Discover Science

Science booklet for primary school

Contents:
Created by Lara Hache - 2011
 Lab tools : observation and uses of most important lab tools / crossword puzzle

 States of Matter: brief explanation /characteristics of each state / particles

behaviour / lab experiments and guides to discover theory / revision exercises to
evaluate comprehension of the topic

 Magnetism: what are magnets / lab experiments and guides to discover:

characteristics, magnetic and non magnetic materials, interaction between magnets,
magnetic fields, building toys with magnets / Electromagnetism: how to build an
electromagnet in class, how does it work? everyday machines that use
electromagnets.

 Electricity: lab experiments and guides to discover: static electricity/ conductors and
insulators / how to build different circuits with different number of cells and wire
lengths / learning the symbols to interpret diagrams and draw them/ how to build a
wobble detector/ evaluative questions

 Mixtures: lab experiments and activities to discover: what are mixtures? Features of
Homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures / suspensions/ solutions. Factors which
speed up the process of dissolving / short evaluation

 Physical Changes and chemical reactions: short introduction? Fun experiments

with mixtures to determine if they produce a chemical change or a physical reaction.

 Heat on the move: conductors and insulators of temperature

 Forces: definition, characteristics of different forces and how they affect things, lab
experiments and guides for measuring forces,/ Newtons vs Kilograms/ The force of
friction / different experiments to test it / air resistance / building and experimenting
with parachutes / evaluative questions.

 Making Sound, making vibrations: different concepts on sound/ guide to

evaluate understanding on this topic.

 Biology revision: The skeleton / bones and muscles / teeth and nutrition
Lab tools. Guide 1 Date: ___________
Listen to your teacher. Draw each tool. Label it.

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9
10 11 12

13 14 15

16 17 18
Lab tools/ Revision Date: ___________
Read the clues, and write the name of the different lab-tools.

1. Made of glass. Used to mix substances. You hold it in your hands. It’s long and thin.
2. It has an open end. It’s used to add substances to a mixture in very small quantities.
3. It has a valve that allows the passing of gas. It’s used for heating substances.
4. They are metallic and help support some glass objects.
5. Useful to measure out liquids. Made of glass. Open at one end. Has a plastic base.
6. It contains substances that may need to be heated. It has a wide opening. It’s not used
for precise measuring. Made of glass.
7. Bowl in which you can crush substances into powder.
8. Used as beaker covers or to view small samples under microscope.
9. It has different shapes at each end. It’s metallic. Used to take small quantities of solid
material.
10. It has two long narrow parts used for holding things. It’s metallic.
11.Measures temperature.
12.Made of glass with two openings. Used for measuring and moving small amounts of
liquid from one container to another.
13.Rounded – Made of glass – Has a lid.
14.Used for filtering and pouring liquid.
15.Not used for precise measuring. It has a narrow neck that prevents substances to
evaporate quickly. It has a conical shape.
16.Measures weight.
17.Narrow, with one opening at the top and a round bottom. Used for experimenting and
mixing substances.
18.Made of wood. It has holes.

Now, read vertically and find the column which has the name of the last lab tool.
Shade that column and write number 19 on top.
Then, write down a definition, following the examples given before.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 1. *

2. R

3. N

4. S and A

5. E D

6. K

7. and

8.

9. P

10. P S

11. M

12.

13. D

14. L

15.

16. N

17. * T

18. K

Lara Hache all rights reserved

States of Matter Date: ___________
A short introduction before practice

Solids, liquids, and gases

You already know these three words. They are used in everyday language to describe materials. Scientists
use the words to describe the state of a material.

Every material is made up of lots of tiny particles. It is the arrangement of these particles and the forces
between them, which are different in a solid, a liquid and a gas.

In a solid, each particle vibrates around its fixed place in the framework.

In liquids, particles are free to vibrate in any direction.

In a gas, vibrations are large so particles can vibrate in any direction.

Observe the illustration. Read the explanation below. Which is A, B and C?

 Each particle vibrates around its fixed place in the framework. _____

 Vibrations are large; particles are free to vibrate in any direction. _____

 Particles are free to vibrate in any direction. ______

 States of Matter / Lab Guide 1
 All the substances around you belong to the set of solids, or liquids or gases. The building materials
are all solids, so what makes a substance solid?

It’s a solid…
1. Investigate the set of solids you have on the table. Look at them,
touch them. Think and answer:
 Are all of the solids clear? ___________
 Can they flow? _________
 Are all the solids hard? _________
 Do the solids always take up the same amount of space? _____
 Will a solid keep its shape if you leave it alone? _______
2. Look carefully at the sentences written below.
Colour in yellow ONLY the ones that are true for all solids.
A solid always takes up the same Solids can
Solids are
amount of space, so it keeps its flow
hard or volume
firm
If you leave a
solid without
You can´t see through a Some solids are touching it, it
solid! hard and some will keep its
are soft. shape.

