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Science lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 30 minutes

Solutes, solvents and how much will dissolve

Materials and their properties

CCSS NGSS.MS-PS1-2England: KS3 Chemistry: Pure and impure substances

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Solutes, solvents and how much will dissolve.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Dissolving and solutions

Leads to: Choose the right technique to separate a mixture; Concentration in grams per dm³

Materials: A tray of everyday objects, Sorting hoops, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Dissolving and solutions). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Is rice soluble or insoluble in water? (soluble (dissolves in water) / insoluble (does not dissolve)) → insoluble (does not dissolve)Prompt: Imagine stirring it into a glass of water. Would it disappear from view?
  2. 20 g of salt is dissolved in 150 g of water. What is the mass of the solution, in g? → 170 gPrompt: When something dissolves, does it disappear or is it still there?
  3. Sugar seems to disappear when it dissolves. Where does it go? (It floats away as gas / It turns into water / It is destroyed / It breaks into tiny particles spread through the water) → It breaks into tiny particles spread through the waterPrompt: Taste the water: is the sugar still there?

Hook · 3 min

  • Pass round objects made of different materials and ask why each one was chosen.
  • Share the objective: Solutes, solvents and how much will dissolve. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Which word describes this: the clear mixture made when sugar dissolves in water?
  • Step 1: A solution is the mixture of solute and solvent.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: solution
  • Answer: solution
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Which word describes this: a solution in which no more solute will dissolve? (solvent / solute / insoluble / saturated solution) → saturated solutionPrompt: Solute + solvent → solution.
  2. At 20 °C, 36 g of salt dissolves in 100 g of water to make a saturated solution. What mass dissolves in 150 g of water at 20 °C, in g? → 54 gPrompt: How many lots of 100 g of water are there?

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Which word describes this: the clear mixture made when sugar dissolves in water? (solution / saturated solution / solvent / solute) → solutionPrompt: Solute + solvent → solution.
  2. Which change would let more sugar dissolve in a cup of water? (stirring more slowly / heating the water / using larger sugar lumps / cooling the water) → heating the waterPrompt: Solubility of most solids changes with temperature.

Watch out for

  • Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
  • Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Dissolving and solutions.
  • Use concrete materials: a tray of everyday objects.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: Choose the right technique to separate a mixture; Concentration in grams per dm³.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-6.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Solutes, solvents and how much will dissolve

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Which word describes this: the salt in salt water?

    • A. solution
    • B. insoluble
    • C. solute
    • D. solvent

  2. Question 2

    Nail varnish does not dissolve in water but does dissolve in acetone. What does this show?

    • A. Water dissolves everything
    • B. Nail varnish is a gas
    • C. Whether a substance dissolves depends on the solvent
    • D. Acetone is a solute

  3. Question 3

    15 g of salt is dissolved in 250 g of water. What is the mass of the solution, in g?

    Answerg

  4. Question 4

    Which word describes this: the clear mixture made when sugar dissolves in water?

    • A. insoluble
    • B. solvent
    • C. solute
    • D. solution

  5. Question 5

    A student adds salt to water until some stays on the bottom however much they stir. What have they made?

    • A. an insoluble solvent
    • B. a saturated solution
    • C. a gas
    • D. a pure substance

  6. Question 6

    25 g of salt is dissolved in 100 g of water. What is the mass of the solution, in g?

    Answerg

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Answer key: Solutes, solvents and how much will dissolve

  1. 1. C. solute

  2. 2. C. Whether a substance dissolves depends on the solvent

  3. 3. 265 g

  4. 4. D. solution

  5. 5. B. a saturated solution

  6. 6. 125 g