Matter Unit Part 1: States of Matter, Phase Change, Physical Properties

Comprehensive STEM Unit: Matter, Mixtures, and Physical Properties with Interactive Activities

This 11-lesson STEM unit provides a well-structured, engaging approach to teaching key scientific concepts such as matter, mixtures, phase changes, and physical properties. Each lesson, approximately 50 minutes, is supported by a 20-page printable work bundle that follows the interactive slideshows. Students actively participate by filling in notes, conducting hands-on experiments, answering thought-provoking questions, and engaging in review games. The materials are editable and can be seamlessly uploaded to Google Classroom, offering teachers flexibility and ease of use.

Unit Highlights

• Interactive Slideshows: Engaging visuals, video links, and fill-in-the-blank notes keep students focused and involved.

• Hands-On Activities: Lessons include practical experiments such as the soda store project, ice cream lab, and swirly milk activity to connect theoretical concepts to real-world experiences.

• Work Bundle Integration: Students record notes, answer questions, and complete diagrams in a chronologically aligned work bundle.

• Built-In Assessments: Includes quizzes, review games, and crossword puzzles to reinforce learning.

Lesson Overview

• Matter and Mixtures: Differentiates between mass and weight, elements and compounds, and homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures.

• Solutions and Mixtures: Explores solutes, solvents, and supersaturated solutions with the soda store project as a hands-on highlight.

• Law of Conservation of Mass: Hands-on demonstrations and activities, such as popcorn weighing and closed-system reactions, make this concept tangible.

• Kinetic Molecular Theory: Examines molecular behavior in solids, liquids, and gases through visuals and interactive diffusion experiments.

• States of Matter: Covers plasma and BECs with engaging visuals and quizzes based on molecular images.

• Phase Changes: Uses Hershey Kisses, videos, and demonstrations like Mentos and Diet Coke to explain phase changes and nucleation sites.

• Optional Ice Cream Lab: Students create ice cream to explore phase change and energy concepts. 8–10. Physical Properties: Investigates intensive and extensive properties, surface tension, evaporation, and more through interactive activities and graphs.

• Crossword and Review Game: Students complete a 26-clue crossword and a 20-question quiz game as a final review.

• Review and Assessment: Includes answer versions of the review game and work bundle for self-assessment and teacher-led discussions.

Why Teachers Love This Unit

This unit offers everything teachers need to deliver a dynamic and engaging learning experience. The lessons are organized for success, balancing structured notes with hands-on activities that are easy to set up but highly impactful. Students remain actively engaged through visual aids, collaborative projects, and challenging assessments.

This interactive STEM unit is a comprehensive resource for science teachers aiming to create engaging and meaningful learning experiences. Covering topics such as matter, mixtures, phase changes, and physical properties, the unit combines hands-on experiments, structured work bundles, and interactive assessments to reinforce critical concepts. Perfectly aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), this unit supports STEM education by fostering curiosity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Whether you're teaching middle or high school science, this unit equips educators with the tools to make science education accessible, engaging, and impactful.