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Science Lab Based Lesson Plan

Lab Title: Slime Time!

Lab Objectives: When students complete this lab, they will be able to (Use Academic
Language to itemize the skills and abilities that students will develop to complete their project)
To understand what a Polymer is and how chemical reactions can change the state of
certain ingredients
Students will understand Newtons Law of Viscosity
Students will be able to explain the difference between Newtonian and Non-Newtonian
Fluids
Students can make and explain why slime is a non-Newtonian fluid
Students will understand and be able to identify Polymers
Students can identify whether a chemical reaction has occurred between two chemicals
Students can determine force and resistance and how it affects a fluid and liquid

CCSS and NGSS Standards: Identify the standards explicitly taught or learned through
discovery within this lab design; identify the learning targets and the evidence of student mastery
for each learning target within each objective.
MS-PS1-2 Matter and its Interactions
Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the
substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.

Time Frame: 45-60 minutes

Pre-requisites (Skills required to process lab)

Understanding of measurements: cups, tablespoons, etc.
Realize that substances can be combined to make a new substance

Required Materials
White Glue
Borax (Powdered)
Water
Measuring Cups (3)
Spoons
Bowls
Food coloring
Worksheets
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Optional:Goggles, Aprons and Plastic Gloves

The Lesson

Preparation
Students in group of twos (elbow partners) will have ingredients and supplies already placed on
table by teacher. A handout with directions on how to make slime will handed out before students
start to work with supplies. This worksheet will include questions students are to answer before
and while completing the activity.

Pre-Assessment/Diagnostic Assessment:
During the warm-up, students will be shown an image of slime. Their task is to answer the
questions 1) Do you know what this? If yes, what is it? If not, what do you think it is? Next, they
will have to answer how they think it feels and if they think it is a solid or a liquid.

Anticipatory Set: Students will be shown a video on polymers and slime made with borax
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BNf-SIVzeU

What the Teacher Does: What the Students Do: Estimated

Time

Say: From the video, who can tell me what a Students will respond to 5-10
polymer is? A polymer is a chemical compound posed questions minutes
formed from long chains of the same molecule Students will take notes
group, these are called monomers. The process by
which monomers link together to form a molecule
of a relatively high molecular mass is known as
polymerization. Plastics are polymers, what kind
of examples of them can you think of in everyday
life? What are some of the characteristics of
polymers? What are some examples of things that
are not polymers? (brick, glass, metals etc) (Fun
Polymer Activity, n.d.)
Do: Show students model slime. Write answers
down so that students may add them to their
notes.
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Essential Question:
1. What is a non-Newtonian Fluid?
2. Is Slime a solid or liquid?
3. Does a chemical reaction occur when you mix the main ingredients for slime?

Body of Instruction:

What the Teacher Does: What the Students Do: Estimated

Time

Say: You are probably wondering why we are Students will take notes in 25-40
discussing Polymers. Well, we have to discuss science notebooks minutes
them because today we are going to learn about
Non-Newtonian Fluids. Does anyone know what Students will answer
that is? Has anyone heard of Sir. Isaac Newton? questions and give input on
Well, Newton was a great mathematician, questions and statements
astronomer, and physicist who contributed many posed
theories and laws to the math and science fields.
The main law we are going to focus on today is Students will work with
Newtons Law of Viscosity. Viscosity is the elbow partner to make slime
property of a liquid that describes how fast or and answer questions on
slowly it will flow. You can think of viscosity as worksheet
how thick a liquid is. A liquid with high viscosity
- that is thick, like peanut butter - will flow
slowly. A liquid with low viscosity, or that's thin,
like water, will flow quickly (in other words, it
will flow freely). Newton described how normal
liquids or fluids behave, and he observed that they
have a constant viscosity (flow). This means that
their flow behaviour or viscosity only changes
with changes in temperature or pressure.
Typically, liquids take on the shape of the
container they are poured into. We call these
normal liquids Newtonian fluids. But some
fluids dont follow this rule. We call these
strange liquids non-Newtonian fluids. Our task
today is to make our own slime (with your
partners) and determine if slime is a newtonian or
non-newtonian fluid. (Non-newtonian fluids,
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2010; Explorer education programme: Slime, n.d.,

Making Slime lesson plan, n.d., nicholastesla,
2013; Roth-Johnson, L., n.d.; Skrutvold, 1997).

Teacher will ask for volunteers to pass out

handout (Appendix A).
Do: Teacher goes over worksheet with students
before allowing them to begin working on their
own.

Scaffolding and Structure Support:

Teacher will show students what their final product (slime) should look like. Teacher will rotate
around classroom, stopping in and checking on students. Teacher will also set times in which
students should have completed certain aspects of experiment. Teacher will also periodically
check in with whole class. When students have questions, teacher will assist students and answer
to the whole class, if appropriate. Students will have to follow directions and use notes to answer
questions.

Differentiation:
As mentioned, teacher will rotate around classroom, stopping and helping student where need
be. Student partnerships are set up with one high performing student and one low performing
student. Teacher will pay close attention to groups with students who often have a hard time
staying on task and completing work.

For those who finish early: With partner pairs at table, they can answer the following two
questions: 1) Who can stretch their slime the longest? And 2) Find and display a practical use
for slime.

Assessments:

What the Teacher Does: What the Students Do: Estimated

Time
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Say: Now that we have made our slime and

completed our worksheets, its time to review 5-
them as a class. Teacher will walk through 10 minutes
questions on worksheet and record student
responses on projector.

I have one more task for you. You are to take this
worksheet (Appendix B) and answer the 5
questions for homework. This is just a review and
reflection on what we did and learned today. Lets
read it together. I will answer any questions you
have.

