Comprised of many different gases, and each gas is actually a molecule, or a combination of at least two atoms.  Since every gas has different properties, our idea behind particles being different makes perfect sense!

We built gas molecules out of different colored marshmallows, recognizing their differences.  While these models help us to see gases as different, they are limited.  They don't know movement and are so incredibly small for what they really represent.  I wonder where this will take us in our study!

Sixth graders recently looked at various metals, all of which are defined as elements. Elements are all made of the same atom throughout.  Therefore, gold is made of gold atoms, and hydrogen is made of hydrogen atoms.  We briefly looked at the Periodic Table to recognize patterns between the elements, and ultimately, tried to see similarities between all the elements near one another.  It's getting us thinking for sure!

As we dig deeper into understanding the basics of chemistry, students are recognizing that everything has different properties because it is made of different particles.  These particles are really atoms, which make up all matter.  Since different atoms are structured differently, this is what must make each element unique.  

All this learning is helping us relate back to our driving question of "How Can We Smell From a Distance?" and our smaller sub-question now of "How Is One Odor Different from Another?"  It's all starting to come together now...

So if different odors are made of different particles, and odors are gases, is it fair to say that other states of matter are made of different particles, too?  

Using various metals (zinc, aluminum, iron, and copper), students are recognizing that these metals have unique properties that define them, too.  Between their color, hardness, and malleability, they are all unique.  What must this tell us about the particles that make up each of them?  Hmmmm....I wonder! ;-)

 As students complete their States of Matter Concept Maps for our technology integration class, they'll be adding these ideas to their concept maps.  Here's a sneak peak into some of their work!  ​

Students recognized that when they pushed the plunger in, the air was getting squished into a smaller space, or volume.  This is called compression.  When the plunger was pulled back, the same amount of air had a larger space, or volume.  This is called expansion!

Recognizing that gases can transform to solids (as with the menthol gas) and to liquids (as with the water vapor), we're digging deeper into better understanding what gases can do.  How can understanding what gases can do help us to better understand why we may smell an odor?

In a simple demonstration with a closed flask and air pump, students are developing models to explain what air looks like when it is in a closed container, what happens when air is removed from the container, and what happens when air is added to the container. Our understanding is not clear yet...and this is okay!  We're working towards an eventual consensus model that explains everything that gases can do and how this relates back to our driving question.

We gathered evidence for menthol's ability to change into all three states of matter through heating or cooling, so we did the same with water.  With one exception.  We opened the system and looked for evidence of a phase change beyond the limits of the flask.

Why are we doing this?

We're relating it back to our driving question of "How Can I Smell Things from a Distance?"    Students are starting to ask some good questions as it relates back to the driving question.

"Does a substance have to go through a phase change to smell it?"

"Do we smell things better when they become a gas?  Or do we smell things that are solids and liquids?"

Great thinking, 6th graders!