MS-PS1-3: How Synthetic Materials Come from Natural Resources and Affect Society
In plain English: MS-PS1-3 is the NGSS middle school performance expectation that asks students to gather and make sense of information showing that synthetic materials, such as medicines, foods and alternative fuels, are made from natural resources by chemical processes and affect society. It is usually taught in grade 6, 7 or 8 physical science.
Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.
Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on natural resources that undergo a chemical process to form the synthetic material. Examples of new materials could include new medicine, foods, and alternative fuels.
Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to qualitative information.
Next Generation Science Standards · Disciplinary Core Idea: Matter and Its Interactions · Official standard
Students gather information from short sources and use it to describe how synthetic materials are made from natural resources and how they affect society. A natural resource is a material people take from the Earth or from living things, such as petroleum (crude oil), natural gas, coal, plants, minerals, air and water. A synthetic material is made by people through a chemical process, a change in which substances react to form new substances. A wooden table is not synthetic, because cutting wood only changes its shape; nylon is synthetic, because chemicals from petroleum react to form a new substance. An impact is an effect on people's lives, health, jobs or environment, and most materials have both benefits and costs.
The NGSS Clarification Statement says: "Emphasis is on natural resources that undergo a chemical process to form the synthetic material. Examples of new materials could include new medicine, foods, and alternative fuels." The Assessment Boundary says: "Assessment is limited to qualitative information." So students describe and explain in words; they do not calculate amounts, costs or yields. The information cards on this page were written for it and summarize well-documented facts in simple language. Students do the practice of obtaining information: they read several sources, judge how trustworthy each one is, take notes in their own words, and combine what they learn into a clear description.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Tell a synthetic material from a natural one by asking whether a chemical process made a new substance
Trace a synthetic material, such as a medicine, a food or an alternative fuel, back to the natural resource it comes from
Gather information from several sources, judge which are trustworthy, and record notes with the source
Describe at least one benefit and one cost of a synthetic material for society
Use gathered information to support a claim about a synthetic material's impact
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Mixing substances can make new substances with new properties 5-PS1-4
Using property data to decide whether a chemical reaction occurred MS-PS1-2
Finding the main idea and details in an informational text
Set out the sort set: a cotton ball, wool yarn, a wooden spoon, a plastic bottle, a piece of nylon rope and an aspirin bottle label. Pairs sort them into "natural" and "made by people". Then ask:
Warm-Up Prompt
"The wooden spoon was shaped by people, but it is still wood. The plastic bottle was also made by people, but there is no 'plastic tree'. What do you think is different about how these two were made? Where could the plastic have come from?"
Record ideas. Many students say "factories" make plastic. Keep the question open: the lesson shows that the difference is a chemical process, not a factory.
Direct Instruction15-20 minutes
From resource to material. Every synthetic material starts as a natural resource. A chemical process turns that resource into a new substance with new properties, and the new material then has impacts on society, good and bad. Diagram 1 follows four materials through these steps, and Diagram 2 places them in time. As you go through the examples, have students fill in a four-column organizer: resource, chemical process, synthetic material, impacts.
A fiber: nylon
Nylon was invented in 1935. It is made from chemicals that come from petroleum. In a reaction, small molecules join into very long chains, which are pulled into strong threads.
Result: Resource: petroleum. Process: a reaction joins small molecules into chains. Impacts: strong, cheap fabric for stockings, ropes, tents and, in World War II, parachutes. Cost: it comes from a resource that will run out, and nylon does not break down for many years.
A medicine: aspirin (official example: medicine)
For centuries people chewed willow bark for pain. In the 1800s chemists found the substance in it that eases pain, and in 1897 a chemist made a changed version, aspirin, that was gentler on the stomach. Today aspirin is made from chemicals that come from petroleum.
Result: Resource: once willow bark, now petroleum. Process: reactions change one molecule into another. Impacts: low-cost relief from pain and fever for millions of people. Costs: it can cause stomach bleeding, and doctors warn against giving it to children with flu-like illnesses.
A food: margarine (official example: foods)
Margarine was invented in 1869 as a cheaper spread than butter. Starting in the early 1900s, factories made it by reacting liquid vegetable oil with hydrogen gas, a process called hydrogenation, which turns the oil into a soft solid.
Result: Resources: plant oils (such as soybean oil) and hydrogen. Process: hydrogenation. Impacts: a cheaper spread that keeps longer. Cost: the old method also made trans fats, which raise the risk of heart disease, so in 2015 the US government ruled that partly hydrogenated oils must be taken out of foods; today's margarine is made in other ways.
