Hawley Elementary School second grade students learned about matter during a science lesson on Friday, January 20, provided by High Touch High Tech of Connecticut.sciencemadefunct.net.

High Touch High Tech educator Aric Wellman offered the lesson to the second grade students in groups, with one class at a time meeting him in the school's science room.

"We're going to be learning about matter today," Mr Wellman told one class.

When he asked the students what matter is, one student responded by saying, "Solids, liquids, and gases."

Mr Wellman shared information about the types of matter and properties of each type. Throughout the lesson, Mr Wellman said the group would conduct experiments to help them understand the properties of matter.

Matter, Mr Wellman said, has space and weight. The group first checked whether solid objects fit the description of matter. To help explain this, he asked students Evan DePasquale and Mason Symes to help. Evan sat on a stool, and Mr Wellman challenged Mason to try to take up Evan's space. Mason tried to sit on top of Evan, he tried to sit next to him, and he tried to sit below him.

"If Mason wants to sit where Evan is sitting," another student observed, "then Evan needs to get up."

Another added, "He's taking up the space."

Next, Mr Wellman asked Mason and Evan to demonstrate weight.

Mr Wellman challenged Evan to try to lift Mason, and he asked the other second graders to watch for signs of how much effort Evan needed to lift Mason. Due to the effort Evan showed in lifting Mason, Mr Wellman and the students determined humans have weight.

With the students' help, Mr Wellman and the class proved solids take up both space and have weight.

Other lessons for the day included looking at the properties of liquids and gases and learning about energy's effect on matter. Mr Wellman also spoke to the students about atoms and molecules.

High Touch High Tech of Connecticut is based out of Weston and provides science programs to students, according to its website,