Pure Substances & Mixtures Activities for Middle School Science

The Kesler Science Pure Substances & Mixtures 5E Lesson is a comprehensive chemistry unit covering pure substances, homogeneous mixtures (solutions), and heterogeneous mixtures. It includes editable presentations, worksheets, assessments, and student-choice projects designed for differentiated, student-led learning with minimal prep. The lesson is aligned with the 2021 TEKS 6.6B standard and offers resources in both English and Spanish.

Following the 5E Model, the unit includes engagement activities with objectives, vocabulary, and discussion ideas. The exploration phase features a hands-on, differentiated station lab with nine stations, where students classify matter through experiments, reading, research, videos, and interactive activities. Explanation includes editable PowerPoints, interactive notebooks, and note-taking templates. Elaboration allows students to extend learning through choice projects on classifying substances and mixtures. Evaluation includes STAAR 2.0-aligned assessments, review questions, and worksheets.

Designed for both in-class and virtual learning, this lesson maximizes flexibility with printable and digital formats, ensuring accessibility for all students.

Engage your students with this student-led station lab aligned with TEKS 6.6B, where they explore pure substances and mixtures through interactive, hands-on activities. Designed for in-class and virtual learning, this lesson allows students to investigate physical properties to distinguish between pure substances, homogeneous mixtures (solutions), and heterogeneous mixtures.

Students engage with nine differentiated stations featuring videos, readings, research, and hands-on tasks. They demonstrate learning by organizing information, illustrating models, writing responses, and completing assessments. A challenge station offers extension activities, and English and Spanish reading passages support differentiated learning. 

This low-prep, high-engagement resource fosters active learning and critical thinking in a student-centered environment.

The Pure Substances & Mixtures Student Choice Projects align with the 2021 TEKS standard 6.6B, offering middle school students a choice of six project options plus a “design your own” project. A project page outlines these student-led activities, and an editable rubric supports teacher, peer, or self-assessment. This resource is also included in the Pure Substances & Mixtures Complete Lesson for TEKS 6.6B.

These flexible, multimodal projects allow students to showcase their understanding in creative ways. Two versions of the project page support differentiation, with three modified options for students needing remediation and the ability to combine projects for those seeking a challenge. Teachers can adjust the rubric to meet their grading needs.

The projects use standard classroom materials like paper, markers, and scissors, with many options available for digital completion.