Lesson Plan
Mix It Up!
Students will be able to define a mixture and identify that the components of a mixture retain their physical properties after observing and experimenting with different mixtures.
Understanding mixtures helps us make sense of the world around us, from the air we breathe to the food we eat. It's a key concept in science and everyday problem-solving.
Audience
5th Grade Students
Time
45 minutes
Approach
Hands-on exploration, direct instruction, and guided practice.
Materials
- Warm Up: What's Blending?, - Mix It Up! Slide Deck, - Mix It Up! Script, - Common classroom supplies (cups, spoons, water, sand, salt, pebbles, iron filings, magnets), - Mixture Mania Worksheet, and - Cool Down: Mixture Mastery
Prep
Teacher Preparation
15 minutes
- Review the Mix It Up! Lesson Plan and all generated materials, including the Warm Up: What's Blending?, Mix It Up! Slide Deck, Mix It Up! Script, Mixture Mania Worksheet, and Cool Down: Mixture Mastery.
- Gather materials for mixture demonstrations/activities: clear cups, spoons, water, sand, salt, pebbles, iron filings, magnets.
- Prepare example mixtures if desired (e.g., trail mix, salt water).
Step 1
Warm-Up: What's Blending?
5 minutes
- Distribute the Warm Up: What's Blending? to each student.
2. Instruct students to answer the questions individually.
3. After 3 minutes, ask students to share their responses with a partner.
4. Briefly discuss a few answers as a whole class to gauge prior knowledge and pique interest.
Step 2
Introduction to Mixtures (Slides & Script)
10 minutes
- Begin the lesson using the Mix It Up! Slide Deck and the Mix It Up! Script.
2. Introduce the concept of mixtures, emphasizing that components retain their properties.
3. Show examples of mixtures (e.g., salad, trail mix, sand and pebbles). Discuss how each part is still itself.
Step 3
Mixture Exploration Stations (Activity)
15 minutes
- Divide students into small groups.
2. Provide each group with materials for 2-3 different mixtures (e.g., water/sand, water/salt, sand/iron filings, pebbles/sand) in separate clear cups.
3. Instruct students to observe each mixture carefully, discussing what they see, feel, and predict.
4. Guide them to try to separate the mixtures using simple physical means (e.g., decanting, using a magnet for iron filings, observation for pebbles).
5. Emphasize that even when mixed, the individual substances maintain their characteristics.
Step 4
Mixture Mania Worksheet
10 minutes
- Distribute the Mixture Mania Worksheet.
2. Instruct students to complete the worksheet, documenting their observations and answering questions about the mixtures they explored and discussed.
3. Circulate to provide support and answer questions.
Step 5
Cool Down: Mixture Mastery
5 minutes
- Distribute the Cool Down: Mixture Mastery.
2. Have students answer the reflection question individually.
3. Collect the cool-down slips as an exit ticket to assess understanding.
Warm Up
Warm Up: What's Blending?
Think about making a fruit salad. You put different fruits together in a bowl.
1. What happens to the strawberries when you mix them with blueberries and grapes? Do they change into a new kind of fruit?
2. If you wanted to pick out all the strawberries from the fruit salad, could you? How?
3. Can you think of another example of mixing things where the individual parts stay the same?
Slide Deck
Mix It Up! Exploring Mixtures
What happens when you combine different things?
Welcome students and introduce the topic of mixtures. Ask them if they can think of examples of things they mix in their daily lives.
What is a Mixture?
A mixture is when two or more substances are combined, but they are not chemically changed.
Think about a fruit salad, a bowl of cereal, or a toy bin! Each part keeps its own identity.
Define what a mixture is using simple language. Provide clear examples and contrast with solutions if students bring it up, but keep the focus on mixtures for now.
Key Idea: They Keep Their Stuff!
Even when you mix things together, the individual parts in a mixture keep their own physical properties.
- Color? Still the same!
- Shape? Still the same!
- Size? Still the same!
Emphasize the key concept: physical properties. Ask students to brainstorm what 'physical properties' might mean (e.g., color, shape, size, texture).
Examples of Mixtures
- Trail Mix: You can see the nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.
- Salad: You can see the lettuce, tomatoes, and croutons.
- Sand and Pebbles: You can easily tell the sand from the pebbles.
Provide visual examples. Engage students by asking them to identify the components and how they can still see them.
Your Turn: Investigate Mixtures!
Today, you'll be scientists!
We'll work in groups to explore different mixtures and see if we can still identify the individual parts.
Transition to the hands-on activity. Explain that they will be exploring different mixtures and observing how the components remain distinct.
Script
Mix It Up! Teacher Script
Warm-Up: What's Blending? (5 minutes)
Teacher: "Good morning, everyone! Let's get our brains warmed up today with a quick activity. I've handed out a Warm Up: What's Blending? sheet. Please take a few minutes to read the questions and write down your answers individually."
(Allow 3 minutes for individual work)
Teacher: "Alright, now I'd like you to turn to a partner and share your responses. Discuss what you wrote down for each question."
