Chapter 18

Splatoon's States of Matter

Lesson Overview

Title: Splatoon State of Matter: Inking Our Way Through Science!
Subject: Science
Age Group(s): 5th Grade
Tags: Matter, Properties of Matter, States of Matter, Chemical Change, Splatoon, Game-Based Learning, 5th Grade Science

Description:
This lesson uses gameplay from Splatoon 3 to create a dynamic model for exploring the properties of matter. Students will observe different substances (like ink, water, and solid structures) and their interactions to develop models of matter, identify materials based on their properties, and analyze what happens when substances are mixed.

Lesson Plan

📋 Find the full lesson plan on the companion GameClass lesson — link at the bottom of this page!

Lesson Content

I. Key Teaching Points

  • Point 1: Matter, like the ink in the game, is composed of countless tiny particles that allow it to flow, spread, and cover surfaces.
  • Point 2: Different materials can be identified and distinguished by their unique, observable properties, such as color, state (solid/liquid), and how they interact with the environment.
  • Point 3: Mixing substances — like shooting ink at an enemy or firing a Golden Egg from a cannon — can cause a significant change and result in a new outcome.

II. Practical Examples

For Teaching Point 1:
In the video, the player's character shoots orange ink that spreads across solid ground. This can be used as a model to explain that the liquid ink is not one single entity but is made of countless tiny particles flowing together. When the King Salmonid, Horrorboros, is finally defeated at 0:24, it explodes into a spray of ink, visually representing matter breaking down into smaller components.

For Teaching Point 2:
The video clearly distinguishes between several substances based on their properties:

  • Player Ink (Orange Liquid): Allows the player to move quickly.
  • Enemy Ink (Green Liquid): Slows the player down and causes damage.
  • Water (Clear Liquid): Surrounds the stage and is hazardous to the player characters, showing it has different properties from ink.
  • Solid Structures (Metal Grates/Platforms): Have a fixed shape and hardness; ink can cover them but not change their form.

For Teaching Point 3:
The core objective of the fight is to create changes by mixing substances. The players collect Golden Eggs from smaller bosses and load them into their cannon. When they fire the egg at the Horrorboros's weak point (the bomb in its mouth), it causes a massive explosion and deals significant damage (seen from 0:07–0:13 and 0:17–0:21). This demonstrates that combining "ingredients" can produce a powerful reaction with a new result. Similarly, when the player is splatted by a "Flipper-Flopper" at 0:28, the mixing of enemy ink with the player's character results in a change — the player is defeated.

End of Lesson