Unit 1 · Energy & Matter in My World · Week 5 · Unit Capstone

Can you design something that gives off or soaks up heat — and explain exactly where the energy and matter go?

A teammate sprains their ankle on a cold bus ride home. Can you design a pack — using a chemical reaction — that gives them warmth or cold? And can you explain, using particles, exactly where the energy and matter go?

SEP: Constructing Explanations & Designing Solutions DCI: PS1.B Chemical Reactions · PS3.B Conservation of Energy · PS3.A Energy in Chemical Processes CCC: Energy & Matter — Flows, Cycles, Conservation

NGSS MS-PS1-6 · MS-PS1-2 · MS-PS1-5 · MS-PS3-3 ~60 minutes (performance task) Learner code: —

Make this lesson work for you:

Start here

How we work today (our expectations)

This is YOUR thinking — not a recall test
Use all the ideas you've built across the unit
Explaining your reasoning matters more than being "right"
Open any support — they belong to you

30-second check-in self-awareness + self-management

Unit 1 ends today. Before anything else: think back to Week 1. What did you understand then, and what do you understand now? Take one breath. Name one idea that feels solid, even if everything else still feels fuzzy. That solid idea is your anchor for the next 60 minutes.

Do-Now Retrieve the whole unit

Four questions — one from each week. No looking back. Retrieval now makes the performance task easier later.

Week 1 spiral When a hand-warmer snaps and gets hot, energy was stored in the spread-out liquid particles and then released as heat. Where, exactly, was that energy stored — and what form did it take when released?
Week 2 spiral A cold pack absorbs energy from your hand. Is this an exothermic or endothermic process, and which direction does energy flow?
Week 3 spiral Ice melts to water. Is matter created, destroyed, or conserved? What changes and what stays the same?
Week 4 spiral Baking soda and vinegar react. Bubbles form and the container gets cold. Name one sign of a chemical change and explain whether the total number of atoms changes.

The anchor phenomenon

Two chemical packs — same idea, opposite direction of energy flow. In both cases, matter (atoms) is conserved; only energy moves.

Imagine two scenarios happening on the same cold bus. In Scenario A, your teammate's fingers are numb — you squeeze a pack and it warms their hands to a comfortable 40°C. In Scenario B, another teammate twists their ankle — you slap a different pack on it, and it drops to about 10°C within 30 seconds. Both packs use a chemical reaction. Both were room-temperature before you used them. Neither has batteries, no fire, no electricity. In Scenario A, energy left the pack. In Scenario B, energy entered the pack from the skin. But in both cases, the atoms inside the pack before and after the reaction are exactly the same atoms — they just rearranged. Your challenge: design one of these packs and explain, using the science of this unit, exactly where the energy and matter go.

Notice & Wonder. Write one thing you notice about these two packs that connects to something you learned in Weeks 1–4. Then write the question you most want to answer by the end of today.

Tie it together One unit, one connected model

Everything you learned across Weeks 1–4 connects into a single idea. Let's build that connection before the design task.

Look at the unit arc: Week 1 — a hand-warmer released stored energy (exothermic); Week 2 — a cold pack absorbed energy from its surroundings (endothermic); Week 3 — matter changed state but the total amount of matter stayed constant; Week 4 — atoms rearranged in a chemical reaction but the total number of atoms stayed constant. The unifying idea sitting beneath all four: energy and matter are conserved — they transfer and rearrange, but they never appear from nothing and never vanish. An exothermic reaction releases energy that was stored in chemical bonds; an endothermic reaction pulls energy in from the surroundings to break bonds and rearrange atoms. In both cases the atoms count the same before and after, and the energy that left one place arrived somewhere else.

Worked example — the unifying particle + energy model (read before you design)

Exothermic (warm pack): Before the reaction, atoms are bonded in a high-energy arrangement. During the reaction, bonds break and atoms rearrange into a lower-energy arrangement. The "extra" energy — the difference — is released as thermal energy (heat) that flows into the surroundings. The particle count before = particle count after. Energy out = energy decrease in chemical bonds.

Endothermic (cold pack): Before the reaction, atoms are bonded in a lower-energy arrangement. During the reaction, energy is absorbed from the surroundings to break bonds and rearrange atoms into a higher-energy arrangement. The surroundings lose energy (cool down). The particle count before = particle count after. Energy in = energy increase in chemical bonds.

Either way: atoms are conserved (matter conservation); total energy is conserved (energy conservation). Only the arrangement — and who holds the energy — changes.

