Molecular Model Lending Library
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Teaching Points
Water Kit 8-Cup Set
Teaching Points
Water is essential to life. This collection provides models of water to help students become familiar with the many properties of water that make it such an important molecule.
With this collection, students can:
- See spontaneous hydrogen bonding
- Compare hydrogen bonds to ionic and covalent bonds
- Make ice crystals
- Dissolve salt (hydration shells)
- Evaporate water (water cycle)
- Compare how ethane and ethanol interact with water (polar – non-polar interactions)
- Explore capillary action
Models in this Collection
- 6 Water Cups
- 12 water molecules
- 1 sodium ion
- 1 chlorine ion
- 1 ethane core with 5 non-magnetic hydrogens
- 1 hydroxyl group
- 1 non-magnetic hydrogen cap with gray post
- 2 3x3x3 NaCl Lattices
- 27 atoms, each with 6 embedded magnets to simulate ionic bonding
Water Kit© Teacher Resources
Kit Contents
| Water Kit© | 1-Cup Set | 6-Cup Set | 8-Cup Set | 10-Cup Set |
| Plastic Cup | 1 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Water Molecules | 12 | 72 | 96 | 120 |
| Sodium | 1 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Chloride | 1 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Ethane Molecule | 1 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Hydroxyl Group | 1 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
Water Kit© Contents and Assembly Directions
Find information about the contents of each Water Kit© cup and step-by-step directions for assembling water molecules, ethane and ethanol.
Water Kit© Basic Lessons
Numerous lessons and activities are possible with 3D Molecular Design’s Water Kit©. First, you and your students will use the magnetic water molecules to explore the concepts of polarity and hydrogen bonding.
Water Kit© Osmosis Lesson
Living things must perform vital activities in order to maintain their existence, including moving water in and out of cells. It is important for your students to understand how water flows in and out of a cell through the membrane that surrounds cells, as it directly impact a cell’s ability to survive. The passive transport of water across a selectively permeable membrane is called osmosis.
Water Kit© pH Lesson
Your students will use the Water Kit© to create a physical representation of the autoionization of water, describe and produce a physical representation of the dissociation of a strong acid and a strong base, and associate a high hydronium ion concentration with low pH and a high hydroxide ion concentration with a high pH.
Water Kit© Water Run-Off Guided Activity
Your students will explore the process of erosion and pollution caused by water runoff, using the Water Kit, paper clips and a 3-ring binder.
Water Kit© Patterns In Crystal Structures
This activity, intended for grades 4-5, uses the magnetic water models and a guided-inquiry approach. It will help your students observe patterns and forms. Your students begin by identifying the number of hexagons in ice. Then they construct and compare cubic and hexagonal ice structures before creating a snowflake.
Water Kit© Ice and Snowflakes
Scientists have described 14 structures of ice, many of which can be constructed with one or more Water Kit© sets. Here are lessons for building cubic ice (Ice 1c), which is present in the upper atmosphere and requires 10 water molecules; hexagonal ice (Ice 1h), which falls as snowflakes and is formed with 12 water molecules; and more elaborate snowflakes, which can be created with additional Water Kit© sets.
Water Kit© Animations and Videos
Explore a variety of videos to help enhance your use of the Water Kit and classroom study of water.
Water Kit© Digital Student Modeling Activities
Students can build a water molecule, model the polar nature of water, demonstrate the three states of matter and answer thought questions.
Water Kit© Constructivist Lab
Middle and high school students working in small groups first use the unassembled pieces of the water molecules to investigate properties of, and interactions between, the model parts before assembling water molecules.
Water Kit© Additional Online Resources
A list of some excellent water-related websites to help you make the most of the Water Kit’s© lessons and activities.