What are crystals and how are they structured? | 11-14 years

A photograph showing blue copper chloride crystals against a black background

Source: © Shutterstock

Discover the regular structure and arrangement of particles in crystalline substances using this lesson plan with activities for 11–14 year olds.

In this practical activity, students develop their understanding of crystals and their structures in terms of the orderly arrangement of particles. Working in groups, they observe a variety of substances to help them decide criteria for identifying crystalline substances.

Students will be able to describe:

  • Crystals as substances with regular structures.
  • The regular structure as due to particles being arranged in an orderly way.

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