Foundation scheme of work
Physics – Particle model of matter
This resource provides guidance for teaching the Particle model of matter topic from our new GCSE in Physics. It is based on the draft GCSE
Combined Science: Trilogy specification (8464), and is likely to be revised on accreditation of the final specification. These revisions will be published
on the website after accreditation.
The scheme of work is designed to be a flexible term plan for teaching content and development of the skills that will be assessed.
It is provided in Word format to help you create your own teaching plan – you can edit and customise it according to your needs. This scheme of work
is not exhaustive, it only suggests activities and resources you could find useful in your teaching.
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Manchester M15 6EX.
6.6 Particle model of matter
6.6.1 Changes of state and the particle model
Spec
ref.
6.6.1.1
Summary of the
specification
content
Density of
materials
Learning outcomes
What most candidates should
be able to do
The density of a material is
defined by the equation:
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠
𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 =
𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒
𝑚
[𝑝 = ]
𝑉
density, ρ, in kilograms per
metre cubed, kg/m 3
mass, m, in kilograms, kg
volume, V, in metre cubed,
m3
Suggeste
d timing
(hours)
2
Opportunities to develop
scientific communication
skills
Define density.
Describe the method used to
find the density of regular
shapes.
Convert non-standard units into
standard units for calculations.
Apply the equation for density.
Students should perform
practice calculations to help
them remember the equation.
Calculate the density, mass or
volume of an irregularly shaped
object.
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee
registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street,
Manchester M15 6EX.
Opportunities to develop
and apply practical and
enquiry skills
Demonstrate different density
fluid by first measuring the
mass of three equal volumes
of corn syrup, water and
vegetable oil and then
pouring into a beaker
(heaviest first).
Describing density
Pupils investigate density of
two equally sized regular
shapes: eg polystyrene block
and metal block.
Self/peer
assessment
Opportunities
and resources
Reference to past
questions that
indicate success
ExamPro
KS3 Physics
QPM94P120
Students can
evaluate different
methods of
measuring volume
of irregularly
shaped object (ie
using rulers vs
immersion in
water).
Calculate volume of each
object (l x h x w) and
measure mass of each.
Convert cm and g into SI
units.
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Spec
ref.
Summary of the
specification
content
Learning outcomes
What most candidates should
be able to do
Suggeste
d timing
(hours)
Opportunities to develop
scientific communication
skills
Opportunities to develop
and apply practical and
enquiry skills
Self/peer
assessment
Opportunities
and resources
Reference to past
questions that
indicate success
Students calculate density for
each block. Test by putting
into a container of water and
measuring change in water
levels.
Which fruit and vegetables
are the heavyweights?
Investigate using a selection
of different fruits. Measure
mass. Use measuring
cylinders/ graduated beakers
to measure volume.
Calculate density of each.
Compare their density to that
of water.
Link to the story about
Archimedes and the king’s
crown.
Required practical 16:
investigate, using appropriate
apparatus, the densities of
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registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street,
Manchester M15 6EX.
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Spec
ref.
Summary of the
specification
content
Learning outcomes
What most candidates should
be able to do
Suggeste
d timing
(hours)
Opportunities to develop
scientific communication
skills
Opportunities to develop
and apply practical and
enquiry skills
Self/peer
assessment
Opportunities
and resources
Reference to past
questions that
indicate success
6.6.1.1
The particle model
and density of
materials
The particle model can be
used to explain the different
states of matter.
The differences in density
between the different states
of matter to be explained in
terms of the arrangements of
the particles (atoms or
molecules).
1
Recap KS3 by drawing
diagrams to show the particle
arrangements in solid, liquid
and gases and describing the
motion of particles in solids,
liquids and gases.
Compare the different states of
matter and how numbers of
particles in a volume might
influence mass and density.
Use the diagrams to explain
the differences in densities
between solids, liquids and
gases.
Examine the reasons why ice
has a lower density than water.
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registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street,
Manchester M15 6EX.
regular and irregular solid
objects and liquids, making
and recording appropriate
measurements.
Use a tray filled with pingpong balls or marbles to
demonstrate particle motions
in the three states.
Make models of solids,
liquids and gases using
plasticine. Compare three
equal masses of plasticine
modelled into each state (and
how volume varies). Then
make the three states in a set
volume (draw a 5 x 5 cm onto
A4 paper) and compare the
resulting masses.
