Tom Nowak
Atoms: where matter and energy dance
8th Grade
Subject Area Description:
First, the student body covering this course comprises about one hundred and
forty eighth graders in a middle class suburban community north of Seattle. About a third
of the students have IEPs; most for deficiencies in reading, writing and organizational
skills. Prerequisite skills students have experiences with include guided inquiry labs;
work with different measuring tools and technology, writing their own labs, and creating
their own investigations. Before starting this unit, the students will have had genetics,
evolution, geology, forces, heat and pressure. By the eighth grade, students would have
had an introductory background of atomic structure.
This unit will explore in more depth how different material’s physical properties
can be explained by different atoms’ structure and different molecules’ structure. So, I
intend to focus on the reasons for these different material’s physical properties that
explain and justify phenomenon such as electrons giving off light, nuclei giving off
radiation, magnetite being magnetic, and water being a liquid. Students will look at how
atoms bond together to create molecules and compounds and how these different
materials can create different physical properties. Lastly, students will use inquiry to
explore how these physical properties of emissions spectra can be used in real life
applications of astronomical stellar evolution. The length of this unit will be four weeks
or twenty days. Yet, because about two weeks are block schedule, there are only fifteen
days. The major concepts thus will be atomic structure and electron valence shells,
explaining how this atomic arrangement help many atoms bond together, how this atomic
structure explains physical properties and how humans can use these properties to create
technology and use these properties to our advantage. The formal performance that
students will work toward and complete at the end of the four week unit will be creating a
model of one atom that they chose. They will research the physical structure, properties
of this atom and how this atom can be used as human technology. The students will
present this model and the researched information about this atom to the class.
Essential Questions:
Students will initially explore the micro-world of the atom with labs that define an
atom, its internal arrangement and relative size, as well as how many atoms in a given
sample of graphite. The essential question for this segment is: what is a pencil made of?
The students will then explore why graphite is so smooth, why magnetite is magnetic,
why gold is so heavy, and why helium is so light. We will define and explore many
different physical properties and then explore what atomic configurations contribute to
create these physical properties. The activities for this section will be exploring how
different atoms may bond with only certain atoms, how the electron valence shells create
and propagate an electronic charge, and how changing the numbers and locations of
subatomic particles give off energy in the form of radiation. Students will conduct an
inquiry into the atomic composition of an unknown star by using what they know about
how energy is given off by changing electron locations within stellar atoms. Two
essential questions for this segment are: Will the Sun’s nuclear power last forever? And,
should humans be able to use nuclear power? Next, students will create their own
periodic chart with the essential question: given rules of atomic structure, can there be an
organizational chart to arrange the atoms? The students will use what they know about
the size, charge, and number of subatomic particles in the different elements to construct
an organizational chart that includes all the naturally occurring elements.
Unit Goals and Objectives:
1 Students will understand that all matter is made up of atoms, which can be combined in
various ways, kinds, and numbers (EALR 1.2).
1.1 Students will verify the theory of atoms being the smallest particle of matter
that still contains all the physical properties of the same element.
1.2 Student will be able to justify the organization of the atomic nucleus as the
center of the atom and the vastly greater space that electrons fill outside of the
nucleus.
1.3 Students will predict the number of atoms found in a given sample of graphite
using Avogadro’s number.
1.4 Students will justify that atoms can combine in various ways into molecules
which may change their physical properties.
1.5 Students will use the conservation of matter theory to prove that chemical
reactions occur without adding or destroying matter.
2 Students will use properties to identify, describe, and categorize substances (EALR 1.1)
2.1 Students will define different physical properties of matter.
2.2 Students will explain the presence of physical properties using the atomic and
molecular structure of graphite, water, and magnetite.
2.3 Students will model an atom of their choice and relate the atom’s structure to
its function.
2.4 Students will interpret radiant energy from excited gases as energy given off
by electrons moving closer to the atomic nucleus.
3 Students will develop abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry (EALR 2.1)
3.1 Students will generate questions about radiant light energy that will be
answered through scientific investigations.
3.2 Students will design and conduct a scientific investigation using diffraction
grading lenses and different energized gases.
3.3 Students will use evidence from their own scientific investigations along with
professional astronomer data to think critically and develop explanations about
how the atoms in the gas can give off energy and absorb energy.