3. Give two examples of:

- A clear solid: _______________ _________________
- A soft solid: ________________ _________________

It’s a liquid…
1. What to do:

a- Measure 1oo cm3 water into the graduated cylinder. Pour it into the Erlenmeyer flask. (Every
drop!)
b- Pour the water from the flask into a beaker (every drop!)
c- Pour the water from the beaker into the graduated cylinder. Measure the volume.
2. Now think and answer:
 Can water flow? Is it runny? _________
Can it change shape? _________
Does water always have the same volume? ___________
3. Now investigate other liquids.
4. Finally, decide  Yes? Or No?
a- Liquids are clear ___________
b- Liquids flow _____________
c- A liquid keeps its volume._____
d- A liquid takes the shape of its container. ________
e- Liquids spread out. __________
f- Light can pass through all liquids. ________
g- Liquids are heavy. _________

It’s a gas…
 Gases are difficult to investigate. You can’t see most of them! But you can use water to show
where they are and what they are doing.
What to do:

1. Put 2 cm3 air in the syringe. Fill the 2. Put the syringe nozzle under
test tube with water and turn it upside the test tube. Squeeze in the
down in the beaker. plunger.

Think and answer:

Can the air flow?_______
Can it change shape? __________
Now look at the other gas in the tube.
2. Look carefully at the sentences written below.
 Tick ONLY the ones that are true.
a- Gases are colourless.
b- Gases can be squashed.
c- Gases are light.
d- Gases can’t flow.
e- A gas always takes up the same amount of space.
 f- A gas always keeps the same shape.
g- A gas spreads as far as it can.

States of Matter / Lab guide 2 Date: ___________

All change
Heating and cooling can affect solids, liquids and gases. Find out what happens in these
experiments…

Experiment 1.

Part 1: Heating things up

1. Put some crystals of naphthalene into de test tube.
2. Put the test tube into the hot water.
3. Observe what happens and write down:
4. When naphthalene crystals are heated up
naphtalene
_______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Part 2: Cooling things down

1. Pour a little of the hot naphthalene into the hot glass.
2. Observe what happens as it cools. (Use a hand lens to help
you.)
3. Write down your observations.
As naphthalene cools down,

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Experiment 2
Part 1: Heating things up
 4. Now write down your observations:
When nail varnish remover is heated up
__________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Part 2: Cooling things down

5. Now write down your observations:

When nail varnish remover as gas, hits a cold surface,
__________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

States of Matter Date: ___________

 Features of Solids, liquids and gases
Short Revision
1. Read the following passage, think and fill in the blanks with the words in the box.
You will not use all of them.
SOLID PARTICLES SPREADING
RUNNY DOWNWARDS VOLUME
SHAPE INVISIBLE
TAKE HOLD MOVE ADOPT
LIQUID GASES

In a solid all (1)__________________ are packed tightly together and can hardly move. A
(2)_____________ stays in its own (3)_____________ unless we cut it or squeeze it ourselves.
Anything you can (4)____________________ of is a solid.
The particles in a (5)________________ are not so tightly packed. They can (6)____________ a little.
Liquids are (7)_______________ and flow (8)_______________. They (9)________________ the
shape of the container they are in.
The particles in (10)_______________ have lots of room and move around us,
(11)___________________ into any empty spaces they can. Most gases are
(12)________________________.

2. Complete the following table. You can repeat the reason for your decision ONLY twice.
Material State of matter Reason for your decision
Milk

Balloon

Wood

Bubbles in Coke

Wire

Inside an empty bottle

Lemonade

Honey
Magnetism /Lab guide 1 Date: ___________
Magnets are mysterious objects that have an invisible force that can pull things towards them, or pull things
away from them. They can also pull each other together (attract), but they can also push each other apart
(repel).

Why does this happen? --> Pair of poles

Magnets have two poles: The North pole and the South pole. To know which is which, do the following:

Experiment 1

Materials: 2 magnets – a compass – thread.

What to do:

1. Tie the thread around the middle of one of the magnets so that it balances.
2. Hang the magnet up until it stops moving.
3. Place the compass below the magnet. The north end of the magnet will point in the same direction as
the north pointer in the compass. Repeat for the other magnet.
4. Paint the north pole of the magnet red and the south pole, blue.

North pole South pole.

Experiment 2

Use the magnets to answer these questions:

a- Complete with the words repel or attract.

These magnets ____________ each other. 

S N N S

These magnets _____________ each other.  N S S N

These magnets ______________ each other.  S N S N

b- Which poles of two magnets repel each other? _________________

c- Which poles of two magnets attract each other? ________________

d- What happens when the same poles are placed together? ____________________________

e- What is your conclusion of this experiment?

__________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

f- Can you move a magnet without touching it? Explain through a drawing. Remember to label it and
draw the forces correctly.

Experiment 3

Some materials are attracted to magnets, others are not. You will know if they are magnetic materials because
they “stick”. Work with your group. For each material you will have to predict first, and then test. Record your
results individually.

MATERIAL MY PREDICTION RESULT WAS MY PREDICTION RIGHT

OR WRONG?

Sweater

Pencil

Desk

Scissors

Coin

Paper clip

Paper

Look at the results. What have you found out?

If an object is magnetic it must be made of ____________________, but not all objects that are
metallic are _____________________. If an object ______ _______ _______ of metal it will not be
magnetic.

Activity 4.

Draw and label an accurate diagram to show the FORCE of ATTRACTION between two magnets.
Activity 5

Draw and label an accurate diagram to show the FORCE of REPULSION between two magnets.

Experiment 4

1. Tie the thread to the paper clip. Tape the other end of the thread to the table.
2. Use the magnet to pick up the paper clip. Lift the magnet until the thread is straight.
3. Pull the magnet a little away from the clip and put a piece of paper in front of it.

