DMS · School Lab · Teacher card
State Kitchen
The big question: When water warms up or cools down, where does it go? Does it disappear?
Goal: Children name melting, freezing and evaporation from what they observe, and use evidence to explain that evaporated water has not vanished but mixed into the air.
In the lesson
Lesson flow
| Step | What children do | min |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Ready? | Meets the ice tray, the pot, the safe toy stove, the open plate, the lidded jar and the thermometer. | ≤ 1 |
| 2 · What do I know? | Shows an answer to “Where does the water go when wet laundry dries?”: does it vanish or mix into the air? | 1 |
| 3 · In everyday life | Thinks about ice in the freezer, drying laundry and the mist from the teapot. | 1 |
| 4 · Predict | Predicts what will happen to the water on the open plate and in the closed jar; the prediction is locked in. | 1–2 |
| 5 · Try and observe | In sped-up time, the water line on the plate drops while the one in the jar stays put. | 2–5 |
| 6 · Why? | Learns the names melting, freezing and evaporation: the water didn't vanish, it became invisible. | 2–4 |
| 7 · Try something new | Tries the same water at different temperatures; melts ice and freezes water with the heat–cool slider. | 2–6 |
| 8 · My explorer notebook | Picks which of three short animations shows evaporation. | 1–3 |
| Off-screen activity, discussion and wrap-up | ≈ 15 | |
Class prediction vote
What will happen to the water on the open plate and in the closed jar after a week?
Discussion questions
- Why didn't the water in the jar go down?
- What if we put the plate in the sun?
- How do we know the water didn't vanish?
Avoid saying: “When water evaporates, it disappears.”
Say instead: “When water evaporates, it mixes into the air. We can't see it, but it hasn't disappeared.”
Off-screen activity for the teacher's desk: Plate and jar
Pour the same amount of water into two identical containers and close one. Mark the water levels with tape and leave both on the teacher's desk. Check the marks together the next day.
You need: Two identical clear containers (one with a lid) · Water · Clear tape and a pen
Details
Grades and learning outcomes
- Grade 4: F.4.4.3.1 (2018 curriculum), F.4.4.3.2 (2018 curriculum), F.4.4.4.1 (2018 curriculum), F.4.4.4.2 (2018 curriculum) · Equivalent from 2027–28: FB.4.4.1, FB.4.4.2
Scope
No particle model, no mass or volume of gases and no condensation (2018 curriculum); changes are shown with drops, mist and the thermometer.
Misconceptions
- “Evaporated water disappears.” → The water line in the closed jar stays put while the one on the open plate drops: the water has mixed into the air.
Getting ready
- Open the lab on the board; grade 4 is selected.
- For the screen-free activity: two identical clear containers (one with a lid), water, clear tape and a pen.
- The stove is only a symbol; in a real experiment, only the teacher handles hot surfaces.
This lab is mapped to learning outcomes F.4.4.3.1, F.4.4.3.2, F.4.4.4.1 and F.4.4.4.2 of the Turkish Ministry of National Education's 2018 Science curriculum. It has not been reviewed or approved by the Ministry of National Education (MEB) or its Board of Education (TTKB).
From the 2027–28 school year, the grade 4 equivalent in the Türkiye Century Maarif Model is FB.4.4.1 and FB.4.4.2.