Show me a before/after diagram to trace with Tier 2 · visual organizer

Draw or label two columns for your chosen pack:

BEFORE: Reactants → [draw/name the atoms bonded together] · Energy stored in bonds: [high/low]

DURING: Bonds break, atoms rearrange

AFTER: Products → [draw/name the atoms in new arrangement] · Energy stored in bonds: [lower/higher] · Energy that moved to/from surroundings: [in/out] ↑↓

Check: count of atoms BEFORE must equal count AFTER. If it doesn't, something went wrong.

Performance task Design your pack — and explain the science

This is the unit summative task. Use everything from Weeks 1–4. Choose your pack, then complete all three parts. All response modes are equally valid.

✍️ Write your design + explanation 🎨 Draw a labeled diagram + annotate 🗣️ Record yourself explaining it step-by-step

Step 1 — Choose your user and your pack.

Circle or write your choice:

I am designing a: ☐ Warm pack (exothermic reaction) ☐ Cold pack (endothermic reaction)

My user is: ☐ A person with numb fingers on a cold bus ☐ A soccer player with a sprained ankle ☐ My own user: _______________________

Step 2 — State your process and explain the energy direction.

In 3–5 sentences (or a labeled diagram), answer these questions:

Is your pack's reaction exothermic or endothermic? How do you know?
In which direction does energy flow — out of the pack into the surroundings, or from the surroundings into the pack? Draw or describe an energy-flow arrow.
What evidence would you observe (temperature change, state change, color change, gas, etc.) that tells you a chemical reaction happened?

Step 3 — Show that matter is conserved.

In your pack's reaction, atoms rearrange but are not created or destroyed. Show this is true by doing one of the following:

Write a word equation (Reactants → Products) and confirm the same atoms appear on both sides.
Draw a before/after particle model and count the atoms in each.
Explain in words why the total mass of the pack's contents should be the same before and after the reaction (even if it changed temperature or state).

Step 4 — Describe how you would test and improve your design.

A good design can be tested and made better. Answer these questions:

How would you measure whether your pack reached the right temperature for your user? (What tool? What measurement?)
Name one thing that could go wrong with your pack and how you would change the design to fix it.

I want sentence frames and a design template Tier 2 · frames + template

Step 2 sentence frames:

My pack uses an exothermic / endothermic (circle one) reaction because ________.

Energy flows out of the pack / into the pack from surroundings (circle one). I know this because when the reaction happens, the pack gets warmer / colder.

I would observe ________ as evidence that a chemical reaction happened (for example: temperature change, gas bubbles, new color, new substance).

Step 3 sentence frame:

Before the reaction: the pack contains ________. After the reaction: the pack contains ________. The atoms are conserved / not conserved because ________.

Step 4 sentence frames:

I would test my pack by measuring ________ using a ________. I would know it worked if the temperature reached ________ °C.

One problem my design might have is ________. I could improve it by ________.

Word bank: exothermic · endothermic · energy · transfer · conserved · atoms · reaction · products · reactants · temperature · thermal energy · particles · bonds · surroundings · absorb · release

Let's make it concrete first — guided choices + analogy Tier 3 · re-teach

Warm pack analogy (exothermic): Imagine a stretched rubber band held in a knot. When you release the knot, it snaps and releases energy you can feel. The atoms in an exothermic reaction work the same way — they were "stretched" into a high-energy arrangement, and rearranging them releases energy as heat.

Cold pack analogy (endothermic): Imagine you have to pull hard on a spring to stretch it — that takes energy FROM your hands. In an endothermic reaction, breaking certain bonds requires the reaction to "pull" energy from the surroundings (your skin, the air), making those surroundings feel colder.

Choose from the options below for each step:

Step 2: My pack is a warm / cold pack. Energy flows OUT of / INTO the pack. I would observe a rise / a drop in temperature.

Step 3: The atoms after the reaction are the same atoms / different atoms — just rearranged. So matter is conserved / not conserved.

Step 4: I would test it with a thermometer / my hand / both. One problem could be the pack gets too hot / cools down too fast / breaks open. I could fix this by using less of the chemical / adding an insulating layer / using a stronger bag.

Say each answer out loud before writing — one sentence per step is enough.

Push my thinking — open engineering with trade-offs Extension

Engineering constraints to consider: Your pack must stay between 38–42°C (warm pack) or 8–12°C (cold pack) for at least 15 minutes. It must be safe enough to touch skin directly. It must weigh less than 200 g. It cannot use electricity or fire.