3.4 Students will communicate orally a model of an atom and connect the
function of the atom to the physical structure.
4 Students will share their opinions and beliefs about the application of nuclear energy to
our everyday lives (EALR 2.2).
4.1 Student will know that the Sun’s energy comes from nuclear fusion and that
humans can use a similar nuclear power through nuclear fission.
4.2 Students will critique the benefits and detriments of humans using energy
from nuclear sources and provide evidence to substantiate their opinions.
Unit Matrix:
Day 1 (90 minutes)
1) What will students do?
Students will share what they know about
atoms, their physical properties, how atoms
might combine together and how they might
organize different atoms in a preassessment
test. Then, students will complete a structured
inquiry lab on defining an atom by breaking
different materials down to the smallest parts
that still have the same physical properties.
Students will be given the outline for their final
project at the end of the unit. Students will
define project goals: sign up for an atom and
read about the requirements of what is
expected for the presentation. Students will be
given background information about
tomorrow’s activities of defining the size and
organization of subatomic particles within the
atom. This information will be read
individually for the remainder of the class and
for homework (inquiry phase 1).
2) Learning objectives for the class?
Students will verify the theory of atoms being
the smallest particle of matter that still contains
all the physical properties of the same element
(EALR 1.2).
3) (A) Why introduce idea at this time? Lesson is the first in a series of lessons on
atoms. The students supposedly had atoms and
matter last year and so I wish to elicit their
ideas and help organize future activities around
their current understanding.
(B) Why this instructional strategy? I want to asses students’ current understanding
while also engage them in self discovery and
reflection.
4) What evidence of student learning /
I will informally assess their oral explanations
understanding will you collect?
in a discussion and collect their written labs on
atoms.
5) Resources?
Lab materials. 3-D Model of atom to stir
questions and answers from class.
Day 2 (90 minutes)
1) What will students do?
Students will discuss reading from the last
class and craft testable questions (inquiry phase
2) to duplicate research findings of a gold foil
experiment. This will determine the
arrangement of subatomic particles within all
atoms. Students will write up their results and
conclusions for homework. Second, students
will map out a scale model of this atom based
on the size of a football field. Students will
discuss the lab findings from the day for
closure and discuss how small an atom really
is.
2) Learning objectives for the class?
Students will be able to understand how small
an atom is, the location of the nucleus and the
great distance between the nucleus and the
electron (EALR 1.2).
3) (A) Why introduce idea at this time? Introduce the size and magnitude of the atom
to connect the world of an atom to the students
own perspective before exploring electrons and
the physical properties of the atoms.
(B) Why this instructional strategy? Hands-on activity to reinforce classroom
activity and get students excited to explore the
world of the atom
4) What evidence of student learning /
Students will write a one paragraph account of
understanding will you collect?
day’s activity for homework
5) Resources?
Materials for scale model: grapefruit, needle
pin, yard sticks.
Day 3 (90 minutes)
1) What will students do?
Students will hypothesize how many atoms are
in a given sample of graphite and find an
approximate number of how many atoms are in
a material given Avogadro’s number, the mass
and volume. The class will discuss what
different materials are made of and how atoms
are organized in the material. Students will
write down a hypothesis and then read about
atoms, elements molecules, and compounds.
The students will hypothesize in writing how
atoms combine in their journals.
2) Learning objectives for the class?
Students will be able to understand how small
an atom is and how many atoms are in a given
sample of material (EALR 1.1).
3) (A) Why introduce idea at this time? Students are continuing to understand how
small an atom is and connect the size of the
atom to everyday objects.
(B) Why this instructional strategy? Hands-on activity to reinforce classroom
activity and get students excited to explore the
world of the atom.
4) What evidence of student learning /
I will collect student ditto of answers and
understanding will you collect?
5) Resources?
problem solving techniques used to determine
the number of atoms in three different samples.
Scales, calculators, beakers, water, dittos,
pencils
Day 4 (48 minutes)
1) What will students do?
Students will read a chapter on defining atoms,
elements, molecules and compounds. Students
will look at different configurations of carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen and determine what they
are made of and what happens when they
combine.
2) Learning objectives for the class?
Students will be able to define atom, element,
compound and molecule and understand how
they help make up different materials (EALR
1.1).
