All lessons › Solids and liquids › Lesson 1
Australian primary science · Year 3 · Lesson 1 of 3
Melt it, freeze it
Inquiry question: What happens when we heat or cool ice, chocolate and metal?
Marked no materials needed
Using a simulation
What students learn
Heating can melt a solid into a liquid. Cooling can freeze a liquid back into a solid. Different materials melt at different temperatures.
Success criteria
- I can say what happens to ice when it is heated and cooled.
- I can predict, then test, whether a material will melt.
- I can say that different materials melt at different temperatures.
Preparation and materials
Before this lesson: Students know ice is frozen water.
- iPads with Bottlebrush Education open (nothing else needed) — 13 (one per pair)
- Projector or big screen — 1
Teacher setup
- Open Materials & chemistry › Lab › Heat it, cool it on your screen to demonstrate.
- Check the iPads are charged.
Safety and adaptations
Follow school science and equipment risk assessment procedures for the materials used.
Review your school policies and curriculum requirements before teaching.
How to investigate
The lesson sequence should leave pupils with evidence to interpret, not only an activity to finish.
- Pairs open Heat it, cool it. Press Add heat and Remove heat to change ice into liquid water and back.
- Open Melt-o-meter. Test Ice in the Freezer, the Fridge and the Classroom.
- Test Chocolate in the Classroom and in a Warm hand.
- Test Iron nail in Boiling water and in the Oven.
- Before each test, choose a prediction. Record the prediction and the result.
- Solve today’s mystery: find the metal that melts in a warm hand.
Teacher modelling prompt
On the big screen, open Heat it, cool it with Ice selected. Predict aloud, then press Add heat: “Liquid water. It melted, and it is still water.” Press Remove heat: “Ice again. It froze.” Then open Melt-o-meter, choose Ice and Freezer, choose the prediction Solid and press Test it.
Record and explain evidence
Recording question: What happens when we heat or cool ice, chocolate and metal?
| Sample | Temperature | Our prediction | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
Example recording headings; record actual observations, including inconclusive results.
Discussion prompt
Who is right? What did Heat it, cool it tell us?
Check understanding
What should pupils know? What does melting mean?
Explain with evidence: Chocolate is solid in the classroom but liquid in a warm hand. Why?
Apply the idea: How could you turn liquid water back into ice?
Teacher answer guidance and saved classroom work are available through the main lesson experience where supported.