Grade 7 Model Science Unit 1: Structure and Properties of Matter (draft 1.25.

16) Instructional Days: 20

Unit Summary
How is it that everything is made of star dust?
Students build understandings of what occurs at the atomic and molecular scale. Students apply their understanding that pure substances have characteristic
properties and are made from a single type of atom or molecule. They also provide a molecular level accounts to explain states of matter and changes between
states. The crosscutting concepts of cause and effect, scale, proportion and quantity, structure and function, interdependence of science, engineering, and technology,
and the influence of science, engineering and technology on society and the natural world provide a framework for understanding the disciplinary core ideas.
Students demonstrate grade appropriate proficiency in developing and using models, and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. Students are also
expected to use the scientific and engineering practices to demonstrate understanding of the core ideas.
Student Learning Objectives
Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on developing models of
molecules that vary in complexity. Examples of simple molecules could include ammonia and methanol. Examples of extended structures could include sodium chloride
or diamonds. Examples of molecular-level models could include drawings, 3D ball and stick structures, or computer representations showing different molecules with
different types of atoms. The substructure of atoms and the periodic table are learned in high school chemistry.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include
valence electrons and bonding energy, discussing the ionic nature of subunits of complex structures, or a complete depiction of all individual atoms in a complex
molecule or extended structure.] (MS-PS1-1)

Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred. [Clarification
Statement: Examples of reactions could include burning sugar or steel wool, fat reacting with sodium hydroxide, and mixing zinc with hydrogen chloride.] [Assessment
Boundary: Assessment is limited to analysis of the following properties: density, melting point, boiling point, solubility, flammability, and odor.] (MS-PS1-2)

Quick Links
Unit Sequence p. 2 Research on Learning p. 5 Connections to Other Units p. 6
What it Looks Like in the Classroom p. 3 Prior Learning p. 5 Sample Open Education Resources p. 7
Connecting with ELA/Literacy and Math p. 3 Future Learning p. 6 Appendix A: NGSS and Foundations p. 8
Modifications p. 4

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Grade 7 Model Science Unit 1: Structure and Properties of Matter (draft 1.25.16) Instructional Days: 20

Unit Sequence
Part A: If the universe is not made of Legos®, then what is it made of?
Concepts Formative Assessment
 Substances are made from different types of atoms. Students who understand the concepts are able to:
 Atoms are the basic units of matter.  Develop a model of a simple molecule.
 Substances combine with one another in various ways.  Use the model of the simple molecule to describe its atomic composition.
 Molecules are two or more atoms joined together.  Develop a model of an extended structure.
 Atoms form molecules that range in size from two to thousands of atoms.  Use the model of the extended structure to describe its repeating subunits.
 Molecules can be simple or very complex. [Boundary: The substructure of atoms and the periodic table are learned in
high school chemistry.]
 Solids may be formed from molecules, or they may be extended structures
with repeating subunits (e.g., crystals).

Unit Sequence
Part B: Is it possible to tell if two substances mixed or if they reacted with each other?
Concepts Formative Assessment
 Each pure substance has characteristic physical and chemical properties (for Students who understand the concepts are able to:
any bulk quantity under given conditions) that can be used to identify it.
 Analyze and interpret data to determine similarities and differences from
 Substances react chemically in characteristic ways. results of chemical reactions between substances before and after they
undergo a chemical process.
 In a chemical process, the atoms that make up the original substances are
regrouped into different molecules; these new substances have different  Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after
properties from those of the reactants. they undergo a chemical process.
 The analysis of data on the properties of products and reactants can be used  Identify and describe possible correlation and causation relationships
to determine whether a chemical process has occurred. evidenced in chemical reactions.
 Density, melting point, boiling point, solubility, flammability, and odor are  Make logical and conceptual connections between evidence that chemical
characteristic properties that can be used to identify a pure substance. reactions have occurred and explanations of the properties of substances
before and after they undergo a chemical process.
 Macroscopic patterns are related to the nature of the atomic-level structure
of a substance.