What does this experiment show? ___________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

EXTRA NOTES:
 Magnetism / Lab guide 2 Date: ___________
1. Mystery Field

All around a magnet, there is an invisible “magnetic field”. Inside this field, the magnet has power. As we have already
seen, magnets attract metals like iron. What can you find out about magnetic fields? Observe the demonstration . Are
all magnetic fields the same?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
 2. Finding out how strong your magnet is.
You will need:
 Two magnets
 Steel objects
 Data sheet
 Pencil
 Scissors
 Clothespin
 Paper cup

Design an experiment with the materials above to show the strength of a magnet.
Explain each step.
Make a graph to show your results.
 Electric magnets/ Lab guide 3
Date: ___________
Do you know what works a doorbell, a fire alarm or a
telephone? The answer is…

AN ELECTRO MAGNET. Let’s build

one!

A. Take a large nail, put it close to a bunch of pins and check it cannot pick up the pins.

B. Leave some wire loose at the beginning. Then, tie the copper wire around the point of the nail.

C. Wind the copper wire tightly around the large nail, always in the same direction, and without
putting one turn over the other. You have to do it slowly and putting all your attention! Leave
some wire loose at the end.

D. Connect the ends of the wires to each battery terminal. Use tape to put them in place.

i) What do you feel when you put your fingers on each battery terminal to hold the wire
ends in place?
_________________________________________________________________

ii) Why do you think that is so?

_________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

E. Finally, test if the nail has become magnetic. What happens? Draw it, including the direction in
which electric current is flowing. Label your drawing.
 i. What do you think will happen if you use two batteries instead of one? Why?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

F. Now, disconnect the wires from the battery so that the current is no longer flowing. What
happens? Why?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

G. Complete this statement:

An electro magnet will work only…

_____________________________________________________________________________
 Static Electricity/ Lab Guide 1
Date: ___________

Have you seen sparks fly when you take off your polar sweater in a
dark bedroom? Curious happenings like this are not unusual. They
are caused by static electricity: a charge produced by rubbing 2
different materials against each other.
Let’s find out more about it…

A
1. Turn on a cold water tap until you get a fine stream of water.
2. Comb your hair and bring the plastic comb close to the water. You can do the same with a plastic ruler in case
you don’t have a comb. What happens?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

B
1. Put some small polystyrene balls on the table.
2. Comb your hair a few times and bring the comb close to the tiny balls. How many can you pick up?
________________________________________________________________________________________
You have made a simple circuit. Electricity is flowing from the battery, through the wire and into the bulb, then
back through the other wire to the battery
When electricians and scientists make a circuit they follow diagrams using special symbols. Listen to your teacher
and fill in these squares:

Now that you know the symbols, draw the diagram for the circuit you just built in activity C

Real life circuit Electrician’s diagram of the circuit

1. Once you have the circuit, take the bulb out of the holder. Using the 2-celled battery, one 10 cm strand of wire
and the bulb, can you now make a circuit and light the bulb? Draw how you did it.

*Can you repeat this experiment with a single battery? Does the length of the wire in the circuit affect how
brightly the bulb shines?
*Is the bulb brighter with short strands of wire?
*Is the bulb dimmer if you use thick wire in the circuit?
* Can you make the bulb light using ONLY a pair of scissors, a bulb and a battery? Write your conclusions.
Let’s find out how to make a switch.
A switch stops or allows electricity to flow into our bulb.
Just for fun!
ELECTRICITY / Lab guide 2 Date: ___________
Conductors and insulators

1. Let’s find out which materials conduct electricity

a- Build a circuit with a battery, a bulb in a holder, and three strands of wire.
b- With both bare ends of the wires, touch different objects.
If the bulb shines, it means that the object you put in the circuit allows electricity to flow through.
Then the object is made of a material which is a good conductor.

Good conductors of electricity are metals like:

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Other substances or materials do not normally allow current, or electricity, to flow. These are called
insulators.

Good insulators are generally non-metals

like______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Insulating electrical equipment is very important because it protects us from getting a shock when we switch
on things. All electrical wires are covered in rubber or plastic because these substances are good insulators.

2. Let’s find out how to light two or more bulbs at the same time.

a- Now that you know how to make a simple circuit with a single bulb, put two or three bulbs into a
circuit, arranged in a row along one long line of wire. ( You will need 4 strands of wire to do this)

b- Connect the wires to the battery terminals so that the circuit is complete. What do you notice?
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Bulbs arranged like this in a circuit are IN SERIES. Draw the electrician’s diagram for this type of
circuit.

There is another way to put bulbs into a circuit so that they all light up.

a- Make a circuit with a single bulb screwed into a bulb holder.

b- When the bulb is lit, fix another two wires and a bulb to the battery terminals and then, another.
What do you notice?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

c- What happens if you un-screw one bulb?

________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

Bulbs arranged like this are in PARALLEL

Draw the electrician’s diagram for the PARALLEL circuit.

d- What kind of circuit is used in houses or buildings: Parallel or in series?

Explain your answer.

________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Answer these questions to find out how much you have learned.

2.
(c) Is this a parallel or a series circuit? ………………………..…………………………………… (1)

(d) What will happen if you unscrew A ? Explain

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. (2)
3.
5.

(1)
(2)
 MIXTURES Date: ___________

1. Your teacher will give you part of a picture. Find the classmates who have the rest and form a group.
Then, build the puzzle together and answer:

a) Where can you see water in the picture?

