Science is vocabulary. Students need to know what science words mean so that they can understand scientific concepts. Molecule and compound are two vocabulary words students need to know to understand how atoms interact and how all of the matter around us forms.
Once students know about atoms and electrons, they are ready to learn about molecules and compounds. They will have to know the difference between molecules and compounds.
Molecules and Compounds
Molecules and compounds are both combinations of two or more atoms. Atoms are the smallest units of matter. Scientists organize elements based on the number of protons they have in each atom.
Molecules are made up of two or more atoms from any element. For example, oxygen gas is a molecule made up of two oxygen atoms. All compounds are also molecules, but not all molecules are compounds.
Compounds are made up of two or more atoms from different elements. Oxygen gas is not a compound, but water is because it is made up of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms.
Students also have to know how molecules and compounds form. To understand this, students need to know about valence shells, electrons, and the octet rule.
Ionic and Covalent Bonds
Molecules form when two or more atoms bond. The two main types of bonds are ionic and covalent bonds.
Atoms need to have a full valence shell to be stable. Atoms from groups 3A through 8A on the periodic table need eight electrons to fill their valence shells. Groups 1 and 2 need two electrons to fill their valence shells. The transition metals of groups 3 through 12 are more complicated in forming molecules and compounds.
Ionic bonds form when one atom gives another atom one or more electrons. As a result, both atoms are stable, but one atom has a positive charge, and one atom has a negative charge. Positive and negative charges attract each other, so the atoms bond together. Table salt has ionic bonds because the sodium atom gives an electron to the chlorine atom.
Covalent bonds form when atoms share electrons. The atoms get so close together that the electrons can orbit around both nuclei. Water has covalent bonds because the oxygen and hydrogen molecules are sharing electrons.
My latest digital science unit covers all of these topics and more! Check out every page!
You can see that this digital science unit on molecules and compounds is more than just information pages. You also get review activities to help your students process and remember what they learn. Taking time to think about new information helps students make sense of what they learn. It also helps them remember what they learn.
How to Help Students Remember What They Learn
You can create activities to teach your students about molecules and compounds. You can use simple quizzes to help students reflect on what they remember about them. Even just a couple of questions at the beginning or end of class will make a huge difference in students’ performance on the final test. Studies from 2006 and 2009 showed that students remember more of what they learn when given these short, low-stakes quizzes.
You can also help students connect molecules and compounds to their existing neural networks. Even teaching students about neural networks will help them actively connect what they learn to what they already know, making it easier to create new memories. Students can draw mind maps to represent the connections they make in their brains.
You can do the work to create these activities and quizzes, or you can save yourself time and get mine. Click the picture below to check it out at Teachers Pay Teachers.
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