Episode 34: 3 Hands-On Matter and Change Activities for High School Chemistry

Matter and Change can sometimes feel like one of those basic vocabulary units in high school chemistry—but I actually think it’s a great opportunity to get students into the lab and start building skills they’ll use all year long.

In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, I’m sharing three of my favorite hands-on Matter and Change activities: my Goodie Brittle Lab, paper chromatography, and Matter and Change Stations.

Yes, students are learning about physical and chemical changes, mixtures, and separation techniques. But they’re also learning how to use lab equipment, follow procedures, make good observations, take measurements, and use evidence to support their conclusions.

And those are skills we’re going to come back to again and again throughout the year.

📚 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why I teach Scientific Measurement before my Matter and Change unit

• How I use my Goodie Brittle Lab to let students actually experience physical and chemical changes

• A few different ways to use paper chromatography to teach separation techniques

• How chromatography can connect to Biology, AP Chemistry, and even a little forensic science

• How I set up my Matter and Change Stations as a hands-on review before the test

• Some of my favorite chemistry lab stations, including magnetic separation, evaporation, conductivity, burning magnesium, filtration, and precipitation reactions

• How I use these early chemistry labs to build students’ confidence with lab equipment and procedures

💬 Teacher Tip of the Week

When you’re planning an early chemistry unit like Matter and Change, think beyond just the content you need to cover.

Ask yourself:

What can my students practice now that will make things easier later in the year?

That’s really why I love these activities.

Instead of just memorizing that melting is a physical change or that chromatography is a separation technique, my students actually get to experience these things.

They’re also getting comfortable with hot plates, Bunsen burners, conductivity meters, filtration, measuring, making observations, following procedures, and cleaning up their lab stations.

Then, when we use those skills again later in the year, they’ve already done them before.

🧪 Activities, Labs & Strategies Mentioned

Goodie Brittle Lab

This is basically a peanut brittle lab—but I call it Goodie Brittle because students can add things like Oreos, graham crackers, gummy bears, or other goodies instead of peanuts.

As the students melt the sugar and make their brittle, they can observe physical and chemical changes happening right in front of them.

I also like this lab because it gives students some early practice using a hot plate, handling hot materials, following procedures, working with a group, making detailed observations, and cleaning up a lab station.

And let's be honest—chemistry is always a little more fun when you get to eat something at the end.

Paper Chromatography

Paper chromatography is one of my favorite simple ways to introduce separation techniques in chemistry.

You can keep this activity really simple and use different black markers, or you can make it more involved by comparing plant pigments or turning it into a mystery students need to solve.

Students get practice setting up their chromatography correctly, making observations, measuring distances, comparing results, and drawing conclusions from their evidence.

If you want to take it a little further, you can even introduce Rf values.

Matter and Change Stations

My Matter and Change Stations are usually a culminating activity that I use as a hands-on review before the unit test.

Depending on how much time I have, I might set up anywhere from four to eight different stations and have students rotate through the mini experiments.

Some of my favorites include:

• Separating iron filings from sand with a magnet

• Evaporating water from a saltwater mixture

• Testing conductivity

• Burning magnesium

• Separating sand and water using filtration

• Observing a precipitation reaction

Some of these experiments are really simple, but that’s okay! Especially at the beginning of the year, students are still gaining confidence in the chemistry lab.

I want them using equipment, following procedures, making observations, and practicing the vocabulary we’ve been learning.

💻 Let’s Connect

Looking for more high school chemistry labs, activities, teaching strategies, and classroom resources?

Visit Chem’s Chemistry Classroom for practical ideas and resources designed to help you save time and feel more confident teaching chemistry.

❤️ Love the Podcast?

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you subscribe to The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast so you don’t miss an episode.

And if you know another chemistry teacher who could use a few new ideas for teaching Matter and Change, send this episode their way!

And remember—you don’t need to run out and do all three of these activities tomorrow. Hopefully, this episode just got you thinking about what you’re doing now that can help prepare your students for later in the school year.

Keep inspiring, keep experimenting, and keep being awesome in your classroom.

Happy teaching!