ExamPro
GCSE Physics
QPKP.5F.10
KS3 Chemistry
Q98.B1.10
Peer assessment
can be used to
mark particle
models.
Label the models to link the
state of matter with the
density.
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Spec
ref.
6.6.1.2
Summary of the
specification
content
Changing of state
Learning outcomes
What most candidates should
be able to do
When substances change
state (melt, freeze, boil,
evaporate, condense or
sublimate), mass is
conserved.
Suggeste
d timing
(hours)
0.5
Opportunities to develop
scientific communication
skills
Describe the changes of state
in terms of solids, liquids and
gases.
Describe how, when a
substance changes state, the
mass of the substance is
unchanged as there is still the
same number of atoms in the
substance and it is just their
arrangement that has altered.
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee
registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street,
Manchester M15 6EX.
Opportunities to develop
and apply practical and
enquiry skills
Measure the mass of an ice
cube and then re-measure
when it has melted. Establish
that mass remains
unchanged, only particle
arrangement changes.
Self/peer
assessment
Opportunities
and resources
Reference to past
questions that
indicate success
ExamPro
GCSE Physics
QK13W5F11
QK12W5F08
KS3 Chemistry
Q08.A2.04
Q00.A1.06
Q12W1f07
Use mini white
boards to check
pupil
understanding of
state changes.
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Spec
ref.
6.6.1.2
Summary of the
specification
content
Chemical and
physical changes
Learning outcomes
What most candidates should
be able to do
Changes of state are physical
changes; the change does
not produce a new
substance. If the change is
reversed, the substance
recovers its original
properties.
Suggeste
d timing
(hours)
0.5
Opportunities to develop
scientific communication
skills
Describe the difference
between a chemical and a
physical change and provide
examples for both types.
Describe how, if a physical
change is reversed, the
substance will recover its
original properties.
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee
registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street,
Manchester M15 6EX.
Opportunities to develop
and apply practical and
enquiry skills
What is the difference
between a chemical and a
physical change?
Self/peer
assessment
Opportunities
and resources
Reference to past
questions that
indicate success
ExamPro
KS3 Chemistry
Q09.A1.01
Use chocolate buttons to
demonstrate the reversible
properties of melting and
cooling.
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6.6.2 Internal energy and energy transfers
Spec
ref.
6.6.2.1
Summary of the
specification
content
Internal energy of
materials
Learning outcomes
What most candidates should
be able to do
Energy is stored inside a
system by the particles
(atoms and molecules) that
make up the system. This is
called internal energy.
Internal energy is the total
kinetic energy and potential
energy of all the particles
(atoms and molecules) that
make up a system.
Suggeste
d timing
(hours)
1
Opportunities to develop
scientific communication
skills
Define internal energy.
Describe temperature being a
measure of the average kinetic
energy of the particles in a
substance.
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee
registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street,
Manchester M15 6EX.
Opportunities to develop
and apply practical and
enquiry skills
What is the difference
between heat and
temperature?
Model the behaviour of atoms
within a solid as it is heated
past its melting point using a
tray of ping-pong balls.
Demonstrate the changing
diameter of a balloon as it is
plunged into ice cold vs hot
water. Link to the amount of
kinetic energy in the air
particles.
Self/peer
assessment
Opportunities
and resources
Reference to past
questions that
indicate success
ExamPro
GCSE Science A
QP13W.1F.03
Ask students to
compare bonfire
sparklers with a
lukewarm bath –
the sparkler has
relatively low total
heat energy as
there are few
molecules.
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Spec
ref.
6.6.2.1
6.6.2.2
Summary of the
specification
content
Heat and
temperature
Specific heat
capacity
Learning outcomes
What most candidates should
be able to do
Heating changes the energy
stored within the system by
increasing the energy of the
particles that make up the
system. This either raises the
temperature of the system or
produces a change of state.
1
If the temperature of the
system increases:
1
The increase in temperature
depends on the mass of the
substance heated, what the
substance is and the energy
input to the system.
The following equation
applies:
6.6.2.2
Suggeste
d timing
(hours)
𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 =
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑥 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦
𝑥 𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒
Opportunities to develop
scientific communication
skills
Describe and explain how
increasing the temperature of a
substance affects the internal
energy of a substance.
Opportunities to develop
and apply practical and
enquiry skills
What effect does changing
the temperature of an object
have on the atoms that make
up the object?
Demonstrate expansion
using metal ball and hoop/
bimetallic strips.