An alternative fuel: biodiesel (official example: alternative fuels)
Biodiesel is made by reacting vegetable oil or used cooking oil with methanol, using a helper chemical. The reaction makes biodiesel and glycerin, a substance used in soap.
Result: Resources: plant oils or waste cooking oil, plus methanol. Process: a reaction that rearranges the oil molecules. Impacts: a fuel that can run many diesel engines and reuses waste oil. Costs: growing oil crops for fuel uses land and water, and biodiesel can thicken in very cold weather.
A second alternative fuel: corn ethanol
Corn kernels are mostly starch. Helper substances called enzymes break the starch into sugar, and then yeast turns the sugar into ethanol, a kind of alcohol, in a process called fermentation. Most gasoline sold in the US contains some ethanol.
Result: Resource: corn. Process: starch to sugar, then fermentation. Impacts: a fuel made from a crop that can be grown again each year. Costs: corn used for fuel is not used for food or animal feed, and farming it uses fertilizer and water.
After each example, ask: "Which step is the chemical process? Who benefits, and who might pay a cost?" Point out that one material can have many impacts, and that people change how they make a material when new information shows a harm, as with trans fats.
Guided Practice15 minutes
The class reads three short sources about the same question: "What is imitation vanilla made from?" Pairs fill in the source chart, then decide together which source to trust most and why. The teacher models the first row.
Three sources about imitation vanilla (written for this page)
Source
What it says
A. Science museum website, article by a staff chemist, 2023
Vanilla flavor comes mainly from one substance, vanillin. Vanilla beans contain it, but real beans are costly. Much of the vanillin sold today is made in factories through chemical reactions, starting from chemicals that come from petroleum or from wood pulp. The vanillin made this way is the same substance as the vanillin in beans.
B. Online ad for a flavor company
Our vanilla flavor is "100% pure goodness" and "better than nature". Buy two bottles, get one free.
C. Social media post, no name, no date
"Fake vanilla is made of melted plastic. Never eat it!!"
For each source, ask: Who wrote it? What do they want (to inform, to sell, to get clicks)? Do they give facts that could be checked?
Source A names the resources (petroleum, wood pulp) and the process (chemical reactions). Write those in the organizer in your own words, with the source letter.
Source B gives opinions, not information about how the flavor is made. Source C makes a claim with no evidence and gets the resource wrong: vanillin is made by reacting chemicals, not by melting plastic.
Write one sentence: "Imitation vanilla is made from ___ by ___, according to Source A, which I trust because ___."
Independent Practice10-15 minutes
Each student reads this information card and completes the four-column organizer on their own.
Information card: polyester fleece (written for this page)
Topic
Information
What it is
Fleece jackets are made of polyester, a synthetic fiber.
How it is made
Chemicals from petroleum and natural gas react to form long chains, which are melted and pulled into fibers. Many fleece jackets today are made from used plastic bottles, which are made of polyester too.
Uses
Warm, light jackets and blankets that dry quickly.
Concerns
When fleece is washed, tiny pieces of fiber come off and can reach rivers and oceans.
Students record the natural resources, the chemical process, one benefit and one cost, then write one question they would research next and the kind of source they would use to answer it.
Closure5 minutes
Exit ticket: "Name one synthetic material you used today. What natural resource did it most likely come from, and what is one way it affects people?" Return to the warm-up: the plastic bottle came from a natural resource too, changed by a chemical process.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give the four-column organizer with the column questions printed at the top: Where did it start? What reaction changed it? What is it now? Who is helped or harmed?
Read the information cards aloud in small groups and highlight resource words in one color and impact words in another
Offer a word bank: petroleum, natural gas, coal, plants, minerals, reaction, benefit, cost
For Advanced Students
Ask students to find two reliable sources that disagree about one impact of a synthetic material and explain why they might disagree
Have students compare a material made from a resource that runs out (petroleum) with one made from a crop, and argue which has the bigger impact on land, water and jobs
Ask students to research a synthetic material invented in the last 20 years and present its resource, process and expected impacts
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Check that students name a chemical process, not just a factory step such as cutting or shaping, when they call a material synthetic. Look for notes in students' own words with the source named, and for impacts that include both benefits and costs. Listen for students who think synthetic means "fake" or "always harmful", or who trust a source because it sounds confident rather than because it gives evidence.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Information Stations: From Resource to Material
25 minPairs
Six stations each hold one short information card about a synthetic material. Pairs rotate every 4 minutes and complete one row of the four-column organizer at each station: resource, chemical process, material, impacts.
