Planning an entire year of middle school physical science does not have to feel overwhelming. This comprehensive Middle School Physical Science Curriculum Bundle gives you engaging, ready-to-use lessons, labs, STEM challenges, graphing activities, CER practice, bell ringers, assessments, and review games for a complete year of instruction.

The resources are aligned with the NGSS Middle School Physical Science Performance Expectations, including matter, chemical reactions, forces, motion, energy, waves, electromagnetic radiation, and engineering design.

A detailed full-year pacing guide is included to help you organize the resources into a logical instructional sequence.

A Complete Year of Middle School Physical Science

This bundle includes more than 30 physical science resources that can be used to teach a full year of science or strengthen an existing curriculum.

Students will investigate scientific concepts, analyze data, build and test models, design engineering solutions, interpret graphs, write evidence-based explanations, and apply physical science ideas to real-world phenomena.

The variety of activities helps you maintain student engagement while providing the structure and rigor needed for NGSS-aligned instruction.

Also, a great fit for New York middle school physical science! This bundle provides strong alignment with the NYSSLS physical science standards, including the New York-specific expectations for density and energy transfer through series and parallel circuits. A mixtures and separation unit will be added soon to complete the remaining New York-specific standard.

Physical Science Topics Included

Structure and Properties of Matter

• Atoms, molecules, elements, compounds, and the periodic table
• Atomic composition of molecules and extended structures
• Natural and synthetic materials
• Properties of matter
• Density of liquids and solids
• Particle motion, temperature, and changes of state
• Thermal energy and heat transfer

Chemical Reactions

• Evidence of chemical reactions
• Physical and chemical changes
• Types of chemical reactions
• Conservation of mass
• Endothermic and exothermic reactions
• Reaction rates
• Acids, bases, indicators, and neutralization
• Chemical reaction labs and demonstrations
• Engineering challenges involving thermal energy

Forces and Motion

• Newton’s laws of motion
• Balanced and unbalanced forces
• Mass, force, and acceleration
• Speed, distance, and time
• Collisions and energy transfer
• Gravitational interactions
• Potential energy
• Static electricity
• Magnetic fields
• Electromagnets
• Engineering design challenges

Energy

• Kinetic and potential energy
• Relationships among speed, mass, and kinetic energy
• Energy transfer during collisions
• Thermal energy transfer
• Particle motion and temperature
• Designing devices that minimize energy transfer
• Series and parallel circuits
• Electrical energy transfer
• Graph analysis and CER writing

Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation

• Wave models
• Amplitude, wavelength, and frequency
• Mathematical thinking with waves
• Reflection, absorption, and transmission
• Analog and digital signals
• Communication technology and signal reliability

Engineering Design

• Defining criteria and constraints
• Designing and testing solutions
• Collecting and analyzing test data
• Comparing possible solutions
• Improving and redesigning models
• Rubber-band car STEM challenge
• Catapult engineering challenge
• Thermos and ice-chest design
• Circuit engineering
• Electromagnet design

What Is Included

• Complete physical science units
• Hands-on science investigations
• STEM and engineering design challenges
• Graphing and data-analysis activities
• Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning practice
• Physical science bell ringers
• Student reading and comprehension activities
• Review games
• Digital board games
• Assessments and quizzes
• Answer keys
• Teacher directions
• Detailed full-year pacing guide

A mixtures and separation unit is coming soon and will provide an additional investigation involving combinations of substances and separation methods.

Built for NGSS-Aligned Instruction

The bundle supports the NGSS three-dimensional approach to science learning by incorporating:

• Disciplinary Core Ideas
• Science and Engineering Practices
• Crosscutting Concepts

Students do more than memorize vocabulary. They develop models, analyze data, conduct investigations, construct explanations, support claims with evidence, and design solutions to scientific and engineering problems.

Resources address the middle school physical science standards:

• MS-PS1: Matter and Its Interactions
• MS-PS2: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
• MS-PS3: Energy
• MS-PS4: Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer
• MS-ETS1: Engineering Design

Save Time and Stay Organized

Instead of searching for separate activities every week, you will have a complete collection of physical science resources ready to support your instruction throughout the year.

The included pacing guide provides a suggested sequence for teaching:

1. Structure and properties of matter
2. Chemical reactions
3. Forces and interactions
4. Energy
5. Waves and electromagnetic radiation
6. Engineering design and review

Use the suggested pacing as written or adjust it to fit your school calendar, student needs, and district sequence.

Perfect for

• Middle school physical science
• Sixth, seventh, or eighth grade science
• Full-year physical science courses
• NGSS-aligned classrooms
• Integrated middle school science programs
• Homeschool science
• Intervention and enrichment
• Science test preparation
• Hands-on and project-based learning

Give Your Students a Year of Meaningful Physical Science

Help students build a strong understanding of matter, forces, energy, waves, chemical reactions, and engineering through lessons that are rigorous, visual, hands-on, and engaging.

With more than 30 resources and a detailed pacing guide, this bundle gives you the organization, variety, and support you need to teach middle school physical science with confidence.