1. Changes in Matter Big Idea 9 – SC.4.P.9.1
Department of Mathematics and Science
Office of Academics and Transformation

2. Benchmark Descriptions
SC.4.P.9.1 – Identify some familiar changes in materials that result in other materials with different characteristics, such as decaying animal or plant matter, burning, rusting, and cooking.

3. What is Matter? Matter is anything that takes up space and has weight.
Matter has three forms.
Matter can be a solid, a liquid, or a gas.
Matter can be described by its properties.
Matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms.

4. What do we know about solids, liquids, and gases?
Solids have a definite shape and a definite volume.
Liquids have definite volume but take the shape of the containers.
Gases take the shape and volume of the containers.

5. Take a piece of paper and change it in some way.
How did you change your piece of paper it? Folding Bending Tearing Cutting Crumpling Why are the changes that you made to the paper just physical changes? The paper is still paper. You can unfold it.
Explore:

6. Physical change is often due to a change in temperature
How does heat affect physical changes? Some types of matter change state when enough heat is added to it (melting) or taken away from it (freezing). What are some examples of each?
Explore: Click on the hyperlink: Physical change is often due to a change in temperature and explore a FOSS site showing the effects of objects placed in the freezer. Review with students the temperature of the freezer - 0 ̊ Celsius or 32 ̊ Fahrenheit
Explain and evaluate: Answer How does heat affect physical changes? Have students give examples.
Water freezes at 0 ̊ Celsius or 32 ̊ Fahrenheit

7. More on Physical Changes
What is happening to the ice cubes?
They’re melting.
If you add enough heat energy to ice, it turns into liquid water, then it turns into a gas called water vapor.
If you cool the substance, by taking away heat energy, you can reverse these changes.
You can change a gas into a liquid and
a liquid into a solid.
What type of change is this?
Changing from one state to another state is an example of a physical change.
Explore and Explain: Teacher should place ice cubes in clear plastic cups on students’ desk. Students should record observations in their science journals. Then discuss what is happening to the ice cubes.

8. What is a Physical Change?
Crushing
Folding
Bending
Tearing
Cutting
Crumbling
Sanding
Smashing
Peeling
Melting *
Freezing *
*Changing from one state of matter to another.
EXPLAIN: click on hyperlink to watch 2:13 mins. video from Discovery Education -

9. What are some physical properties of matter?
Color
Texture
Odor
Size
Volume
Mass
Solid, Liquid, or Gas
Magnetic
Floats or sinks
Boiling point
Melting point
EXPLORE: Ask students to look around the classroom and identify matter and its physical properties. Example: teacher’s desk (solid, has mass, color…etc.)

10. What are Physical Changes of Matter?
A physical change is a change in the physical properties of matter. The matter changed in how it looks, but what it is made out of does not change.
A change that takes place when a substance changes in size, shape or form. The particles of matter do not change.
Explain/Evaluate: Student discuss and define what physical changes are. Ask students to write and illustrate examples of physical changes of matter.

11. What are Chemical Changes?
ENGAGE: Click on the hyperlink to watch a 6:10 mins. Discovery Education video on Chemical Changes. Then have students look at the clip art and ask students why the pictures are examples of chemical changes.

12. Chemical Changes Chemical changes produce new substances
that have different properties than the original
substances.
What are some examples of chemical changes?
Burning
Rusting
Cooking and baking
Explain/Evaluate: Student discuss and define what chemical changes are. Ask students to write and illustrate examples of chemical changes of matter.

13. More on Chemical Changes
Fresh Leaves
Decaying Leaves
EXPLAIN: Have students discuss by observing the clipart.
Suggest reasons: the leaves died and fell off the tree and no longer have their source of energy through photosynthesis. The dead leaves react with the oxygen in the air and break down (decompose).
Why did the leaves change?

14. What are some examples of chemical properties?
Corrosion of metal—when iron combines with oxygen in the air, rust forms
Gas bubbles— Baking soda combines with vinegar, carbon dioxide forms
A change in color (browning of fruit - decay) – an apple is peeled and reaction with oxygen in the air
Chemical changes change the chemical nature and properties of substances to form new substances.
Explain and evaluate:

15. What are some examples of evidence that a chemical change took place?
Signs
Change in odor
Change in color
Change in taste
Change in mass
Forming bubbles (giving off a gas)
Giving off smoke
Giving off light

16. Hands On Activity Big Idea 9: Changes in Matter
Change in Temperature Lab
Adapted from American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action
Refer to Change in Temperature Lab Power Point Presentation
at Science Website Instructional Resources Grade 4 Quarter 1
Explore: Refer to Change in Temperature Lab Power Point Presentation
at Science Website Instructional Resources Grade 4 Quarter 1
Department of Science

17. Compare and Contrast Property Changes
Physical change
Chemical changes
A physical change is a change in the physical properties of matter. The matter changed in how it looks, but what it is made out of does not change.
A change that takes place when a substance changes in size, shape or form. The particles of matter do not change.
A chemical change is a change in the chemical properties of matter. A chemical change occurs when two or more kinds of matter combine to form a new substance with different properties.
A change that takes place when a substance is completely altered. The particles of matter do change.
Explain and Evaluate:

18. Review
What is a chemical change? Answer: A chemical change produces substances that have new properties. How is a chemical change different than a physical change? Answer: A physical change does not produce new substances like a chemical change does. It only changes physical properties. How is heat involved in chemical changes? Answer: Sometimes heating can cause chemical changes. Sometimes chemical changes give off heat. How is heat involved in physical changes? Answer: Sometimes adding heat to matter can change its state -when enough heat is added to it can cause melting or if heat is taken away it can cause freezing of the matter.
Explain and evaluate:

19. Quiz: Decide if each example is a physical or chemical change.
Change Scenario
Physical or chemical
Water boiling into steam
An ice cream melting
A bicycle rusting in the rain
A banana turning brown
Tearing paper into pieces
A candle wick burning
Water freezing into ice
A carton of milk going sour
A loaf of bread cut into slices
Burning toast in the toaster
Evaluate: Quiz

20. Chemical Change Resources:
Free Brain POP:
Matter Changing
Property Changes
Scholastic Study Jams:
Physical & Chemical Changes of Matter
CHEM4KIDS:
Changing States of Matter
Chemical Reactions
Discovery Education Science Content:
Exploration: Chemical Changes
Reading Passage: Keep it in the Dark
Video: Chemical Changes
Video: Chemical Reactions
Resources