Matter

Esperanza Rodriguez-Cabrera and Teresa Reyes

Clinical Interviews

Clinical Interview 1, Clinical Interview 2

Clinical Interview 1

1st Grade student

Mrs. Cabrera:  Do you know what the universe is made up of?

Madison:  People, restaurants, houses, parks, heaven, stores, and doctors.

Mrs. Cabrera:  What is a solid?

Madison:  A solid is something like a brick, cars, computers, phones, boards, and keyboards.

Mrs. Cabrera:  What is a liquid?

Madison:  A liquid is something like juice, gas, soup, water, and sodas.

Mrs. Cabrera:  Is a plastic spoon a solid or a liquid? 

Madison:  Solid  Explain? It's hard 

Mrs. Cabrera:  What makes something a solid?

Madison:  Because when touch it, it's hard

Mrs. Cabrera:  Does it hold its shape or make a puddle? 

Madison:  It holds its shape.

Mrs. Cabrera:  Can solids be sorted in different ways?

Madison:  Yes because some of the solids can be smooth, hard, cold, and hot.  Some can have holes or not have holes.

 Look at solids worksheet to help you draw some hard solids and soft solids.

Mrs. Cabrera:  What other ways can you sort solids?

Madison:  You can sort them by shape or color.  Some solids can be electric and not electric.  Some can move and not move.

Mrs. Cabrera:  Can you name some liquids?

Madison:  A liquid can be paint, lava, and rain.

Mrs. Cabrera:  Do liquids hold their shape or do they make a puddle?

Madison:  They make a puddle

Mrs. Cabrera:  What makes something a liquid?

Madison:  Liquids make puddles and can be like mud.

Mrs. Cabrera:  Does a liquid hold its shape?

Madison:  No

Mrs. Cabrera:   If I pour water in a container, will the shape of the water be the same shape as the container?

Mrs. Cabrera:  What if I poured out the water from the container onto a tray or plate,  do you think it will hold its shape or make a puddle? 

Madison:  It will make a puddle and go all over.

Mrs. Cabrera:  Can a solid be any color and any shape? 

Madison:  Yes Explain? Because if a computer is white, it can be different colors or shapes.

Mrs. Cabrera:  Can solids stay the same size? 

Madison:  Yes  Explain?  When a brick is a rectangular shape and stays the same shape.

Mrs. Cabrera:  Do solids have mass (or weight)?

Madison:  Solid do have weight.  A brick is heavy

Mrs. Cabrera:  Do solids take up space?

Madison:  Yes, because if we have a lot of bricks in this room it would take up lots of space.

Mrs. Cabrera:  Can solids be a powder?

Madison:  Yes, like baby power. Why? Because powder can be like soil.

Mrs. Cabrera:   Can liquids be smashed? Why or why not?

Madison:  No, because if you smash it, it will only splatter all over you and make a big mess.

Mrs. Cabrera:  Can liquids be the shape of any container?

Madison:  Yes, because when you fill it up of the shape of the container of its shape it will take up space

Mrs. Cabrera:    Do liquids have mass (or weight)? 

Madison:  Yes, if you have a big bottle filled with sprite it will be heavy

Mrs. Cabrera:  Do liquids take up space?   Explain? 

Madison:  Yes. When you fill up a bottle with a liquid it will take the whole space of the bottle.

Mrs. Cabrera:  Can liquids be a power?

Madison:  No because it's not like a puddle.

Mrs. Cabrera:  Are toothpaste, and shaving cream solids and liquids? Explain? 

Madison:  Yes, I don't know

Mrs. Cabrera:  Is sand a solid or liquid? Explain?

Madison:  Solid, I don't know maybe like rocks

Mrs. Cabrera:    What is sand and pieces of rock made up of? 

Madison:  Their made up of rocks

Mrs. Cabrera:  Is chalk a solid or a liquid?  Explain?

Madison:  A solid because it's hard and when you break it, it can break real easily.

Mrs. Cabrera:  What if chalk is broken up into smaller parts or even with a change in size, is it a solid?

Madison:  Yes, it's still a solid because it will be like sand

Mrs. Cabrera:  What about powders like baking soda are they solids or liquids?  Explain?

Madison:  They are solids because they don't make puddles

Mrs. Cabrera:   What is matter?

Madison:  What matters in the world!

Mrs. Cabrera:  What things take up space? 

Madison:  People, houses, animals, plants and cars.