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

b) What state is it in?

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

c) Could you drink it? Why?

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

d) How can the people who live in this place get dinking water?

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Let’s see how good are your observaton skills. You wil receive some numbered containers. You will
have to find out what they are holding. Use all your wit, but mostly OBSERVE attentively and write
down your predictons in the following table.
 WHAT
WHERE MAY WHAT DO
CONTAINER IS IT HAS IT GOT DOES IT
SMELL? IT COME YOU THINK
N° TRANSPARENT? LAYERS? REALLY
FROM IT HAS?
HAVE?

5
 3. Think with your group and write down your best definition of MIXTURE

A mixture is
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. General conclusion:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures Date: ___________
We need:

Rice, flour, sand, chalk dust, water, beakers, spoon, ink, salt, alcohol, vinegar, oil.

What to do:

1) Make the following mixtures:

RICE AND FLOUR / SAND AND WATER / WATER AND BROTH/ CHALK DUST AND FINE SALT /
WATER AND SALT / WATER AND INK / WATER AND ALCOHOL/ VINAGER AND OIL

2) In which containers can we see the different components?

Complete the table with the mixtures as corresponds, using your observations

HOMOGENEOUS MIXTURES HETEROGENEOUS MIXTURES

Conclusions:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Is it, or not?... Suspensions Date: ___________
Some mixtures look homogeneous at first sight, but when we observe them closely with a
microscope, we discover they are in fact heterogeneous.
These kinds of mixtures are called suspensions.

1. Draw what you have observed in the microscope, as you enlarged the focus.
Write down the zoom you used next to each drawing.

2. Write a list with the materials used and the procedures followed.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

HOMOGENEOUS MIXTURES: SOLUTIONS Date: ___________

DILUTED, CONCENTRATED AND SATURATED SOLUTIONS

This experience will help us classify the solutions taking into account the relationship between the
solute and the solvent..

We need

5 test tubes, 1 10 ml, pipette, 1 spoon, 1 test tube rack, water, copper sulfate

What to do

1) Number the test tubes from 1 to 5.

2) Fill each tube with 10 ml of water.
3) Add the juice as follows
Tube 1: 0.1 gr copper sulfate

Tube 2: 0.25 gr copper sulfate

Tube 3: 0.50 gr copper sulfate

Tube 4: 2 gr copper sulfate

Tube 5: 3 gr copper sulfate

4) Cover the tubes and shake them for 5 sec.

What have you learned?

Compare the intensity in color and answer

a) Which tubes contain homogeneous mixtures? How does the intensity in colour vary in these
tubes?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
b) Which tubes contain heterogeneous mixtures? How does the intensity in colour vary in these
tubes?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
c) Why do you think there are sediments in the heterogeneous mixtures?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Solutions are formed at least for two components: a SOLVENT (the component in most quantity and
dissolves the other) and a SOLUTE (The component in less quantity which dissolves in the other)
 d) In this case, which is the SOLUTE? And which is the SOLVENT?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A SATURATED SOLUTION is that in which the solute reaches its limit of dissolving.

e) In this case, which tubes contain SATURATED solutions?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When a solution IS NOT SATURATED it can be DILUTED or CONCENTRATED.

f) In this case, which tubes do you think, have diluted solutions? Which ones have concentrated
solutions?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So we can say that:

A DILUTED SOLUTION is that in which…

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A CONCENTRATED SOLUTION is that in which…

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now, let’s revise these concepts…

 A packet of 35 gr. of powder juice gives 1 liter.

What kind of solutions will we obtain if we prepare it in these containers?

5 lt. bottle 1 lt. bottle 250 ml glass

 Date: ___________

FACTORS WHICH SPEED UP THE PROCESS OF DISSOLVING

There are some conditions which help a substance to dissolve more or less easily in other. We will use
water as a solvent, to study some of these factors.

A- TEMPERATURE OF SOLVENT

You need

A 250 ml beaker, sugar, water, burner, tripod, wire net.

What to do

1. Fill the beaker with 100 ml water.

2. Pour the necessary amount of sugar to make a saturated solution of sugar and water (about 3
spoonfuls)
3. Once you have the saturated solution, heat it up.
4. Observe what happens. What happened with the sugar that hadn’t dissolved before?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

B– SIZE OF SOLUTE

You need

2 beakers, hot water, rock salt, kitchen salt, balance, spoon.

What to do

1. Number each beaker and pour 50 ml water in each of them.

2. Use the balance to weigh 2 grams of rock salt, and 2 grams of kitchen salt.
3. Add 2 grams of rock salt in beaker number 1, and two grams of kitchen salt in beaker number 2.
Stir just a bit.
4. Observe what happens. In which beaker has the salt dissolved the most? _________________________

C- STIRING

We need

Two beakers, warm water, powder milk, spoon.

What to do
1. Number each beaker and pour 50 ml water in each of them.
2. Use the spoon to stir only the beaker number 2.
3. Observe what happens. What is the difference between both beakers?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CONCLUSIONS
A- The ___________ the solvent, the more solute is dissolved.
B- The _________ the solute, the faster it dissolves.
C- If we stir the solute, it ___________ faster

Time to test your knowledge on this topic…

Mixtures
Conductors & Insulators
Scientific Enquiry
1.
2.

