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Water, Water Everywhere

Lesson Plan

Water, Water Everywhere

Objectives

In this lesson, students will learn how water’s unique properties are exploited in living things. Students will:

  • explain how the structure of water is responsible for its unique properties.
  • describe how solutions in water are formed.
  • relate cohesion of water molecules to hydrogen bonding, surface tension, and capillary action.
  • relate water’s thermal properties to its mass and hydrogen bonding.
  • explain how water functions in living things.

Essential Questions

Vocabulary

  • Acid: A substance that donates protons (hydrogen ions, H+) in solution and has a pH less than 7.
  • Adhesion: The force of attraction between two different substances (e.g., water and glass).
  • Base: A substance that accepts protons or forms hydroxyl ions (OH–) in solution and has a pH greater than 7.
  • Cohesion: Attraction between molecules of the same substance.
  • Colloid: A mixture in which a substance is microscopically dispersed evenly throughout another substance (e.g., milk, agar, smoke, fog).
  • Covalent Bond: A chemical bond between two atoms when they share valence electrons.
  • Heat of Vaporization: The amount of heat energy required to convert water from a liquid to a gas.
  • Hydrogen Bond: The molecular attraction between a hydrogen atom in a polar molecule to an atom such as oxygen, nitrogen, or fluorine in another molecule.
  • Ionic Bond: A chemical bond formed between oppositely charged ions (charged particles). Positive ions (cations, usually metals) lose electrons while negative ions (anions, usually nonmetals) gain electrons. This bond is found in salts and the ratio of ions is called a formula unit.
  • Molecule: Two or more atoms (nonmetals) that are held together by sharing valence electrons. It is the smallest ratio of atoms that retain the physical and chemical properties of a substance.
  • Polar Molecule: A molecule where part of the molecule has a slight positive charge and the other part has a slight negative charge. The overall charge of the molecule, however, is neutral.
  • Solute: The dissolved substance in a solution, usually found in a lesser amount than the solvent.
  • Solution: A homogeneous (uniform composition) mixture of two or more substances.
  • Solvent: The substance in a solution doing the dissolving, usually found in a greater amount than the solute.
  • Specific Heat Capacity: The amount of heat energy necessary to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance 1°C.
  • Surface Tension: A property of the surface of a liquid that allows it to resist an external force.
  • Suspension: A mixture where particles are distributed in a fluid but will settle out upon standing. The particles are larger than those of a colloid or solution.

Duration

About one week

Prerequisite Skills

Prerequisite Skills haven't been entered into the lesson plan.

Materials

  • 3-D water molecule kit or Water Molecule Art (S-B-6-1_Water Molecule Art.doc)
  • Discovery Activity–Water (S-B-6-1_Discovery Activity-Water.doc)
  • Water Web (S-B-6-1_Water Web and KEY.doc)
  • Functions of Water in Living Things worksheet (S-B-6-1_Functions of Water in Living Things and KEY.docx)
  • periodic table
  • balloon
  • two paper cups
  • water
  • vegetable oil
  • five beakers (150–250 mL)
  • three small beakers (50–100 mL)
  • three scoops
  • three stirring rods
  • NaCl, salt
  • sucrose, table sugar
  • conductivity tester (voltmeter)
  • sulfur
  • isopropyl alcohol (70%)
  • ice cubes
  • pennies
  • straight pin
  • paper clip
  • Petri dish or plastic cup
  • four disposable pipettes
  • capillary tubes or paper coffee filters
  • paper coffee filters, cut into long strips (optional)
  • wax paper
  • two glass slides
  • two water bottles
  • 1-L bottle or beaker or 1-L cube
  • water-soluble marker (optional)
  • ring stand with ring clamp (optional)
  • beaker (optional)
  • tape (optional)
  • hot plate
  • beaker tongs or mitt
  • graduated cylinder
  • two test tubes
  • test tube holders
  • two thermometers

Related Unit and Lesson Plans

Related Materials & Resources

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Formative Assessment

  • View
    • Provide feedback on student responses to the questions posed in the demonstration and class discussions.
    • Monitor and question groups as they investigate the properties of water.
    • Provide feedback and corrections while students create posters describing and explaining properties of water.
    • Monitor student understanding and provide feedback on the facts presented during the activity.

Suggested Instructional Supports

  • View
    Scaffolding, Active Engagement, Modeling
    W: This lesson uses a jigsaw/lab activity for students to experience the unique properties of water and relate them to its molecular structure. Most organisms are composed of 60–90% water and therefore water plays a vital role in cellular biology and biochemistry.
    H: The hook for this lesson is a discussion about people who do not have access to enough water, and how that impacts their lives.
    E: During the activity, students discover the properties of water and relate these properties to its molecular structure.
    R: While students prepare for the presentation, they reflect on the structure of water and how it relates to its properties they “discovered.” They will also clarify their thinking as they choose three important features for the graphic organizer.
    E: At the end of this lesson, students are given the opportunity to draw conclusions about the structure of water and how it relates to its properties using their graphic organizers.
    T: The molecular models allow students to visualize the concepts, while the presentation gives students the opportunity to verbalize their ideas and use essential vocabulary. Organizing the information in the Water Web lets students relate the properties of water to its structure.
    O: This lesson is organized so that students gain concrete experience in the discovery lab in order to build a conceptual understanding of the structure of water and how that relates to its properties.

Instructional Procedures

  • View

    In preparation, arrange seven lab stations according to the materials listed in Lesson Resource, Discovery Activity–Water (S-B-6-1_Discovery Activity-Water.doc). Hand out one copy of Water Molecule Art to each station (S-B-6-1_Water Molecule Art.doc), and hand out one copy of the Water Web to each student (S-B-6-1_Water Web and KEY.doc).

    Days 1 and 2: Jigsaw Investigation

    Begin the lesson by holding a brief discussion about people who do not have enough access to water. Ask students why water is important, and what happens to people without it.

    Tell students that today they will find out what makes water so special. Divide students into seven groups to investigate the properties of water. In this jigsaw activity, students investigate only one property of water and produce a mini-poster to aid the discussion of their topic. Also, have each group fill out one section of the Water Web (one of the eight central boxes around “Water,” and the boxes attached to it). The jigsaw will end in a whole-class discussion about the different properties of water. During the discussion, students will take notes by filling out the “Water Web” (S-B-6-1_Water Web and KEY.doc).

    Have students from station 1 share their findings first, station 2 next, and so on. Students will find that the concepts build on the last group’s findings. As each group presents, ask students to describe their activity and their observations. Have students answer the following questions:

    • specific questions related to each station’s materials, (e.g., from Station 1, “Can you tell whether the molecule is polar or nonpolar?”)
    • What does that term mean? What is the science word for that?
    • Have you seen this property before? Where?
    • What are the three most important features of this property?

    During the presentations, clear up any misconceptions and make sure students use science terms appropriately. After the web is completed, have students draw a conclusion about the structure of water and its properties. Remind students that although they now know about the properties of water, there is more to learn about why they are important to living things.

    List the functions of water in living things and ask students to identify the property that relates to the function on the Functions of Water in Living Things handout (S-B-6-1_Functions of Water in Living Things and KEY.docx).

    Extension:

    • Students who might be going beyond the standards can investigate an issue involving water such as hydraulic fracturing or privatization of water sources. Students can present their findings in an essay, news article, or graphic organizer. Good research skills should be exercised such as investigating both sides of the controversy as well as analyzing the sources for reliability.
    • Students who may need an opportunity for additional learning can benefit from using smaller molecular models of water to illustrate their graphic organizers.

Related Instructional Videos

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DRAFT 05/20/2011
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