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Science Lesson Kit · Teacher Resource

Heating & Cooling: Changes We Can Reverse — 5E Lesson Plan

Physical Science · 40 minutes

Grade 2

5E lesson flow

  1. 01

    Engage

    5 min

    Teacher Does

    Show ice and liquid water and ask whether one can become the other.

    Students Do

    Predict and point to evidence they notice.

    Ask

    • Can it change back?

    Look For

    Students focus on observable changes.

  2. 02

    Explore

    11 min

    Teacher Does

    Let students observe ice melting and compare prepared before/after examples.

    Students Do

    Record what changed and whether evidence suggests the change can reverse.

    Ask

    • What changed?
    • What stayed the same?

    Look For

    Observable descriptions rather than particle explanations.

  3. 03

    Explain

    7 min

    Teacher Does

    Introduce heating, cooling, reversible, evidence, and argument.

    Students Do

    Use oral frames to classify examples.

    Ask

    • What evidence supports your choice?

    Look For

    Because-statements tied to observations.

  4. 04

    Elaborate

    11 min

    Teacher Does

    Present butter, egg, and unknown picture cases.

    Students Do

    Compare evidence and identify what observation is still needed.

    Ask

    • What would you need to observe to know for sure?

    Look For

    Students identify the need to check whether a material can return.

  5. 05

    Evaluate

    6 min

    Teacher Does

    Ask students to compare ice/water with cooked egg.

    Students Do

    State one reversible and one nonreversible example with evidence.

    Ask

    • How are these changes different?

    Look For

    Return-to-earlier-condition reasoning.

Student goal

I can use observations to decide whether a heating or cooling change can be reversed.

Learning objectives

  • Describe observable changes caused by heating or cooling.
  • Construct an evidence-based argument that some heating or cooling changes can be reversed and some cannot.

Materials

  • Ice cubes in clear cups
  • Prepared before/after pictures of firm and softened butter
  • Pictures of raw and cooked egg
  • Recording sheet
  • Crayons or pencils

Before class

  • Prepare ice shortly before class.
  • Use pictures or teacher-prepared examples for foods; students should not handle hot materials.
  • Do not introduce atoms, molecules, or particle motion at this grade.
  • Open Teach Mode.

Prior knowledge

  • Materials can look and feel different.
  • Hotter and colder describe temperature differences.

Vocabulary

heating
Making something warmer.
cooling
Making something colder.
reversible
Able to change back to an earlier form or condition.
evidence
An observation that helps support an idea.
argument
A claim supported by evidence.

Differentiation

  • Use before/after picture pairs and read all prompts aloud.
  • Offer the frame: It is ___ because I observed ___.
  • Allow oral responses before writing.
  • For extension, ask what test could provide stronger evidence.

Assessment

  • Check sorting during Explore.
  • Listen for evidence-based explanations.
  • Use the final comparison as the exit assessment.

Exit ticket

Choose ice or cooked egg. Say whether the change can be reversed and give one observation as evidence.

Extension

Find a safe everyday heating or cooling example and ask what evidence would show whether it can be reversed.