2.

Explain why this happens.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. (1)
(d) Which of these processes could you use to separate this solution? Underline.

Sieving Filtration Evaporation Condensation (1)

3.
4.

5. Write YES or NO as appropriate.

MIXTURE HOMOGENEOUS HETEROGENEOUS SUSPENSION SOLUTION

Mayonnaise
Artificial orange juice

Chocolate cake
Sweet coffee
Meringue
Pasta

(2)
6.
7.
This is the end of the test.

Now, you have the chance to answer the following BONUS question which will give you
3 extra points! If you answer this question correctly, those 3 points may help you
upgrade your overall mark.
BONUS QUESTION (3 extra points)
On the back of this page, draw a graphic organizer showing all you know about
mixtures.
 Date: ___________

Physical Changes and Chemical reactions

Theory
When ice melts, it is easy to make the water freeze
again. When salt dissolves into water, you can dry out
the solution to get back the salt. Melting and
dissolving are examples of physical changes. In a
physical change, only the behaviour of the particles is
different, but the particles in the material, are the
same. This means that the total mass of the
substance remains the same.

When a toast burns or iron rusts or oxidizes, new chemical compounds are made. It may be
impossible to reverse the process. These are chemical reactions. In a chemical reaction three
things happen:

a) A new substance is made which usually looks different from the substances you had at
the beginning.
b) Energy is taken in or given out (for example, heat). These reactions which give out heat
are called exothermic reactions, and are very dramatic!

c) The change may be impossible to reverse.

Cooking involves many physical and chemical changes. When you

cook an egg, the white changes very quickly to become more solid,
and opaque white. This is an example of a chemical change and
cannot be reversed.

Reactions are happening all the time in nature. Respiration, photosynthesis and
fermentation are some examples.

In bread-making, yeast is used to make the bubbles in dough. As the mixture starts to
ferment, carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced which gets trapped in the dough and causes it
to rise.
When elements combine with oxygen, they form oxides, in a process called oxidation.

Burning, also called combustion, is actually a type of oxidation

reaction. During burning there is a flame, a glow, or a bright flash,
and heat is given out.

Metals may react with air to make oxides without burning. This process
is called corrosion. When iron corrodes, rust is produced.

A metal corrodes whenever a chemical attacks its surface. Water, air and acid are three of
the most common corroding chemicals. Metals which do not corrode (gold, copper, tin)
can be very useful.

We can make a reaction happen faster or more slowly by changing different things about
it.

a) Temperature increasing the temperature speeds up the reaction.

b) If the concentration of one component in a solution is increased, the reaction speeds

up.

If baking soda is added to vinegar, it fizzes and dissolves.

Baking soda makes the fizz, and so it is very easy to see any
difference in the speed at which it is made.

Now to revise these concepts, answer these questions.

1. Describe the difference between a chemical reaction and a physical change.

2. Write down the three things that happen in chemical reactions.

3. Give two examples of physical changes, and two examples of chemical reactions.

4. Name three characteristics of burning, which make it a chemical reaction.

5. What is corrosion?

6. What two things affect the speed of a chemical reaction?

Answers

1)__________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

2)__________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

3 )Physical changes _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Chemical reactions ____________________________________________

____________________________________________

4)
____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

5)
____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
6)
____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
 Date: ___________

Lab Guide: Chemical reactions or physical changes?

Are these chemical reactions or physical changes? Mix each of the components and find out. Write down each
reaction. Careful! You will need adult supervision.

1. Heating paraffin ________________________________________________________________________

2. Vinegar and baking soda _________________________________________________________________

3. Potassium permanganate and hydrogen peroxide _____________________________________________

4. Heating chocolate _______________________________________________________________________

5. Sublimation of iodine __________________________________________________________________

6. Sublimation of benzoic acid ______________________________________________________________

7. Hydrochloric acid and zinc ________________________________________________________________

8. Metallic sodium and water ________________________________________________________________

9. Magnesium and oxygen __________________________________________________________________

10. Silver Nitrate and copper _________________________________________________________________

11. Lead nitrate and sodium iodide ____________________________________________________________

12. Barium chloride and sodium sulfate _________________________________________________________

Heat on the move Date: ___________

Conductors and Insulators -Theory

Heat can travel through solids. If you have ever tried to stir boiling soup using a
metal spoon, you will know that. Heat from the soup quickly flows through the
spoon to your hand. Your fingers begin to get hot! The movement of heat through
the solid metal is called conduction. The metal spoon conducts heat from the hot
soup to your hand. The metal is called a good conductor because heat can flow
easily through it. Copper and silver are the best heat conductors.

If you really have to stir hot soup, it’s much more intelligent to use a wooden
spoon, or a spoon with plastic handle. Like most non-metals, wood and plastic don’t
allow heat to flow easily through them, so they are called insulators. Gases are the
best insulators.

Conductors and insulators can both be useful but for different jobs. The bottom of
a saucepan is generally made from a metal like iron or aluminium, which are very
good conductors of heat. But its handle is likely wooden or plastic, as these
materials will not let heat flow to your fingers and burn them. Aluminium also has a
high melting point and is not affected by chemicals or
corrosion.

