Howardites

Worksheet for the lesson Separating space dust: a micrometeorite hunt with sieves, magnets and filters (Year 5). Printing gives the pupil copy; open the answers below first to print them as a teacher copy on a separate page.

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Separating space dust

Name:Date:

Your cup of roof dust contains gravel, sand, salt and iron. Write the method you used at each step and what it separated.

StepMethodWhat it separated
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Part of the mixtureProperty that let us separate itMethod
Gravel
Iron filings
Sand
Salt
  1. Why did we use the magnet before adding water?
  2. What did you see on the saucer after a few days? What does this show about dissolving?
  3. Why is a magnet not enough to prove a speck is a micrometeorite?
Answers for the teacher
  1. Flow chart: 1 sieve, gravel; 2 magnet, iron filings; 3 dissolve in water, the salt goes into solution; 4 filter, sand left on the paper; 5 evaporate, salt crystals left behind.
  2. Gravel: large grains, sieve. Iron filings: magnetic, magnet. Sand: does not dissolve, filter. Salt: dissolves in water, dissolve then evaporate.
  3. Iron rusts in water, and the magnet works best on a dry powder.
  4. Salt crystals. Dissolving is reversible: the salt can be got back.
  5. Most magnetic specks in towns come from human activity. A real micrometeorite has to be checked under a microscope and its make-up measured.

Howardites · free to copy for use in your classroom