This is a series of activities demonstrating that air has mass, takes up space, and can exert a force on objects enough to lift them.

This is a series of investigations about air and its properties. How air exists all around us, and things it is capable of doing.

Students define and classify alloys as mixtures, while comparing and contrasting the properties of alloys to those of pure substances. Students learn that engineers investigate the structures and properties of alloys for biomedical and transportation applications. Pre- and post-assessment handouts are provided.

Antimatter, the charge reversed equivalent of matter, has captured the imaginations of science fiction fans for years as a perfectly efficient form of energy. While normal matter consists of atoms with negatively charged electrons orbiting positively charged nuclei, antimatter consists of positively charged positrons orbiting negatively charged anti-nuclei. When antimatter and matter meet, both substances are annihilated, creating massive amounts of energy. Instances in which antimatter is portrayed in science fiction stories (such as Star Trek) are examined, including their purposes (fuel source, weapons, alternate universes) and properties. Students compare and contrast matter and antimatter, learn how antimatter can be used as a form of energy, and consider potential engineering applications for antimatter.

5th grade students that are studying matter will be focusing in this lesson on the smallest unit of matter - the atom.
Students will use small marshmallows to construct a model of an atom.

Students learn about atoms and their structure (protons, electrons, neutrons) — the building blocks of matter. They see how scientific discoveries about atoms and molecules influence new technologies developed by engineers.

 This science and math lesson uses coated candy and water to create a rainbow on a plate. It takes a popular internet activity and modifies it for the classroom. It's extended by having students hypothesize if other temperatures of water will work and if different colors of the candies run faster than others. It also meets the math SOLs because students can calculate the cost of the experiment and/or create graphs of the results of the experiments.  You could extend this activity into art or English writing by having students draw their rainbows or write about what they saw happening on the plate as a report writing. You could have them take it a step further and do a creative writing about what they think is at the other end of the rainbow. 

Working in teams of three, students perform quantitative observational experiments on the motion of LEGO MINDSTORMS(TM) NXT robotic vehicles powered by the stored potential energy of rubber bands. They experiment with different vehicle modifications (such as wheel type, payload, rubber band type and lubrication) and monitor the effects on vehicle performance. The main point of the activity, however, is for students to understand that through the manipulation of mechanics, a rubber band can be used in a rather non-traditional configuration to power a vehicle. In addition, this activity reinforces the idea that elastic energy can be stored as potential energy.

Primary Strand
SCI.5.7.c Explain the role of energy in changing the phase of matter of a substance.

Integrated Strand
Reading 5.5a Summarize events in the plot in a fiction text
Reading 5.5m Use reading strategy of visualizing when reading fiction and nonfiction

In this lesson, students will read the mentor text What's the Matter With the Three Little Pigs? Students will summarize at stopping points throughout the book. Students will also find three examples from the book and how the matter changed.

Students are introduced to chemical engineering and learn about its many different applications. They are provided with a basic introduction to matter and its different properties and states. An associated hands-on activity gives students a chance to test their knowledge of the states of matter and how to make observations using their five senses: touch, smell, sound, sight and taste.

This activity provides a demonstration and lab exploration of one of the main "building blocks" of the periodic table of elements: chlorine. During the lab, students compare physical and chemical properties of chlorine compounds.

After the completion of this module students will understand that sound travels in compression waves and must have a medium to travel. Sound also travels in liquids and gases. Students will also understand that sound waves are created by vibrations and capable of transmitting energy.This module was developed by Sarah Donnelly as part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education.

This module focuses on SOL 5.7c, energy’s effects on phases of matter. The target population is a fifth grade inclusive classroom. After this learning experience, students should understand that as its temperature increases, many kinds of matter change from a solid to a liquid to a gas. As its temperature decreases, that matter changes from a gas to a liquid to a solid. This module was developed by Karin Kaerwer, Stephanie Hooks, Sarah Donnelly as part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education.

As technology has evolved over time so has the understanding of the structure of the atom. This module focuses on how the model of the atom has changed over time using The Atomic Theory Timeline including the historical contributions of the scientists involved. This module was developed by Tracey Nipper as part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education.

Students will explain that matter consists of atoms held together by electromagnetic forces and exists as different substances which can be utilized based on their properties. Students will be able to describe the behavior of atoms during a chemical change. Students will be able to distinguish covalent and ionic bonds.This module was developed by Patricia Kramolisch as part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education.

After experiencing this module, students should understand that friction is a force that opposes motion (SOL 5.3e). This lesson was written with an inclusive fifth grade classroom in mind, but can be adapted for a smaller pull-out group if necessary. This module was developed by Karin Kaerweras part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsered by the Virginia Department of Education.

The modern human experience places a large emphasis upon the material world. From the day of our birth to the day we die, we are frequently preoccupied with the world around us. Whether struggling to feed ourselves, occupying ourselves with modern inventions, interacting with other people or animals, or simply meditating on the air we breathe, our attention is focused on different aspects of the material world. In fact only a handful of disciplines—certain subsets of religion, philosophy, and abstract math—can be considered completely unrelated to the material world. Everything else is somehow related to chemistry, the scientific discipline which studies the properties, composition, and transformation of matter.

This survey chemistry course is designed to introduce students to the world of chemistry. In this course, we will study chemistry from the ground up, learning the basics of the atom and its behavior. We will apply this knowledge to understand the chemical properties of matter and the changes and reactions that take place in all types of matter. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Define the general term 'chemistry.' Distinguish between the physical and chemical properties of matter. Distinguish between mixtures and pure substances. Describe the arrangement of the periodic table. Perform mathematical operations involving significant figures. Convert measurements into scientific notation. Explain the law of conservation of mass, the law of definite composition, and the law of multiple proportions. Summarize the essential points of Dalton's atomic theory. Define the term 'atom.' Describe electron configurations. Draw Lewis structures for molecules. Name ionic and covalent compounds using the rules for nomenclature of inorganic compounds. Explain the relationship between enthalpy change and a reaction's tendency to occur. (Chemistry 101; See also: Biology 105. Mechanical Engineering 004)

Students use gumdrops and toothpicks to make lithium atom models. Using these models, they investigate the makeup of atoms, including their relative size. Students are then asked to form molecules out of atoms, much in the same way they constructed atoms out of the particles that atoms are made of. Students also practice adding and subtracting electrons from an atom and determining the overall charges on atoms.

This activity is a classroom lab in which students investigate and observe three types of balloons to help identify the states of matter and their properties.