I.

LESSON FOUNDATION
Lesson Title: Homemade GAK & Elephant Toothpaste
Unit: STEM
Grade Level: 5th & 6th
Natural Science

Lesson Number: 3
Time Allotted: 90 minutes
Subject Area:

Standards/Anchors
3.3.5.A2: Describe the usefulness of Earths physical resources as raw materials for the
human made world.
o Anchor Descriptor: S5.C.1.2: Describe that matter can undergo chemical and
physical changes
Essential Questions:
1. How many packets of yeast do we use?
2. What is the reaction called that happens in the elephant toothpaste?
Instructional Objectives:
1. Given ingredients, students will be able to make elephant toothpaste out of a soda bottle.
2. Given ingredients, students will be able to make homemade GAK in which they will be
able to take home to enjoy with their families.
3. Students will be able to know which kind of reaction it was that happened when making
the elephant toothpaste.
Formative Assessment:
1. Throughout the lesson, the students will raise their hands if they have any problems or
concerns when it comes to reading the directions off of the PowerPoint.
2. When it comes to group work, we will allow the students to use glue and yeast in order to
make their projects for the day.
Summative Assessment:
1. As a class, we will construct homemade GAK and elephant toothpaste.
2. Have students complete an exit ticket where they need to write 3 things they learned, 2
things they found interesting, and 1 question that they still have about the activities we
did in class today.
II.
LESSON BODY
1. Lesson Type: Group Activity
2. Introduction: Introduce the theme natural science by explaining to students that
we will be creating elephant toothpaste and homemade GAK.
3. We will then go into the first half of the PowerPoint which is on how to make
Elephant Toothpaste. The students need to make sure they are paying attention
and following directions the whole time.
4. Directions:
i. In the bottle:
1. cup hydrogen peroxide

2. 1 tbsp dish soap

3. 8 drops food coloring
4. Mix lightly
5. Place bottle in middle of pan
ii. In the cup:
1. 1 tbsp yeast
2. 3 tbsp warm water
3. Mix for 30 seconds
4. Pour mixture into the bottle
5. Step back and enjoy!!
5. Once the students are done with their experiment we are going to ask them,
What did they see? Meaning what was actually happening inside the bottle and
how did it turn into toothpaste and come flying out of the bottle.
6. We will then show them the answer that we came up with:
i. The foam you made is special because each tiny foam bubble is filled with
oxygen. The yeast acted as a catalyst (a helper) to remove the oxygen from
the hydrogen peroxide. Since it did this very fast, it created lots and lots of
bubbles. Did you notice the bottle got warm? Your experiment created a
reaction called an Exothermic Reaction that means it not only created
foam, it created heat! The foam produced is just water, soap, and oxygen
so you can clean it up with a sponge and pour any extra liquid left in the
bottle down the drain.
7. After we have discussed the reasoning behind why we wanted them to perform
the elephant toothpaste experiment, we moved onto making homemade GAK!
8. Students were going to have a big bowl with Elmers Glue in them and then a
plastic cup with Borax in that.
9. Directions:
i. In the bowl:
1. 2 4 oz. bottles of Elmers Glue
2. After glue is empty, put warm water back into the glue bottles and
dump into bowl
3. Add your choice of food coloring
ii. In the cup:
1. 1 tsp of Borax
2. Cup of warm water
3. Mix them together
iii. Finally, take the cup with the Borax and warm water and dump into the
bowl. Students then need to get their hands dirty and start mixing it all
together until they finally get their very own homemade GAK that they
can take home.
10. Students will then watch a video on YouTube about the different natural sciences
that go on in our world that some we might not even take into consideration.

III.

11. Closure: Have students complete an exit ticket where they need to write 3 things
they learned, 2 things they found interesting, and 1 question that they still have
about the activity we did in class today.
LESSON ESSENTIALS
Differentiated Learning Activities
1. Tier 1: The students will be able to answer questions we asked them
throughout the PowerPoint with full understanding. When they are with
their group members, they will have to work together and follow
directions at their own pace. Once they are done with this activity they can
go around the room and see if any of their peers need any assistance.
2. Tier 2: The students will be able to answer the questions we asked them
throughout the PowerPoint with little to no help from the teacher or their
classmates. When they are with their group members, the teachers will go
around and help the students to stay on pace and focused with their
experiments. Once they are done with this activity they can go around the
room and see if any of their peers need any assistance.
3. Tier 3: The students will most likely not be able to answer the questions
we asked them throughout the PowerPoint and will most likely need help
from the teacher or aid in the classroom. The students (if the teachers see
them struggling) will put them into groups that are on a higher level so
that these students can assist them with finishing their activities.
Instructional Resources, Materials, and Technology:
1. Bowls
2. Borax
3. Water
4. Spoons
5. Glue
6. Soda bottles
7. Hydrogen peroxide
8. Yeast
9. Dish soap
10. Food coloring
11. Cups
IV. POST-LESSON REFLECTION
Analysis of Student Learning:
1. We will walk around the class and make sure the students are on task
and following directions when making the homemade GAK and
elephant toothpaste.

2. Questions to Consider: Did the students seem confident when they

were called on to answer a question? Were there a lot of volunteers?
Were there a lot of questions asked during the lesson? How well did
they do with following directions?
Analysis of Teaching:
1. We will review about why we did the experiment on elephant
toothpaste and if anything needs to be retaught, we will make sure we
do this before we continue onto making the homemade GAK.
2. Questions to Consider: Could I make any changes to the lesson, for
future reference, to make it better? Was I able to answer all the
questions that I received from the students? Was the material too hard
or too easy?