Ice is Water, Water is Ice

Carnegie Institution of Washington Carnegie Academy for Science Education, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

This lesson invites young students to inquire about phase changes, about what happens as water changes into ice and as ice changes into water, observing ice melting and freezing under a variety of conditions.

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Notes from our reviewers

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The teaching tips are written throughout the teacher guide. This activity is extensive and will allow for a great science learning experience. Best for in-person classroom environment. Early elementary grades may need more support in understanding molecular structure, or the first activity can be skipped.
This lesson establishes an understanding of phase transition and atomic theory. Students observe what happens as water changes into ice and ice changes into water under a variety of conditions. Students use observations and measurements to describe the patterns and phases ice and water go through depending on the temperature applied. There are several points of discussion and suggested questions for the educator to expand on the scientific theory and the scientific method. The related literature at the end is from reputable sources. Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.
The three activities in this lesson (kinesthetic warm up, teacher demonstration, measure/observe) allow all types of learners to be engaged and creates a space for student inquiry. The lesson differentiates activities/concepts to be used with students PreK-2 and 3-5. A variety of possibilities are given for both ice melting and ice freezing activities as well as types of measurements that can be used with students with different levels of concrete understanding. There is an "assessment criteria" page for use in evaluating the students understanding.