Education: Classroom Activities

SALINITY & THE WATER CYCLE – OVERVIEW printer friendly Grade Levels: Elementary, Middle, and High School   GRADES K - 4: Properties of objects and materials Physical science content standard Activity (A) or Discussion (D) "Objects have many observable properties, including size, weight, shape, color, temperature, and the ability to react with other substances. Those properties can be measured using tools, such as rulers, balances, and thermometers." Liquid Rainbow (A): Students use analytical thinking by devising schemes to stack solutions of different densities "Materials can exist in different states – solid, liquid, and gas. Some common materials, such as water, can be changed from one state to another by heating or cooling." Water Cycle - Now You See It, Now You Don't (A): Students learn about the relationship between temperature, evaporation and condensation Evaporation Investigation (A): Students learn how water can "disappear" or evaporate into the air GRADES 5 - 8: Properties and changes of properties in matter "A substance has characteristic properties, such as density, boiling point, and solubility – all are independent of the sample amount. A mixture of substances often can be separated into the original substances using one or more of the characteristic properties." Potato Float (A): Students understand how the same object can both sink and float, depending on its density relative to a fluid Can Sea Water Freeze? (A): Students freeze liquids of varying salinity & learn how it relates to the buoyancy of sea ice and icebergs Properties of Fresh & Sea Water (A): Students conduct experiments on the boiling point, freezing point, and heat capacity of fresh water and sea water Transfer of energy "Heat moves in predictable ways, flowing from warmer objects to cooler ones, until both reach the same temperature." Density: Sea Water Mixing & Sinking (A): Students use temperature-salinity (T-S) diagrams to understand the importance of seawater density studies  GRADES 9 - 12: Structure of atoms "Matter is made of minute particles called atoms, and atoms are composed of even smaller components. These components have measurable properties, such as mass and electrical charge." Electrolysis of Salt Water (A): Students conduct an experiment to see that water can be split into its constituent ions through the process of electrolysis Structure and properties of matter "Bonds between atoms are created when electrons are paired up by being transferred or shared. Atoms may be bonded together into molecules or crystalline solids. A compound is formed when two or more kinds of atoms bind together chemically." The Nature of Salt (A): Students research the struture of salt to understand the difference between molecular compounds and ionic compounds

Questions or comments? Contact Annette deCharon, Senior Marine Education Scientist and Aquarius EPO Manager