Rubric

Far Below Below Standard Meeting Exceeding

Standard Standard Standard

Student cannot Student Student can Student can

explain how somewhat Analyze and analyze and
Content ingredients used understands how interpret data on interpret data on
in experiment substances react the properties of the properties of
work together to to create a substances before substances before
make a final chemical and after the and after the
product/solution. reaction. substances substances
interact to interact to
determine if a determine if a
chemical reaction chemical reaction
has occurred. has occurred. As
well as relate
content to real
world
applications.

Student could not Student Student Student

Product complete completed completed completed
experiment OR experiment but experiment and activity,
worksheets are struggled to had little to no worksheets and
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incomplete OR answer questions trouble extension

student could not on worksheet; completing questions/activitie
explain answers few may be worksheet. s. Student
and provide incomplete. Student can answered all
reasoning behind Student cannot adequately questions,
response(s). provide in depth explain answers. explaining their
explanations and answers and
reasonings linking them to
behind worksheet material
responses. presented in class
and outside of
class.

Lab Evaluation:
The last task of this lab is to answer five questions regarding what students took away and how
the experiment went for them. (Appendix B) This will give the teacher insight into what students
understand, are still struggling with and how they can alter the activity for future purposes.

Reflection (after teaching if applicable): What worked; what could be changed to increase
effectiveness of the lesson.

Resources: List additional resources for students

https://kentuckychemistry.wordpress.com/2013/04/21/on-dr-seusss-famous-non-newtonian-fluid/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emlW5Jh-AHc&feature=relmfu

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/lessonplans/chemistry/polymers.html

https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1502-non-newtonian-fluids
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References

Explorer education programme: Slime (n.d.). In Explorers.ie. Retrieved April 13, 2017, from

http://oar.marine.ie/bitstream/10793/781/1/Slime-Experiment%20%26%20Worksheet.pdf

Fun Polymer Activity (n.d.). In Science kids: Fun science and technology for kids!. Retrieved

April 13, 2017, from http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/lessonplans/chemistry/polymers.html

Making Slime lesson plan (n.d.). In edgalaxy. Retrieved April 13, 2017, from

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/50b88908e4b012760ada1011/t/50f23fb2e4b022c5449

6ac6d/1358053298331/Making+Slime+Science+experiment.pdf

nicholastesla. (2013). On Dr. Seuss's famous non-newtonian fluid. In Kentucky chemistry: A

Kentuckian, an engineer, and a chemist. Retrieved April 13, 2017, from

https://kentuckychemistry.wordpress.com/2013/04/21/on-dr-seusss-famous-non-newtonian-

fluid/

Non-newtonian fluids (2010). In Science Learning. Retrieved April 13, 2017, from

https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1502-non-newtonian-fluids

Roth-Johnson, L. (n.d.). Lesson plan for oobleck. In beam UCLA. Retrieved April 13, 2017,

from http://beam.ucla.edu/sites/default/files/docs/Oobleck.pdf

Skrutvold, K. (1997). A bag of slime: Ooey, gooey, recipes for the classroom. In Tripod.

Retrieved April 13, 2017, from http://members.tripod.com/sharing_science/slime.html

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Appendix A - Slime Time!

Directions: Your task today is to make your own slime. You will be working with your partner
and on your own. Read the instructions and questions carefully.

1. Before making your own slime, with your partner, brainstorm the different
properties of liquids and solids. Write down your ideas.

Liquids Solids
E.g. liquids flow E.g. solids hold their shape

2. With your partner, you are going to work together to make your own slime.

You will need the following MATERIALS:

White Glue
1 tablespoon of Borax (Powdered)
Water (2 cups)
Measuring Cups (3)
1 Spoon
1 Bowl
Food coloring

Once you have all of these materials, you will start to make your slime!

INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1: In cup A, combine 1 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of Borax powder and a few drops of food
coloring. Stir well.
Step 2: Fill bowl with a cup of water from cup A
Step 3: Add cup of glue to bowl and stir
Step 4: Pour borax and water solution into bowl
Step 5: Stir mixture until all ingredients are combined. Do not be afraid to use your hands to mix
and knead the slime; this may take a few minutes.
If you slime is too liquidy, slowly add a little more borax powder. If you slime is too thick, slowly
add more water.

REMEMBER: The ingredients will mix together to form a firm slime that can be played with.
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If it is really sticky and it hard to get off your fingers it is not ready to be removed from the jar
and should be mixed for longer.

Your slime is complete when there is no more liquid in the bowl and it is firm. It will lose some of
its stickiness.

3. Now that you have made your slime, its time to get to know your slime and answer a few
questions!

Pull the Slime slowly. What happens?

Pull the Slime hard. What happens?

Roll a piece of Slime into a ball and drop it. What happens?

Place a small piece of Slime on the table top. Hit it with your hand. What happens?

Write your name on a piece of paper with a felt-tip pen.

Place the Slime on your name, then lift it up. Did anything happen? Can you explain why?

Once you have answered these questions, store the Slime in a plastic bag! Ask me for a marker
so you can write your names on the piece of tape on your plastic bag!
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Appendix B: Lets review!

Directions: Now that we have made our own slime, its time to discuss what we observed
and learned.

1. What happened to the slime when you added the borax powder?

2. How could we make the slime better, what variations could we alter?

3. Weve recently learned about liquids, solids and gas. Is slime a solid, liquid, or both?
Explain your answer.

4. How is slime a Non-Newtonian Fluid?

5. What did you think of this activity? What do you better understand now? If there is
something you are still confused about, what is it?