3) (A) Why introduce idea at this time? Students will continue with the question posed
in day 3 to explore how an atom is different
from a molecule and a compound is different
from an element.
(B) Why this instructional strategy? Hands-on activity to reinforce classroom
activity and get students excited to explore the
world of the atom.
4) What evidence of student learning /
Students will write a one paragraph essay
understanding will you collect?
explaining how a material might be described
as a molecule, atom, element or compound and
how the material can not be described as such.
5) Resources?
Different forms of carbon, graphite, diamond,
coal. Hydrogen and oxygen gas. Text book
reading.
Day 5 (48 minutes)
1) What will students do?
Students will find out how physical properties
of materials are different such as magnetism,
conducting electric current, malleable,
ductility, weight, strength, radioactive.
Students will be asked how the atoms and
molecules might create these properties.
2) Learning objectives for the class?
Students will be able to define and understand
different physical properties of a material and
get curious about how atoms and molecules
create physical properties (EALR 1.2).
3) (A) Why introduce idea at this time? Students are connecting the idea that matter
has properties and that the individual parts of
the material help define how it will behave.
(B) Why this instructional strategy? Students need to see for themselves how the
4) What evidence of student learning /
understanding will you collect?
5) Resources?
materials have characteristics as well as read in
more depth how atom’s electrons and nucleus
create these properties.
Students will turn in a lab explaining their
observations and ideas as to how an atom can
be different from another atom and how that
changes its properties.
Different materials, electric current, pliers,
scale, Geiger counter – smoke detector.
Day 6 (48 minutes)
1) What will students do?
Students will explore chemical bonding and
how this may change physical properties of the
material. The teacher will lecture on the
valence shell and on different rules governing
quantum theory. The students will read in the
text about the different electron shells and how
they bond using electrons. Students will
complete an inquiry based understanding of
how atoms form ionic and covalent bonds.
2) Learning objectives for the class?
Students will justify that atoms can combine in
various ways into molecules which may
change their physical properties (EALR 1.2).
Students will be able to understand that atoms
are in a more stable state when electron
charges equal proton charges and that atoms
will usually find other atoms that equalize their
individual charges.
3) (A) Why introduce idea at this time? Students will begin to connect how physical
properties change and how atoms bond
together to form molecules.
(B) Why this instructional strategy? Students need to have a real-world
understanding of atomic bonding and a
conceptual understanding of how the bond is
formed and why the bond forms.
4) What evidence of student learning /
Students will be informally assessed as to how
understanding will you collect?
and why materials may bond together.
5) Resources?
Inquiry based instructional activity notes,
reading in the text.
Day 7 (48 minutes)
1) What will students do?
Students will continue exploring electron
valence shells by using paper cut outs of atoms
and their valence electrons to see which atoms
may bond together and which atoms may not
easily bond together. Students will discuss in
groups how the new molecule has different
physical properties from the different atomic
structure. In closure, the students will write
down if they think all chemical bonds are the
same.
2) Learning objectives for the class?
Students will predict the structural bonds a
chosen atom may make with other atoms and
explain why the physical properties changed
after a change in atomic structure (EALR 1.2).
3) (A) Why introduce idea at this time? Students will be curious about how physical
properties change and this question leads into
how atoms bond together to make different
physical properties.
(B) Why this instructional strategy? Paper cut-outs are easily manipulated to show
different configurations given bonding rules
and the students can visually and
kinesthetically feel the difference between the
atom and the molecule, the element and the
compound.
4) What evidence of student learning /
The students will be given a ditto describing
understanding will you collect?
different atoms and they will be asked to
determine which atoms will make bonds and
which atoms will not make bonds.
5) Resources?
Paper, scissors, ditto of different electron
valence shells
Day 8 (48 minutes)
1) What will students do?
Students will read in the text about how
different bonds occur between atoms. Students
will explore the difference between ionic and
covalent bonds by continuing with the paper
cut-outs and placing different cut-out
compounds in 2 piles (one ionic and one
covalent). In closure, students will discuss in
groups if any new material is created or not.
2) Learning objectives for the class?
Students will predict the structural bonds a
chosen atom may make with other atoms and
define the bond as ionic or covalent.
3) (A) Why introduce idea at this time? Students will continue to explore how atoms
bond together and how bonds may be different
dependent on the number and placement of the
electrons.
