Unit 5D: Changing state Section 4: Planning to investigate evaporation
Objectives
Children should learn:
to turn ideas into a form that can be investigated, to make a prediction and decide what evidence to collect
to construct a fair test
Activities
Outcomes
Children:
Talk with children about how they could investigate a question related to evaporation eg What makes a difference to how quickly washing dries? What affects how fast a puddle dries up and how can we turn it into a form that could be tested? Discuss possible relevant factors eg temperature, wind, amount (volume) of water surface area and how these might be investigated. Help children to plan a fair test to investigate their question eg keeping volume of water and surface area the same while temperature is changed and to decide what evidence to collect eg depth, volume of water in containers kept at different temperatures over a period of days.
identify factors that could affect how fast water evaporates
make a reasonable prediction and with some help suggest a fair test to test the prediction eg I think water will evaporate faster in containers with larger openings. I'll use the same volume of water, put them in the same place in the room and cover the containers with card with different sized holes. I'll measure the depth (or volume) left each day
Points to note
Children could test whether draughts or wind help water evaporate faster by using a battery-powered fan or putting containers near an open window during the day.
This activity offers children the opportunity to carry out a whole investigation. It may be helpful to concentrate on the aspects of investigation highlighted in the learning objectives.
This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of
activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by
moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.
