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3rd ed. Anthea Maton, Jean Hopkins, Susan Johnson, and others. Prentice Hall Science Integrated Learning System series. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1997.

Program Overview The Prentice Hall Science Integrated Learning System series is a program for middle school or junior high school students. Designed to cover all relevant areas of science, this program consists of 19 books, each in a particular topic area, such as sound and light, the planet earth, and chemistry of matter. Seven science themes are incorporated into the program; the themes are energy, evolution, patterns of change, scale and structure, systems and interactions, unity and diversity, and stability. For each unit, teaching materials, ancillary student materials, and some optional components are available.

Student Edition Recommended grade level: 8+. Reading level: 12. The textbook Chemistry of Matter, which introduces students to the chemical properties of matter, is organized in 5 chapters: (1) "Atoms and Bonding," (2) "Chemical Reactions," (3) "Families of Chemical Compounds," (4) "Petrochemical Technology," and (5) "Radioactive Elements." Students learn about ionic, covalent, and metallic bonds and about how to predict bond type. They also learn about chemical reactions, chemical equations, and the energy associated with chemical reactions. They study the nature of solutions and the factors that affect the rate of solution and solubility. Students also investigate acids, bases, and salts, as well as carbon compounds, petrochemical technology, and polymerization. They are introduced to the properties of radioactive elements, find out how nuclear reactions (including transmutation, fission, and fusion) occur, and learn about the uses and dangers of radioactivity.

Each chapter includes a lab investigation. Students explore the melting points and conductivity of ionic and covalent compounds, and they see how the concentration of a substance affects reaction rate. They also experiment with acids and bases to discover their properties, and discover how natural and synthetic polymers compare in strength, absorbency, and resistance to chemical damage.

Each chapter contains comprehensive reading sections that introduce major science concepts. Suggestions are provided for activities in which students "find out by doing," "find out by reading," and "find out by writing." Other skills-oriented activities are also suggested—for example, growing salt crystals and testing the pH of common household substances.