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Whitehall Second Graders Explore Changes in Matter

Posted Date: 09/28/26 (10:00 AM)


Three students gather around a desk in a classroom, focused on a science experiment involving a clear container of water.

Second graders in Miss Eshelman’s and Mrs. Lopez’s classes at Whitehall spent part of their science lesson testing a question they could actually see unfold in front of them: what happens to different types of candy when they are placed in hot water?

As part of their Mystery Science lesson on matter, students worked in small groups to make predictions, observe the changes, and compare what happened with each piece of candy.

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Elementary students collaborate around desks in a classroom, engaged in a science experiment.

They then kept watching as the water cooled to see whether the candy would return to a solid form. 

What made the lesson especially engaging was that students were not just being told what happens when matter changes. They were watching it happen, talking through what they noticed with classmates, and deciding whether the results matched what they expected.

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A student in a pink hoodie conducts a science experiment at a wooden desk.

It was a simple experiment, but one that gave students plenty to think about, discuss, and discover together — exactly the kind of hands-on learning that makes a classroom lesson stick.