Phase Changes Explored

Year Group

Year 5 (9–10 years old)

Duration

60 minutes

Class Size

30 students

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Curriculum for Excellence Links

Sciences – Planet Earth

• Experiences and Outcomes (Es & Os):
  • SCN 2-07a: Through exploring my environment, I have experienced how the water cycle involves water being transported through air, water and land, and can describe this cycle and its effect on weather and climate.
  • SCN 2-07b (supported progression at Levels 2-3): I can identify different forms of water (solid, liquid and gas) and explain phase changes through simple experiments.

Sciences – Nature of Science

• SCN 2-15a: Through practical activities and investigations, I have experienced how to use scientific methods and can share my findings with others.

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Learning Intentions (WALT)

We Are Learning To:

• Understand and describe the phase changes of water: melting, freezing, evaporation, and condensation.
• Observe these phase changes through simple, safe experiments.

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Success Criteria

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

• Explain at least two phase changes of water in their own words.
• Identify what happens to water during melting and freezing or evaporation and condensation.
• Demonstrate understanding through questions and recording observations.

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Resources Needed

• Clear plastic cups
• Ice cubes
• Kettle (teacher use only) or hot water supply
• Transparent plastic containers with lids
• Whiteboard and markers
• Worksheets for recording observations
• Thermometers (optional)
• Towels and aprons
• Camera or tablet for documenting phases (optional)

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Starter Discussion:

  • Ask: What happens when ice is left outside the freezer?
  • Gather pupils’ prior knowledge about water as solid, liquid, gas.
  • Briefly recap water cycle from Lesson 1 (if applicable).

• WALT and Success Criteria:

  • Share WALT and success criteria with pupils. Display on board.

• Context Setting:

  • Introduce the four key phase changes: melting, freezing, evaporation, condensation.
  • Use simple pictures or diagrams illustrating the water cycle focusing on these changes.

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2. Main Activity Part 1 – Melting & Freezing (20 minutes)

• Practical Experiment - Melting Ice

  • Each group of 3 pupils receives a cup with ice cubes.
  • Pupils observe and time how long it takes for the ice to melt at room temperature.
  • Prompt pupils to note down the changes they see.

• Practical Demonstration - Freezing (teacher-led)

  • Teacher explains freezing by showing water turning into ice (can pre-show frozen containers).
  • If possible, show thermometers measuring temperature changes.

• Discussion:

  • What happened to the ice? (Solid to liquid = melting)
  • What is freezing? (Liquid to solid)
  • Write key vocabulary on the board.

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3. Main Activity Part 2 – Evaporation & Condensation (20 minutes)

• Practical Experiment - Evaporation

  • Pupils carefully pour a small amount of warm water from a container onto a dish and observe over a few minutes or set aside a covered container with water earlier in the day to show condensation.
  • If boiling water is safely demonstrated by teacher, pupils observe steam (gas).

• Condensation Demonstration

  • Use a cold mirror or glass surface placed above steam to show water droplets forming.

• Group Discussion & Recording:

  • What do you see happening to the water?
  • Explain evaporation as water turning to gas, condensation as gas cooling to liquid.

• Draw and label diagrams in worksheet to reinforce understanding.

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4. Plenary (10 minutes)

• Recap through a Think-Pair-Share activity: Pupils explain in pairs two phase changes and give examples from the experiment.
• Share some pairs’ explanations with the whole class.
• Teacher summarises and clarifies misconceptions.
• Ask pupils to reflect: Why are phase changes important in the water cycle?

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Assessment

• Observation of group discussions and engagement during experiments.
• Completed worksheets with labelled diagrams and notes.
• Oral explanations during plenary demonstrating understanding of phase changes.

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Differentiation Strategies

Learner Needs	Strategies
Additional Support	Pre-teach vocabulary (melting, freezing, evaporation, condensation) using visual aids; provide sentence starters or word banks on worksheets.
English as an Additional Language (EAL)	Use visual cues and demonstrations; simplified language; peer buddy system.
More Able/Advanced Learners	Challenge to explain why temperature changes cause phase changes or explore evaporation rates with different liquids (e.g., salt water).
Sensory Needs	Allow hands-on time with materials; use magnifiers or thermometers to engage other senses.

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Extension Activities (Optional/Advanced)

• Investigate sublimation (ice turning straight into vapour) using dry ice in a controlled environment.
• Research phase changes in other liquids and compare with water.
• Create a short video explaining phase changes with real-life examples for peer teaching.
• Design a simple poster on phase changes and their daily life relevance (e.g., dew formation).

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Health & Safety

• Teacher to handle boiling water and hot equipment only.
• Ensure pupils wear aprons and work carefully to avoid spills.
• Use small quantities of water to reduce slip hazards.
• Clean spills immediately.

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Reflection Notes for Teacher

• Which phase changes did pupils most easily grasp?
• Were the experiments effective in illustrating key ideas?
• Did differentiation strategies support all learners?
• Adjust timing of practicals for next sessions based on pupil engagement and safety.

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This lesson plan follows Curriculum for Excellence by focusing on experiential learning, scientific enquiry, and linking practical activities with scientific vocabulary and understanding appropriate for Year 5. It incorporates active, inclusive, cross-modal teaching methods designed to motivate and deepen pupil understanding of water’s phase changes within the broader water cycle context.