Atomic Structure Unit

This unit is designed to be everything you need to teach an atomic structure unit in a high school physical science or IPC (integrated physics and chemistry) course. Content covered includes: atomic theory, structure of the atom, periodic notation, isotopes, and the periodic table of elements.

This product includes PowerPoint notes (with corresponding lecture videos), a packet of student handouts for all activities, stations, practice, and summative assessments including 1 quiz and 1 unit test (provided in CP and Honors versions.) The teacher implementation notes provide additional suggestions for differentiating the unit for CP (college prep, or on-grade level) classes and Honors (advanced) classes. The student packet also comes in a paperless digital version that can be used in Google Drive™ and/or Microsoft OneDrive™. This is perfect for the teacher who is in a 1:1 classroom, for someone who is hoping to integrate more educational technology to move towards becoming a paperless classroom, or if you are currently teaching virtually or in a hybrid setting. Because it is all-inclusive, it is especially useful for new teachers, maternity leave, and flipped classrooms!

**Note: This is the SEVENTH unit in my full year physical science curriculum. You can buy this unit for 20% off if you purchase as a part of my full year bundle. Also, this unit was recently revamped 6/4/26!! I am currently working through a major revamp of all of the physical science units. The preview linked above and the description below represent the newly rewritten unit. Feel free to email me and I’ll send you the list of all of the changes made!

What content is covered in this unit?

• Scientists who contributed to atomic theory
• Structure of the atom
• Introduction to electrons and the EMS (honors only)
• Periodic table notation
• Atomic calculations with atomic number and mass number
• Isotopes – notation and calculations
• Periodic table arrangement
• Group names and characteristics
• Periods, energy levels, and electrons
• Classification of metals, nonmetals, and metalloids
• Bohr model drawings

What Next Generation Science Standards* are covered?

My complete physical science full year curriculum bundle is entirely aligned to the NGSS middle school physical science standards, and touches on many of the high school physical science standards. It is perfect for an 8th-10th grade physical science course that preps students to later take chemistry or physics (I have used this curriculum teaching all 3 grades successfully!)

This unit covers content related to the following standards:

• MS-PS1-1: Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.
• HS-PS1-1: Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.

Note: The majority of this unit doesn’t correlate to any particular NGSS standards, however it is a foundational unit that lays the groundwork of skills and understanding necessary to be able to understand future units, like bonding and reactions, as well as what will be studied when students get to chemistry 1.

If you are looking for high school chemistry resources aligned to HS-PS1 and HS-PS3, check out my chemistry curriculum.

In general, when writing each of my physical science units, I tried to incorporate as many different states’ physical science/IPC standards as possible, while most importantly keeping the content within the scope of the NGSS style. NGSS does not have specific standards designated for a physical science course vs. a chemistry 1 course vs. a physics course (just the middle and high school physical science standards that are part chemistry, part physics). Because of this, I wrote this curriculum for someone teaching a course that is half introduction to physics, half introduction to chemistry, and whose students will potentially later take a full year chemistry 1 or physics 1 course. Therefore, the entire physical science curriculum covers all of the middle school PS NGSS, and touches on many of the high school PS NGSS.

Note: If you aren’t sure how your state standards compare to the NGSS, shoot me an email at rebecca@itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com with a PDF or link to your state standards and I will be happy to review them for you prior to you making a purchase!

What prior knowledge is necessary for students to have before using this unit?

This is the seventh unit I would teach in my physical science class, so I would expect students to have prior knowledge from my first Science Foundations unit (lab skills, measurement, graphing, unit conversions, experimental design and technological design) and my Matter unit (properties, classification, and states of matter).

At this point I also would have covered all of my intro. to physics units (Motion and Force unit, Energy unit, Electricity and Magnetism unit, Waves unit) however, I wrote this unit knowing that many IPC/PS teachers start with the intro. to chemistry units instead, so while there is some content overlap with those physics units, it is absolutely not required for students to have prior knowledge from them to be successful in this unit.

Based on my teaching experience, I also expect students to have either taken Algebra 1 prior to taking this course, or be concurrently taking it. That is the math skill expectation I have set as I wrote these units, although the math is much lighter in this unit. If that is NOT the case for your students, keep that in mind as you move forward with this unit, as you may need to provide further support for them to be successful with the content.

