Science: Heating and Cooling Changes
Observing how temperature can change materials
Science: Heating and Cooling Changes
Observing how temperature can change materials
Science - Grade 2-3
- 1
An ice cube is left on a warm kitchen counter. What change will happen to the ice cube, and why?
Think about what happens to ice in a drink on a warm day.
The ice cube will melt into liquid water because heat from the room warms the ice. - 2
A tray of water is put into a freezer. What change will happen to the water after a few hours?
The liquid water will freeze and become solid ice because the freezer removes heat from the water. - 3
Circle the change caused by heating: water freezing into ice, butter melting in a pan, or juice getting colder in the refrigerator.
Heating means adding warmth to something.
Butter melting in a pan is caused by heating because the pan warms the butter until it changes from a solid to a liquid. - 4
Circle the change caused by cooling: chocolate melting in your hand, soup getting hotter on the stove, or water turning into ice.
Water turning into ice is caused by cooling because the water loses heat and becomes a solid. - 5
A crayon is left near a sunny window. It becomes soft and starts to lose its shape. Is this change caused by heating or cooling? Explain.
Sunlight can warm objects.
This change is caused by heating because the sunlight warms the crayon and makes the wax softer. - 6
Mia pours warm water into a cup and then adds ice cubes. After a few minutes, the ice cubes are smaller. What happened?
The ice cubes melted because heat from the warm water moved into the ice. - 7
A wet towel is hung outside on a hot day. Later, the towel is dry. What happened to the water in the towel?
Heat can help liquid water change into a gas.
The water in the towel evaporated, which means it changed from liquid water into water vapor in the air. - 8
A glass of cold lemonade sits on a table. Water drops form on the outside of the glass. Did the lemonade leak? Explain what most likely happened.
Cold surfaces can make water vapor in the air turn into tiny drops.
The lemonade did not need to leak for drops to form. Water vapor in the air cooled on the cold glass and changed into liquid drops. - 9
Write one example of a solid changing into a liquid when it is heated.
One example is an ice cube melting into liquid water when it is heated. - 10
Write one example of a liquid changing into a solid when it is cooled.
Think about something you can make in an ice cube tray.
One example is water freezing into ice when it is cooled in a freezer. - 11
A pot of water is heated on a stove. After a while, steam rises from the pot. What change is happening to some of the water?
Some of the liquid water is changing into water vapor, which is a gas, because it is being heated. - 12
Liam puts a spoonful of melted chocolate in the refrigerator. Later, the chocolate is hard again. What caused this change?
The refrigerator makes things colder.
Cooling caused the melted chocolate to become solid again because the refrigerator removed heat from it. - 13
Some changes can be reversed. Choose one: ice melting into water or paper burning to ash. Which change can be reversed by cooling, and how?
Reversed means changed back to the way it was before.
Ice melting into water can be reversed by cooling. The liquid water can be put in a freezer so it changes back into solid ice.