To summarize these concepts, answer these questions:

 1) What is meant
by saying that a
material is a
conductor?
2) What is meant
by saying that a
material is an
insulator?
3) Pick out the conductors and insulators from this list: aluminium, wool, glass, tin,
iron, cork, plastic, air, copper, newspaper
4) How would you protect yourself if you had to lift a hot plate? Why would this
protect you?
5) Why is aluminium the best material to make a saucepan?

Answers

1) _______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

2) _______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

3)

Conductors Insulators

4) _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

5) _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Date: ___________
 Forces
A force is a push or a pull. It is represented by arrows.

Forces can make things change shape, change direction or change speed.

Two forces can help each other. It’s difficult to move a car by pushing it yourself.
It’s easier if a friend helps you to push in the same direction.

Two forces can work against each other. That’s what makes a tug of war so tiring.
Your team pulls one way. The other team pulls in the opposite direction.

There are different forces which act on or around you.

Now, answer these questions to summarize what you have read about forces

1. What is a force? What can forces do?

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
2. If a car crashes into a wall, the wall puts a force on the car. The car puts an equal
force on the wall. What does each force do?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
3. In which three ways can a force affect things?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

4. Which of the six forces described in the text :

a) Keeps a raindrop in shape?

____________________________________________________________
b) Slows down things which are moving?
____________________________________________________________
c) Keeps a piece of wood floating?
____________________________________________________________
d) Keeps the Moon in orbit round the Earth?
________________________________________________________
e) Helps you when swimming?
__________________________________________________________
 Measuring Forces/ Lab Guide 1 Date: ___________
What happens when you put a pulling force on a spring? Let’s find out!

What to do

a. Add a pointer flag at the bottom of your spring; it will help you be more exact in
your measuring.
b. Add the carrier at the end of the spring, and record how many cm it shows.
c. Now, add a disc at a time, recording how much the spring stretches each time.

Weight Distance

Initial weight. 0 cm

Now, looking at your results, complete the following:

The bigger the force, _____________________________________________________

 How many cm does the spring stretch each time an extra disc is added?
_______________________________________________________________

 Now, take all the discs away at once. What happens to the spring?
______________________________________________________________

So a spring is a good tool for measuring forces because it stretches evenly, and because it
jumps back to its original position when the force is taken away. It is also easy to carry and
use, but it is not very accurate or exact.

The unit used to measure force is the Newton (N). A force of 1 Newton will lift an apple or
untie a shoe lace.
This drawing shows NEWTON BALANCES. They have a spring inside them with a pointer fixed
to it, and work in the same way you have experienced in the first experiment. They are very
sensitive so you must be gentle and never play pulling the spring down with your fingers.

The weight of an object is the force of gravity pulling down on it.

The bigger the force of gravity pulling on an object, the bigger is its
weight. There are all sorts of weighing machines, but they all
measure the pull of gravity on an object.

Now let’s revise these concepts:

1. Why is a spring a good force measurer?

_______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

2. What is a Newton? How do you represent it?

_________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

3. What is a Newton Balance?

_________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4. Look at the diagrams of the springs.

a. How long is the spring when 2 discs are on the carrier? ___________________

b. How many discs stretch the spring to a length of 14 cm? __________________

c. How far would the spring stretch with 6 discs on the carrier? _______________

d. What force is acting on the spring to stretch it down? ____________________

5. Look at the drawing of the two Newton Balances above.

Which balance has the stronger spring? Explain your

answer.________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

6. What is meant by the weight of an object?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

7. Does gravity pull down more on an elephant or on a mouse? Explain the reason for
your answer.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 Forces/ Lab Guide 2 Date: ___________
Many weighing machines are beam balances. Their main working part is a beam,
balanced on a pivot. You can find these kinds of balances in pharmacies.

Let’s find out how they work!

a. Take a ruler and place a pivot underneath it, in the middle.

b. Once it is balanced, use the discs as follows:

 Place a 10 gr disc on each end until it is balanced.

 Now, place a 10gr disc on the left side of the see-saw, and a 5 gr disc on the
opposite end.

 Move the 5 gr disc until the see-saw is balanced.

 Write down the distance at which the see-saw was finally balanced.

A beam balance has much in common with a see-saw. Two people have to sit on a see-saw
before it will balance. They don’t have to be the same weight. A fat person and a thin person
can make the see-saw balance. But it does matter where they sit. Look at the two see-saws
below. When will each see-saw balance? Here goes a hint:

Pay attention to the relationship between the size of the force on each side, and the distance

between each force.

The see-saw will balance when …

FORCE X DISTANCE = FORCE X DISTANCE

on the left side of the pivot on the right side of the pivot

For see-saw one it would be: 400N x 3 m = 600N x 2 m

Let’s review these concepts:

1. Whether or not a see-saw balances depends on two things.

a) What are they?

___________________________________________________________________

b) When will the see-saw balance?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

2. Look at the see-saw pictures above.

a) Imagine that Fred takes Joan’s place on see-saw 1. He weighs 300N. Where should
he sit to balance? Draw the picture. It will help! Use a ruler, please.

b) In see-saw 2, Jack moves backwards until he is 1.5m from the pivot. Where should
Jill move to keep balanced? Draw the picture.
Forces/ Guide 3 Date: ___________

Kilograms and Newtons

If you think about it, something seems to be wrong. We have already learned
that weight is measured in newtons. And yet weighing machines in shops have
scales marked in grams and kilograms, not in newtons.

In fact, something is wrong!