What is included?

I strongly encourage you to download the preview for this product. It is 23 pages and will give you the best idea of what all is included. In short:

• 21 pages of teacher implementation notes + editable unit plans for 13 days of lesson plans for CP students, and 15 days of lesson plans for Honors students (both 50-minute and 90-minute block pacing are included!)
• A 25-page PDF packet for CP/on grade level students, and a 32-page PDF packet for Honors/advanced with all of the student handouts for the entire unit that includes:
  • Unit outline with objectives and vocabulary terms for each concept covered for students to use to make their own study guides from
  • Notes outlines for each of the four main concepts in Cornell Note format – including filled in and fill in the blank versions of notes!
  • Discovery Stations: Atomic Theory
  • Practice: Atomic Structure
  • Inquiry Activity: Understanding Electrons (honors only)
  • Practice: Electrons (honors only)
  • Inquiry Activity: Build an Atom
  • Practice: Atomic Calculations
  • Practice: Isotope Calculations #1
  • Practice: Isotope Calculations #2
  • Activity: Coloring and Labeling the Periodic Table
  • Practice: Periodic Table Scavenger Hunt
  • Practice: Atom and the Periodic Table Vocabulary
  • Review: I Have, Who Has
  • Project: Bohr Model Periodic Table
• Access to ALL of the materials in the student packet in a paperless digital format that can be used in Google Drive™ and/or Microsoft OneDrive™
• 4 fully animated PowerPoints of notes (over 60 slides)
• Links to YouTube video lectures for each of the PowerPoint notes – perfect for absent students or flipped classrooms!
• 1 quiz on the isotope calculations + editable version
• 5 mini-quizzes on element names and symbols + editable version
• End of unit test with a combination of multiple choice, matching, and open response questions, a 2-page answer sheet for students, versions A and B with varied question order to reduce cheating, and an editable version so you can customize for your students’ needs
  • Both an Honors version and a CP/College Prep/on-grade level version included for all quizzes and tests!
• Detailed answer keys for ALL of the student assessments including the packet, quizzes, and tests

How many class periods will it take to teach this unit in its entirety?

This unit covers 13 50-minute class periods for CP or 7.5 90-minute block class periods. For honors, this unit will take 15 50-minute class periods or 8.5 90-minute block class periods. However, if you don’t have that much time available, you can cut out some of the activities or use the YouTube lecture videos that come with the unit to implement a flipped classroom style.

What materials are needed in addition to the resources provided in this downloadable unit?

All materials needed are listed on p.7 of the Preview pdf.  I taught several years in a non-science classroom with 0 science budget, so I strive to keep my materials utilized as minimal and affordable as possible.

What types of files are included?

When you download this product you will receive a zip file with 5 folders of files. Most of the documents in this product are secured PDFs, meaning you can print them but not copy/paste or edit the text. The paperless digital student packet will be accessed via a Google Drive™ link in a PDF file that students can type into but not change the essential content of. Editable versions (Word docs) are only included for the unit plans, quizzes, tests, and some aspects of the activities for you to customize for your classroom. The PowerPoint lecture notes also have editable text. This is to protect the copyright and intellectual property of my own work, plus the work of many dedicated clip artists and photographers whose graphics I purchased for commercial use to be included in this product. If you have questions about this, please don’t hesitate to email me with them prior to purchasing!

Why use a “packet” instead of an interactive notebook?

I started creating packets for my students years ago, and I love them so much more than interactive notebooks. While interactive notebooks are great resources that work for many teachers, I have found the packet strategy to be a more appropriate tool for using in the secondary classroom setting with my students. I love using the packet for many reasons:

