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Matter vs Not Matter Card Sort Activity

My chemistry students are currently working with basic definitions that form the crucial foundation of the subject. One of these words that must be defined is matter. Before giving students a specific definition, I decided to let them play with the concept themselves through a matter vs not matter card sort.

matter vs not matter card sort activity

To make my card sort, I used a bank of words from the margins of the teacher’s edition of Holt’s Chemistry.

matter vs not matter card sort activity for chemistry or physical science classes
Image Source: Holt Chemistry Teacher’s Edition Pg 10

There weren’t quite enough words to fit my template, so I had my husband suggest a couple more.

matter vs not matter card sort activity for chemistry or physical science classes

Here’s what I came up with:

matter vs not matter card sort activity for chemistry or physical science classes

And, here are some action shots from when I used the matter vs not matter card sort with my chemistry class:

matter vs not matter card sort activity for chemistry or physical science classes
matter vs not matter card sort activity for chemistry or physical science classes
matter vs not matter card sort activity for chemistry or physical science classes
matter vs not matter card sort activity for chemistry or physical science classes