Tonight, Carol Landis and Jessica Fries-Gaither will present the second Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears web seminar as part of the NSDL/NSTA web seminar series. Physical Science From the Poles discusses the many types of ice found in the polar regions and how elementary teachers can use ice and the polar regions as a real world context for teaching physical and earth science concepts such as states and changes of matter, buoyancy, density, and even the water cycle.

Jessica Fries-Gaither will also present Physical Science From the Poles on Saturday, Nov. 1 at the NSTA regional conference in Charlotte, NC.

Did you miss the web seminar? View the archived presentation in the NSTA Learning Center. Archives are typically available a few days after the presentation.

Not able to attend the NSTA conference in Charlotte? Download a pdf of the slides here.

This presentation includes many teaching resources. We’ve compiled a reference list here. You can also download and print pdf of the resource list.

Formative Assessment Probes

Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volumes 1, 2, and 3. These three books, published by NSTA Press, provide formative assessment probes to help elicit student ideas and misconceptions on a variety of topics. Tonight’s seminar specifically referenced the following probes:

• “Ice Cubes in a Bag” (Volume 1)
• “Freezing Ice” (Volume 2)
• “Floating Logs” (Volume 2)
• “Floating High and Low” (Volume 2)

Children’s Literature

Water as a Solid and Water as a Liquid by Helen Frost

Icebergs, Ice Caps, and Glaciers by Allan Fowler

Looking at Solids, Liquids, and Gases: How Does Matter Change? by Jackie Gaff.

Icebergs and Glaciers by Seymour Simon

These titles (and more) are available in the Virtual Bookshelf of the August issue of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears.

Stories for Students

Growing Floaters and Shrinking Sinkers by Stephen Whitt (written for grades 4-5)

Floating Ice by Jessica Fries-Gaither (versions for grades K-1 and 2-3)

These stories are available as text-only documents, full-color illustrated books, and electronic books in the Feature Story article of the August issue of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears.

Lessons and Activities

Water and Ice (Grades K-2)

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?BenchmarkID=4&DocID=4

Students explore how water can change from a solid to a liquid and then back again.

Heat Energy and Water (Grades 3-5)

http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=9830

Students investigate heat’s effect on water.

How Do Snowflakes Become Ice? (Grades K-5)

https://www.cresis.ku.edu/education/iibLessons/iib005.pdf

Model glacier formation with marshmallows.

Do It Yourself Iceberg Science (Grades K-5 with modifications)

http://www.units.muohio.edu/cryolab/education/documents/MS%20Icebergs.pdf

Create icebergs with film canisters. The lab itself is written for middle school students, but elementary teachers can use the general procedure to simulate icebergs.

Sea Ice Set (Grades K-5)

http://www.contentclips.com/services/getPresenterHtml?uri=:cli:6012

A collection of ice-related images and video. Great in the computer lab or with an Interactive White Board.

Blue Ice Cube Melt (Grades K-5)

https://www.cresis.ku.edu/education/iibLessons/iib008.pdf

Students learn that ice can melt with pressure.

Sink or Float? (Grades K-2)

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?BenchmarkID=4&DocID=164

Students determine whether objects sink or float in water. Include ice in various shapes and sizes!

Water Molecule Pockets (Grades 3-5)

https://www.cresis.ku.edu/education/iibLessons/iib003.pdf

Demonstrate liquid water’s molecular structure with a discrepant event and a model.

The Magic Trick with Ice (Grades 3-5)

https://www.cresis.ku.edu/education/iibLessons/iib011.pdf

A discrepant event - an ice cube floats in water but not rubbing alcohol. Can your students explain why?

For more resources, books, and information about these topics, check out Water, Ice, and Snow - Issue 5, August 2008.