Rationale
The students participating in this unit will be in eighth grade physical science. Classes will consist of general, high achiever, and gifted students. The curriculum standards for the first six weeks focus on the structure and properties of matter. All classes meet on a modified block schedule; students attend all classes on Mondays and follow a block schedule for the remainder of the week. District and state standards change at six-week intervals. The modified block schedule allows me to preface the lessons for the week on Mondays, and incorporate hands on and other engaging activities during the block schedule. The units design fits within the required standards for matter, and incorporates required characteristics of science standards. The unit will afford me an opportunity to introduce a different perspective to scale, size, and properties of matter. Students will gain a better understanding of size and scale and its relationship to properties of matter. Many students at my school have difficulty understanding relative and absolute sizes. Introducing a unit on size will bring clarity to this issue. Students need to recognize that changes in size can affect how matter functions and behaves.
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