activities 1. Ask a child in each group to submerge a piece of sponge in the water tray while the rest of the group observe what happens. They should repeat the test at least once more to confirm what they have seen. Each child should draw a detailed sketch of their observations and write a brief account of the experiment. **Ask more able chn to explain why the air bubbles rise when a porous material is submerged (air is lighter than water, so it floats to the surface) Children could repeat observations for cotton wool and fabrics. 2. Ask chn to observe the structure of a piece of sponge through a magnifying glass. Both natural and synthetic sponges can be studied. The children should sketch what they see and label the pores as filled with air.

Ask representatives from the grps to show their sketches of the different materials and describe the differences they observed. Use the childrens observations and ideas to summarise the key learning points: that some solid material contain air.

Sand Water Sponge Cotton wool Fabric Magnifying glasses

Week Three 23/01/06

To know that soil contains air To use measuring cylinders and jugs to measure volumes of water To compare the volumes of air present in different soils

Show chn a soil sample. Q What living things might you find in the soil? Which of these animals need to breathe air? (small animals, some microbes) How do they manage to breathe in the soil? Do you think there is air in the soil? How much? Do all soils contain the same amount of air? Can you think of a method for measuring the amount of air in soil?

Two-thirds fill a plastic beaker with gravel from the bucket, use a pen to mark the level of the gravel surface. Fill a measuring jug with water, note initial reading on the jug (eg 1000ml). Slowly pour water from jug onto gravel sample until water level reaches the gravel surface, and does not fall again. The chn will observe air bubbles rising thought the water in the beaker as the air is displaced from the gravel. Note the new reading on the jug (eg 550ml) and explain that the volume of water poured onto the gravel is equal to the difference between the initial and final readings on the jug (1000ml 550ml = 450ml). Make sure chn understand that this volume is equal to the volume of air that was in the gravel initially. Discuss accuracy of measurement. Explain importance of standing jug on level surface. To check reliability of measurement, its good practice to repeat experiment at least once. As chn to compare volumes of air in three different samples: gravel, sand and garden soil. Children should record results on given sheet.

Ask representatives from each grp to hold up their record sheets and describe their findings. (children will find gravel most porous material) discuss use of gravel to make a dry, welldrained surface for garden paths and driveways.

Sand Gravel Water Measuring jugs Soil Result sheet

Week Four 30/01/06

To know there are a variety of useful gases

Remind children of the composition of air. Q Can you name any other gases that are not normally present in air? They maybe familiar with helium (used in party balloons) and natural gas (mostly methane, used for cooking and heating) Prompt chn to describe locations where ice, liquid water and water vapour are found in nature. Ask them to describe situations in which natural changes of state take place (evaporation from rivers and oceans, lakes freezing in winter and glaciers melting in summer).

Divide the class into grps and give each grp a card naming a gas. Ask the grps to use secondary sources to research the properties and uses of their named gases. Each group should record their findings on a poster to be displayed in the classroom. Divide the class into groups. Ask the groups to use secondary sources to research different aspects of water in the environment. Possible topics might include rainfall, erosion, glaciers, the water cycle, floods and icebergs. Each group could prepare a poster on their given topic.

Each group should display the poster they have prepared and describe their findings to the rest of the class. Each group should display their poster and describe their findings to the rest of the class.

Secondary resources, internet, CDROMs, science encyclopedias

Week Five 06/02/06

Week Six 13/02/06

To know where ice, liquid water and water vapour are found in the natural environment To know about evaporation and condensation in the water cycle, and about freezing and melting in erosion To assess the childrens knowledge and understanding of gases, the differences between gases, liquids and solids, and changes of state To assess the childrens ability to explain observations and to draw conclusions from measurements

Secondary resources, internet, CDROMs, science encyclopedias

Use a brief question and answer Children complete 2 assessment session to review the key learning activity sheets. points of the unit. Draw childrens attention to the posters, charts and experiments displayed around the room to remind them of the investigations they have made. They should recall the following facts: 1. We are surrounded by a mixture of gases that we call air. Air has mass. 2. Soil and other porous materials contain air.

Assessment papers

Review the question papers with the class, discussing each question and the different answers given by the children in turn.