As a culminating activity in our Solids and Liquids unit, the four teachers on the first grade team decided to do a hands-on collaborative experience with students visiting each classroom for a different activity. Each activity had a common goal--students would engage in a hands-on exploration of changing states of matter. The activities included:
- Shake It!: Making Whipped Cream
- Explorations with Oobleck
- Jello: What is it, anyway?
- Chocolate: Solid to Liquid to Solid
We rotated our classes to each teacher over two days: two 20-minute periods on day one and two 20-minute periods on day two. Each student visited each activity once. After everyone had visited each "station," they had to complete a "Start-Change-End" diagram about the activity of their choice. This diagram was our "Formative Assessment" to see how students were progressing with their understanding of how matter changes state. This diagram was differentiated a bit further--students could choose to draw and write about the process or just write about it. For students well below grade level, scribing was an accommodation.
Students loved visiting other classrooms and learning from other teachers. They also seemed to really gain understanding of one of the unit's essential questions: How does the ability of matter to change state make a difference in our world? These experiments helped make the cooking aspect of solids/liquids take shape for many students.
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