Mini Unit Plan

Teacher
Subject
Topic/Foc
us

Andrew Kerssens
Science
Classroom Chemistry Grade 5

Overarchin
g Questions

Is there a difference between a physical mixture and a chemical

reaction?
Do they understand the process taking place in reaction and can
they use this knowledge in order to create a product that wasnt
present in the beginning?

Learner
Considerati
ons

Make lessons interesting by implementing hands-on activities.

Lessons are built up from activities that work best for different learners.
Each lesson has activities that help each type of learner.

Performanc
e Task
Overview

Students will use what they have learned to isolate substances and use
their pure samples to make a chemical reaction in order to produce CO 2

Learner Outcomes
General
Outcomes
57 Describe
the
properties
and
interactions
of various
household
liquids and
solids, and
interpret their
interactions
57 Describe
the
properties
and
interactions
of various
household
liquids and
solids, and
interpret their
interactions

Specific
Outcomes

Links to
Overarching
Question/subquestions

Assessment
Criteria
Students provide evidence
of their learning as they

1. Recognize and
identify examples of
the following kinds of
Could the students find
What are the different
mixtures: two or
a way to solve the
types of mixtures?
more solids; e.g., sand
problem presented
and sugar a solid and
What makes them
in learning activity
a liquid; e.g., sugar
different?
3?
and water two or
How can the mixtures
Could
the
students
more liquids; e.g., milk
be separated into
work
through
the
and tea.
their individual
gizmo
effectively?
2. Apply and evaluate
components?
a variety of techniques
for separating different
materials.
3. Distinguish
What common solids
Could the students
substances that will
will dissolve in water
place themselves
dissolve in a liquid
and which will not?
properly in the
from those that will
game?
How can we recover a
not, and demonstrate
Could
the
students
material from a
a way of recovering a
solution it has
explain why
material from solution
dissolved in?
different changes
7. Distinguish
took place on the
Why do some solutions
reversible from
website?
go back to their
irreversible changes of
original components
materials, and give
under certain
examples of each.
conditions and why

do others not?

57 Describe
the
properties
and
interactions
of various
household
liquids and
solids, and
interpret their
interactions

6. Produce carbon
dioxide gas through
the interaction of
solids and liquids, and
demonstrate that it is
different from air.
8. Recognize and
describe evidence of a
chemical reaction.
Explain how the
products of a reaction
differ from the original
substances.

How can we tell is a

chemical reaction
took place or if it
was just a physical
change?
What are the
differences between
air and CO2?

The students could

match the concepts
quickly during the
matching game.
The students
performed the
experiments
properly and could
distinguish the
chemical reactions
from the physical
changes.
The students could
explain how the fire
acted differently in
the bag of CO2
compared to air.

The science program of studies focusses on working to

nurture the students natural curiosities about the topics that they
will come across in their lives. Students need to be able to
understand and interpret the world around them and in order to
accomplish this as a teacher, it is very important to link what they
are learning to what they experience every day. We must find
ways to link the concepts to other things that they are studying
which will build toward a cross curricular link and encode the
information more deeply. The unit Classroom Chemistry is the
first time that the students are introduced to chemistry in their
educations. This makes it very important to make the unit

interesting so that the students feel driven to pursue it later on in

their academic careers. Instead of taking an approach that
requires the students to sit and take notes while learning how the
chemistry works, it is important to get the students involved in
experiments so that they can experience it first-hand. An
important step must be taken in order to remove the students
from an experience where they are being told what to do and
what will happen. The students must learn to form their own
questions and search for ways to find answers for themselves.
Natural curiosities of students will make them seek answers and
we must facilitate the exploration of the knowledge without
impeding it with boring answers. Leaving the students hooked on
the subject will cause them to get excited in later years when
they explore it further. In this unit, there are many ways that this
can be done. By bringing in experiments and letting the students
play around with them before thoroughly explaining them will
allow them to notice certain things that are happening and they
will then form their own questions and hypotheses. We can then
explore these topics as a class in order to maximize the selfdirected learning. When introducing the topics, the learning will

start out by being somewhat directed but by the end will develop
into a self-guided learning process where the students can
develop their own solutions to problems.
This topic is important to the students because it affects all
of their lives. So many aspects of our lives are made using
chemistry, from the flavours in our snacks, to the new polyesters
that we wear every day, or even plastics that we use so
frequently in life. Understanding how things interact and either
form or do not form new materials is very important, especially
for satisfying natural curiosities. Why does sugar dissolve in
water but sand doesnt? Why doesnt all of the sugar dissolve if
you put in too much? Why does milk and coffee mix but milk and
pop curdles? How can heat be generated or absorbed when two
room temperature things mix? We come across these situations
commonly in life and so it is important that the students can
apply their knowledge to them. This could be useful when doing
many everyday things like making a drink. Knowing that adding
too much sugar to water will not make it sweeter, may prevent
them from being wasteful and pouring in too much. Also if they
feel inventive and want to try a new drink, that mixing milk and

