28. Which of the following best meets this goal?

Answer: A

Explanation:

Students will orally describe the characteristics of liquids, solids, and gases to a partner.

This option directly involves students engaging in oral communication to describe key characteristics of different states of matter, which aligns well with the goal of demonstrating understanding through verbal explanation.

A) Students will orally describe the characteristics of liquids, solids, and gases to a partner.

This option is correct because it emphasizes verbal communication as a method for students to articulate their understanding of the characteristics of various states of matter. Describing these characteristics requires students to actively process and synthesize information, making it an effective way to meet the learning goal.

B) Students will classify a variety of states of matter by their properties.

While this option involves an important aspect of understanding states of matter, classification alone does not require the same level of verbal engagement or articulation as described in option A. It focuses more on categorization rather than verbal explanation.

C) Students will use the Internet to investigate information on how matter changes form.

This option emphasizes research and information gathering through the Internet. While it can enhance understanding, it does not involve direct communication or the specific goal of describing characteristics, making it less effective for meeting the stated goal.

D) Students will create illustrations that depict the characteristics of liquids, solids, and gases.

Creating illustrations is a valuable activity that allows for visual representation of concepts, but it does not require students to verbally express their understanding. Therefore, it does not align as closely with the goal of oral description as option A does.

Conclusion

Option A is definitively the best choice as it involves active verbal communication, which is essential for demonstrating understanding of the characteristics of different states of matter. In contrast, the other options either focus on different skills such as classification, research, or illustration, which do not meet the goal of describing those characteristics orally.