The Six Station Cards
Sucralose: made from table sugar (from sugarcane or sugar beets) by reactions that swap three parts of the sugar molecule for chlorine. It tastes about 600 times sweeter than sugar, so tiny amounts sweeten diet drinks. Some people prefer to avoid it.
Acetaminophen: a common pain and fever medicine made through several reactions from chemicals that come from petroleum. It helps millions of people, but too much can badly harm the liver, so labels give a daily limit.
Hydrogen fuel: most hydrogen today is made from natural gas by reacting it with steam; it can also be made by splitting water with electricity. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles give off only water, but making hydrogen from natural gas releases carbon dioxide.
Synthetic indigo: the blue dye in jeans once came only from plants. Since the early 1900s most indigo has been made by reactions, at first from coal tar and today from chemicals that come from petroleum. It made blue jeans cheap, but indigo farmers lost their jobs, and dye factories can pollute water.
PLA plastic: starch from corn or sugarcane is turned into sugar, bacteria turn the sugar into lactic acid, and reactions join lactic acid molecules into long chains. PLA comes from crops, but it breaks down only in special hot compost facilities, not in a backyard pile.
Bakelite: invented in 1907 from phenol, a chemical made from coal tar, and formaldehyde. It was hard, did not carry electricity and did not burn easily, so it was used for telephones, radios and electric plugs. Once hardened, it cannot be melted and recycled.
Discussion Questions
Which two stations start from plants, and which four start from fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas or coal)?
Hydrogen fuel gives off only water when used. Does that mean making it has no costs? Use the card to explain.
Which station shows a synthetic material that changed people's jobs? Was that a benefit or a cost, and for whom?
Modification for Distance Learning
Post the six cards on a shared slide deck. Students fill in a digital organizer and record a 1-minute audio summary of one station.
2
Source Detective: Should Our Town Ban Plastic Straws?
20 minGroups of 3-4
Plastic straws are usually made of polypropylene, a synthetic material made by reactions from chemicals that come from petroleum and natural gas. Groups read four short sources, rate how trustworthy each is, and use the trustworthy ones to write a short letter to a town council.
The Four Sources (written for this page)
A city recycling department report: straws are too small and light to be sorted by recycling machines, so they end up in landfills or as litter. Volunteers at beach cleanups often find them.
A letter from a disability rights group: many people with disabilities need bendable plastic straws to drink safely; paper straws fall apart and metal straws can cause injury.
An ad from a straw company: "Our straws are the best! Everyone loves them!"
A science magazine article: paper and plant-based straws break down faster than polypropylene, but they cost more and some soften in drinks.
Discussion Questions
Three sources give information that could be checked, and one gives only opinion. Which one is the opinion, and why should it not be used as evidence?
Sources 1 and 2 describe different impacts on different groups of people. How could a town respect both?
Write a two-sentence letter that states a position and cites two sources by number.
Challenge Variation
Groups list two more questions they would need answered before voting, and name a trustworthy type of source for each (for example, a government environmental agency or a university study).
3
Product Life Story Posters
25 minGroups of 3-4
Each group picks one everyday product from the list, gathers information from at least two trustworthy sources (library books, teacher-approved websites or product labels), and makes a poster that tells its life story: natural resource, chemical process, product, impacts, and what happens when it is thrown away.
Product List
Nylon backpack
Polystyrene foam cup
Plastic water bottle (PET)
Spandex leggings
Polyurethane foam pillow
Silicone baking mat
Synthetic rubber eraser
Nitrile gloves
Posters must list sources at the bottom with the title, the author or organization, and the date.
Discussion Questions
Silicone is the one product on the list that uses sand as well as a fossil fuel. Why might that matter for where it is made?
Which posters show an impact on health, which on the environment, and which on jobs or money?
Modification for Distance Learning
Groups build the life story as a five-slide presentation and share it in a video call, with the sources on the last slide.
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
2 diagrams
Diagram 1: From Natural Resource to Synthetic Material to Impact
Four synthetic materials from the worked examples, each traced from a natural resource through a chemical process to its impacts on society (+ a benefit, - a cost). Every one starts with a resource from the Earth or from living things.
