Lesson Plans | Middle School Chemistry

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Standards Addressed
Select your grade and state to see which of your teaching standards MSC specifically addresses.

Chapter 1: MatterSolids, Liquids, and Gases

Students are introduced to the idea that matter is composed of atoms and molecules that are attracted to each
other and in constant motion. Students explore the attractions and motion of atoms and molecules as they
experiment with and observe the heating and cooling of a solid, liquid, and gas.
1. Molecules Matter
2. Molecules in Motion
3. The Ups and Downs of Thermometers
4. Moving Molecules in a Solid
5. Air, It's Really There

Chapter 2: Changes of State

Students help design experiments to test whether the temperature of water affects the rate of evaporation and
whether the temperature of water vapor affects the rate of condensation. Students also look in more detail at
the water molecule to help explain the state changes of water.
1. Heat, Temperature, and Conduction
2. Changing StateEvaporation
3. Changing StateCondensation
4. Changing StateFreezing
5. Changing StateMelting

Chapter 3: Density
Students experiment with objects that have the same volume but different mass and other objects that have
the same mass but different volume to develop a meaning of density. Students also experiment with density in
the context of sinking and floating and look at substances on the molecular level to discover why one
substance is more or less dense than another.
1. What is Density?
2. Finding VolumeThe Water Displacement Method
3. Density of Water
4. DensitySink and Float for Solids
5. DensitySink and Float for Liquids
6. Temperature and Density

Chapter 4: The Periodic Table & Bonding

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Lesson Plans | Middle School Chemistry

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http://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/lessonplans/

Students look more deeply into the structure of the atom and play a game to better understand the relationship
between protons, neutrons, electrons, and energy levels in atoms and their location in the periodic table.
Students will also explore covalent and ionic bonding.
1. Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons
2. The Periodic Table
3. The Periodic Table & Energy Level Models
4. Energy Levels, Electrons, and Covalent Bonding
5. Energy Levels, Electrons, and Ionic Bonding
6. Represent Bonding with Lewis Dot Diagrams

Chapter 5: The Water Molecule and Dissolving

Students investigate the polarity of the water molecule and design tests to compare water to less polar liquids
for evaporation rate, surface tension, and ability to dissolve certain substances. Students also discover that
dissolving applies to solids, liquids, and gases.
1. Water is a Polar Molecule
2. Surface Tension
3. Why Does Water Dissolve Salt?
4. Why Does Water Dissolve Sugar?
5. Using Dissolving to Identify an Unknown
6. Does Temperature Affect Dissolving?
7. Can Liquids Dissolve in Water?
8. Can Gases Dissolve in Water?
9. Temperature Changes in Dissolving

Chapter 6: Chemical Change

Students explore the concept that chemical reactions involve the breaking of bonds between atoms in the
reactants, and the rearrangement and rebonding of these atoms to make the products. Students investigate
reactions which produce a gas, form a precipitate, and cause a color change. Students also explore
endothermic and exothermic reactions and do an engineering activity to design a device using an exothermic
reaction.
1. What is a Chemical Reaction?
2. Controlling the Amount of Products in a Chemical Reaction
3. Forming a Precipitate
4. Temperature and Rate of a Chemical Reaction
5. A Catalyst and the Rate of Reaction
6. Using Chemical Change to Identify an Unknown
7. Energy Changes in Chemical Reactions
8. pH and Color Change
9. Neutralizing Acids and Bases
10. Carbon Dioxide Can Make a Solution Acidic

Project Based Lessons

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