Trade-off analysis: For each design choice below, describe one advantage and one disadvantage:

Using a larger quantity of reactant chemicals.
Adding an insulating outer layer (like foam or fabric).
Using two separate compartments that mix when squeezed (like a commercial instant pack).

Fair test: Design one controlled experiment that would let you compare two versions of your pack (change one variable, keep the rest the same). Name your independent variable, dependent variable, and at least two controlled variables.

Go deeper: A reusable warm pack (like the sodium-acetate pack from Week 1) can be "reset" by boiling. Using conservation of energy, explain where the energy you'll later feel as warmth is stored while the pack waits in your pocket. How does this differ from the single-use cold pack?

How your work will be evaluated — the 3D rubric

Read this before you write. The strongest response uses all three dimensions together — science practices, the core ideas, and the crosscutting concept.

Performance Task Rubric — Unit 1 Capstone (MS-PS1-6)

Dimension	Emerging — getting started	Developing — on the way	Proficient — you've got it	Advanced — you're going beyond
SEP: Designing Solutions & Constructing Explanations	Names a pack (warm or cold) but does not explain the reasoning for the choice; description is incomplete or lists steps without connecting to a goal.	Identifies the pack and gives a basic explanation of why; describes at least one test method, though the connection between design and scientific reasoning is partial.	Clearly states exothermic or endothermic and explains why; describes a testable design with at least one improvement criterion; explanation connects the design to the energy and matter science.	Articulates multiple design criteria and constraints; conducts a logical trade-off analysis between two design choices; proposes a fair test with independent, dependent, and controlled variables named.
DCI: PS1.B Chemical Reactions & PS3.B/A Energy in Chemical Processes	Identifies a temperature change but does not link it to a chemical reaction or to energy transfer between particles.	Links the temperature change to energy moving into or out of the pack; mentions particles or bonds but the connection is partial or has a misconception (e.g., "energy is created").	Correctly explains the direction of energy transfer using particle-level reasoning (bonds broken/formed, energy released or absorbed); cites at least one observable sign of a chemical reaction as evidence.	Connects bond energy to kinetic energy of particles and to the macroscopic temperature change; distinguishes between physical change (state change) and chemical change; explains why the pack cools/heats using both micro and macro descriptions.
CCC: Energy & Matter — Flows, Cycles, Conservation	Mentions that matter exists or that energy is involved, but does not address conservation; may imply energy is created or atoms disappear.	States that matter is conserved but does not show it (no count, no equation, no diagram); or shows it for matter but does not address energy conservation (or vice versa).	Demonstrates (via equation, particle count, or written reasoning) that atoms are the same before and after the reaction; explains that energy is transferred, not created — it moved from one place to another.	Applies conservation to both matter AND energy simultaneously; explains that the energy released (exo) or absorbed (endo) equals the energy difference in the chemical bonds; connects to the unit's overarching theme of "energy and matter conserved throughout all changes."

Check yourself Unit synthesis — did it connect?

Success criteria — I can:

identify whether a reaction is exothermic or endothermic and explain the energy direction;
show that atoms (matter) are conserved in a chemical reaction;
connect all four weeks into one unified idea: energy and matter are conserved — they transfer and rearrange, they never appear or vanish;
describe a design that could release or absorb thermal energy and explain how I would test it.

You squeeze your warm pack and it heats up. Your teammate's hand gets warmer. Where did the energy come from — and is matter conserved in the pack's reaction?

Re-teach: conservation of energy and matter in chemical reactions Tier 3

Conservation of energy: Energy is never created or destroyed — it only transfers from one place to another or changes form. In an exothermic reaction, energy that was stored in chemical bonds is released as thermal energy. In an endothermic reaction, thermal energy from the surroundings is absorbed and stored in the new bonds. Nothing is made from nothing.

Conservation of matter: Atoms are never created or destroyed in a chemical reaction — they rearrange. Count the atoms on the left side of a word equation and on the right side: the count is always equal. Mass is conserved.

Now re-read option C. It describes both conservations correctly. Try explaining it in your own words before moving on.

Reflect, then show what you know

Metacognitive reflection metacognition + SEL

Answer at least one:

What is one idea you understand now that confused you in Week 1? What clicked?
Which of the four weeks was hardest for you — and why do you think that was?
If you were to explain "energy and matter are conserved" to a younger student in one sentence, what would you say?