1. I only have to make copies one time each unit instead of copying handouts every day. Even though it takes a while to copy the packets for each student, it saves so much time on a day to day basis. (Also I’ve often recruited seniors to be my “Teacher’s Aide” and have trained them to copy all of my packets for me. I haven’t seen a copier in YEARS and it’s glorious!) You can also now go DIGITAL and PAPERLESS with the Google Drive™ version of the packet, if you prefer!
2. It puts responsibility back on the students to maintain their physical science binder with their packet, while also aiding them in practicing organization skills. It has been incredibly effective for my lower level students especially. Even though it is a lot of papers to receive at once, I can watch them put it in their binder and leave it there, rather than having to hang on to numerous individual papers passed out each day. It has really eliminated the need for a textbook too, so students really only have to remember to bring ONE thing to class – their binder with their packet!
3. It makes it so easy to be absent last minute. If you or your child gets sick, sub plans are a breeze. You don’t have to send your teacher neighbor to make copies for you – because your students already have everything they need. You just have to tell the sub which pages the students need to work on for the day. It was especially helpful for my long-term substitute when I was on maternity leave!
4. The structure of the packet provides a more helpful method than interactive notebooks in preparing students for college – which should be one of our goals as high school teachers. The packet helps students learn how to structure notes (one of the reasons why I love teaching them how to write Cornell notes) and how to stay organized.
5. They are a time saver in so many ways – no more time wasted regularly passing out handouts or having to cut and paste things into a notebook.
6. Students do a better job keeping up with returned graded work because every page is numbered, so they can put graded assignments right back into the packet where it came from, setting them up to more likely refer back to graded work as they study.
7. You no longer need a filing cabinet – you can keep all of your curriculum and keys organized in binders!

How is this resource distance learning compatible?

This resource already comes with all of the student handouts in a packet format that can be used on paper (PDF to print) or digitally in a paperless version for Google Drive™ and/or Microsoft OneDrive™. All of the PowerPoint notes also come with a lecture video to help your students learn from afar. You can see all of my lecture videos on my YouTube channel here, and feel free to email me at rebecca@itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com for a free sample of a paperless digital packet so you can see what the formatting and usability is like prior to purchasing so you can tell if it is a good fit for you and your students.

*NOTE* I did not specifically write this unit for distance learning or homeschool settings, but this entire unit can still be used in a modified format. I include a “Distance Learning Tips” document with suggestions for using these resources in a virtual teaching and/or homeschool setting to help you. If you have questions about which resources may or may not work from home, shoot me an email and we can discuss!

What is so great about the digital student packet that is included?

• You can go PAPERLESS in your classroom if you want – no more dreaded mornings at the copy machine!
• You still get all of the organization of my packet strategy, just now in digital format too!
• Students will be able to access their packet ANYWHERE. No more, “I forgot my binder so I couldn’t do (fill in the blank).”
• Students can print their filled in packets or an extra blank copy easily from home.
• You can now have a mixed classroom with some students paperless and others not. You can also start with just doing a few units digitally and others on paper. Whatever works best for you and your students. The point here is that you now have OPTIONS!
• You have increased flexibility for students to easily learn and be connected outside the walls of your classroom.
• A built-in opportunity to help students grow in their digital literacy.

Why should I use this product in my classroom?

If you are a first year teacher, new to teaching physical science, going on maternity leave, or overwhelmed by too many responsibilities and classes to prep for, this resource was written for you. Designing curriculum for an entire unit, let alone an entire course, that is organized, engaging, activity-based, and standard-aligned can be exhausting. Especially if you are in a school with little to no science budget like I have been, it can be so hard to have a hands-on course without breaking your own bank to provide it for your students. This is why I began writing these comprehensive units – for the teacher who wants what is best for their students but doesn’t necessarily have the time, energy, or resources to provide it for them (which was ME!) Not only that, I also wrote each of my units with enough detail for my own non-science long-term maternity leave sub to be able to use them. The level of detail, links to the video lectures for each set of notes, and low-budget materials list makes this product perfect for teachers new to this subject, going on maternity leave for a long-term sub, or even trying a flipped classroom strategy.

• Use this item for your own classroom, students, or for your own personal use.
• Buy additional licenses for others to use this product at a discount by visiting your TpT “My Purchases” page.
• Review this product to recommend others buy it in blog posts, at professional development workshops, or other venues as long as credit is given to my store with a direct link to my store/product.

• Upload this product to any unsecured website or server that other teachers can access for free.
• Give this product to others without the purchase of an additional license for them (this includes emailing, printing copies, or sharing through a website, cloud or other network.)
• Copy or modify any part of this document to offer others for free or for sale.
• Use the resources for commercial use, such as teaching a course on Outschool or a similar platform using these resources.