Mississippi Science FB.2.1

ScienceGrades 9–12Foundations of Biology

The Standard

FB.2: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the structure and interactions of matter and how the organization of matter supports living organisms.

Develop and use simple atomic models to describe the components of elements (e.g., relative position, charges of protons, neutrons, and electrons).

2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · The Chemistry of Life

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students build and draw simple atoms. They place protons and neutrons in the center, put electrons around them, and label each particle’s charge.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given carbon with six protons and six neutrons, a student draws six electrons around the center. They label protons positive, neutrons neutral, and electrons negative.
Common Misconceptions: Students may put electrons in the center or give neutrons a charge. Some think changing the number of neutrons makes an atom a different element.
How to Assess It: Ask students to draw a neutral carbon atom with six protons and six neutrons. Have them add electrons and label each particle’s location and charge.

Lesson moves

Give pairs red, white, and blue beads to build carbon with six of each particle, keeping protons and neutrons together.
Show carbon and nitrogen atom drawings with six and seven protons; ask, “Which particle count tells you the element?”
Hand out hydrogen, helium, and lithium particle-count cards; have students match each card to an atom drawing and check electron counts.
Pass around a graphite pencil; have students draw a carbon atom and label the particles in the graphite.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to FB.2.1, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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