Mississippi Science CHE.4.4
The Standard
- CHE.4
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of the types of bonds and resulting atomic structures for the classification of chemical compounds.
Use models and oxidation numbers to predict the type of bond, shape of the compound, and the polarity of the compound.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Bonding
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students assign oxidation numbers and draw Lewis structures to show how atoms connect. They use models to distinguish ionic solids from covalent molecules, predict molecular shapes, and decide whether bond dipoles cancel.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student assigns oxidation numbers in water without treating them as charges on separate ions. They draw water as bent and polar, and CO2 as linear and nonpolar despite its polar bonds. They show NaCl as an ionic lattice, not a single molecule.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat oxidation numbers as actual ion charges in every compound. They may call CO2 polar because its bonds are polar, or draw water as straight. Some give NaCl a molecular shape instead of showing an ionic lattice.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Draw Lewis structures for H2O and CO2, label oxidation numbers, name each bond type and shape, and mark each molecule polar or nonpolar. Explain why CO2 is nonpolar.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Build H2O and CO2 with gumdrops and toothpicks, using extra toothpicks for double bonds, then sketch lone pairs and bond dipoles.
Ask partners to sketch bond dipoles in CO2 and H2O and write why only one molecule has a net dipole.
Deal cards for H2O, CO2, NH3, and NaCl; students match each to oxidation numbers, bonding, shape or lattice, and polarity where applicable.
Dissolve table salt in water; students sketch water molecules around Na+ and Cl-, with oxygen facing Na+ and hydrogen facing Cl-.
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Printable CHE.4.4 Worksheet
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Develop and use models (e.g., Lewis dot, 3-D ball-stick, 3-D printing, or simulation programs such as PhET) to predict the type of bonding between atoms and the...
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- CHE.4
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the types of bonds and resulting atomic structures for the classification of chemical compounds.
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