Science: Properties of Matter
Observing and describing solids, liquids, and gases
Science: Properties of Matter
Observing and describing solids, liquids, and gases
Science - Grade 2-3
- 1
A rock keeps its own shape when you put it on a table. Is the rock a solid, liquid, or gas? Explain how you know.
Think about whether the object changes shape on its own.
The rock is a solid because it keeps its own shape and does not flow to fill a container. - 2
Water is poured from a cup into a bowl. Is water a solid, liquid, or gas? Explain your answer.
Water is a liquid because it can be poured and it changes shape to fit the bowl. - 3
Air fills a balloon. Is air a solid, liquid, or gas? Explain how you know.
Think about what happens to air inside a container.
Air is a gas because it spreads out and fills the space inside the balloon. - 4
Name one property of a wooden block that you can observe with your eyes or hands.
One property of a wooden block is that it is hard. It also has a shape you can see and feel. - 5
A cup of juice takes the shape of the cup. What does this tell you about juice?
Liquids do not keep their own shape.
This tells me that juice is a liquid because it takes the shape of its container. - 6
Steam rises from hot soup. Is the steam most like a solid, liquid, or gas? Explain.
Steam is most like a gas because it moves through the air and spreads out. - 7
Which one is soft: a pillow or a metal spoon? Write a sentence that tells the property.
Use your sense of touch to think about the answer.
A pillow is soft. Softness is a property we can observe by touch. - 8
A coin is shiny and hard. Are shiny and hard properties of matter? Explain.
Yes, shiny and hard are properties of matter because they are ways we can describe the coin. - 9
Does sand act more like one big solid object or many tiny solid pieces? Explain your thinking.
Think about each grain of sand by itself.
Sand acts like many tiny solid pieces because each grain is a solid even though the grains can be poured. - 10
If you put milk into a bottle, what shape will the milk have? Explain.
The milk will have the shape of the bottle because milk is a liquid. - 11
A student says a basketball is a liquid because it can move. Is that correct? Explain why or why not.
Moving does not always mean something is a liquid.
That is not correct. A basketball is a solid because it keeps its own shape even when it can roll and move. - 12
Choose the best word to describe glass: rough, clear, or sticky. Explain why that word fits.
Clear is the best word to describe glass because you can usually see through it. - 13
What happens to the shape of a gas when it is put into a jar?
Gases spread to fill the space they are in.
A gas spreads out and takes the shape of the jar because it fills the space inside the container. - 14
An ice cube and liquid water are both made of water. How are their shapes different?
An ice cube has its own shape because it is a solid, but liquid water changes shape to fit its container. - 15
Look at a rubber ball. Write two properties you could use to describe it.
Think about how it looks and how it feels or acts.
I could describe the rubber ball as round and bouncy. These are observable properties of matter.