What It Looks Like in the Classroom

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Grade 7 Model Science Unit 1: Structure and Properties of Matter (draft 1.25.16) Instructional Days: 20

Within this unit, students will use informational text and models (which can include student-generated drawings, 3-D ball-and-stick structures, or computer
representations) to understand that matter is composed of atoms and molecules. These models should reflect that substances are made from different types of
atoms. Student models can be manipulated to show that molecules can be disassembled into their various atoms and reassembled into new substances according to
chemical reactions. This scientific knowledge can be used to explain the properties of substances. Students will examine and differentiate between physical and
chemical properties of matter. They are limited to the analysis of the following characteristic properties: density, melting point, boiling point, solubility, flammability,
and odor. This analysis of properties serves as evidence to support that chemical reactions of substances cause a rearrangement of atoms to form different
molecules.
Students will also recognize that they are using models to observe phenomena too small to be seen. Students who demonstrate this understanding can develop or
modify a model of simple molecules to describe the molecules’ atomic composition. Examples of molecules that can be modeled include water, oxygen, carbon
dioxide, ammonia, and methanol. Additionally, students will develop and modify a model that describes the atomic composition of an extended structure showing a
pattern of repeating subunits. Examples may include sodium chloride and diamonds. Due to the repeating subunit patterns, models can include student-generated
drawings, 3-D ball-and-stick structures, and computer representations.
Building upon these experiences, students will analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances in order to provide evidence that a chemical reaction has
occurred. They will also analyze and interpret data to determine similarities and differences in findings. Students will recognize that macroscopic patterns are related
to the nature of microscopic and atomic-level structure. They will use patterns to identify cause-and-effect relationships and graphs and charts to identify patterns in
data.

Connecting with English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics

English Language Arts/Literacy
 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts on the characteristic properties of pure substances. Attend to precise details of
explanations or descriptions about the properties of substances before and after they undergo a chemical process.
 Integrate qualitative information (flowcharts, diagrams, models, graphs, or tables) about the characteristic properties of substances before and after a chemical
process has occurred with a version of that information expressed visually, or integrate technical information about the characteristic properties of substances
before and after a chemical process has occurred with a version of that information expressed visually.
Mathematics
 Integrate quantitative or technical information about the composition of simple molecules and extended structures that is expressed in words in a text with a
version of that information expressed in a model.
 Reason quantitatively (with amounts, numbers, sizes) and abstractly (with variables).
 Develop a mathematical model to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.
 Use ratio and rate reasoning to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.
 Reason quantitatively with amounts, numbers, and sizes for properties like density, melting point, boiling point, solubility, flammability, and odor, and reason
abstractly by assigning labels or symbols.

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Grade 7 Model Science Unit 1: Structure and Properties of Matter (draft 1.25.16) Instructional Days: 20

 Use ratio and rate reasoning to determine whether a chemical reaction has occurred.
 Display numerical data for properties such as density, melting point, solubility, flammability, and order in plots on a number line, including dot plots, histograms,
and box plots.
 Summarize numerical data sets on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine whether a chemical reaction has occurred.
The summary of the numerical data sets must be in relation to their context.

Modifications
(Note: Teachers identify the modifications that they will use in the unit. See NGSS Appendix D: All Standards, All Students/Case Studies for vignettes and explanations
of the modifications.)
 Structure lessons around questions that are authentic, relate to students’ interests, social/family background and knowledge of their community.
 Provide students with multiple choices for how they can represent their understandings (e.g. multisensory techniques-auditory/visual aids; pictures, illustrations,
graphs, charts, data tables, multimedia, modeling).
 Provide opportunities for students to connect with people of similar backgrounds (e.g. conversations via digital tool such as SKYPE, experts from the community
helping with a project, journal articles, and biographies).
 Provide multiple grouping opportunities for students to share their ideas and to encourage work among various backgrounds and cultures (e.g. multiple
representation and multimodal experiences).
 Engage students with a variety of Science and Engineering practices to provide students with multiple entry points and multiple ways to demonstrate their
understandings.
 Use project-based science learning to connect science with observable phenomena.
 Structure the learning around explaining or solving a social or community-based issue.
 Provide ELL students with multiple literacy strategies.
 Collaborate with after-school programs or clubs to extend learning opportunities.
 Restructure lesson using UDL principals (http://www.cast.org/our-work/about-udl.html#.VXmoXcfD_UA)

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Grade 7 Model Science Unit 1: Structure and Properties of Matter (draft 1.25.16) Instructional Days: 20

Research on Student Learning

Middle school students may think everything that exists is matter, including heat, light, and electricity. Alternatively, they may believe that matter does not include
liquids and gases or that they are weightless materials.  With specially designed instruction, some middle school students can learn the scientific notion of matter. 
Middle-school and high-school students are deeply committed to a theory of continuous matter. Although some students may think that substances can be divided
up into small particles, they do not recognize the particles as building blocks, but as formed as basically continuous substances under certain conditions. 
Students at the beginning of middle school may be at different points in their conceptualization of a "theory" of matter.  Although some 5th graders may start seeing
weight as a fundamental property of all matter, many students in 6th and 7th grade still appear to think of weight simply as "felt weight" -- something whose weight
they can't feel is considered to have no weight at all. Accordingly, some students believe that if one keeps dividing a piece of Styrofoam, one would soon obtain a
piece that weighed nothing. 
Students of all ages show a wide range of beliefs about the nature and behavior of particles. They lack an appreciation of the very small size of particles; attribute
macroscopic properties to particles; believe there must be something in the space between particles; have difficulty in appreciating the intrinsic motion of particles in
solids, liquids and gases; and have problems in conceptualizing forces between particles. Despite these difficulties, there is some evidence that carefully designed
instruction carried out over a long period of time may help middle-school students develop correct ideas about particles (NSDL, 2015).

