GWL Students Explore States of Matter

Glenwood Landing students got a treat as a representative from the Science Museum of Long Island visited to explore different states of matter and their properties. Students learned that the three states of matter include solids, liquids, and gases. They watched as water when it is in a solid state (an ice cube) can melt and turn into a liquid when it is heated. Additionally, at higher temperatures, water can evaporate and turn into a gas called steam!

The GWL students also learned that anything that takes up space is known as matter and that the definition of mass is how much space something takes up.

In addition, the students talked about liquids and the warmer the water, the more it evaporates. Energy from the sun causes the water on the surface to evaporate into a gas where it rises into the atmosphere, where it is colder, and condenses into clouds completing the water cycle!!

At the end of the lesson, students had the opportunity to touch Ooblek, a non-Newtonian fluid that has properties of both liquids and solids. It is made from corn starch and water that thickens or solidifies when force is applied. Thank you to everyone including SWES teacher, Ms. Audra Marcantonio, who helped organize this special science learning lesson! Go Vikings Go!

Article and photos by Shelly Newman