States of Matter
A picture book that follows Water, a superhero, as she fights a virus by freezing into ice, melting, evaporating, and condensing, while teaching the three states of matter and how heat and cold cause phase changes.
About the Book
A picture book that follows Water, a superhero, as she fights a virus by freezing into ice, melting, evaporating, and condensing, while teaching the three states of matter and how heat and cold cause phase changes.
Prerequisite Requirements
No formal preparation needed; children should have seen water change states, like ice melting or puddles drying, and be comfortable with being read to.
Learning Benefits
Children will learn to notice and name the states of matter and the processes of freezing, melting, evaporation, and condensation, and connect these to everyday experiences.
Structured Knowledge Path
This book introduces the physical science of matter and its transformations, connecting to chemistry's periodic table (through a visit) and to broader concepts of energy and temperature.
Advancement
Readers can later explore more about heat transfer, chemical reactions (like rusting), and the particle nature of matter, and apply observation skills to science experiments.
Knowledge Points
- Matter exists in three main states: solid, liquid, and gas.
- Freezing turns a liquid into a solid when it gets cold.
- Melting turns a solid into a liquid when it gets warm.
- Evaporation turns a liquid into a gas with heat.
- Condensation turns a gas back into a liquid when it cools.
Skills
- describe-phase-changes
- identify-states-of-matter
- understand-heat-transfer
Vocabulary
- Freezing
- The process of a liquid turning into a solid when it gets cold.
- Melting
- The process of a solid turning into a liquid when it gets warm.
- Evaporation
- The process of a liquid turning into a gas when it gets energy (like heat).
- Condensation
- The process of a gas turning back into a liquid when it cools down.
- Energy
- The power that makes things move or change, like heat or cold.
- Matter
- Anything that has weight and takes up space.
- Solid
- A state of matter that keeps its shape and has a definite form.
- Liquid
- A state of matter that flows and takes the shape of its container.
- Gas
- A state of matter that spreads out to fill any space and is usually invisible.
Reading Guidance for Teachers and Guardians
- Page 3: Ask: What does Water mean by 'she could not flow smoothly anymore'? How does the story show the importance of flowing?
- Page 4: Talk about what freezing means. Can you think of something that freezes?
- Page 5: Notice how the book explains melting point by comparing Iron and Water. What does 'melting point' mean?
- Page 7: Discuss evaporation. Why does Water turn into a gas in the desert?
- Page 10: Explore condensation. How does Water become liquid again in cold air?