Science TEKS 5.6B The student is expected to demonstrate and explain that some mixtures maintain the properties of their substances, such as iron filings and sand or sand and water.
Key Points
- A mixture is a combination of two or more substances. A mixture is not something that is chemically new.
- Solutions are a special type of mixture. When a substance dissolves, it breaks down into tiny particles too small to be seen and spreads evenly throughout the solvent.
- We can use the physical properties of individual substances in a mixture to separate the ingredients.
- Separation methods at this level include: magnets, evaporation, sieves/sifters/screens, paper/coffee filters, tweezers, and a container of water (for relative density).
STAAR Analysis
I break down this released STAAR question on TikTok.
Ari's Advice
1. Work with a lot of mixtures! We made Observation Stations for separating mixtures last year so students can get more hands-on experience with tools and different mixtures.
2. Expose students to a variety of mixtures. We made a sorting activity last year to have students reflect on how to separate 27 different mixtures.
3. Challenge students by showing them a mixture of 3 substances and asking them to discuss and explain how they would separate the mixture. (If you have time, let them separate the mixtures themselves that don’t involve a hot plate.)
Beaches Unit
Effectively teach students about mixtures with a full 5E unit focused on mixtures you find at the beach.
“This provided a great introduction to our Mixtures and Solutions unit. The connections my students were able to make aided in their understanding as we worked through further through our unit. The activities were engaging and had excellent graphics.” -Jennifer
“The premise was novel and kept my students (and me) engaged!” -Alexandra
You’ll find three lab activities, a reading passage, a notebook template, CER, vocabulary, and an assessment. I’ll walk you through each activity step by step!
See it on TPT: Beaches Unit
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