Describe heat capacity as how
much thermal energy a
material stores up and
temperature as how much
thermal energy a material gives
off.
Describe why different things
heat up differently when they
have the same amount of
energy in terms of the differing
specific heat capacity.
Define specific heat capacity.
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee
registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street,
Manchester M15 6EX.
Why is the pie filling always
hotter than the crust?
Why is the pavement always
hotter than the grass?
Does water or sand heat up
faster at the beach?
Investigate the rate of heating
sand vs water (to model a
beach). Use equal depths of
sand and water in beakers,
covering thermometer bulbs.
Self/peer
assessment
Opportunities
and resources
Reference to past
questions that
indicate success
ExamPro
KS3 Chemistry
Q97.B2.11
Q00.A1.14
Ask students to
draw a flow
diagram to
illustrate how the
movement of
particles change
as a thermometer
warms up.
ExamPro
GCSE Science A
QP13S.1F.06
QP14S.1F.05
GCSE Physics
QK14S5F11
Give students the
energy of the lamp
(energy (J) =
power (this will be
the bulb wattage in
Watts) x time (in
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Spec
ref.
Summary of the
specification
content
Learning outcomes
What most candidates should
be able to do
[∆𝐸 = 𝑚 𝑐 ∆𝜃 ]
change in thermal energy,
∆E, in joules, J
mass, m, in kilograms, kg
specific heat capacity, c, in
joules per kilogram per
degree Celsius, J/kg oC
temperature change, ∆θ, in
degrees Celsius, oC
The specific heat capacity of
a substance is the amount of
energy required to raise the
temperature of one kilogram
of the substance by one
degree Celsius.
Suggeste
d timing
(hours)
Opportunities to develop
scientific communication
skills
Describe the factors that affect
how quickly a substance heats
up, eg mass, temperature
difference.
The equation will be provided
on the equations sheet.
Students should be able to
convert to SI units and use
standard form in their answers.
Use the temperature changes
to calculate the energy
changes of each material
(when SHC of sand 830 J/kg
oC and water 4,200 J/kg oC).
Opportunities to develop
and apply practical and
enquiry skills
Position filament lamps
above the bulbs of the
thermometers and record
temperature changes every
minute for 10 minutes. Turn
lamps off and record
temperature drop for the next
10 minutes. Plot the data for
both water and sand.
Self/peer
assessment
Opportunities
and resources
Reference to past
questions that
indicate success
seconds).
Students assess
accuracy of their
data by comparing
their SHC value
with the accepted
value (when SHC
of sand 830 J/kg
oC and water
4,200 J/kg oC).
It takes more energy to heat
up water by each oC than
same mass of sand.
Describe why water is used in
hot water bottles whereas
metals are used to make
heatsinks.
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registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street,
Manchester M15 6EX.
9 of 13
Spec
ref.
6.6.2.3
Summary of the
specification
content
Specific latent
heat
Learning outcomes
What most candidates should
be able to do
If a change of state happens:
The energy needed for a
substance to change state is
called latent heat. When a
change of state occurs, the
energy supplied changes the
energy stored (internal
energy) but not the
temperature.
The specific latent heat of a
substance is the amount of
energy required to change
the state of one kilogram of
the substance with no change
in temperature.
Suggeste
d timing
(hours)
1
Opportunities to develop
scientific communication
skills
Define specific latent heat.
Explain why a block of ice at 0
°C that is being heated does
not increase in temperature
initially.
Calculate the energy required
for the change of state (specific
latent heat for stearic acid
2,359 J/kg).
Students will be expected to
convert to SI units and use
standard form where required.
𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒
= 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑥 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡
Opportunities to develop
and apply practical and
enquiry skills
Investigate the specific latent
heat of fusion of water.
Self/peer
assessment
Opportunities
and resources
Reference to past
questions that
indicate success
ExamPro
KS3 Chemistry
Q96.A1.14
Complete a cooling curve of
a measured volume of liquid
stearic acid. Start in a hot
water bath at 80oC. Take
temperature of both stearic
acid and water bath and plot
both on a graph of
temperature vs time. At
around 68oC the two lines will
diverge and the stearic acid
will remain hotter as it turns
from liquid to solid. Once
stearic acid is solid, it will
continue releasing heat.
[𝐸 = 𝑚𝐿]
energy, E, in joules , J
mass, m, in kilograms, kg
specific latent heat, L, in
joules per kilogram, J/kg
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registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street,
Manchester M15 6EX.
