A Mixture Hierarchy

Objectives:

Students will be able to define vocabulary terms related to mixtures and organize them into a hierarchy.

Students will be able to classify real-world examples of mixtures as solutions, suspensions, or colloids and provide justification for their classifications.

Materials:

• Building Blocks of Chemistry series, specifically Mixtures and Solutions

• Mixtures hierarchy example (for teacher use)

• Vocabulary term cards and real-world examples (1 per group)

• Optional: Exit ticket (1 per student)

• Scissors

• Glue

• Large construction or poster paper

• Pencils

• Optional: markers (enough for each group to decorate their poster)

Differentiation Considerations:

When planning and preparing for this activity, consider your grouping strategy. We suggest using mixed-ability groups of no more than four students, but adjust your groups based on your students’ academic, social, and emotional needs.

Depending on your students’ needs, consider pre-teaching or reviewing vocabulary prior to engaging in this activity. Vocabulary to review: mixture, heterogeneous mixture, homogeneous mixture, solution, suspension, and colloid.

Procedures:

1. Split students into pre-determined groups of no more than four and provide each group with a copy of the vocabulary cards.
2. Students should collaborate with their group members to complete the vocabulary cards. Students should follow the prompts on the cards to define the term and provide additional information to demonstrate a deep understanding of the vocabulary.
3. Next, students should cut apart their cards and sort them into a hierarchy. See the Mixtures Hierarchy Example resource as needed. Students will need to understand that mixtures can be classified as either homogeneous or heterogeneous. They will need to further understand that mixtures can be broken down even more to be classified as solutions, suspensions, or colloids.
4. Once groups have completed this phase, they should begin to consider the mixture examples. Students should discuss with their peers how to classify these examples as solutions, suspensions, or colloids. Students will add a written explanation to each example describing why it belongs to that category on the hierarchy.
5. Finally, students should compile their finished product. They should glue down their completed vocabulary cards in a hierarchy. In addition, students should glue the examples of each type of mixture and their explanation paragraphs in the appropriate location on their hierarchy.
6. Optional: Consider closing the activity by having each group of students present their poster by highlighting one real-world example, its type of mixture, and their justification for classifying it as such.