Oklahoma Science ES.ESS2.5

ScienceGrades 9–12Earth Systems

The Standard

Plan and conduct investigations of how the structure and resulting properties of water interact with the Earth’s materials and surface processes.

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science (2026)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students plan and run a fair test of how water interacts with rock salt. They use the results and water's uneven charge to explain how groundwater dissolves and carries minerals.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students keep the salt amount, liquid volume, and stirring time the same when comparing water with oil. They record that salt dissolves in water but not oil. They explain how water's uneven charge separates salt ions.
Common Misconceptions: Students may say salt melts or vanishes, rather than dissolving into ions that remain in the water. They may think all rocks dissolve as easily as salt, or that groundwater carries only visible grains.
How to Assess It: Ask: “Plan a fair test using rock salt, water, and oil. What will you keep the same, what will you observe, and what result do you predict?”

Lesson moves

Give groups equal cups of water and cooking oil; have them add equal portions of rock salt, stir for one minute, and record changes.
Ask students to write where the salt went and how groundwater might carry it after rain.
Give pairs three salt-dissolving test plans; have them pick the fair test and fix one plan that changes two variables.
Show a photo of a salted road and ask students to trace dissolved salt from the pavement to a nearby stream.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to ES.ESS2.5, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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