Mrs. Cabrera:  What if you hold a pencil between your fingers for writing, would it be a solid or liquid?

 Madison:  It would be a solid.

Mrs. Cabrera:  What is mass?

Madison:  Weight

Mrs. Cabrera:  Is air matter?

Madison:  Yes, because the air can take up space too.  The air can go into the houses and to the sky and everything.

Mrs. Cabrera:  What things are not matter?

Madison:  I don't know

Mrs. Cabrera:  Are people matter?

Madison:  Yes

Mrs. Cabrera:  So are solids and liquids matter?

Madison:  Yes

Mrs. Cabrera:  What if I have a container filled with water, what else is in the container? 

Madison:  Air

Mrs. Cabrera:  Can air be a mixture of gases?

Madison:  No I don't know.

Mrs. Cabrera:  So do you think gases exist?

Yes, because at the gas station there is gas and when you blow up a balloon their can be gas in the balloon.

Mrs. Cabrera:  Can you think of something that proves that gases exist?

When you blow up a balloon there is gas.

Interview Questions

1. Do you know what the universe is made up of?
2. What is a solid?
3. What is a liquid?
4. Is a plastic spoon a solid or a liquid?  Explain?
5. What makes something a solid? Does it hold its shape or make a puddle? 
6. Can solids be sorted in different ways? Look at solids worksheet to help you draw some hard solids and soft solids.
7. What other ways can you sort solids?
8. Can you name some liquids?
9. Do liquids hold their shape or do they make a puddle?
10. What makes something a liquid?
11. Does a liquid hold its shape?
12. If I pour water in a container, will the shape of the water be the same shape as the container?
13. What if I poured out the water from the container onto a tray or plate.  Do you think it will hold its shape or make a puddle? 

14. Can a solid be any color and any shape?  Explain?
15. Can solids stay the same size?  Explain? 
16. Do solids have mass (or weight)?
17. Do solids take up space?
18. Can solids be a powder? Why?
19. Can liquids be smashed? Why or why not?
20. Can liquids be the shape of any container?
21. Do liquids have mass (or weight)? 
22. Do liquids take up space?  Explain? 
23. Can liquids be a power?
24. Are toothpaste, and shaving cream solids and liquids? Explain?  24.  Is sand a solid or liquid? Explain?
25. What is sand and pieces of rock made up of?  26.  Is chalk a solid or a liquid?  Explain?
26. What if chalk is broken up into smaller parts or even with a change in size, is it a solid?
27. What about powders like baking soda are they solids or liquids?  Explain?
28. What is matter?
29. What things take up space? 
30. What if you hold a pencil between your fingers for writing, would it be a solid or liquid? 
31. Is air matter?
32. What things are not matter?
33. Are people matter?
34. So are solids and liquids matter?
35. What if I have a container filled with water, what else is in the container? 
36. Can air be a mixture of gases?
37. So do you think gases exist?
38. Can you think of something that proves that gases exist?

Analysis

     Madison is a 7 year old student and is in the first grade.  I began interviewing her with simple definitions about solids and liquids.  She was able to respond with appropriate definitions and examples.  She was also able to understand the meaning of sorting solids. Madison was able to understand that solids hold their shape and liquids don't hold their shape they are more like puddles.  When I asked her about mass, she hesitated but was able to give me an answer when I mentioned weight.  I believe vocabulary needs to be reinforced.  She was able to understand that mass takes up space and has weight.  Madison was not sure if toothpaste and shaving cream were solids or liquids.  As I proceeded to ask her about baking soda, she responded but was not quite sure.  When I began asking her about gases she responded with some hesitation but was able to explain what a gas could be.  Gases became a little more difficult for her to understand.

I was able to use the GEMS guide to ask Madison relevant questions regarding her knowledge about Matter- solids, liquids, and gases.  I used worksheets provided to help Madison respond appropriately.  She was able to use the guide handout to draw soft and hard solids and draw liquids. She used the gases handout to help her answer questions.  She was able to draw a balloon to describe that air is in balloon to represent the gases.  She was able to tell me that air (gases) is all around us.   Other handout used to answer questions was Solid or Liquid?  This handout was a little difficult for Madison as she was unable to understand what solids or liquids were substances.  She did point out that sand is made up of rocks and that she knew that it was a solid.  Other handouts were used to help with matter (What's the Matter?).  With this handout Madison was able to tell me that matter in other words is weight.  She was able to respond the handout to the best of what background knowledge she had. 

