Part I ends with a short assessment during which students use their own measurements to determine the identity of a mystery object. Students start Part II, Mixtures and Solutions, by discussing their ideas about pure substances and mixtures. They apply these ideas in an inquiry in which they determine whether samples are mixtures or pure substances. They then investigate solutions as an example of one type of mixture. Solubility in water is identified as a characteristic property of matter.
Students also conduct inquiries using filtration, evaporation, and chromatography.
They investigate changes in volume and the conservation of mass during dissolving, as well as the effect of solutes on melting and boiling points. Students then design a standardized test for the effectiveness of nonaqueous solvents at removing stains. This part of the module culminates in an assessment in which students determine some of the properties of the substances of a mixture. In the first inquiry of Part III, Compounds, Elements, and Chemical Reactions, students discover that water can be split into its component elements by electrolysis. Students look at elements and read the information provided on a series of element cards to classify 25 elements using their characteristic properties.