Unit Plan 9 (Grade 8 Science): Matter & Interactions—Quarter Synthesis

Focus: Pull together atoms, molecules, reactions, conservation of mass, thermal energy, and design into an integrated model of matter & interactions. Use models, data, and design thinking to tell “the story of a system” that includes chemical reactions, thermal energy changes, and a device or solution that manages energy or materials.

Grade Level: 8

Subject Area: Science (Physical Science • Engineering Design • Science Practices)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Students step back and synthesize their first-quarter learning about matter and its interactions. They revisit how atoms and molecules make up substances, how to tell when a chemical reaction has occurred, why mass is conserved, how thermal energy affects particle motion and state, and how these ideas support engineering designs (like thermal devices or material choices). Through concept mapping, mini-investigations, and a culminating “Matter & Interactions Systems Story” project, students integrate MS-PS1-1–6 and MS-ETS1-1–3 into a coherent picture of how scientists and engineers use models and data to understand and solve problems.

Essential Questions

• How do atoms and molecules help us explain what substances are and how they change in chemical reactions?
• How can we use data and models to decide whether a chemical reaction has occurred and whether mass is conserved?
• How do thermal energy changes affect particle motion, temperature, and state, and how can devices be designed to manage thermal energy?
• In what ways do synthetic materials and engineered devices connect to natural resources, societal impacts, and trade-offs?
• How do criteria, constraints, and test data guide engineers to evaluate and improve design solutions?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Create and revise a concept map or model that links atoms, molecules, chemical reactions, mass conservation, thermal energy, and design.
2. Use models to describe the atomic composition of substances and how atoms rearrange in chemical reactions (MS-PS1-1, MS-PS1-5).
3. Analyze and interpret data on properties and mass before and after interactions to determine if a chemical reaction occurred and whether mass was conserved (MS-PS1-2, MS-PS1-5).
4. Gather and make sense of information connecting synthetic materials to natural resources and their societal impacts, using prior unit examples (MS-PS1-3).
5. Develop and use particle and energy models to explain thermal changes in a system (e.g., reaction in a bag, thermal device, heating/cooling scenario) (MS-PS1-4).
6. Analyze and reflect on their prior thermal device or other design work: clearly stating criteria and constraints, evaluating competing designs, and analyzing data from tests (MS-PS1-6, MS-ETS1-1–3).
7. Produce a final “Matter & Interactions Systems Story” (poster, one-pager, or short presentation) that integrates chemical reactions, conservation of mass, thermal energy, and design in one coherent explanation.

Standards Alignment — 8th Grade (NGSS-based custom)

• MS-PS1-1 — Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.
• MS-PS1-2 — Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after interactions to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.
• MS-PS1-3 — Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.
• MS-PS1-4 — Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state when thermal energy is added or removed.
• MS-PS1-5 — Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and mass is conserved.
• MS-PS1-6 — Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that releases or absorbs thermal energy (revisited and reflected upon).
• MS-ETS1-1 — Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision.
• MS-ETS1-2 — Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process.
• MS-ETS1-3 — Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among solutions and identify best elements to combine into a new solution.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can draw or build a model that links atoms, molecules, reactions, mass, and thermal energy in one system.
• I can use data (properties, temperature, mass) to decide if a chemical reaction happened and if mass was conserved.
• I can explain how thermal energy and particle motion change in the system I modeled.
• I can connect a synthetic material or device to its natural resource origins and impacts on society.
• I can clearly state and use criteria and constraints, evaluate designs with data, and suggest improvements.
• I can create a final product that tells a clear “Matter & Interactions Systems Story” using models, data, and science vocabulary.