What Is Everything Made Of? by Elina Sanchez

The Building Blocks of Everything

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-16 23:42:22 UTC

🔹 Atoms are the tiny building blocks that make up all matter. Everything you can touch, see, or feel.
🔹 An element is made of only one kind of atom.
🔹 There are over 100 different kinds of atoms (elements) on the Periodic Table, and everything in the universe is made from them!

💡 Examples:

A gold ring = made of gold atoms (one element).
An oxygen tank = filled with oxygen atoms (one element).
A penny = mostly copper atoms (one element).

🧩 Think: If atoms are like the alphabet, what "words" might we make by combining them?

Gold Atoms

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-16 23:44:49 UTC

1 lego= 1 atom

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-16 23:48:24 UTC

Each atom is like a single Lego piece there are many kinds, and they can combine to make everything around us.

Draw what you think an atom looks like.

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-16 23:50:09 UTC

Mini video

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-16 23:56:40 UTC

How does knowing what atoms are help us understand why different substances behave differently?

When Atoms Join Together

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 00:03:53 UTC

🔹 A molecule forms when two or more atoms join together.
🔹 The atoms can all be the same kind or different kinds.
🔹 Molecules are the building blocks of substances, everything you see around you is made of them.

💡 Examples:

O₂ → two oxygen atoms = oxygen gas molecule
H₂O → two hydrogen atoms + one oxygen = water molecule
CO₂ → one carbon + two oxygen atoms = carbon dioxide molecule

🔬 Every molecule has its own shape, size, and properties. Those differences are why substances behave differently.

H₂O or water molecule

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 00:05:30 UTC

2 small circles = hydrogen, 1 large = oxygen

CO₂ or Carbon Dioxide molecule

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 00:17:28 UTC

one carbon + two oxygen atoms = carbon dioxide molecule

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 00:19:49 UTC

Atoms connect in specific ways to make molecules.
Just like letters form different words, atoms form different molecules!

Molecule Sim

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 00:24:51 UTC

Build different molecules.

Made of Only One Kind of Molecule

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 00:26:49 UTC

🔹 A substance is made of only one kind of molecule, and all of its molecules are identical.
🔹 If every molecule in something is the same, it’s a pure substance.
🔹 Each substance has its own properties (color, melting point, dissolving ability, etc.) because its molecules are different from other substances.

💡 Examples:

Water → all H₂O molecules
Oxygen gas → all O₂ molecules
Salt (NaCl) → all NaCl molecules

🔬 These identical molecules give each substance its unique behavior.

🧩 All molecules of one substance are exactly the same, and they are different from other molecules of any other substance. Water molecules are different than Milk molecules.

Water

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 00:38:16 UTC

Water is made of water molecules, which are the smallest pieces of water possible.

Seashell and Helium gas

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 00:39:17 UTC

Seashells are made of calcium carbonate molecules

A helium balloon is filled with gas made of helium atoms.

💭 Stop and Think:

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 00:39:56 UTC

How do the kinds of atoms or molecules in a substance make that substance unique?

🎨 Draw a picture showing identical molecules repeating inside one substance. Label it!

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 00:41:05 UTC

When Different Substances Come Together

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 00:42:45 UTC

🔹 A mixture forms when two or more different substances are combined.
🔹 The molecules of each substance stay the same. They don’t join or change.
🔹 In a mixture, the substances are mixed together, but each keeps its own molecules and properties.
🔹 Some mixtures look the same all the way through (solutions like salt water), and others don’t (heterogeneous mixtures like trail mix).

💡 Examples:

Trail mix → nuts, raisins, and candy pieces mixed but unchanged.
Salt water → salt molecules spread evenly among water molecules.
Sand and water → sand grains stay separate and settle to the bottom.

🧩 When the molecules of different substances are mixed, they may spread evenly or stay separate depending on how attracted they are to each other.

Mixture vs. Solution

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 00:59:33 UTC

In mixtures, molecules from different substances share the same space but don’t join together. Sometimes they spread evenly — sometimes they don’t!

💭 Predict:

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 01:03:50 UTC

What do you think makes some substances dissolve evenly while others don’t?

🎨 Draw a model showing two molecule types mixed together.

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 01:08:54 UTC

Draw what the molecules would look like and label it. Like the sugar and water example.

Choose one:

1️⃣ Trail Mix

2️⃣ Sand and Water

3️⃣ Oil and Water

4️⃣ Salt and Water

5️⃣ Free choice

What Did We Learn About Matter?

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 01:10:10 UTC

We started with atoms, the tiniest building blocks of everything.
When atoms join together, they make molecules.
When many identical molecules come together, they make a substance.
And when different substances mix, we get a mixture.

Each level helps us explain what we see in the world — from air to trail mix to salt water.

💡 The properties we observe depend on the molecules that make up each substance.

Draw in notebook: Atoms → Molecules → Substance → Mixture

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 01:14:49 UTC

All matter follows this pattern! Different molecules = different substances, and mixing them creates mixtures.

Short Video

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 02:31:21 UTC

Vocabulary Review: Atoms → Molecules → Substances → Mixtures → Solutions

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 02:42:51 UTC

Choose two boxes from the choice board.
Complete them neatly in your notebook to show what you know about our Modeling Matter vocabulary.

🧠 Vocabulary Words to Use: Atom · Element · Molecule · Substance · Mixture · Solution · Property · Attraction

ms_sanchez11 — 2025-10-17 12:59:00 UTC