REED COLLEGE SCIENCE OUTREACH PROPERTIES OF MATTER

12
Materials
o Molecule Building Kits
Lesson Plan
Review & Introduction (5–10 Minutes):
Note: Remember that this lesson in only an introduction to atoms and molecules. Try to not get
bogged down in the details. Just stick to the basics and be sure to leave more time for the activity
than the introduction.
1. Have students remind you about the different properties we have learned about so far
(magnetism, states, etc.). Ask students why they think different types of matter have
different properties.
2. Tell students that matter is actually made up of very tiny particles called atoms. All
matter is made up of these tiny particles. Put up an overhead of a periodic table. Explain
that there are at least 118 different types of atoms, and each type of atom is called an
element. Scientists created this table to list all the types of elements that have been
discovered so far.
3. Ask students if they have ever heard of the element carbon. Does anyone know what
it looks like? Have student look at the graphite in their pencils, and tell them the
graphite is made up of trillions of carbon atoms. Tell them that carbon (and all other
atoms) has unique properties because of the way it is built.
4. Show a picture of a carbon atom. Point out that it is made up of even tinier particles.
Go through each part of the carbon atom, having students label the particles in their
worksheets. Be sure to emphasize that the protons are the particles that give carbon
(and all other atoms) its unique properties. Also point out how the periodic table tells
the students how many protons each element has. To check comprehension, ask
students: Do any two elements have the same number of protons?
5. Finally, tell students that electrons also play an important role. Inform students that
most atoms don’t like to be alone. They like to interact with other atoms. The electrons
are the part of the atom that helps it to form bonds (like a friendship) with other atoms.
Sometimes atoms will form bonds with the same kind of atom and sometimes atoms will
form bonds with other kinds of atoms. These bonded atoms are called molecules.
Molecule Modeling (35–40 Minutes):
6. Ask student to open their science notebooks to the molecule-modeling activity. Tell
students that today we are going to explore how atoms form bonds with each other.
Tell students that we will do the first two exercises together to help them understand
what to do.
7. Before you pass out the kits, do the first example as a demonstration. Point out the
chart that lists the elements that students will work with today. Point out how each
element has its own properties. One of the properties that each element has is that they