Prior Learning
By the end of Grade 5, students understand that:
 Matter of any type can be subdivided into particles that are too small to see, but even then the matter still exists and can be detected by other means.
 A model showing that gases are made from matter particles that are too small to see and are moving freely around in space can explain many observations,
including the inflation and shape of a balloon and the effects of air on larger particles or objects.
 The amount (weight) of matter is conserved when it changes form, even in transitions in which it seems to vanish.
 Measurements of a variety of observable properties can be used to identify materials. [Note: In the fifth grade, no attempt was made to define the unseen
particles or explain the atomic-scale mechanism of evaporation and condensation.]
 When two or more different substances are mixed, a new substance with different properties may be formed.
 No matter what reaction or change in properties occurs, the total mass of the substances does not change. [Note: Mass and weight were distinguished in 5th
grade.]

Future Learning
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Grade 7 Model Science Unit 1: Structure and Properties of Matter (draft 1.25.16) Instructional Days: 20

Chemistry
 Each atom has a charged substructure consisting of a nucleus, which is made of protons and neutrons surrounded by electrons.
 The periodic table orders elements horizontally according to the number of protons in the atom’s nucleus; it organizes elements with similar chemical properties
vertically, in columns. The repeating patterns of this table reflect patterns of outer electron states.
 The structure and interactions of matter at the bulk scale are determined by electrical forces within and between atoms.
 A stable molecule has less energy than the same set of atoms separated; at least this much energy must be provided in order to take the molecule apart.
Earth and space science
 The star called the sun is changing and will burn out over a lifespan of approximately 10 billion years.
 The study of stars’ light spectra and brightness is used to identify compositional elements of stars, their movements, and their distances from Earth.
 The Big Bang theory is supported by observations of distant galaxies receding from our own, by the measured composition of stars and nonstellar gases, and by
the maps of spectra of the primordial radiation (cosmic microwave background) that still fills the universe.
 Other than the hydrogen and helium formed at the time of the Big Bang, nuclear fusion within stars produces all atomic nuclei lighter than and including iron,
and the process releases electromagnetic energy. Heavier elements are produced when certain massive stars achieve a supernova stage and explode.
 Chemical processes, their rates, and whether or not they store or release energy can be understood in terms of collisions of molecules and rearrangements of
atoms into new molecules, with consequent changes in the sum of all bond energies in the set of molecules that are matched by changes in kinetic energy.
 In many situations, a dynamic and condition-dependent balance between a reaction and the reverse reaction determines the numbers of all types of molecules
present.
 The fact that atoms are conserved, together with knowledge of the chemical properties of the elements involved, can be used to describe and predict chemical
reactions.

Connections to Other Units

Unit 2: Interactions of Matter
 Each pure substance has characteristic physical and chemical properties (for any bulk quantity under given conditions) that can be used to identify it.
 Gases and liquids are made of molecules or inert atoms that are moving about relative to each other.
 In a liquid, the molecules are constantly in contact with others; in a gas, they are widely spaced except when they happen to collide. In a solid, atoms are closely
spaced and may vibrate in position but do not change relative locations.
 The changes of state that occur with variations in temperature or pressure can be described and predicted using these models of matter.
Unit 3: Chemical Reactions
 Substances react chemically in characteristic ways. In a chemical process, the atoms that make up the original substances are regrouped into different molecules,
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Grade 7 Model Science Unit 1: Structure and Properties of Matter (draft 1.25.16) Instructional Days: 20

and these new substances have different properties from those of the reactants.
 The total number of each type of atom is conserved, and thus the mass does not change.
 Some chemical reactions release energy, others store energy.

