Grade 6 Worksheet
The Marlingford Brine Well: Modeling Salt Dissolved in Water
A grade 6 worksheet where students model water and salt particles, then use percent to plan membrane treatment for the salty new well at Marlingford.
NGSS · Middle School (6–8)
MS-PS1-1 Model the atomic composition of simple molecules
Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on developing models of molecules that vary in complexity. Examples of simple molecules could include ammonia and methanol. Examples of extended structures could include sodium chloride or diamonds. Examples of molecular-level models could include drawings, 3D ball and stick structures, or computer representations showing different molecules with different types of atoms.
Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include valence electrons and bonding energy, discussing the ionic nature of subunits of complex structures, or a complete description of all individual atoms in a complex molecule or extended structure is not required.
Why water teaches this standard well
The water molecule is the simplest, most familiar model students can build for this standard, and sodium chloride, the salt that treatment plants track as dissolved solids, is one of its named extended structures. Modeling both connects molecular structure to why water dissolves so much of what it touches.
Materials tagged with this code are written to the full standard , including its clarification statement and assessment boundary, and each carries a written note explaining the alignment. See how we review materials.
3 materials aligned to MS-PS1-1
Worksheets
Grade 8 Worksheet
Sabino Mesa's Reverse Osmosis Plant: Modeling Salt Removal
A grade 8 science worksheet where students model how a reverse osmosis membrane separates water from dissolved salt and calculate salt rejection.
Classroom activities
Grade 7 Classroom activity
Pentworth's PFAS Stations: Bond Models and Carbon Filters
A four-station rotation where students build carbon-fluorine models, compare well results with the 4.0 ppt limit, and test activated carbon against sand.