Self-assessment against the rubric responsible decision-making

Look back at the 3D rubric. For each row (SEP, DCI, CCC), circle or write the level that best describes your performance task response today — Emerging, Developing, Proficient, or Advanced. Then write one thing you would add or change to move up one level.

SEP: I am at _____________. One thing I would add: _____________.

DCI: I am at _____________. One thing I would add: _____________.

CCC: I am at _____________. One thing I would add: _____________.

Exit ticket — answer on paper or in your notebook. (2 new · 2 spiral · 1 transfer)

New In one or two sentences, what is the difference between an exothermic and an endothermic reaction? Use the words energy, bonds, and surroundings.
New You mix two chemicals in a beaker and the beaker gets cold. Is the total amount of matter in the beaker more, less, or the same after the reaction? Explain why.
Spiral — Week 2 When ammonium nitrate dissolves in water inside a cold pack, the water's temperature drops. Which direction does energy flow — from the water into the chemical, or from the chemical into the water? Is this exothermic or endothermic from the pack's perspective?
Spiral — Week 3 Ice melting to water is a physical change; iron rusting is a chemical change. In which of these is a new substance formed? Are atoms conserved in both? How do you know?
Transfer A food scientist wants to design a self-heating soup can — you pull a tab and the soup heats to 65°C without any stove or microwave. Using everything from this unit, explain (a) whether the reaction inside the can would be exothermic or endothermic, (b) where the energy comes from, and (c) how you'd confirm that the matter (atoms) inside the can is conserved after the reaction.

Educator panel — facilitation, accommodations, rubric guidance, answer key, research rationale

At a glance

Primary standard: NGSS MS-PS1-6 — Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes. Integrated standards: MS-PS1-2 (analyze and interpret data on chemical reactions — evidence of new substances); MS-PS1-5 (develop and use a model to describe conservation of matter in chemical reactions); MS-PS3-3 (apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device for thermal energy transfer). 3D lens: SEP Constructing Explanations & Designing Solutions · DCI PS1.B & PS3.B/A · CCC Energy & Matter.

Materials needed: None required beyond paper and pencil. Optional enhancement: bring in a commercial instant cold pack (ammonium nitrate + water) and a sodium-acetate hand-warmer to demo — students observe the temperature change directly. Neither is required; the lesson works fully with the SVG and written scenario.

Estimated time: 60 minutes. The performance task (Steps 1–4) takes 20–25 minutes for most learners. Budget extra time for the self-assessment against the rubric.

Facilitation arc (Rosenshine + engineering design loop)

Do-Now retrieval (5 min) — students work individually; do not provide answers yet. Use quick pair-share to activate prior knowledge before the phenomenon.
Phenomenon + notice/wonder (5 min) — display the SVG; cold-call two students to share a notice and a wonder. Write their wonders on the board.
Synthesis build (8 min) — walk through the "tie it together" passage and worked example as a class. Ask: "Which week does this remind you of?" This is the bridge from prior learning to the performance task.
Introduce the performance task + rubric (4 min) — read the rubric aloud together before students begin. Ask: "What would a Proficient response look like for the DCI row?" This is formative previewing (Black & Wiliam).
Performance task (20–25 min) — students work independently or in pairs. Circulate and prompt: "Can you show me where the energy came from in your model?" Do not evaluate during this time — ask questions that push reasoning.
Self-check + re-teach (4 min) — whole class or partner-share the synthesis question. Route any "A/B/D" responders to the re-teach details before moving on.
Brain break + reflection + exit ticket (10 min) — reflection is structured (see metacognitive prompts); exit is written individually.

IEP / 504 accommodation cards

Common accommodations mapped to this lesson

Accommodation	How it's already built in / what to do
Text read aloud	Every passage has a Listen button (TTS); simplified toggle shortens the text.
Reduced reading load	"Reading: Simplified" swaps in shorter, plain-language text throughout.
Chunking / extended time	Performance task is in four clearly numbered steps; progress saves automatically.
Sentence frames / word bank	Tier-2 support panel provides frames for all four steps and a word bank.
Concrete analogy / reduced load	Tier-3 panel provides rubber-band and spring analogies + choose-from-options versions of each step.
Alternative response mode	Students may write, draw a labeled diagram, or record a verbal explanation — all accepted.
Behavior / focus (504, ADHD)	Named expectations (PBIS), 30-second check-in, built-in brain break, small numbered steps.
Multilingual / EL	Simplified text toggle, visual SVG anchor, word bank in Tier-2, home-language reflection allowed.
IEP goal: written expression	Accept diagram + minimal annotation as a complete response to Steps 2–3; verbal recording is also valid.
IEP goal: science reasoning	Rubric's Emerging and Developing descriptors define the scaffolded floor — any response above "names a pack" is gaining in the right direction.

