Alchemy/Smells (Foundational Chemistry Concepts for 9th
grade)
K-U-D
Topic: A PARTICULATE WORLD
Which Standards are students learning in this unit?
Standard 1.1.B: Understand that: Science is distinguished from other ways of knowing by the use of
empirical observations, experimental evidence, logical arguments and healthy skepticism.
(Essential)
Standard 1.1.D: Understand that: Investigating most real-world problems requires building upon
previous scientific findings and cooperation among individuals with knowledge and expertise from a
variety of scientific fields. The results of scientific studies are considered valid when subjected to critical
review where contradictions are resolved and the explanation is confirmed.
Be able to: Construct logical scientific explanations and present arguments which defend proposed
explanations through the use of closely examined evidence. (Essential)
Standard 1.1.E: Be able to: Communicate and defend the results of scientific investigations using
logical arguments and connections with the known body of scientific knowledge. (Essential)
Standard 2.1.A: All matter is composed of minute particles called atoms. Most of the mass of an atom is
concentrated in the nucleus. In the nucleus, there are neutrons with no electrical charge and positively
charged protons. Negatively charged electrons surround the nucleus and overall, the atom is electrically
neutral. (Essential)
Standard 2.1.C: Isotopes of a given element differ in the number of neutrons in the nucleus. Their
chemical properties remain essentially the same. (Important)
Standard 2.1.D: The periodic table arranges the elements in order of atomic number (the number of
protons). The elements are grouped according to similar chemical and physical properties. Properties
vary in a regular pattern across the rows (periods) and down the columns (families or groups). As a
result, an element’s chemical and physical properties can be predicted knowing only its position on the
periodic table. (Important)
Standard 2.1.E: An atom’s electron structure determines its physical and chemical properties. (Essential)
By the end of this unit, students will be able to…
Know:
Understand:
Vocabulary:
All matter is made up of
extremely small particles called
 Atom
atoms. These particles are too
 Atomic theory
small to be seen even with a
 Model
microscope.
 Nucleus




Neutron
Electron
Atomic number
Atomic weight
Do:
Describe some models of an
atom and explain their
differences.
Identify the location and number
of protons, neutrons and
Elements with the same number electrons in a Bohr model of an
of valence electrons have similar element.
chemistry and are in the same
group.
Use the periodic table to identify



Isotope mass number
Average atomic mass Science is theoretical and
dynamic. Models and theories are
Valence electron
continually being revised,
Isotopes are referred to by their refined, or replaced with new
models and theories.
mass numbers.
Isotopes have the same number
of protons and electrons, but
different numbers of neutrons.
The atomic weight of an element
listed on the periodic table is
actually the average mass of the
naturally occurring isotopes of
that element.
Electrons occupy different shells
around the nucleus of an atom.
Each successive element has one
more proton than the element
preceding it.
The atomic number is equal to
the number of protons.
The number of electrons is equal
to the number of protons (as long
as the atom is neutral).
The mass number is equal to the
number of protons plus the
number of neutrons (most of the
mass is found in the nucleus).
the properties of an element’s
atom.
Write the symbols for various
isotopes and identify the most
likely isotope of a given element
based on its average atomic
mass.
Identify the number of protons
and electrons in an element based
on its location on the periodic
table.
Identify the number of electron
shells of an element based on its
location on the periodic table.