Simple chemical reactions: how do candles work? | 11-14 years

Beginning with a practical demonstration and activity, students explore what happens when a candle burns. This context is used as a means to focus their thinking and discussion about burning.

The activities in this lesson plan are designed to deal explicitly with any confusion that may exist between the ideas of burning, melting and evaporating. In particular, the lesson provides the opportunity to check on some misconceptions about how candles work, and what happens to the wax when a candle burns.