| Objectives | Students will be able to: (1) explain that air is all around us even though we cannot see it; (2) demonstrate air takes up space; (3) draw a diagram showing air. |
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| Materials | Balloons, plastic bottles, paper, bucket of water, tissue, cup. |
| Key vocabulary | air, invisible, space, pressure, oxygen |
| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Ask: “What is in this empty cup? Nothing? Let’s find out!” Stuff a tissue in the cup, invert into water – tissue stays dry. “Air was trapped!” |
| Develop (main) | (35 min) 1. Discuss air is a mixture of gases (mainly nitrogen and oxygen). 2. Other demos: blow up balloon (air takes space), bottle in water bubbles. 3. Children draw a picture showing air taking up space. 4. Write a sentence: “Air is ___ (invisible but real).” 5. Discuss why we need air to breathe. |
| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Quick quiz: “What gas do we breathe in?” (Oxygen) |
| Assessment | Drawing shows air in a container; sentence explains. |
| Teacher notes | Keep it simple, no chemical formulas. |
| Objectives | Students will be able to: (1) list properties (invisible, odourless, tasteless, has weight, exerts pressure); (2) demonstrate that air has weight; (3) construct a balance with balloons. |
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| Materials | Two balloons, ruler, string, pin, worksheet. |
| Key vocabulary | weight, pressure, odourless, tasteless, property |
| Engage (starter) | (10 min) “Last time we saw air takes space. Does it weigh anything? Let’s test.” |
| Develop (main) | (35 min) 1. Blow two balloons equally. Tie to ends of a ruler balanced on a string. Pop one balloon – the other side dips, showing air has weight. 2. Discuss other properties. 3. Worksheet: match property to demonstration. 4. Write a description: “Air has weight. I know this because ___.” 5. Share. |
| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Class debate: “Can you see air?” (No, but we see its effects.) |
| Assessment | Worksheet correct; description includes evidence. |
| Teacher notes | Safe demo; do outside if possible. |
| Objectives | Students will be able to: (1) explain that wind is moving air; (2) describe how air pressure changes cause weather; (3) make a simple wind vane. |
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| Materials | Materials for wind vane (straw, pin, paper, pencil with eraser), pictures of weather. |
| Key vocabulary | wind, air pressure, high pressure, low pressure, breeze |
| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Blow across a piece of paper. “What made it move? Wind! Wind is moving air.” |
| Develop (main) | (35 min) 1. Discuss: sun heats Earth, warm air rises, cool air rushes in → wind. 2. Build a wind vane to detect wind direction. 3. Go outside to test. 4. Draw the wind vane and record direction. 5. Write about wind and weather. |
| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Share findings; compare wind direction today vs yesterday. |
| Assessment | Wind vane works; drawing/notes correct. |
| Teacher notes | Link to weather instruments. |
| Objectives | Students will be able to: (1) identify solid (ice), liquid (water), gas (steam); (2) explain melting, freezing, boiling; (3) draw a diagram of the changes. |
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| Materials | Ice cubes, kettle, diagram of states of matter, drawing paper. |
| Key vocabulary | solid, liquid, gas, melt, freeze, boil, evaporate |
| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Show ice. “What happens if I leave it out? It melts!” Show boiling water. “And if I heat water, it turns to steam.” |
| Develop (main) | (35 min) 1. Discuss the three states and the processes. 2. Children observe ice melting in their hands. 3. Draw a diagram showing solid ↔ liquid ↔ gas with arrows. 4. Label processes. 5. Write a paragraph explaining the changes. |
| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Act out the states: children huddle as solid, move apart as liquid, run as gas. |
| Assessment | Diagram correct; paragraph uses terms correctly. |
| Teacher notes | Precursor to water cycle. |
| Objectives | Students will be able to: (1) explain evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection; (2) draw a labelled diagram; (3) create a water cycle in a bag. |
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| Materials | Ziplock bags, water, blue food colouring, permanent markers, tape, diagram. |
| Key vocabulary | evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection, cycle |
| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Review the water forms. “Today we see how water travels around the Earth – the water cycle!” |
| Develop (main) | (35 min) 1. Explain each stage with the diagram. 2. Children create a water cycle in a bag: draw sun, cloud, sea on bag; add little coloured water; seal and tape to window. 3. Observe over days (evaporation and condensation will happen). 4. Draw and label the cycle in notebooks. 5. Write a sentence for each stage. |
| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Cycle chant: “Evaporate, condense, precipitate, collect!” |
| Assessment | Diagram labelled correctly; bag set up correctly. |
| Teacher notes | Revisit bag after a few days to see cycle. |