Sample of Open Education Resources

Middle school Chemistry, Chapter 1: Solids, Liquids, and Gases Students are introduced to the idea that matter is composed of atoms and molecules that are
attracted to each other and in constant motion. Students explore the attractions and motion of atoms and molecules as they experiment with and observe the
heating and cooling of a solid, liquid, and gas.
Middle school Chemistry, Chapter 2: Changes of State Students help design experiments to test whether the temperature of water affects the rate of evaporation
and whether the temperature of water vapor affects the rate of condensation. Students also look in more detail at the water molecule to help explain the state
changes of water. (all activities/lessons)
States of Matter: Use interactive computer models to trace an atom’s trajectory at a certain physical stage, and investigate how molecular behavior is responsible for
the substance’s state.
Molecular View of a Solid: Explore the structure of a solid at the molecular level. Molecules are always in motion, though molecules in a solid move slowly. All
molecules are attracted to each other. Molecules can be weakly or strongly attracted to each other. The way that large molecules interact in physical, chemical and
biological applications is a direct consequence of the many tiny attractions of the smaller parts.
Molecular View of a Liquid: Explore the structure of a liquid at the molecular level. Molecules are always in motion. Molecules in a liquid move moderately. All
molecules are attracted to each other. Molecules can be weakly or strongly attracted to each other. The way that large molecules interact in physical, chemical and
biological applications is a direct consequence of the many tiny attractions of the smaller parts.
Molecular View of a Gas: Explore the structure of a gas at the molecular level. Molecules are always in motion. Molecules in a gas move quickly. All molecules are
attracted to each other. Molecules can be weakly or strongly attracted to each other. The way that large molecules interact in physical, chemical and biological
applications is a direct consequence of the many tiny attractions of the smaller parts.

Appendix A: NGSS and Foundations for the Unit

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Grade 7 Model Science Unit 1: Structure and Properties of Matter (draft 1.25.16) Instructional Days: 20

Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on developing models of
molecules that vary in complexity. Examples of simple molecules could include ammonia and methanol. Examples of extended structures could include sodium chloride
or diamonds. Examples of molecular-level models could include drawings, 3D ball and stick structures, or computer representations showing different molecules with
different types of atoms. The substructure of atoms and the periodic table are learned in high school chemistry.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include
valence electrons and bonding energy, discussing the ionic nature of subunits of complex structures, or a complete depiction of all individual atoms in a complex
molecule or extended structure.] (MS-PS1-1)

Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred. [Clarification
Statement: Examples of reactions could include burning sugar or steel wool, fat reacting with sodium hydroxide, and mixing zinc with hydrogen chloride.] [Assessment
Boundary: Assessment is limited to analysis of the following properties: density, melting point, boiling point, solubility, flammability, and odor.] (MS-PS1-2)
The performance expectations above were developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:
Science and Engineering Practices Disciplinary Core Ideas Crosscutting Concepts

Developing and Using Models PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
 Develop a model to predict and/or describe  Substances are made from different types of  Time, space, and energy phenomena can be
phenomena. (MS-PS1-1) atoms, which combine with one another in observed at various scales using models to
various ways. Atoms form molecules that range study systems that are too large or too small.
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
in size from two to thousands of atoms. (MS- (MS-PS1-1)
 Analyze and interpret data to determine PS1-1)
Patterns
similarities and differences in findings. (MS-PS1-
 Solids may be formed from molecules, or they
2)  Macroscopic patterns are related to the nature
may be extended structures with repeating
of microscopic and atomic-level structure. (MS-
subunits (e.g., crystals). (MS-PS1-1)
PS1-2)
 Each pure substance has characteristic physical
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
and chemical properties (for any bulk quantity
under given conditions) that can be used to          Connections to Nature of Science
identify it. (MS-PS1-2)
 Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence
PS1.B: Chemical Reactions
 Science knowledge is based upon logical and
 Substances react chemically in characteristic conceptual connections between evidence and
ways. In a chemical process, the atoms that explanations. (MS-PS1-2)
make up the original substances are regrouped
into different molecules, and these new
substances have different properties from those
of the reactants. (MS-PS1-2)

English Language Arts Mathematics

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (MS-PS1-1),(MS-PS1-2) MP.2
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Grade 7 Model Science Unit 1: Structure and Properties of Matter (draft 1.25.16) Instructional Days: 20

attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.(MS-PS1-2) RST.6- Model with mathematics. (MS-PS1-1) MP.4
8.1
Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical
Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with problems. (MS-PS1-1),(MS-PS1-2) 6.RP.A.3
a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram,
Use numbers expressed in the form of a single digit times an integer power of 10
model, graph, or table). (MS-PS1-1),(MS-PS1-2) RST.6-8.7
to estimate very large or very small quantities, and to express how many times as
much one is than the other. (MS-PS1-1) 8.EE.A.3
Display numerical data in plots on a number line, including dot plots, histograms,
and box plots. (MS-PS1-2) 6.SP.B.4
Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context.  (MS-PS1-2) 6.SP.B.5