Cycle 1

In grades 3-5, students figure out that substances can be made of particles too small to be seen. Students investigate basic properties of materials and use these properties to identify an unknown substance. Students learn about different types of mixtures and use properties of mixtures to separate substances. They are introduced to the idea that some solids are soluble in water while others are not and figure out how to separate solutes from the solution using evaporation. Students observe changes in matter and distinguish between a chemical and a physical change. Finally, students carry out an investigation and analyze graphs to show the conservation of mass.

In this cycle, students build on this understanding as they are introduced to atoms and the Periodic Table of Elements. Students deepen their knowledge of physical properties, by examining the atomic makeup of substances in order to figure out that substances are made from different types of atoms, which combine with another in various ways and observe that substances have characteristic physical and chemical properties that can be used to identify them. Students build models of elements and compounds and use these models to describe the composition of atoms, molecules and extended structures. Students consider how knowledge of physical properties can be used in materials engineering and food science.

In the next cycle, students build on this foundational knowledge as they study solids. Students investigate the structure of solids and model how solids behave in bulk quantities and consider how the structure of the solid substance affects its physical properties.