Diagram 2: Timeline of Some Synthetic Materials
Dates of some synthetic materials on this page, drawn to scale from 1850 to 2010. Early synthetic dyes and plastics were made from coal tar; most synthetic materials today start from petroleum and natural gas, and newer fuels start from crops.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
MS-PS1-3 Homework: Synthetic Materials, Natural Resources and Society
Directions: Answer in complete sentences, in your own words. When you use information from a source, name the source. For each material, identify the natural resource, the chemical process, and at least one benefit and one cost.
Part 1: Gathering and Making Sense of Information (Problems 1-3)
Read this card: "Most vitamin C sold in tablets is made from glucose, a sugar that comes from corn. Bacteria and several chemical reactions change the glucose into vitamin C. The tablets are cheap, so people can prevent vitamin C deficiency, which once caused a disease called scurvy in sailors." Fill in the four columns: resource, chemical process, synthetic material, impacts.
You find three sources about recycled-plastic park benches: (A) a city parks department page that says the benches are made from melted, reshaped plastic milk jugs and last longer than wood; (B) a bench company's ad that says "the greenest bench on Earth"; (C) a blog with no author that says "plastic benches poison children". Rank the sources from most to least trustworthy and explain each choice.
Pick one synthetic product in your home (check its label). Write three research questions about where it comes from and how it affects people, and name a trustworthy type of source for each question.
Part 2: Impacts on Society (Problems 4-6)
Many cars in Brazil run on ethanol made from sugarcane: the sugar in the cane is fermented by yeast into ethanol. Describe the natural resource and the chemical process, then give one benefit and one cost of this fuel for Brazil.
Hospitals use single-use plastic syringes and IV bags made from chemicals that come from petroleum. Describe one benefit of these products for patients' health and one cost for the environment. Then explain whether you think the benefit outweighs the cost, and why.
Your school cafeteria is choosing between polystyrene foam trays and PLA trays made from corn. Use information from this lesson to write a claim, evidence and reasoning paragraph recommending one. Name at least one impact of each tray.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
Resource and Process
Names the natural resource and a chemical process (a reaction that makes a new substance) for each material
Names the resource but describes only shaping or packaging as the process
Using Sources
Information is in the student's own words, the source is named, and trust is explained with evidence or the author's purpose
Source named but trust is not explained, or notes are copied word for word
Impacts on Society
Gives at least one benefit and one cost, and says who is affected
Gives only a benefit or only a cost
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
Many questions give you a short source to read first; use the information in it. A synthetic material is made by a chemical process that turns a natural resource into a new substance. Your score updates as you answer, and Reset quiz clears everything so you or your students can try again.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which of these is a synthetic material?
Answer: D
Acrylic paint is made by reacting chemicals that come from petroleum into a new substance, so it is synthetic. Cotton, wool and wood (choices A, B and C) are natural materials that were only spun, knitted or carved, which changes their shape but not the substance.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A factory squeezes oranges, strains the juice and seals it in cartons. Is the orange juice a synthetic material?
Answer: C
Squeezing, straining and packaging separate and move the juice, but they do not make a new substance, so the juice is not synthetic. Choice A makes a common mix-up: being made in a factory does not make something synthetic. Choice D is false, since margarine and artificial sweeteners are synthetic foods.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Read: "Cellophane, the clear wrap used for some candy, is made by dissolving wood pulp in chemicals that change it, then forming thin sheets." What natural resource does cellophane come from?
Answer: A
The source says cellophane starts from wood pulp, which comes from trees. Choice B assumes every clear wrap comes from petroleum, which this source does not say. Choices C and D name resources that do not appear in the source at all.
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Using the same source, why is cellophane a synthetic material rather than just processed wood?
Answer: B
The wood pulp is changed by chemicals into a new substance, which is what makes cellophane synthetic. Thinness, clearness and use (choices A, C and D) are properties or purposes, and they do not by themselves show a chemical process.
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Read: "Saccharin, one of the first artificial sweeteners, was discovered in 1879 by chemists working with chemicals made from coal tar." Which natural resource was saccharin first made from?
Answer: A
Coal tar comes from coal, so saccharin's natural resource was coal. Choice B assumes a sweetener must come from a sugar crop, but the source says coal tar. Corn and milk are not mentioned.
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Read: "Nitrile gloves are made from chemicals that come from petroleum. Many nurses and doctors use them because they are allergic to natural latex gloves." Which statement describes an impact of nitrile gloves on society?
Answer: D
An impact is an effect on people, and protecting allergic health workers is an effect on their health and safety. Choice A describes the natural resource, not an impact. Choices B and C describe how or what the gloves are, not how they affect people.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Four sources say a new sweetener is safe. Which source gives the most trustworthy information?
