Download Elements and Compounds

Lesson: Matter and Energy
TEKS/ Verb: 6.5ABC Elements and Compounds
The student is expected to know that an element is a pure substance represented by chemical symbols AND recognize
that a limited number of the many known elements comprise the largest portion of solid Earth, living matter, oceans and
the atmosphere AND differentiate between elements and compounds on the most basic level.
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Know: to have understanding of; to recognize the nature of.
Recognize: to acknowledge formally.
Differentiate: to mark or show a difference in.
Key Concept:
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Matter has mass and takes up space. Mass measures how much matter is present and volume measures how
much space the matter occupies. Matter occurs as elements, compounds or mixtures.
An element is a pure substance that cannot be broken down into simpler different substances. A sample of an
element may contain many atoms but they are all the same; an atom is the smallest particle of a substance that
maintains consistent properties used to identify an element.
Matter is considered a pure substance when it is uniform throughout and has consistent properties. Elements,
made of a single kind of atom, are pure substances. Compounds, made of two or more kinds of atoms bound
together, are pure substances. Mixtures, made of a blend of elements and compounds, are not pure substances
because they do not have consistent properties.
Elements are represented on the Periodic Table of Elements with one or two letter chemical symbols, such as O
for oxygen or Si for silicon.
Compounds consists of atoms of different kinds of elements that are bound together. Compounds can be broken
down into simpler substances, their component atoms.
The solid Earth, the lithosphere, is made of a limited number of elements and is primarily comprised of oxygen
and silicon.
Earth’s living matter, the biosphere, is made of a limited number of elements and is primarily comprised of
oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus.
Earth’s oceans, part of the hydrosphere, are made of a limited number of elements and are primarily comprised of
oxygen and hydrogen, the two elements in pure water.
The atmosphere is made of a limited number of elements and is primarily comprised of nitrogen and oxygen
Vocabulary:
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Elements: substances that cannot be separated into simpler substances.
Compounds: substances formed when two or more elements are chemically joined.
Earth: third planet from the Sun.
Living Matter: organisms that grow and reproduce.
Oceans: the largest body of water on Earth, covering approximately 71% of Earth’s surface and made up of salt
water.
Chemical Symbols: one or two letters that represent elements.
Atmosphere: layer of gases surrounding a material body of sufficient mass.
Essential Questions:
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How are matter, mass and volume related?
What is an element?
What is an atom?
What is the difference between a mixture and matter that can be identified as pure substances?
How are elements represented on the Periodic Table of Elements?
What is the difference between an element and a compound?
Which elements are the primary components of the lithosphere?
Which elements are the primary components of the biosphere?
Which elements are the primary components of the hydrosphere?
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Which elements are the primary components of the atmosphere?