Grams and Kilograms are units of mass, not weight. The mass of an object is
the quantity of matter an object is made of. It is the space something takes.

Newtons are units of weight. The weight of something is the force of gravity
pulling down on it.

To have a better idea about the difference between mass and weight, imagine
this situation:

An astronaut going to the Moon buys a tin of beans at a supermarket.

The tin has a MASS of 1Kg and a weight of 9.8 Newtons.

When the astronaut starts his journey and is 6400 km up in the sky, the MASS of
the tin of beans is still 1kg, but it weighs 2.4 Newtons.

Later, when the rocket, which is taking the astronaut to the Moon, is
somewhere between the Earth and the Moon, the tin still has a MASS of 1kg,
but now t weighs 0 newtons!

When the astronaut is at 6400 km above the Moon’s surface, the tin has a MASS
of 1 kg and weighs 0.07 newtons.

Finally, when the astronaut reaches the Moon, he discovers that the tin has a
MASS of 1 kg and a WEIGHT of 1.6 newtons.
Now, let’s work on this story…

1. What do you notice about the weights of the beans at different stages of the
journey to the Moon?

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

2. Why do you think the tin of beans weighs less on the Moon than on Earth?

_______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

3. Why do they weigh zero at one point in space?

_______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

4. 1 kg is a measure of the quantity of beans in the tin. What do you notice

about the mass of the beans on the journey to the Moon?

_______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
The force of friction Date: ___________
There is no such thing as a completely smooth surface. There are some highly
polished surfaces which seem to be perfectly smooth. But if you look at these
surfaces with a microscope, you can see that even they have rough edges. The
rubbing of these rough edges causes the force called FRICTION.

Friction is the force produced when two surfaces rub on each other. Friction
tries to stop the surfaces from sliding over one another. The force of friction is
small for smooth surfaces like glass and ice. It is much greater for rough surfaces
like sand paper or concrete.

Friction can be useful. You couldn’t walk without friction. Friction prevents the
soles of your shoes from slipping over the ground.

When you write with a pencil, friction rubs millions of carbon atoms off the end
of the pencil. That’s what leaves the black mark on the paper.

Climbers use rubber soled boots. They produce more friction and give a better
grip.

When friction causes problems, and parts of a machine rub on each other, they
are worn away by friction. The machine is slowed down too. That’s why
machines have to be lubricated with oil or grease. Lubricating reduces friction. A
well oiled machine runs more smoothly, and lasts longer.
 Wheels are often used to cut down or reduce friction.

Driving a motor car would be impossible without friction. Tyres grip the road by
friction. That is what allows the driver to control his car. There must be a big
amount of friction between the tyres and the road so that the tyres can grip the
road well. Then,

 When the engine turns the wheels, the car can go forward.
 When the driver turns the steering wheel, the car can turn a corner.
 When the driver puts the brakes on, the car can stop.

If the friction between the tyres and the road is reduced, driving becomes dangerous.
That’s why drivers have to be extra careful when driving on icy roads. Driving on wet
roads also needs extra care. The water acts as a lubricant between the tyres and the
road and makes braking more difficult.

Let’s revise…

1. What is friction, what causes it and what does it do?

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

2. Which surfaces produce most friction? Least friction?

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

3. What reduces friction? _________________________________________

4. Car wheels often spin on icy roads. Explain why.

 _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

5. What can be spread on icy roads in winter, to reduce the risk of accidents?
Why?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Let´s demonstrate how friction works…

Record your results in a record sheet. Then, show your results in a graph.
Which surface makes more friction? How do you know?

_______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Friction / … fast, but no faster. Date: ___________
To make a bicycle go, you have to provide a force. You push on the pedals and this force
turns the wheels. With your first push, the bicycle starts moving. As you keep pedaling, the
bicycle speeds up because

A force can make something start to move, then speed up.

But the bicycle doesn’t keep going faster and faster as you keep pedaling. Instead, it reaches
a steady top speed. Then you have to go on pedaling just to keep it going at that speed. You
are using a force without changing the bicycle’s speed.

But why does the bicycle not go faster and faster? Because of the force of FRICTION.

When you are cycling, two types of friction hold you back:

a) The rubbing of moving parts, like the wheel and the axle.

b) The air. To cycle you have to push your way through the air. That starts the force of
friction called AIR RESISTANCE.

These two friction forces get bigger or increase, the faster you go.

At low speed, the friction is small, much smaller than the force pushing the bicycle
forward. Most of the force that you put on the pedals goes towards speeding up the
bicycle.

But, as the bicycle speeds up, the force of friction gets bigger. When a bicycle’s speed
doubles, air resistance increases four times. Eventually, it gets so big that it is equal to the
force pushing the bicycle forward. All your force is used to overcome friction. The two
forces are balanced, and so your bike keeps going at a steady speed.

Let’s check these concepts…

1. When you cycle, which force moves you forward? __________________________

And which force holds you back? _______________________________________

2. Look at the diagram above. Think of the forces:

a) Why is the cyclist speeding up at X?

____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

b) Why is the cyclist going at a steady speed at Y?

____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

c) How long does the cyclist take to reach top speed? ________________________
 Date: ___________
Air resistance and parachutes
What question do we want to answer?

