Second Grade · Science · week 4

Heating: melt experiments

Investigate how heating changes a solid into a liquid, and predict which of two setups will melt an ice cube faster.

When you add heat to some solids, they melt, meaning they turn into a liquid. Ice melts into water. A crayon can soften and melt if it gets hot enough. Butter left out on a warm day turns soft and runny. Heat is the cause; melting is the change.

Not every warm spot heats things at the same speed. A sunny windowsill is warmer than a shady counter, so ice melts faster in the sun. Testing two spots at once, with the same size ice cube, is the fair way to find out which is warmer.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Set up two same-size ice cubes in different spots, one warmer and one cooler, and check them together every few minutes.
  • Ask for a prediction before the test starts, and compare it honestly to the real result afterward.
  • Point out that only the location changed between the two ice cubes, which is what makes the comparison fair.
  • Let your child touch each spot before predicting, connecting how warm it feels to how fast it should melt.
Talk about it:
  • Which melted faster, the ice in the sun or in the shade? Why?
  • What do all the melting examples this week have in common?
  • Where in your home is the warmest spot you could test next?

Mastery looks like: They can predict and confirm which of two spots melts an ice cube faster, and explain that more heat causes faster melting.

Common stumbles: Assuming melting only happens to ice, not other solids; forgetting to keep the ice cubes the same size, which would make the test unfair.

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