Students will encounter puzzling behaviors of matter, generate and refine investigable questions about states of matter and non-Newtonian fluids, and develop a focused research question with a clear, testable hypothesis recorded in their Matter Memory Book to guide the rest of the investigation.

Students will design a systematic, high-quality methodology to investigate their self-developed question about states of matter or non-Newtonian behavior. They will identify variables, justify their chosen approach, plan detailed data collection procedures, conduct a peer review of their design, and revise their plan before beginning data collection in the next phase.

Students will systematically collect and document high-quality experimental data related to their investigable questions about states of matter and non-Newtonian fluids. They will follow their methodology plans, record conditions and anomalies, conduct quality checks, and maintain organized research notebook entries that serve as the evidence base for later analysis.

Students will transform their collected data from Oobleck, water state changes, and matter investigations into meaningful visualizations and written interpretations. They will identify patterns, trends, and anomalies; debate multiple interpretations; and determine whether their findings support, contradict, or complicate their original hypotheses before moving to formal conclusions.

Students will synthesize their investigation findings into evidence-based conclusions, explicitly acknowledge limitations, generate new research questions, and present their full inquiry process—question through conclusions—during a public Matter Mania showcase featuring live Oobleck demonstrations and formal investigation reports.