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Discuss:

Say you wanted to make a bunch of lion-shaped popsicles.

How do you think popsicle companies make lots of copies, without having to carve each one?

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Discuss:

Why do you think toy companies started using plastic instead of wood? What do you think might be so special about plastic?

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Discuss: (1/2)

Can you think of any other materials with this property? What else melts besides ice, plastic, metal, and glass?

For a hint, go to the next slide...

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Hint:

Is there anything you eat that melts?

Here is what we thought of...

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Discuss: (2/2)

Some candy melts. How can you test different kinds of candy to find out which kinds melt and which kinds don’t?

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Extend this lesson

Assessments

View all extensions

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## Extensions

Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration which you just completed.

Lesson Assessment and Answer Key
Reading: Three readings with comprehension questions.
Picture discussion: How did this happen?
Videos: See metal and glass in their LIQUID form.

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# Readings

These readings are free with registration on ReadWorks, a nonprofit committed to providing teachers with research-proven, Common-Core-aligned readings. All readings include comprehension questions.

Colorful Crayonstells how crayons are made, starting with melted wax.
Breakfast Timedescribes how some breakfast foods change when they’re heated.
A Camping Tripdescribes how marshmallows change when they are roasted over a fire.

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##Picture discussion: The Big Stretch

How did this glass bottle get so stretched? Watch the glass video on the next slide for a clue.
stretchbottle

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## Videos

Metal and glass are meltable. But to turn these materials from solid to liquid, you have to get them really really hot.

Glass melts 1: With a hot flame, this glass blower makes a glass tube soft enough to stretch.
Glass melts 2: A skilled glass worker shapes a horse out of hot glass.
Metal melts: Aluminum melts to make a shiny liquid that you can pour.

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material

1 of 13

what something is made of, like metal, wood, or plastic

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metal

2 of 13

a natural material that is often shiny and you cannot see through it

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wood

3 of 13

a natural material that comes from trees

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plastic

4 of 13

a material people make that can be formed into almost any shape

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glass

5 of 13

a material people make that's easy to see through

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matter

6 of 13

anything that takes up space; can be in different forms such as solid, liquid, or gas

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states of matter

7 of 13

the different forms of matter that include solid, liquid, and gas

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solid

8 of 13

a state of matter, such as water when it is frozen ice

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liquid

9 of 13

a state of matter, such as water when you can pour it

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freeze

10 of 13

when a liquid turns to solid, like when liquid water freezes to solid ice

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melt

11 of 13

when a solid turns into a liquid, like when ice melts into water

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invention

12 of 13

a new object or way of doing things that someone creates

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experiment

13 of 13

a test used to discover new information about a question

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Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration

doll by Gabby , used under CC BY

legos by Priwo , used under CC BY

superman toy by JD Hancock , used under CC BY

toy car by Emi Yañez , used under CC BY

old photo by Grandview This Week

blocks by Josh Wedin , used under CC BY

horse by Garrison Gunter , used under CC BY-SA

wood car by Collectie Stichting Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen , used under CC BY-SA

