CECsci.145


TITLE:    MOLECULES and TEMPERATURE

AUTHOR:   Kathy D. Baim, Holy Rosary Elementary,
          Idaho Falls, Idaho

GRADE LEVEL:   Appropriate for Primary Grades

OVERVIEW and PURPOSE:  The study of molecular concepts,
especially their movement and relationship to
temperature, is difficult for primary children to
grasp.  Through language arts, science experiment and
movement activity, students will gain an understanding
of temperature and molecular movement.

OBJECTIVES:  Students will be able to:
1.  Explain that molecules are in everything living and
    nonliving.
2.  Explain that molecules are too small to see but we
    can watch their movement.
3.  Demonstrate molecular movement in hot and cold
    water and explain temperature rise and fall
    depending on molecular movement.
4.  Through oral and written expression demonstrate an
    understanding of the following vocabulary words:
    temperature, molecule, movement, molecular
    movement, particle, rise and fall.
5.  Through movement activity, demonstrate molecular
    movement as pertaining to rising and falling
    temperature.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS NEEDED:
Hot as an Ice Cube by Philip Balestrino
Two clear cups/bowls and food coloring
Observation page (see below)

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
A.  Read Hot as an Ice Cube by Philip Balestrino
    Concepts to develop:
    1.  Temperature is a measure of how hot or cold
        something is.
    2.  Adjectives to describe temperature  such as
        hot, cold, warm, lukewarm, chilly, sizzling and
        freezing.
    3.  Heating something makes its temperature rise.
        As it cools off its temperature falls.
    4.  Everything is made of tiny particles called
        molecules.
    5.  Molecules are always moving.
    6.  The faster the molecules in something move, the
        hotter it is.  The more you heat something, the
        faster the molecules move.  This is what causes
        its temperature to rise.
B.  Experiment-To see that molecules of water move
    faster when the water is hot.
    1.  Put water in two clear cups/bowls (one hot, one
        cold).
    2.  Allow the water to sit for a moment to stop
        movement.
    3.  Carefully put a drop of food coloring into the
        middle of each cup.
    4.  Observe the molecules move the food coloring
        around (rapidly in hot water, slowly in cold
        water).

C.  Observation page:
Name:  ______________________  Date:  _________________
Material:  ____________________________________________
Procedure (What I did): _______________________________

A picture of what I saw:



Here are things I noticed:
_______________________________________________________


TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
Extension Activity:  Small groups of children act out
being molecules.  They start out as frozen water
(clustered very still as frozen water molecules).
Pretend the temperature is gradually rising until it
reaches boiling (children move around rapidly) and then
let the temperature fall again.