Answer: D
A food safety agency that reviewed many studies uses evidence from many tests and has no product to sell. The company ad (choice A) wants to sell the drink. The athlete (choice B) and the anonymous post (choice C) give personal stories, not tested evidence.
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Read: "Polystyrene foam cups keep drinks hot and cost very little, but they break into small pieces that can last in the environment for hundreds of years." Which is a cost of foam cups for society?
Answer: C
Pieces that last for centuries are a harm to the environment, so they are a cost. Choices A, B and D are benefits. A common error is to list every fact about a material as an impact without asking whether it helps or harms.
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Read: "Biogas is made in tanks where bacteria break down food scraps and cow manure, producing methane gas that can be burned for heat and electricity." Which natural resources does this alternative fuel come from?
Answer: B
The source names food scraps and cow manure as the starting materials, which bacteria change into methane. Choice C assumes every fuel comes from fossil resources, which this source does not say. Choices A and D are not mentioned.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Read: "Penicillin is made by a mold. Chemists later changed the penicillin molecule in the lab to make amoxicillin, which works against more kinds of bacteria." Which part of this story describes a synthetic medicine made from a natural resource?
Answer: A
Amoxicillin is made by chemically changing penicillin, which comes from mold, a natural resource. Penicillin itself (choice B) is made by the mold, so it is natural in this story. The bacteria (choice C) and the mold (choice D) are living things, not medicines.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A student says, "The red food dye Red 40 must come from red berries." Which piece of information would correct this claim?
Answer: B
Only choice B gives information about the dye's source: it is made from petroleum chemicals, not from berries. Choices A, C and D are true but describe uses, the name and the color, which do not answer where it comes from.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
To make glass bottles, workers dig sand, mix it with soda ash and limestone, heat the mixture until it melts and reacts to form glass, then shape and cool it. Which step is the chemical process?
Answer: A
Glass is a new substance that forms when the hot ingredients react. Digging (choice B), mixing the dry powders (choice C) and shaping (choice D) do not make a new substance, so they are not the chemical process.
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which note best shows good information gathering?
Answer: C
Choice C is in the student's own words, names the resource and the process, and records the source and date, so it can be checked later. Choice A has no source, choice B copies without credit, and choice D is a guess rather than gathered information.
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which pair correctly matches a synthetic material with the natural resource it is made from?
Answer: D
Neoprene, the stretchy material in wetsuits, is made by reactions from petroleum chemicals. Cotton, silk and wool (choices A, B and C) are natural fibers from plants and animals, so pairing them with fossil fuels mixes up natural and synthetic materials.
Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer
Read: "During World War II, the United States could no longer get natural rubber from Southeast Asia. Factories quickly began making synthetic rubber from chemicals that come from petroleum and from alcohol made from grain, and it was used for military truck and airplane tires." Identify the natural resource, describe the chemical process in your own words, and give one impact on society.
Resource: petroleum, and grain used to make alcohol. Process: chemicals from petroleum and alcohol were reacted to make a new substance, synthetic rubber. Impact: the country could keep making tires for military vehicles when natural rubber was cut off. Accept other impacts supported by the source, such as new factory jobs.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
You are researching diamonds made in a lab from methane, a gas that comes from natural gas. You find: (A) a jewelry store ad saying lab diamonds are "pure magic"; (B) a geology museum article explaining how the gas is broken down so carbon atoms build up into diamond; (C) an anonymous comment saying "lab diamonds are fake glass". Which source would you use, and why?
Use Source B. It is written by a science museum, which aims to inform, and it explains the resource (natural gas) and the process (carbon from the gas builds up into diamond), which can be checked. Source A wants to sell diamonds and gives no facts. Source C has no author and makes a claim with no evidence.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
Read: "Chemicals called CFCs, made from natural gas, salt and a mineral called fluorite, were used in refrigerators and spray cans starting in the 1930s. In the 1970s scientists found that CFCs damage the ozone layer, which blocks harmful sunlight. In 1987 nations signed the Montreal Protocol to cut back on them, and a few years later they agreed to stop making them." Describe one benefit, one cost and how society responded.
Benefit: CFCs made refrigerators and spray cans work, which helped keep food fresh. Cost: they damage the ozone layer, which lets more harmful sunlight reach people. Response: nations agreed in 1987 to cut back on them and later to stop making them, so a synthetic material was replaced once new information showed its harm.