carving video by Gene Messer , used under CC BY

wooden lion by Ostheimer Toys , used under CC BY

xacto knife by Just plain Bill

zoo pops by World Wonders , used under CC BY

ice cubes by Liz West , used under CC BY

Ice cube melting by HeyHondo , used under CC BY

ice cube tray by Leif Maxfield , used under CC BY

yeti ice tray by Fred & Friends , used under CC BY

holding ice by AppleSister , used under CC BY-SA

wood by Elke Wetzig , used under CC BY-SA

Edmund Parkes by Barraud , used under CC BY

flask by Databese Center for Life Science , used under CC BY

zombie plastic soldiers by Scientifical Hamster , used under CC BY

army man by davidd , used under CC BY

dinosaur mold by Ron's Rescued Treasures , used under CC BY

lego man by sprout_labs , used under CC BY

Activity

mailbox by CGP Grey , used under CC BY

sign by Richard Leonard , used under CC BY

truck driving by Per , used under CC BY-SA

melting chocolate bar by Shizhao , used under CC BY-SA

caramel by Rainer Zenz , used under CC BY-SA

gummy bears by David O'Hare , used under CC BY

starburst candy by Evan-Amos

Credits

“I LOVED this lesson. I really liked how it gave the children a concrete example of how the properties of a material can influence the way that people make decisions. I also loved how it connected a popular toy to their learning which kept them engaged. The structure of the mystery science lessons is AMAZING! Mixing both the visuals/videos with task analysis of the experiments makes it not only engaging but so manageable to do in the classroom with no help. Thanks for all your hard work creating these mystery science and mystery doug for my students and I to enjoy. Keep up the great work!!”

“Students were very engaged. They were excited about the exploration and the problem put forth. They had some great discussions with each other about properties of materials and how they can change.”

“The kids got so excited to watch the different candies melt while others held their form. Of course they also liked getting to eat the leftover candy. The glass blowing and aluminum videos were very cool!”

“This lesson was so great to kick off our 5th grade unit on properties of matter! The kids were so amazed by the process and were hooked by the videos. We don't know what we would do without mystery science!!!”

“Kids loved the idea of meltability! We even extended the activity and melted old crayons, using our playground to find the most heat conducting structure to put the cups with broke crayons into. Very fun! ”

“The candy activity was so much fun. We heated the water more & got some to melt. Then we let the chocolate harden -- one on the counter, one in the fridge, one in the freezer. We compared their firmness later -- and ate them. :) The kids also really liked the videos about the glassblower and the making of the sword.”

“My students absolutely LOVED doing the experiment! They bragged about it to the other third grade students and the students who were absent when we did the experience were extremely jealous. The videos were engaging and they brought the curiosity out in my students. We had some amazing discussions with the prompts that the lesson gave. This was my first lesson taught from Mystery Science and I am looking forward to teaching more to my students...they are all looking forward to it as well!”

“LOVED this lesson! I liked how the video had turn & talk questions embedded throughout. The students were engaged with the authenticity of the task. The clear directions, the prep list, and the students' recording sheet were very helpful. We also loved the extension activities!”

“My principal sat in on the lesson and was surprised to see how engaged all the students were. She commented on the excitement she saw on their faces and the discussions that were taking place. This lesson fit very well in the Danielson Domains that I am evaluated on.”

“The students really liked the video on plastics, the inventor of plastics and making the connection to science. They loved the experiment and it was easy to do. The step by step how to do the experiment was fantastic and easy for students to follow along. The stop and discuss was portions would perfect as well. thank you! I also shared what we did and hopefully other teachers will do it too! ”

“I LOVE Mystery Science, and my students do, too. The lessons are complete, easy to prepare and manage, especially with the step-by-step videos. Thanks for making science easy and accessible for all 28 of our third grade students.”

Testing Candy for Camp Way-Too-Hot worksheet	30 copies
Coolers To keep the water warm. You can line a cardboard box with bath towels to create a homemade cooler.	Details 1 cooler
Rulers Used to keep the candy submerged in warm water. Popsicle stick or spoon will also work.	Details 30 rulers
Candy Variety 1 (Ex: Gummy Bears) Candy with a low melting point. Gummy worms or other gelatin based candies work	Details 5 fun-size packs
Candy Variety 2 (Ex: Starburst) Candy with a medium melting point. Caramels or Butterscotch Chips work	Details 1 11-oz bag
Candy Variety 3 (Ex: Jelly Beans) Candy with a high melting point. Gumdrops or Swedish Fish also work.	Details 5 ounces
Chocolate Chips May melt and re-solidify en-route. Still usable. A square of chocolate works too.	Details 6 ounces
Plastic Containers w/ Lids Will be used to hold hot water.	Details 15 containers
Thick Paper Plates These plates are used for insulation so thin plates won't work. Styrofoam plates also work.	Details 15 plates
Ziploc Bags (Sandwich Size) Snack size Ziploc bags also work.	Details 30 bags

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Why are so many toys made out of plastic?

Vocabulary