Lesson Plan

Endorsement
Subject
Class
Unit
Lesson

Elementary Education - Fourth/Fifth Grade Classroom

Science
Elementary Science
Experiments with Liquids, and the Scientific Method
Dissolving Halloween Candy

Resources

4 Cups (any size, clear)

Milk (enough to fully submerge your chosen candy in your chosen
cup)
Canola Oil (enough to fully submerge your chosen candy in your
chosen cup)
Vinegar (enough to fully submerge your chosen candy in your chosen
cup)
Water (enough to fully submerge your chosen candy in your chosen
cup)
Halloween candy in the form of Candy Corn (or Candy pumpkins)

Standard

NDE (Nebraska Department of Education)

1. Inquiry, the Nature of Science, and Technology: Abilities to do
Scientific Inquiry
SC2.1.1 Students will ask questions and conduct
investigations that lead to
observations and communication of findings.
SC2.1.1.a Ask questions that relate to a science topic
SC2.1.1.d Describe objects, organisms, or events
using pictures, words, and numbers
SC2.1.1.e Collect and record observations
2. Physical Science: Matter
SC2.2.1 Students will observe and describe properties of
objects and their behavior.
SC2.2.1.a Observe physical properties of objects
(freezing and melting, sinking and floating, color, size,
texture, shape, weight)
This science lab is projected for students that are in between the
grades of kindergarten and second grade. At this age level, the
students are expected to be able to ask questions that are relative to
the topic being; conduct simple investigations, and observe and
communicate their findings. in the process of the lab, students are
asked to observe and describe the properties of the materials and their
behavior throughout the experiment. In the case of this experiment,
students will really be focused on the colors of the candy and how
that will affect the liquids and how the liquids will make a difference

to the shape of the candy.

Introduction

Technology
Uses/Materials
Needed
Objectives

Preparing the
Student

This lesson is implemented to enforce the childrens knowledge about

the scientific method and science using liquids. The students will
form a hypothesis as well as make observations about scientific
solutions. We want the students to watch a bried overview of the
experiment through the instructional video while we formulate
scientific discussions about it. We will then proceed to carry out the
experiment ourselves so the students can make more in depth
observations and then formulate a conclusion based on the video
experiment as well as our own experiment.
How-to video: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcLoej0Eeoo)
Projector
Objective 1: The students will make descriptions of the various
unknown liquids.
Objective 2:The students will form hypotheses based on the ideas of
floating and sinking.
Objective 3: The students will form a separate hypothesis based on
the idea of dissolving.

Assessment of
Student
Learning

Lesson
Sequence

A prior lesson about the scientific method, how to hypothesise

and how to ask questions.
A background knowledge of the different liquids being used
in the experiment.

The children will first be in the blooms taxonomy level of

knowledge when they are asked what they think will happen to the
candy corn when it is placed in each solution, and when they are
asked to choose what solution will dissolve the candy corn the fastest.
The children will also reach Blooms taxonomy level of evaluation
when they are asked to estimate the results each solution will
produce, the children could also be asked why they estimated this
would happen.The children will also pass through Blooms
Taxonomy level of comprehension when they are asked to compare
the candy corns in each solution and contrast the different rates each
one dissolved. They would reach the Analysis level of Blooms
Taxonomy when they are asked why they think the candy corn will
react the way that they hypothesized.
1. Set up the experiment with four cups and the candy pumpkins
that are needed. Fill the first cup halfway with water. Fill the
second cup halfway with milk. Fill the third cup halfway with
the canola oil. Fill the fourth cup halfway with vinegar. Set

the pumpkins aside. The experiment should be completely

ready to be done with your class.
2. Turn on the projector and direct the classes attention towards
the video (on the projector.)
2.
Start the instructional video that directs the experiment.
3.
Follow the video prompts to review the scientific method with
the students.
4.
Follow the videos progression to make a hypothesis and an
observation as the experiment proceeds.
5.
When there is a provided pause facilitate the questions that are
provided and lead the class in discussion about their proposed
answers.
6.
When finished showing the video, have the students direct
their attention towards your set up of the experiment.
7.
Have the students come one by one and observe the four
different liquids. Then have them sit back down.
8.
Put one candy pumpkin in each liquid. (While the students are
waiting to see the change in the pumpkins, either provide a coloring
sheet that is related to Halloween or have them work on some sort of
academic worksheet.)
9.
After five minutes, have the students come up and observe the
pumpkins in the liquids. Have the students work on seat work while
they wait again.
10.
After ten minutes, have the students observe the candy corn in
the liquids.
11.
Remove the candy corn and set it in front of each liquid so
that the students can observe the full extent of the changes caused by
each solution.
12.
Have the students return to their seats and ask them to
compare the results that they hypothesized, the results that were
provided in the video and the results that were found from our
experiment.
13.
As a class, form a conclusion as to how the candy corn was
effected by the different liquids, and discuss why the results may be
that way.
Measurement
of Success

Prior to presenting this lesson plan, students would have had

experience to having to create questions and hypothesis regarding
science projects done in the class room. By completing this lab,
students will not only further their knowledge on the subject matter,
but should also be able to prove to the teacher that they understand
the scientific process. This experiment will also hopefully expose to
the teacher if the students understand what happens through science
and are able to draw conclusions to what they had seen happen. If
they are unable to create an idea of what will happen or are unable to
understand a conclusion about what they had seen throughout the lab,

future lessons will have to be reconsidered.

By conducting this project, the students hopefully gain a better
understanding of how to create questions and predictions for
labs. This lab should also help students become better observers of
science being that they will be able to see physical differences to not
only the candy pumpkin, but also to the liquids the candy was placed
in.