Changing States of Matter Salt & Ice Science Experiment
 
With this Christmas-themed science experiment, students will learn about how salt affects the freezing/melting point of water.
 
First, read a short description of how Santa's sleigh is trapped in ice. The elves arrive with several substances that might help: flour, sugar, and salt. Students write a hypothesis and conduct an experiment to test which substance actually causes the ice to melt the fastest.
 
Includes:
teacher instructions
student instructions
lab sheet
data sheet

There are 2 versions of the lab sheet. One has students identify the dependent and independent variables. The other does not. This allows you to differentiate and/or use this activity with different grade levels.
 
After conducting the experiment, students record and share their data and apply what they learned by answering a real-world question involving salt and ice.
 
This resource also includes a Christmas states of matter word scramble. Students read each clue and unscramble the letters to name the solid, liquid, or gas being described.
 
The word scramble has been prepared for use in Easel and can be assigned to students to complete on any device.