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
A classmate claims, "Synthetic materials made from crops are always better for the environment than ones made from petroleum." Use evidence about two materials from this lesson to evaluate the claim.
The claim is too strong. Crop-based materials come from a resource that can be grown again, but they have costs too. Sample evidence: PLA plastic comes from corn, but it breaks down only in special hot compost facilities, so in a backyard pile or the ocean it lasts a long time; corn ethanol uses land, water and fertilizer, and corn used for fuel is not used for food. A better claim: "Each material has its own benefits and costs, whatever resource it comes from." Accept any two materials with accurate impacts.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
You want to learn how spandex, the stretchy fiber in sports clothes, is made and how it affects people. Write two research questions and name a trustworthy type of source for each.
Sample answer: (1) "What natural resources is spandex made from, and what reactions are used?" Source: a science museum website or a chemistry reference book in the library. (2) "What happens to spandex clothes after they are thrown away?" Source: a government environmental agency or a university study. Accept any clear questions with sources that are written by experts and give evidence.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
Sort each item as natural or synthetic and give a reason for each: a marble statue, a linen napkin (woven from fibers of the flax plant), a polyurethane foam pillow, a seashell necklace.
Marble statue: natural, the rock is only carved and polished. Linen napkin: natural, plant fibers are spun and woven without changing the substance. Polyurethane foam pillow: synthetic, made by reactions from chemicals that come from petroleum. Seashell necklace: natural, the shells are made by sea animals and only drilled and strung.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does MS-PS1-3 mean?
MS-PS1-3 asks students to gather and make sense of information showing that synthetic materials come from natural resources and affect society. Students learn that a chemical process turns a resource such as petroleum, a crop or a mineral into a new material, and they describe the benefits and costs of that material. The code means Middle School, Physical Science, core idea 1 (Matter and Its Interactions), performance expectation 3.
What is the assessment boundary for MS-PS1-3?
Assessment is limited to qualitative information. Students describe and explain in words where a material comes from, what process makes it and how it affects people; they are not asked to calculate amounts, yields or costs.
What counts as a synthetic material?
A synthetic material is made by people through a chemical process that changes a natural resource into a new substance. Shaping, cutting or weaving a natural material does not make it synthetic: a wooden chair is still wood. Plastics, many medicines, artificial sweeteners and many dyes are synthetic.
Does synthetic mean fake or harmful?
No. Synthetic only describes how a material is made. Some synthetic substances are identical to ones found in nature, and many save lives, such as medicines. Like natural materials, synthetic ones can also cause harm, so students learn to weigh benefits and costs.
What natural resources do synthetic materials come from?
Many come from petroleum and natural gas, which are fossil fuels. Others start from coal, minerals such as sand, plants such as corn and sugarcane, plant oils, air or water. Tracing a material back to its resource is a central skill in MS-PS1-3.
What are the official examples for MS-PS1-3?
The Clarification Statement names new medicine, foods and alternative fuels, and it puts the emphasis on natural resources that undergo a chemical process to form the synthetic material. This page uses aspirin, margarine, biodiesel and corn ethanol as worked examples, plus many short sources in the activities and quiz.
How do students gather information for MS-PS1-3?
Students read short sources, such as information cards, library books, product labels and teacher-approved websites, and take notes in their own words with the source named. They judge each source by asking who wrote it, why, and whether it gives evidence that can be checked. Comparing several sources helps them catch errors and sales pitches.
What grade is MS-PS1-3 taught in?
It is a middle school standard for grades 6-8, and schools usually place it in the same year as the other chemistry standards, such as MS-PS1-2. It fits well with reading and research skills students are building in English class.
Is MS-PS1-3 more chemistry or more social studies?
It is a physical science standard with a society connection. The chemistry part is knowing that a chemical process makes a new substance from a natural resource. The society part is describing how that material affects health, jobs, money and the environment, using gathered information.
How does MS-PS1-3 connect to other standards?
It builds on MS-PS1-2, which uses property data to show that a reaction made new substances. It connects to MS-ESS3-4, about how people's use of natural resources affects Earth. In high school, HS-PS2-6 asks why the molecular structure of designed materials matters for how they work.
07
Related Standards
5 standards
These standards connect to MS-PS1-3: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.
Before this lesson
5-PS1-4Prerequisite
Investigate whether mixing two or more substances makes new substances
Lesson coming soon
Alongside
MS-PS1-2Parallel
Use property data from before and after to decide if a chemical reaction occurred
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