Students explore the structure of matter, how each substance has unique physical and chemical properties, changes of states of matter, and basic chemical reactions. Students learn about “heat” thermal energy, and temperature as a measurement of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a sample of matter.
Download the complete Physical Science – Structure & Properties of Matter framework to customize for your own planning.
Standards
- MS-PS1-1. Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.
- MS-PS1-3. Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.
- MS-PS1-4. Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and phase (state) of a substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
- MS-PS1-7. Use evidence to illustrate that density is a property that can be used to identify samples of matter.
- MS-PS1-8. Plan and conduct an investigation to demonstrate that mixtures are combinations of substances.
Essential Questions and Big Ideas of the Unit
- What is matter made of?
- Substances are made of one type of atom or combinations of different types of atoms. Individual atoms are particles and can combine to form larger particles that range in size from two to thousands of atoms. (MS-PS1-1)
- Each substance has characteristic physical and chemical properties (for any bulk quantity under given conditions) that can be used to identify it. (MS-PS1-3),(MS-PS1-7)
- Solids may be formed from molecules, or they may be extended structures with repeating sub-units (e.g., crystals). (MS-PS1-1)
- The changes of state that occur with variations in temperature and/or pressure can be described and predicted using these models of matter. (MS-PS1-4)
- Mixtures are physical combinations of one or more samples of matter and can be separated by physical means. (MS-PS1-8)
- What happens in a chemical reaction?
- Substances react chemically in characteristic ways. In a chemical process, the atoms that make up the original substances are regrouped into different particles, and these new substances have different properties from those of the reactants. (MS-PS1-3)
- The term “heat” as used in everyday language refers both to thermal energy (the motion of particles within a substance) and the transfer of that thermal energy from one object to another. In science, heat is used only for this second meaning; it refers to the energy transferred due to the temperature difference between two objects. (secondary to MS-PS1-4)
- Temperature is not a form of energy. Temperature is a measurement of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a sample of matter. (secondary to MS- PS1-4)
Download the complete Physical Science – Structure & Properties of Matter framework to customize for your own planning.