(B) Why this instructional strategy? Students will use reading to explore how
bonding can be different dependent on number
and placement of electrons
4) What evidence of student learning /
I will give out a quiz on atomic anatomy and
understanding will you collect?
5) Resources?
Day 9 (48 minutes)
1) What will students do?
how this anatomy influences the physical
properties and bonding patterns of the different
atoms. Further for the daily activity, informal
assessments of listening to the students
working in groups will allow the students to
self-assess what they know about the material
and the teacher to gauge their understanding
and interest level.
Paper, scissors, quiz on atoms up to this point.
Students will observe a demonstration on
separating water into the ions, hydrogen and
oxygen. The students will write down
independent observations and then the class
will discuss what happened and create an
equation to describe the reaction. From the
paper cut-outs, students will define the initial
atoms as reactants and the atoms after the
reactions as products. The students will
transform the paper atoms to symbols and
create equations in their journals. The students
will write down the numbers of the atoms in
these equations tell if the equation is balanced
or not and explain if it should be or not. For
homework, the students will read about our
sun, what it is made of and what contributes to
its heat (inquiry phase 1).
2) Learning objectives for the class?
Students will use the conservation of matter
theory to prove that chemical reactions occur
without adding or destroying matter. (EALR
1.2). Student will know that the Sun’s energy
comes from nuclear fusion and that humans
can use a similar nuclear power through
nuclear fission (EALR 2.2).
3) (A) Why introduce idea at this time? Students will understand different compounds
that atoms can combine into. The students need
to know that different compounds are more
desirable in different conditions and that the
same material is still there but has just bonded
differently.
(B) Why this instructional strategy? The students need to observe a real-life
situation of atoms bonding together differently
in a reaction. The students need to practice
seeing how many different reactions can take
place between the many different atoms and
4) What evidence of student learning /
understanding will you collect?
5) Resources?
Day 10 (48 minutes)
1) What will students do?
molecules.
The teacher will informally assess what
observations the students write about from the
demonstration and the students will turn in
their ditto on chemical reactions.
Materials for water ion separation, two pencils,
two metal electrodes, water, two glass tubes,
four size D batteries.
Students will discuss what they might see with
diffraction grading glasses, observe white light
spectra, ask questions from their observations
(inquiry phase 2), and design an investigation
about the light from different gases. The
students will conduct their investigations in
exploring the light spectra of different gases
(inquiry phase 3).
2) Learning objectives for the class?
Students will know that the Sun’s energy
comes from nuclear fusion and that humans
can use a similar nuclear power through
nuclear fission. Students will generate
questions about radiant light energy that will
be answered through scientific investigations
(EALR 2.1). Students will design and conduct
a scientific investigation using diffraction
grading lenses and different energized gases
(EALR 2.1).
3) (A) Why introduce idea at this time? Students will apply concepts of electron
valence shells and explore how an electron
movement may give of energy or absorb
energy. Also, students will connect the
previous idea that this energy can be used to
bond atoms but it also can be see as light if it is
not used to bond atoms.
(B) Why this instructional strategy? Students will practice a real-life activity of
how astronomers determine the atoms present
in different stars.
4) What evidence of student learning /
Students will turn in a lab report after two days
understanding will you collect?
explaining their initial ideas, what they wanted
to learn, what their testable question was and
what results and conclusions they achieved.
5) Resources?
Gases in glass tubes, spectra glasses, ditto on
spectra, electricity source for gases
Day 11 (48 minutes)
1) What will students do?
Students will analyze their data by comparing
the results from different gases (inquiry phase
4). The students will identify if there are any
similarities. I will give direct instruction about
why there are black bands in between the color
spectra and why the patterns are different for
the different gases. The students will use this
information to identify the unknown gases
found in a star and compare their data to a
professional astronomer.
2) Learning objectives for the class?
Students will use evidence from their own
scientific investigations along with
professional astronomer data to think critically
and develop explanations about how the atoms
in the gas can give off energy and absorb
energy (EALR 2.1).
3) (A) Why introduce idea at this time? Students will apply past understanding to real
life situations.
(B) Why this instructional strategy? Students need to perform the same actions that
real professional astronomers perform in
conducting investigations.
4) What evidence of student learning /
Students will turn in a lab report after two days
understanding will you collect?
explaining their initial ideas, what they wanted
to learn, what their testable question was and
what results and conclusions they achieved.
