Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Matter
Matter, Elements, Molecules, and Compounds

Matter
Matter


Matter, Elements, Molecules, and Compounds
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.25

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    lightest, nucleus, compounds, atom, hydrogen, element, substance, molecule, plasma, microscope, universe, mass, lightweight, naturally, liquid, occur


Print Matter, Elements, Molecules, and Compounds
     Print Matter, Elements, Molecules, and Compounds  (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)


Quickly Print
     Quickly print reading comprehension


Proofreading Activity
     Print a proofreading activity


Matter, Elements, Molecules, and Compounds
By Cindy Grigg
  

1     What is matter? Matter is the stuff that makes up everything in the universe. Matter has mass and takes up space. Matter is made of atoms. Solids, liquids, gases, and plasma are all matter. When all atoms that make up a substance are the same, then that substance is an element. Elements are made of only one kind of atom. Because of this, elements are called "pure" substances. An atom is the smallest piece of an element that still has the properties of that element. For example, aluminum is a lightweight, shiny metal. If we took a piece of aluminum and cut it into small pieces, it would still be aluminum. It would still be a lightweight, shiny metal. The smallest piece would be called an atom. Atoms are so small they cannot be seen even with a microscope. Atoms consist of a nucleus that has protons and neutrons surrounded by electrons outside the nucleus.
 
2     Atoms of different elements can combine to make new substances. A molecule is formed when two or more atoms join together chemically. If atoms combine that are of two or more different elements, we call that a compound. All compounds are molecules, but not all molecules are compounds. When two hydrogen atoms combine with one oxygen atom, it becomes the compound water. The oxygen we breathe is actually two atoms of oxygen combined, so it is a molecule of oxygen. We use abbreviations for elements. These abbreviations for elements are called chemical symbols. When two or more atoms combine to form a molecule or compound, the abbreviation is known as a chemical formula. The chemical formula for an oxygen molecule is O2.
 
3     The compound water has a chemical formula of H2O. This is like the "recipe" for water. It tells us that a water molecule is made of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. Oxygen is a gas that we can't see, hear, smell, taste, or feel. But it's in the air we breathe, and without it, we would die. Hydrogen, also a gas, is the lightest substance on Earth. When two atoms of hydrogen join together with one atom of oxygen, those two gases make a liquid compound we call water. Water, a liquid at room temperature, is a very different substance from the two gases that it is made of. Many different compounds can be made when different atoms combine.

Paragraphs 4 to 5:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable



Weekly Reading Books

          Create Weekly Reading Books

Prepare for an entire week at once!


Feedback on Matter, Elements, Molecules, and Compounds
Leave your feedback on Matter, Elements, Molecules, and Compounds   (use this link if you found an error in the story)



Matter
             Matter


Science
             Science


    Careers in Science  
 
    Caring for Earth  
 
    Clouds  
 
    Dinosaurs  
 
    Earth's Land  
 
    Earth  
 
    Earthquakes  
 
    Electricity  
 
    Energy  
 
    Erosion  
 
    Food Pyramid  
 
    Food Webs and Food Chain  
 
    Forces and Motion  
 
    Fossils  
 
    Health and Nutrition  
 
    How Things Work  
 
    Landforms  
 
    Life Science  
 
    Light  
 
    Magnets  
 
    Matter  
 
 
    Moon  
 
    Natural Disasters  
 
    Photosynthesis  
 
    Plant and Animal Cells  
 
    Plants  
 
    Rocks and Minerals  
 
    Science Process Skills  
 
    Scientific Notation  
 
    Seasons  
 
    Simple Machines  
 
    Soil  
 
    Solar System  
 
    Sound  
 
    Space and Stars  
 
    Sun  
 
    Tsunami  
 
    Volcanoes  
 
    Water Cycle  
 
    Water  
 
    Weather  
 



Copyright © 2018 edHelper