Mystery Matter, Gr. 3-4

Mystery Matter, the revision of our Powders and Crystals unit, is all about using good observation skills to explore the properties of a powder found at a crime scene. Students can record the properties, compare them to known powders and find out if the victim's suspicions are correct.

Teachers using the ESP Mystery Matter kit will find assessments, and leveled readers on additional Web pages (use the related links at the bottom of this page). Access to these tools requires the password provided in your kit. Teachers may want to view the streaming videos (see left navigation under 'Unit Video Support') for help in conducting the lessons in this unit.

Tip: Be very careful not to contaminate any of the powders! Take only a small amount to do a test and throw out what is left. Do not return it to the jar.

One of the tests students conduct on the powders is pH testing with BTB. To find out more about pH, visit the Miami Museum of Science's The pH Factor.

Mystery Matter Mixtures sub page (see left navigation) gives microscope images of each of the powder mixtures  provided in the kit. To help you figure out the magnification, the first image is one millimeter on a ruler. The powders shown below were photographed at this same level of magnification. If you measure the millimeter on your computer screen with a metric ruler you should be able to figure out the magnification.