Rust Is Evidence of Properties Changing

Looking around the yard you may notice many things lose their original color or even rust. Have you ever left your favorite tool or toy outside and have it turn to rust?

Driving Question

• Why do things rust?

Probing Questions

• Do you think everything can rust, or just certain materials?
• Do you think temperature has an affect on rust?
• Might there be a way to stop things from rusting?
• Do you think you can fix or change things back after they have rust on them?

Classroom Suggestions

Students could:

• Research why things rust.
• Research what is rust.
• Bring in items that have rusted and observe them.
• Conduct an experiment to try and turn things to rust.
• Try to take rust off of something. 

Relevant Related Resources

• Oxidation Experiment | Teach Beside Me: This site has an experiment with turning objects to rust. It walks you through the steps of objects you can use and materials you will need. Very neat experiment to conduct with students. 
• 8 Simple Ways to Get Rid of Rust | YouTube: Experiment with different ways to remove rust. What do you think is the best product or method to remove rust? Why do these things work?
• What Causes Rust? | NewsELA: A short article on what causes rust and an experiment similar to the first one above to demonstrate how rust happens. You can choose different lexile levels depending on the level of your readers.