Science

Ages 5-11

States of Matter

Students will create a brief stop-motion video to show the three states of matter.

Objective

In this activity, students will demonstrate their understanding of the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Using stop-motion animation, they'll build a model that demonstrates how anything that takes up space and weight is one of the three states of matter.

Overview

Topic	Chemistry
Target age	7 to 9 years old
Ideal group size	2 or 3 students
Time to complete	2 to 3 class periods

Activity

1. Working cooperatively in groups of 2 or 3, students will plan and design a stop-motion video on the three states of matter.
2. Student groups will need to make decisions about what techniques to incorporate into their movies. They will ask questions about how to best show the three states of matter: real-life objects or images? What's the best method for showing the molecules, for example, clay or photos?
3. The final project must include an explanation and examples of each of the three states of matter, along with the difference in the molecule structure.
4. As students view each other's movies, have them engage in "think, pair, share" conversations in which they first form their opinions about the movie, then share it with a peer.

Rubric

This sample rubric can help teachers access the project.

Sample Video