(Allow 1-2 minutes for partner discussion)
Teacher: "Can a few brave volunteers share some of their thoughts with the class? For question 1, what happens to the strawberries in a fruit salad? Do they change?"
(Call on 2-3 students. Guide them to the idea that the strawberries remain strawberries.)
Teacher: "Excellent! And for question 2, if you wanted to pick out the strawberries, could you? How?"
(Call on 1-2 students. Elicit responses like 'yes, by hand' or 'using a spoon'. Introduce the idea of separation.)
Teacher: "Great ideas! Hold onto those thoughts, because today we're going to explore this idea even further."
Introduction to Mixtures (10 minutes) - Using Mix It Up! Slide Deck
(Advance to Slide 1: Mix It Up! Exploring Mixtures)
Teacher: "Take a look at our first slide. Today, we're going to be talking all about mixtures. Has anyone heard that word before in science class, or even just in everyday life? What does 'mix' usually mean?"
(Allow a few student responses.)
(Advance to Slide 2: What is a Mixture?)
Teacher: "In science, a mixture is exactly what it sounds like: it's when two or more substances are combined, but they are not chemically changed. This is super important! It means that when you mix them, each part still keeps its own identity. It's like a fruit salad – the strawberries don't turn into grapes just because they're in the same bowl! Can you think of another example of a mixture you've seen? Maybe in cooking, or even in your classroom?"
(Encourage examples like cereal and milk, a sandpit, a pencil case.)
(Advance to Slide 3: Key Idea: They Keep Their Stuff!)
Teacher: "So, the big idea for today is that even when you mix things together, the individual parts in a mixture keep their own physical properties. What are some physical properties you can think of? What do you use your senses to observe about an object?"
(Guide students to mention color, shape, size, texture, smell, ability to float/sink.)
Teacher: "Exactly! The color stays the same, the shape stays the same, the size stays the same. They don't magically become a new substance."
(Advance to Slide 4: Examples of Mixtures)
Teacher: "Let's look at some examples on the slide. We have trail mix, salad, and sand and pebbles. In each of these, you can easily see, or even pick out, the different components. You can still identify the nuts in trail mix, right? They haven't turned into a chewy paste!"
(Advance to Slide 5: Your Turn: Investigate Mixtures!)
Teacher: "Today, you're going to be scientists and investigate some mixtures yourselves!"
Mixture Exploration Stations (Activity) (15 minutes)
Teacher: "Now, I'm going to divide you into small groups. Each group will have some cups with different mixtures. Your job is to observe each mixture carefully. Talk with your group: What do you see? What do you feel (if it's safe to touch, like sand)? What do you predict? Then, try to separate the mixtures using the simple tools provided, like your hands or a magnet. Remember, we are looking to see if the individual substances still maintain their characteristics even after being mixed."
(Divide students into groups. Distribute materials: clear cups with different mixtures such as water/sand, water/salt, sand/iron filings, pebbles/sand, along with magnets if iron filings are used. Circulate and facilitate discussion, asking guiding questions like: 'What are the parts of this mixture?' 'How do you know?' 'Can you separate them?' 'What properties did each substance keep?')
Mixture Mania Worksheet (10 minutes)
Teacher: "Okay scientists, bring your attention back to the front. Now that you've had a chance to explore, I'm handing out the Mixture Mania Worksheet. This worksheet will help you document your observations and show what you've learned about mixtures. Work quietly and individually on this."
(Distribute worksheets. Circulate, providing support and clarification as needed.)
Cool Down: Mixture Mastery (5 minutes)
Teacher: "Fantastic work today, everyone! To wrap up our lesson, I'm going to give you a Cool Down: Mixture Mastery slip. On this slip, I'd like you to answer the reflection question individually. This is your exit ticket for today, so please turn it in as you leave."
(Distribute cool-down slips. Collect them as students finish.)
Teacher: "Remember, mixtures are all around us, and now you know how to spot them and understand that their parts always keep their unique properties! Great job!"
Worksheet
Mixture Mania: Exploring Physical Properties
Name: _________________________
Date: _________________________
Part 1: Observing Our Mixtures
For each mixture you explored, complete the table below. Describe the parts you see and what properties they still have (like color, shape, size, texture).
| Mixture | What did you mix together? | What did each part look like before mixing? (Properties) | What did each part look like after mixing? (Properties) | Can you separate the parts? How? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixture 1: | ||||
| Mixture 2: | ||||
| Mixture 3: |
Part 2: Thinking About Mixtures
Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
-
What is a mixture in your own words?
-
When you mix different things together to make a mixture, do the individual parts change what they are? Explain your answer with an example from your exploration.
-
Imagine you have a pile of LEGO bricks of different colors and sizes. Is this a mixture? Why or why not?
-
Why is it important to know that the parts of a mixture keep their physical properties?
Cool Down
Cool Down: Mixture Mastery
Name: _________________________
- Explain in your own words how you know that the parts of a mixture keep their physical properties. Give one example to support your explanation.