Rubric scoring guidance + exemplar response sketch

What a Proficient response looks like (warm pack):

SEP: "I am designing a warm pack using an exothermic reaction because energy is released. I would test it by placing it on my hand and measuring the temperature with a thermometer for 15 minutes. If it gets too hot I would use less of the chemical."
DCI: "When the chemicals mix, the atoms in the reactants rearrange into products. The new arrangement has less energy stored in the bonds, so the extra energy is released as heat. The pack gets warmer and heat flows to my teammate's hand. I would observe the pack heating up and maybe a change in state or color as evidence of a chemical reaction."
CCC: "The atoms before the reaction and after the reaction are the same atoms — they just bonded differently. The total mass of the chemicals stays the same. Energy was not created; it moved from the bonds of the chemicals to my teammate's hand."

Common errors to address:

"Energy was created" — redirect to the Week 1 worked example (stored vs. created).
"Atoms were used up" — draw a before/after diagram together; count atoms.
Confusing the direction of energy flow for exo vs. endo — use the arm analogy: exo = the rubber band snaps and releases energy OUT; endo = you stretch the rubber band and pull energy IN.

Exit ticket answer key

An exothermic reaction releases energy from chemical bonds into the surroundings (things warm up). An endothermic reaction absorbs energy from the surroundings into chemical bonds (things cool down). In both, atoms rearrange; energy is transferred.
The same — matter is conserved in a chemical reaction. The total number of atoms (and therefore total mass) does not change, even though the arrangement (bonds) changes.
Energy flows from the water into the chemical (the pack absorbs energy). This is endothermic from the pack's perspective — the chemical dissolving in water absorbs thermal energy from the water, so the water temperature drops.
Rusting produces a new substance (iron oxide); melting produces a different state of the same substance but no new substance. Atoms are conserved in both — in melting, the same H₂O molecules are present; in rusting, the same iron and oxygen atoms are present, now bonded differently as Fe₂O₃.
(a) Exothermic — the soup gets hotter, meaning energy was released into it. (b) The energy came from chemical bonds inside the reactants in the compartment under the tab — stored energy released when the chemicals react. (c) To confirm matter conservation: weigh the sealed can before and after pulling the tab. The mass should be the same (atoms rearranged but none escaped because the can is sealed). You could also write a word equation and confirm the same atoms appear on both sides.

Why it's designed this way — research rationale

Why a performance task, not a recall test? The NGSS and A Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC 2012) explicitly call for assessments that require students to use science practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts together — not recall them in isolation. A student who can recite "conservation of matter" without being able to apply it to a new design scenario has not reached the standard. The warm/cold pack design task was chosen because it is a genuine engineering context (MS-PS1-6) that requires transfer: students must decide whether their reaction is exothermic or endothermic, model the energy direction, show conservation of matter, and propose a test — all at once, in a new scenario they haven't seen before.

Strengths-first rubric design (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Wiliam, 2011): The rubric labels are Emerging → Developing → Proficient → Advanced — not Failing/Beginning/etc. The descriptors name what to do next, not only what was missed. This is the formative-assessment principle: feedback should tell a learner "what to do to close the gap," not just how far short they fell. Students who read the rubric before beginning (prompted by the facilitation arc) use it as a pre-task checklist.

Three-dimensional rubric rows: Each row names one NGSS dimension so the teacher can see which dimension needs re-teaching, not just a total score. A student who earns Proficient on DCI but Emerging on SEP needs a very different next step than the reverse.

Interleaved retrieval in the Do-Now (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006; Rohrer, 2012): One item per prior week. This spiral structure does two things: it activates the schema students will need for the performance task, and it provides a low-stakes measure of which weeks' concepts are most weakly retained — useful diagnostic data for re-teaching.

UDL + MTSS (CAST 2024; Fuchs & Fuchs 2017): Tier-2 sentence frames + word bank lower the language load without lowering the cognitive goal; Tier-3 guided-choice + analogy provides a complete scaffold for students who need it; the Extension adds engineering-design constraints and a fair-test design for students ready for above-grade challenge. All tiers target the same three-dimensional standard — none reduces the goal.