Matter: It's All Around (Part 1 in the "Introduction to Chemistry" series)

Matter it's all around us.  But, do you really know what matter is?  Could you describe it to someone if they asked?  Would you be able to define it if needed?  If you can't answer "yes" to these questions then this class is for you. 

In this class students will learn the difference between matter and non-matter.  What the 4 phases of matter are and how matter changes phase.   We will end the class with describing the other properties of matter and sorting them into either Physical or Chemical properties.  Students will be given an introduction to the topic of Chemistry and what we can learn about matter.  

This will be a discussion style class where students will engage in various activities during class time. We will explore different objects in our world to classify them as Matter or not.  We will then describe the different phases of matter and analyze a graph to determine what actually causes them to change phase. We will end the class with a look at some other properties of matter and categorize the type of property as either physical or chemical.   

Students will receive a handout to use during class and may keep for future use as needed.  This class is intended to be an introductory course and will cover the basics of matter.  It is recommended for younger students, however, older students who have not studied Chemistry before are encouraged to enroll as well. 

**The "Intro to Chem" Series is a series of one-time classes that covers the topics of Chemistry.  These classes can be taken individually or in sequence.  If the desire is to take the series "in order" then the first class would be "Matter; It's All Around". The second class in the series is "The Amazing Atom", and the third class is "Learning From the Periodic Table".  Even though this would be the logical "order" to take these classes, it is not necessary.  They can be taken in any order that fits your schedule.