山下, 修一

YAMASHITA, Shuichi

水（water）

水蒸気（vapor）

体積変化（changes of state）

粒子ブロック（particles）

[SUMMARY] Our aim was to develop a lesson to explain the change in volume when water turned into vapor, by using blocks to represent the particles. We conducted this lesson for 101 4th grade students in a public elementary school in Chiba city, and verified its effectiveness through results from a survey taken before and after the lesson. As a result, pupils who previously thought that the volume of water did not change with the change of state came to understand that as the state changed, the volume also changed. Additionally, the number of pupils who were able to express themselves in a scientifically accurate way was higher when using the particle block model, compared to when using an illustration. Furthermore, more people supported the block particle model for being “easier to think about”, “easier to convey” and “easier to understand”, which suggests the model’s effectiveness. Although it is an advanced topic for this grade, more than 80% of students were able to explain, using the block particle model, when vapor is cooled, it becomes water, and that its volume decreases.