GoalSay that a solid keeps its own shape and a liquid flows, and sort materials into solids and liquids.
New words
solid · a material that keeps its own shapeliquid · a material that flows and can be pouredpour · to tip a liquid so that it runs out
Explanation
Many materials are either solids or liquids. A solid keeps its own shape. A spoon, a brick and a pebble are solids. You can pick them up and they do not flow. A liquid flows and can be poured. Water, milk, juice and honey are liquids. A liquid takes the shape of the cup or jar it is in. If you pour juice from a carton into a glass, it takes the shape of the glass. A powder, like flour, is a pile of tiny solid bits, so it is still a solid.
Worked examples
Ali has a spoon of honey. The honey flows slowly off the spoon into his bowl. Honey is a liquid, even though it is thick. The spoon is a solid and stays the same shape.
Mia pours water into a tall cup, then into a wide bowl. In the cup the water is tall and thin. In the bowl it is low and wide. It is the same water, but it takes the shape of each container.
A cube of ice is a solid. It keeps its cube shape in a bowl. It only loses its shape when it melts into a liquid.
Class activity
Solid or liquid? (with an adult): gather eight things, for example a spoon, a stone, a cup of water, some juice, a pencil, milk, a key and a sponge. Say each one’s name and decide: can I pour it, or does it keep its shape? Make two piles on the table, and put the liquids in a tray in case they spill. Then pour some water into two different containers and look at the shape it makes.
Practice
1
What is a solid?
A material that keeps its own shape.
2
Which of these is a liquid?
B, the soup.
3
Write solid or liquid for each one.
a solid; b liquid; c solid.
4
Leo pours orange juice from a jug into a tall glass. Does the juice keep the shape of the jug?
No. A liquid takes the shape of the container it is in.
