Unit 01 · Matter & Its Properties
This unit starts with the stuff around you and learns to measure it. You find the mass of an object, the space it takes up, and put the two together to get density — the property that explains why some things float and others sink. You sort matter into solids, liquids, and gases, watch it change state as it heats and cools, and learn to tell a mixture from a pure substance. Mastery means you can describe matter by its observable, measurable properties — not by guessing.
| Criterion | Not yet | Approaching | Mastered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mass, volume & measurement | Confuses mass with volume or reads the balance and ruler incorrectly. | Measures mass and volume but mixes up their units. | Measures mass on a balance and volume by ruler or water displacement, with correct units every time. |
| Density | Thinks heavier objects always sink. | Knows density is mass over volume but cannot use it to predict floating or sinking. | Calculates density from measured mass and volume and uses it to predict whether an object floats or sinks. |
| States of matter & changes of state | Cannot describe how solids, liquids, and gases differ. | Names the three states but stumbles on melting and boiling. | Describes each state, explains melting, freezing, and boiling as changes of state, and reads them on a heating curve. |
| Physical properties | Cannot name a property that describes matter. | Lists a property or two but cannot measure or compare them. | Identifies and compares physical properties — color, magnetism, solubility, melting point — and uses them to describe a sample. |
| Mixtures vs. pure substances | Treats every sample as “just one thing.” | Defines a mixture but cannot suggest how to separate it. | Tells a mixture from a pure substance and plans a simple separation using a physical property. |
| Integration (cross-domain) | Treats the science as isolated facts; makes no cross-domain connection. | Names a link to history, reading, or writing but cannot defend why it matters. | Connects the unit to its anchor across History · Reading · Writing (plus chosen electives) and defends why the connection matters. |
“The cork floats and the steel bolt sinks, but it’s not about weight — it’s density. I found the mass on the balance and the volume by dropping each one in water. The cork’s density is less than water, so it floats; the bolt’s is more, so it sinks. That’s a number I measured, not a guess.”
“The bolt sinks because… it’s heavier? And the cork floats because it’s light, I think.”
You demonstrate this unit through hands-on measurement — massing objects, finding volume, and calculating density — plus short oral checks where you explain your results aloud, not a multiple-choice test. A criterion counts as mastered only when you can both take the measurement and explain what the property tells you about the matter. Mastery is demonstrated, not awarded.
A 5-page clipboard packet — unit overview, key terms, the mastery rubric, anchor examples, and a score sheet you can print and grade against.