Madison was able to give appropriate responses but as the questions regarding gases and high-order thinking skills were implemented, she was not able give enough information.  Her thinking skills were applied as she began using handouts provided.  Handouts provided support and encouragement. 

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Clinical Interview 2

Clinical Interview Questions

1. What is matter?
2. What is matter made of?
3. What are the states of matter?
4. Can you give me an example of a solid?
5. A liquid?
6. A gas?
7. Is this powder a solid or a liquid?
8. How can we test to see if a pencil has mass?
9. What else can we test?
10. Do you think that air is matter?

Clinical Interview

Mrs. Reyes: What is Matter? 

Julian: I don't know.

Mrs. Reyes: Matter is anything in the universe that is made out of mass and takes up space.  Some examples are the chair you are sitting on, or this laptop.  Can you tell me now what matter is? 

Julian: Anything that takes up space.
                            
Mrs. Reyes: Can you tell me what it is made of? 

Julian: Mass. 

Mrs. Reyes: How do you know? 

Julian: Because you just told me. 

Mrs. Reyes: Can matter be made up of tiny particles, atoms? 

Julian: Yes I guess so.

Mrs. Reyes: What are the states of matter?

Julian: I don't know.

Mrs. Reyes: Do you think they can be made out solids, liquids and gases? 

Julian: Yes, what are those? 

Mrs. Reyes: Solid is something that is stong and does not make a puddle.  A liquid is something that takes its containers shape and it makes a puddle. Can you give me an example of solids?

Julian: Metal. 

Mrs. Reyes: Why do you say that? 

Julian: Because it is very strong and it can't break.

Mrs. Reyes: So if something is very strong and doesn't break it is a solid?

Julian: Yes

Mrs. Reyes: Can you give me an example of a Liquid?

Julian: Water is a liquid because it is made out of water.

Mrs. Reyes: Can you give me an example of a gas?

Julian: That's the type of gas you pour in the truck.

Mrs. Reyes: Why do you think that? 

Julian: Because the lawnmower needs gas.

Mrs. Reyes: So can you say that a gas is something dangerous?

Julian: Yes.

Mrs. Reyes: Why?

Julian: Because you can burn yourself with gas.

Mrs. Reyes: Is this powder a solid or liquid? 

Julian: A liquid.

Mrs. Reyes: How do you know? 

Julian: Liquid, because you can pour water and it dissolves, it becomes liquidy.

Mrs. Reyes: Like we reviewed earlier matter is anything that has mass and takes up space.  Mass means it is made out of “stuff.”  How can we test to see if a pencil has mass?

Julian: Yes, because it has stuff inside. 

Mrs. Reyes: Do you know what kind of stuff? 

Julian: Yes led and eraser.
                                                                                                             
Mrs. Reyes: What else can we test?

Julian: An eraser. 

Mrs. Reyes: Do you think it is a solid or liquid?

Julian: It is a liquid because it breaks into little pieces.

Mrs. Reyes: Are the little pieces made up of a liquid such as water?

Julian: No.

Mrs. Reyes: If the eraser is not made up of water then is it a liquid?

Julian: No.

Mrs. Reyes: Do you think that air is matter? 

Julian: No, because its air and we use it to breathe.

Mrs. Reyes: So if we use air to breathe is it made up of anything?

Julian: No.

Mrs. Reyes: Why not?

Julian: Because you can't see the air.

Mrs. Reyes: So if we cannot see something then it is not made up of anything?

Julian: Yes.

Mrs. Reyes: What if I put gas into a balloon, is it taking up space?

Julian: Yes.

Mrs. Reyes: So, do you think gas is made up of matter because it has mass and takes up space?

Julian: Yes, that makes sense.

Clinical Interview Reflection

Julian is a seven year old student in the first grade. In the beginning of the interview it was difficult to capture Julian's attention.  I had to redirect him three times before we began the interview.  Once we began the interview the process went through pretty smoothly.  Julian tried to focus in the beginning when I was walking him through the definition of matter and its different states.  However, he did lose track once and I had to repeat myself.  Once we got to examples of solids, liquids, and gases it seemed so easy.  I think he liked having a visual instead of having me just talk to him about matter.  Julian needed to see a physical object so he could understand what I was trying to explain.  In the end, I think he was able to apply what I was saying to a physical object even though he thought the eraser was a liquid.

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