Matter PDF

Matter is the first unit in the Chemistry course. In this unit you will learn about lab safety, the states of matter, properties of matter, and about the structure of atoms.

This unit is not a textbook. It is a guidebook book full of lesson plans and resources for the mentor to design a course specifically for his or her students.

This unit has section on:

• Lab Safety & Equipment
• Matter
• Atoms

Learning By Doing

This is an activity and lab based curriculum, where you learn by doing. Here are a few of the activities to choose from in this unit:

• Learn to make and keep a Science Notebook, step by step and practice using measuring equipment
• Light a fire bottle while practicing lab safety
• Design your own method of getting water to condense out of air
• Demonstrate the molecular properties of three most common states of matter then make plasma
• Burn steel wool to observe the law of conservation of matter
• Learn the parts of an atom (proton, neutron, electron) then make atom models
• Color a diagram of atomic orbitals
• Make bead models oft the electrons of the first 18 atoms and identify the valence electrons
• Plus much more!

Each Layers of Learning Science unit includes library lists of books, a family read-aloud suggestion, lab experiments, hands-on activities, printables and paper crafts, sidebars for extra learning, and tools to help you assess student’s progress and mastery. You can learn more about how Layers of Learning works in the Curriculum Guide. You may also want to purchase the Science Guidebook for even more information on how to teach and learn with Layers of Learning Science.

See Inside

Here is a two-page spread from Matter:

There are many different activities, pintables, and games in each unit. You get to design your student’s learning by choosing your favorites and reading books and watching videos on the topics presented in the unit.

The sidebars line the entire unit and help you take off on tangents, learn extra information, have deep discussions, coordinate with Writer’s Workshop, or find high interest books to hand to your child.

Flexibility

This unit was written to be used for a month but contains plenty of content for many more weeks of learning if you choose. This is a pick-and-choose curriculum, meant to be cycled back to in the future when your child is older. As such, it intentionally includes far more material than you can possibly cover in a month.

Matter is also part of the overall Chemistry course, the third Year of the four year Layers of Learning Science cycle. If you use the program in order, it will take you through the four branches of science from Earth & Space to Biology to Chemistry to Physics in a logical progression where skills are learned and then practiced and used. However, each unit stands alone and can be used independently of any other unit and in any order.

Printable Pack

This unit comes with a downloadable Printable Pack that includes all the student worksheets. The printables can be copied as many times as needed for your family or class.

You can download the Printable Pack from your receipt or from your account at Layers of Learning.

Above, you see the cover and two of the Printable Pack pages. This printable pack includes 26 pages.

Extra Resources

This unit comes with extra weblinks and a YouTube video playlist on the Chemistry Resources page.