10 of 13
Spec
ref.
Summary of the
specification
content
Learning outcomes
What most candidates should
be able to do
Suggeste
d timing
(hours)
Opportunities to develop
scientific communication
skills
Opportunities to develop
and apply practical and
enquiry skills
Self/peer
assessment
Opportunities
and resources
Reference to past
questions that
indicate success
6.6.2.3
Specific latent
heat
The specific latent heat of
fusion of a solid substance is
the heat required to change
one kilogram of it from solid
to liquid without any
temperature change.
The specific latent heat of
vaporisation of a liquid
substance is the heat
required to change one
kilogram of it from liquid to
vapour without any
temperature change.
1
Define specific latent heat of
fusion and vaporisation.
Describe why more energy is
needed to change water into
steam compared to ice into
water (because there is more
separation of the particles).
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee
registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street,
Manchester M15 6EX.
Why does steam cause
worse burns than boiling
water?
Use plasticine or molymod
models to demonstrate bond
breaking in gases, compared
to fewer breakages in liquids.
Establish that more energy is
needed as more distance is
involved.
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6.6.3 Particle model and pressure
Spec
ref.
6.6.3.1
6.6.3.1
Summary of the
specification
content
Particle motion in
gases
How gases exert
forces on the walls
of their containers
Learning outcomes
What most candidates should
be able to do
Suggeste
d timing
(hours)
The molecules of a gas are in
constant random motion. The
temperature of the gas is
related to the average kinetic
energy of the molecules. The
higher the temperature, the
greater the average kinetic
energy and so the faster the
average speed of the
molecules.
1
When the molecules collide
with the wall of their container
they exert a force on the wall.
The total force exerted by all
of the molecules inside the
container on a unit area of the
walls is the gas pressure.
1
Opportunities to develop
scientific communication
skills
Describe the motion of
molecules within a gas.
Describe and explain how the
motion of molecules in a gas
changes as the gas is heated.
Describe how molecules in a
gas are moving faster (because
with a higher temperature they
have more energy).
Describe that gases exert a
force on a container.
Describe what is meant by gas
pressure in terms of the forces
exerted by the gas molecules
on the surface of a container.
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee
registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street,
Manchester M15 6EX.
Opportunities to develop
and apply practical and
enquiry skills
Revisit the demonstration of
gases using a tray of
marbles. Model increasing
motion with increasing
temperature.
Demonstrate air pressure
crushing a soda can by
inverting a can with a small
amount of heated water into
a container of cold water.
Self/peer
assessment
Opportunities
and resources
Reference to past
questions that
indicate success
ExamPro
KS3 Chemistry
QY13W5F11
ExamPro
KS3 Chemistry
Q05.A2.10
Q96.B2.11
Demonstrate what happens
to a marshmallow when it is
put into a vacuum chamber,
and equally what happens
when the air is returned to
the chamber and pressure is
increased.
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Spec
ref.
Summary of the
specification
content
Learning outcomes
What most candidates should
be able to do
Suggeste
d timing
(hours)
Opportunities to develop
scientific communication
skills
Opportunities to develop
and apply practical and
enquiry skills
Self/peer
assessment
Opportunities
and resources
Reference to past
questions that
indicate success
6.6.3.1
How changing the
temperature of a
gas affects the
pressure exerted
Changing the temperature of
a gas, held at constant
volume, changes the
pressure exerted by the gas.
1
Describe how increasing the
temperature of gas increases
the gas pressure inside the
container.
Draw and label a variety of
diagrams showing different gas
pressures.
Discuss methods to ensure
consistent measurements
around the balloon are taken
(ie by drawn marks where
measurements are taken).
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee
registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street,
Manchester M15 6EX.
Inflate a balloon. Draw
diagrams to illustrate how the
numbers of particles are
changing as the balloon is
inflated. Discuss the increase
in particles colliding with the
balloon’s surface and the
increase in pressure.
Use a tray of marbles or pingpong balls to illustrate the
differences in gaps between
liquid/ gas particles and what
happens as they are both
heated.
Why do aerosol deodorants
say keep away from fire?
ExamPro
KS3 Chemistry
Q02.A2.14
Q99.B1.11
Measure the diameter of a
partially inflated balloon.
Plunge it into ice cold water
for several minutes and
premeasure. Repeat in a
water bath at 80oC. Compare
the change in the diameter.
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