Parent plan · Week 2 · Properties of Matter — connect the models — Physical Science: Matter, Forces & Energy

Units to teach or revisit

Chapter 1 · Properties of Matter

Assigned readings

A container that works once

Chapter 1 continues one explanation across five smaller units. Questions from the launch should remain active as new evidence is added.

This week’s goals

Explain the assigned questions using named mechanisms and relevant records.
Read the labeled figures and distinguish observations from inferences.
Revise an explanation after checking its evidence and assumptions.

Read the chapter launch and assigned unit sections on their linked lesson pages. Keep the launch model and return to it after each new evidence comparison.

Five flexible sessions of about 40–45 minutes. Formal papers may join consecutive sessions; take the stated total exam time. Slow down and replace a flex task with reteaching when evidence of understanding is incomplete.

Session 1 · Physical vs. Chemical Properties — practise and revise

A supplied record describes ice melting, iron rusting and sugar dissolving without a reaction under the stated conditions. All three look different afterward.

Your task

Complete the whole-unit application if not yet attempted. Study the worked examples, complete the unit practice and retrieval questions, then return to the phenomenon and explain the model change. Complete the exit check; use the sustained tasks for additional depth or a needed correction. Include the required-study practice question; discuss its specific criteria. Use the labeled figures and “Read the visual model” question in the assigned part; explain an attempted answer before opening guidance. Complete the new illustrated practice and independent visual-transfer case for this unit.

Explain a worked example with the answer covered.
Attempt independent questions and record reasoning.
Use feedback to correct a specific error.
Revise the initial model and answer the exit check without notes.

Hint and response guidance

Use the assigned unit’s figures, captions and worked examples. Identify conditions and units before choosing a relationship.

Melting and the specified dissolution retain substance identity and are physical; rusting produces different substances and is chemical. Comparable characteristic properties or composition evidence can support a new-substance claim. Some physical changes are hard to reverse, and some reactions can be reversed, so reversibility alone does not classify them.

Use the supplied evidence.
Explain a mechanism or calculation.
Correct rather than erase an error.
Identify a limit or remaining question.

Session 2 · Density & Floating — observe and build

Illustrative evidence case. Illustrative block A has mass 24 g and volume 8 cm³; B has mass 48 g and volume 16 cm³. A separate hollow object has mass 48 g and enclosed volume 80 cm³. The unit’s visible language notes define the scientific words before the main reading.

Your task

Make the first model, read the core explanation and Parts 1–2, then answer their reasoning checks. Describe the associated figure using labels and caption. Use the labeled figures and “Read the visual model” question in the assigned part; explain an attempted answer before opening guidance.

List two observations and one question.
Sketch an initial explanation before opening guidance.
Read the language notes and explain Parts 1–2 in plain words.
Attempt both checkpoints; discuss and revise.

Hint and response guidance

Use the assigned unit’s figures, captions and worked examples. Identify conditions and units before choosing a relationship.

Comparing the masses of equal volumes directly shows which is denser. Calculating mass divided by volume also works when the samples have different sizes. It includes the original water volume. The object displaced only 12 mL; using 42 mL would underestimate its density.

Keep observations distinct from causes.
Use the defined terms correctly.
Connect the model to stated evidence.

Session 3 · Density & Floating — connect and test

Floating depends on the average density of the whole object compared with the surrounding fluid, under the simple introductory model. Enclosed air contributes volume with little mass. A hollow boat can therefore have a lower average density than water even when its hull material is denser than water. An unknown sample can be compared with reference densities, but one matching ratio is not always a unique identity.

Your task

Study Parts 3–4. Answer both checkpoints and the figure question, then work the whole-unit application with intermediate steps. Required study: Density as identification evidence. Read its figure and explanation, interpret the records and attempt its task. Move the whole-unit application to the next unit session if needed. Use the labeled figures and “Read the visual model” question in the assigned part; explain an attempted answer before opening guidance.

Read Parts 3–4 in manageable sections.
Name the graph axes, quantities or receivers in the figure.
Attempt the application before reading its model.
Check reasoning, units and the case assumptions.
Study “Density as identification evidence” and record a response before opening its guidance.

Hint and response guidance

Use the assigned unit’s figures, captions and worked examples. Identify conditions and units before choosing a relationship.

The boat includes enclosed air and displaces enough water to balance its weight. Its whole-object average density can be lower than water, unlike the solid piece. The plausible density range can cross the fluid density. More precise measurements or a controlled observation are needed for a confident prediction. Density is 54/20=2.7 g/cm³. A and C remain consistent while B is inconsistent under matched conditions and adequate measurement precision. Density alone cannot distinguish A from C; choose a safe characteristic-property comparison with supplied reference data, such as solubility for approved samples. Name uncertainty and whether the object is homogeneous.

Use the supplied observations and measurements accurately; include units where needed.
Explain the science behind your answer, rather than giving only a number or label.
Show a labeled model, calculation, or evidence comparison as requested.
State an assumption or limitation and suggest a useful next measurement.
Calculate with correct units.
Distinguish support from unique identification.
Choose relevant further evidence and controls.

Session 4 · Density & Floating — practise and revise

Illustrative block A has mass 24 g and volume 8 cm³; B has mass 48 g and volume 16 cm³. A separate hollow object has mass 48 g and enclosed volume 80 cm³.

Your task

Explain a worked example with the answer covered.
Attempt independent questions and record reasoning.
Use feedback to correct a specific error.
Revise the initial model and answer the exit check without notes.

Hint and response guidance

Use the assigned unit’s figures, captions and worked examples. Identify conditions and units before choosing a relationship.

A and B each have density 3 g/cm³; the hollow object averages 0.6 g/cm³. A and B tend to sink if no other supporting effect dominates; the hollow object can float if it keeps that effective enclosed volume and displaces sufficient water. Larger mass does not imply larger density, and a leak can change the hollow object’s average density.

Use the supplied evidence.
Explain a mechanism or calculation.
Correct rather than erase an error.
Identify a limit or remaining question.

Session 5 · The Periodic Table — observe and build

Illustrative evidence case. Supplied records describe element A with atomic number 11 and outer-shell electron count 1, and B with atomic number 12 and outer-shell count 2. Both are main-group elements in period 3. The unit’s visible language notes define the scientific words before the main reading.

Your task

List two observations and one question.
Sketch an initial explanation before opening guidance.
Read the language notes and explain Parts 1–2 in plain words.
Attempt both checkpoints; discuss and revise.

Hint and response guidance

Use the assigned unit’s figures, captions and worked examples. Identify conditions and units before choosing a relationship.

Read its symbol and atomic number. The proton count determines element identity; the atomic mass is a different quantity. No. It suggests related chemical behavior for many main-group elements, but the elements retain different proton counts and can differ strongly in other properties.

Keep observations distinct from causes.
Use the defined terms correctly.
Connect the model to stated evidence.

Submit this week

Dated notebook entries and the assigned evidence or graph work.
An attempted model, revised model and the evidence behind the change.
Practice corrections or a human-reviewed assessment, as assigned.

Parent / teacher weekly conference

Start with the learner’s own explanation. Ask which record supports each claim, and which condition could change it. Check units, graph axes and model limits. Use supplied data without claiming it was experimentally measured at home. An oral explanation or accessible drawing can substitute for extended prose when it shows the same reasoning.

Can the learner explain the core mechanism without copying?
Can they read the new figure and identify a limit?
Which error needs a different explanation or worked example next session?

Browse all courses