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Science lesson plan · 5th grade (Year 6 in England) · 60 minutes

Mixture or solution? Tell them apart

Materials and their properties

CCSS NGSS.5-PS1-4CCSS NGSS.5-PS1-3England: KS2 Y5 Properties and changes of materials

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Mixture or solution? Tell them apart.

  • 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 best way to separate a mixture

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 · 6 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 salt soluble or insoluble in water? (soluble (dissolves in water) / insoluble (does not dissolve)) → soluble (dissolves in water)Prompt: Imagine stirring it into a glass of water. Would it disappear from view?
  2. 5 g of sugar is dissolved in 250 g of water. What is the mass of the solution, in g? → 255 gPrompt: When something dissolves, does it disappear or is it still there?
  3. What is a saturated solution? (one with no solute / one where no more solute will dissolve at that temperature / one that is frozen / one made of sand and water) → one where no more solute will dissolve at that temperaturePrompt: Keep adding sugar to tea and eventually some stays at the bottom.

Hook · 6 min

  • Pass round objects made of different materials and ask why each one was chosen.
  • Share the objective: Mixture or solution? Tell them apart. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 12 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Is this a solution or a mixture that is not a solution: sugar in hot tea?
  • Step 1: In a solution one substance has dissolved evenly into another; you cannot see separate bits.
  • 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 · 12 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. Is this a solution or a mixture that is not a solution: seawater? (solution / mixture that is not a solution) → solutionPrompt: After stirring and waiting, can you still see separate bits or layers?
  2. Is air a mixture? (Yes, it is a mixture of gases such as nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide. / No, air is one single substance. / No, air is empty space. / Yes, it is a mixture of water and sand.) → Yes, it is a mixture of gases such as nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide.Prompt: What do we breathe in that our cells need? Is that all of the air?

You do: independent practice · 17 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 7 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Which statement about every solution is true? (It is see-through, though it may be coloured. / It always has a solid at the bottom. / It is always cloudy. / It always has two layers.) → It is see-through, though it may be coloured.Prompt: Think of salt water and weak orange squash.
  2. True or false? Every mixture is a solution. (True / False) → FalsePrompt: Can you see the parts separately?

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 best way to separate a mixture.
  • 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-5.

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

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Mixture or solution? Tell them apart

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    True or false? Every mixture is a solution.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  2. Question 2

    Sand is stirred into water. After a few minutes, what happens?

    • A. The sand turns into salt.
    • B. The sand settles at the bottom.
    • C. The sand dissolves completely.
    • D. The water turns into sand.

  3. Question 3

    Is this a solution or a mixture that is not a solution: seawater?

    • A. solution
    • B. mixture that is not a solution

  4. Question 4

    True or false? When salt dissolves, it disappears for ever.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  5. Question 5

    Is air a mixture?

    • A. Yes, it is a mixture of gases such as nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide.
    • B. No, air is empty space.
    • C. No, air is one single substance.
    • D. Yes, it is a mixture of water and sand.

  6. Question 6

    Is this a solution or a mixture that is not a solution: iron filings and sand?

    • A. solution
    • B. mixture that is not a solution

  7. Question 7

    True or false? A solution forms when a substance dissolves in a liquid.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  8. Question 8

    Which statement about every solution is true?

    • A. It always has a solid at the bottom.
    • B. It is always cloudy.
    • C. It is see-through, though it may be coloured.
    • D. It always has two layers.

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Answer key: Mixture or solution? Tell them apart

  1. 1. B. False

  2. 2. B. The sand settles at the bottom.

  3. 3. A. solution

  4. 4. B. False

  5. 5. A. Yes, it is a mixture of gases such as nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide.

  6. 6. B. mixture that is not a solution

  7. 7. A. True

  8. 8. C. It is see-through, though it may be coloured.