My hypothesis (my answer) and my predictions:

Hypothesis Prediction

I think that … If my hypothesis is correct, then …

…because…

This is the record of different trials to prove my hypothesis… (Results)

RECTANGULAR SHAPE CIRCULAR SHAPE

Time in seconds / 1ST DROP

Time in seconds / 2nd DROP

Time in seconds / 3rd DROP

Conclusions:

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

What did I learn with this experiment? Did my hypothesis change? Why?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
 Date: ___________

Making Sound/ making vibrations

Revision
In a rock band, there are usually different types of instruments. The different
instruments make different sounds. Yet, all the sounds are produced in the same
way. They are made by things which are vibrating backwards and forwards.

The guitarists pluck the guitar strings and make them vibrate.

The saxophonist blows into the saxophone, making the air inside vibrate.

The drummer strikes the drum and makes the drum skin vibrate.

Sound can travel through gases, liquids and solids.

Your voice can be high pitched or low pitched, depending on how rapidly your vocal
cords vibrate when you speak. The faster the cords vibrate, the higher will be the
pitch of your voice. The higher the frequency of a sound, the higher is its pitch.

It is easy to understand the concept when you play a guitar.. The top string makes a
higher pitched sound than the bottom one.

Now, let’s revise these concepts. Try to answer these questions.

 Date: ___________
Biology: The skeleton
Revision
Inside your body is a skeleton of bones. This skeleton has different jobs to do.

 It supports your body and helps it to keep its shape.

 It protects delicate organs.
 Working along with the muscles, it helps your body to move.

The skeleton is made up of 206 bones of different shapes and sizes. There are flat bones like
the shoulder blade, some rod-shaped bones, and ring-shaped bones.

Bones are strong because they have to stand up to hard blows and to all kinds of pressure.
Bouncing on a trampoline and lifting heavy weight both put a lot of pressure on your bones.

Bones are light so that we can move around easily. The outside of a bone is made up of a
hard, dense substance, but the inside is hollow, filled with soft bone marrow. (A mixture of
veins, arteries and nerves)

The bone is really a strong tube. Even at the ends, where it appears to be solid, the bone has
holes in it making it like a hard sponge.

Answer these questions:

1. Here is a picture showing an x-ray of a dog.

(a) What is this framework of bones called? _________________________________

(b) What are bones for? Circle the word which explains best.
 SUPPORT GROWTH REPRODUCTION RESPIRATION

(c) The skeleton is also important for another life process. Name this life process.
_________________________________________________________________

(d) What are attached to the bones so that this can happen? _________________

(e) Look at the diagram of the human skeleton and answer:

(i) Which bones protect the brain? __________________
(ii) Which bones protect the heart and lungs? _________________
(iii) Which bones protect the spinal cord? ____________________
Bones and Muscles Date: ___________
Revision
Many muscles are used to move your bones. Most muscles are joined at both ends, to
bones. Often, one end of a muscle is joined to a bone which can move and the other end is
joined to a bone which is fixed. When the brain sends a message to make the muscle
work, the muscle shortens or contracts. As this happens, the muscle pulls.
Muscles can’t push, so muscles are found in pairs. One muscle makes the bones move in
one direction. The other, makes them move in the opposite direction.

When you walk, muscles work all over your body. You probably use around 100 muscles
in total when you take a step.

Joints are found whenever two or more bones meet. Most joints allow bones to move.
The amount of movement depends on the type of joint.
In a joint like your knee, the bones are held in place by strong fibers called ligaments.
The end of each bone is covered with a smooth and slippery material called cartilage
and the whole joint s lubricated with fluid. Together, the cartilage and the fluid, prevent
bones from rubbing on each other. They cut down friction which would cause pain.

Let’s revise these concepts:

1. Muscles are found in pairs. Why is this necessary?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why is there little friction at a joint?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Which type of joint is found at:
a. The elbow _______________________ b. the shoulder _______________________________
 Date: ___________
Breaking down food: teeth

Food has to be broken down into pieces before your body can use it. Muscles, jaws, and
teeth all play a part in the breakdown of the food. The muscles supply the movement.
They pull on the jaws and keep them moving. Since the teeth are firmly fixed in the jaws,
this keeps the teeth moving, biting, and grinding.

When an adult laughs, you should see a set of 32 white teeth. Each jaw has 16 teeth in it.
The front four are sharp, biting teeth called incisors. Behind them are two canine teeth
also used for biting. The other 10 back teeth are much flatter. Their job is to grind the
food into tiny bits. Four of these are premolars. The other six are molars.

New teeth grow in the jaw. When they are big enough, they push through. Every person
comes with two sets of teeth. The first set of teeth starts to appear at the age of 6 months,
approximately. The permanent teeth start to show near the age of 8.

When you eat, a sticky substance called plaque forms on your teeth. Plaque has bacteria. If
you eat sweet food, lots of bacteria grow. The bacteria change sugary food to acid and the
acid eats through the enamel, making a hole (cavity). Decay starts to spread.
Let’s revise some concepts.

1.
Date: ___________
Just for fun… Date: ___________
Resources:

 Magnets and Electricity (Ladybird)

 My Science book of Magnets 6 (Neil Ardley)

 101 great Science experiments (Neil Ardley)

 More Fun with Science (Ladybird)

 Exploring Science (Ladybird)

 How the Earth Works (John Farndon)

 Starting Science / Resource Pack 1-2-3 (Oxford)

 The Adventure of Teaching Science (Saint Andrew’s University / Bs.As)

 C.I.P.P. previous test samples.