Ridgeview Academy Science Lab
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MATTER:
There are 3 "states" of matter that students will be learning about:
    Solids - anything that has and keeps its own shape (pillows, tables, dvds, etc.)
                 Solids have a definite shape and a definite volume
    Liquids - anything that changes shape to fit its container/can usually be poured (water, syrup, 
                  oceans, lemonade, etc.); Liquids have definite volume, but no definite shape
    Gases - anything that does not have its own shape and can spread out to fill any space around it
                (oxygen, helium, fire, etc.);  Gases do not have a fixed volume nor a fixed shape

All matter has "properties" and students will be asked to recognize and classify matter based on various physical properties such as:
    ** mass, shape, volume, color, hardness, odor, taste, texture, and attraction to magnets **
        Mass = the amount of matter an object contains
        Volume = the amount of space an object takes up
        Hardness = How hard or soft an object is
        Texture = How an object feels

Some materials will dissolve in water and some will not.
        *Stirring the mixture and increasing the temperature will SPEED UP the dissolving process
        *The surface area is another condition that can speed up or slow down the dissolving process

Physical and Chemical changes are often affected by temperature:
        Physical Change = A change that begins and ends with the same type of matter; changes can be 
                                    in size, shape, position, texture, or state (ex.- water freezing from a liquid 
                                    into solid ice is STILL water, just its state of matter has changed) 
        Chemical Change = a change in the matter itself; substance starts as one type of matter and
                                     ends up as another type of matter (ex.- 2 Hydrogen atoms combining with
                                     oxygen to create water or mixing ingredients together to form cake batter)
        *Students will need to know the terms:  melting, freezing, boiling, evaporation, and condensation
        *Students will need to know that chemical changes can be decaying plant and animal material,
           burning, rusting, and cooking.

ENERGY: 
There are the 6 basic types of energy that students will be responsible for knowing by 5th Grade.  I will be introducing the first 3 types in 1st and 2nd grade and will add 1 to 2 more types in each grade level thereafter:  
                                               heat, light, sound, electrical, chemical, and mechanical

Students are responsible for knowing the following:
    *That light travels in a straight line until it hits another object.        
    *Light can be reflected, refracted, and absorbed.
            Reflection = when light BOUNCES off of one surface to another (ex- light from a flashlight 
                                bouncing off of the floor onto the ceiling).
            Refraction = when light is BENT as it passes through 2 different types of matter 
                                (ex- when a straw looks bent in a glass of water).
    *Things that give off light often give off heat also.
    *Heat is produced when 1 object rubs against another object (ex- rubbing your hands together).
    *Heat flows from a hot object into a cold object.
    *Sound is produced by vibrations and pitch depends on how fast or slow the object vibrates.

Energy can cause motion (movement) or create change (ex- heating water changes it into vapor).

Electrical energy can be transformed in heat, light, sound, and motion.
        *The Sun can heat objects/when the Sun is not present, heat may be lost
        *Heat flows from a hot object into a cold object and may cause materials to change temps
        *Common materials that conduct heat well are metals
        *Materials such as styrofoam and rubber conduct heat poorly
        *Electrically charged objects can attract or repel another charged object even without contact
        *Electricity requires a CLOSED CIRCUIT to flow completely
        *COPPER is the best conductor of electicity (ex- like the copper wires in our homes)
        *RUBBER is the best insulator (ex- this is why all electrical cords are wrapped in rubber)

FORCES & CHANGE in MOTION:
Forces are anything that causes an object to move, such as pushes, pulls, gravity, friction, and magnetic force.
        *Magnets can attract magnetic materials, such as iron, nickel, and cobalt.
        *Magnets can ATTRACT or REPEL other magnets based on their poles.
             Attract = to pull together; when a North Pole of a magnet meets a South Pole of another 
                          magnet; "Opposites Attract"
           Repel = to push apart in opposite directions; when like poles of a magnet meet one another
              Friction = a resistance to movement (ex- the tires of a bike encounter less friction on a 
                          sidewalk than they do in the grass/the grass creates more friction)
The greater the force applied to an object, the greater the change in the motion of that object.
    (ex.- if you hit a ball with a great force it will travel a great distance/if the ball is barely hit, it
            will only travel a short distance)
    *An object in motion always changes its position and may change its direction
    *Objects can move at different speeds
                Speed = the distance an object travels in a certain amount of time
    *The more mass found in an object, the greater the force needed to affect its motion
        (ex- less force is needed to move an empty desk than a desk full of books and papers)

                                                 HOPE THIS HELPS!  :)

          
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