5) Resources?
Reading on atomic energy, library with internet
and different books and articles on atomic
applications.
Day 12 (48 minutes)
1) What will students do?
2) Learning objectives for the class?
Student groups will reconsider if their findings
follow their original model and they will
present their finding to the class (inquiry phase
5). Next the class will conduct a discussion
about nuclear energy and share their opinion
on the positive and negative effects using
nuclear power.
Student will know that the Sun’s energy comes
from nuclear fusion and that humans can use a
similar nuclear power through nuclear fission.
Students will critique the benefits and
detriments of humans using energy from
nuclear sources and provide evidence to
substantiate their opinions (EALR 2.2).
3) (A) Why introduce idea at this time? Students have explored atomic matter and
energy for some time. Now is the time to share
their opinions on its applications.
(B) Why this instructional strategy? This is an open ended discussion where
opinions need to be respected and differences
are accepted. There is no right or wrong
answer with using nuclear energy, yet the
consequences of its use need to be discussed
and understood.
4) What evidence of student learning /
I will assess the students’ level of participation
understanding will you collect?
and involvement actively and passively.
5) Resources?
Change seating arrangements.
Day 13 (48 minutes)
1) What will students do?
Students will explore different atoms and
determine how they are different. From these
differences, they will devise their own chart of
organization and compare it to the periodic
table of elements.
2) Learning objectives for the class?
Students will understand the patterns that
different atoms have in common and organize
these similarities into a chart that contains all
the naturally occurring elements (EALR 1.2).
3) (A) Why introduce idea at this time? The students are concluding the unit on atomic
structure and energy and are reviewing the
different ideas that make up an atom and how
atoms are different and how they are similar.
(B) Why this instructional strategy? Students need a chance to discuss in groups
many of the concepts they have learned in the
past couple of weeks and make connections
between what they have learned in what all
atoms have in common.
4) What evidence of student learning /
Student groups will turn in their initial
understanding will you collect?
organization of the periodic table and supply a
written explanation of its organization.
Students will then correct their chart and offer
reasons to the changes in their chart.
5) Resources?
Periodic charts
Day 14 (48 minutes)
1) What will students do?
Students will practice their end of unit
presentations in small groups. Students will
critique each other from a list of criteria and
offer suggestions for improvement (inquiry
phase 4). The students will complete a written
test on the atomic structure, and chemical
bonding including chemical reactions.
2) Learning objectives for the class?
Students will evaluate their atom models and
reconsider how their model coordinates
evidence with theory in how the atom creates a
physical property and function with its
structure (EALR 2.1)
3) (A) Why introduce idea at this time? Students will deliver their presentations in
front of the class and need to practice the skill
of public speaking and presenting research.
(B) Why this instructional strategy? The students need audio, visual and kinesthetic
practice talking to the group. The presenters
will need to speak without the aide of their
physical models. The observers will learn
about the other atoms and elements in the
process.
4) What evidence of student learning /
The students will be informally assessed in
understanding will you collect?
groups about how effective their practice is.
Also, the final presentation, in part, will be
assessed by how much the students have
improved from today and yesterday. The
students will also receive a written test to
assess how much they have internalized how
atoms and molecules combine to make new
molecules with chemical reactions.
5) Resources?
Test on chemical reactions
Day 15 (48 minutes)
1) What will students do?
The students will give their formal
presentations to the entire class. The observers
will take notes and ask questions about the
atom presentations (inquiry phase 5).
2) Learning objectives for the class?
Students will prepare and deliver a presentation
on original research they conduct on a single
atom and element of their choosing connecting
the function to the structure of the atom
(EALR 2.1).
3) (A) Why introduce idea at this time? This is the final day of the unit and the last
chance for students to explore and express their
thoughts on atomic structure, function and
bonding behavior.
(B) Why this instructional strategy? A performance assessment as a culminating
project mirrors what real scientists do after
completing research and have learned
something new about their work. This
presentation should boost a student’s
4) What evidence of student learning /
understanding will you collect?
5) Resources?
confidence in being an expert in one aspect of
chemistry and should give them strong skills in
sharing thoughts with others in a formal
setting.
The students will turn in their physical model
and written fact sheet about the atom. The
teacher will formally assess their speaking and
presentation skills.
Laser pointer, podium