pop will not turn out well due to the acidity causing it to curdle. It
will also explain why milk goes bad, as the acidity of it increases
over time. By relating the information to common aspects of their
lives, they will see the relevancy and importance of knowing how
these interactions work.
Since this unit is the only chemistry unit in grade 1-8 it is an
important topic to cover thoroughly. When they are in grade 9
they will be expected to remember what they have learned and
apply it to new information so it is important to embed it properly
in their memory. By developing their own thoughts and
questions, they should be able to become engaged and increase
the retention of the learning. This happens through a deep
thought process which cannot be accessed by just relaying
information in the traditional way.
In order to assess if they are learning effectively, the
students will be posed with questions about the world around
them. Is there a difference between a physical mixture and a
chemical reaction? Do they understand the process taking place
in reaction and can they use this knowledge in order to create a
product that wasnt present in the beginning? How can

explosions happen just by mixing a couple of ingredients? These

are all questions that are explored in this unit and that can be
presented in ways that intrigue students so that they really want
to learn more about the subject. Since this is the first introduction
to chemistry, it does not require much background knowledge.
Basic skills of mixing and observing will be needed and having
seen or experienced how some of these different materials
interact will be helpful.

Crash Landing
Your group is a team of astronauts who have crash landed on an
uninhabited planet. Your rocket is out of fuel so you must find a
way to power your rocket and make it home. The ground on this
planet is made up of a fine white powder that is mixed in with
large rocks. An analysis of the powder shows that it is sodium

bicarbonate (baking soda). There seems to be a familiar smell in

the air. It smells like vinegar but there is no vinegar in sight,
however you do see what seems to be a lake of oil. After further
investigation you see that there is vinegar underneath the layer of
oil. The rockets onboard laboratory contains a separator funnel,
a fan, a sieve, a very large eyedropper, filter paper, beakers, a
distillation apparatus, and water bottles. Remember that large
pieces and undissolved liquids may clog up the fuel tanks and
break the rocket. How will you create fuel in a pure way with the
materials that you have?
In order to accomplish this safely and successfully, your group
must form a hypothesis on what how the supplies could make
fuel, a procedure on how you will make a pure fuel source, and
outline safety measures that everyone must follow before
beginning the task. In the procedure, be sure to state what lab
tools you expect will be needed and what will happen at each
step in words and with pictures.
When you have a thoughtful hypothesis and a safe and clear
procedure, you may collect a sample from the lake and a sample
from the ground. These can be brought into the lab and you may
begin on forming a proper fuel source. Once the fuel is made a
test should be done before pouring it into the rocket. What will
you use to test the fuel source? Be sure to record all observations
throughout the procedure so that you have evidence when you
get back to Earth. The Canadian Space Agency will want a report
back with your hypothesis, procedure, observations, safety
measures, and a final conclusion of how everything came
together.
Good luck astronauts. I hope to see all of you back on Earth!
Rubric: Crash Landing
Student:

Level
Criteria

Excelle
nt

Proficie
nt

Adequa
te

Limited
*

Lacked
contribution
in group
work

Group
Work

Eagerly
involved in
group work

Willingly
participated
in the group
work

Reasonabl
e
contribution
s in group
work

Separati
on
Techniq
ues

Efficiently
applied
separation
techniques

Practical
application
of
separation
techniques

Viable
application
of
separation
techniques

Unworkabl
e
application
of
separation
techniques

Action
Plan
(Proced
ure)

Innovative
plan to
isolate and
create the
fuel source

Effective
plan to
isolate and
create the
fuel source

Workable
plan to
isolate and
create the
fuel source

Ineffective
plan to
isolate and
create the
fuel source

Report

In-depth
hypothesis,
observations
, and
conclusion

Considerab
le
hypothesis,
observations
, and
conclusion

Partial
hypothesis,
observations
, and
conclusion

Undevelop
ed
hypothesis,
observations
, and
conclusion

Insuffici
ent /
Blank *
No score is
awarded
because there
is insufficient
evidence of
student
performance
based on the
requirements of
the assessment
task.

* When work is judged to be limited or insufficient, the teacher makes decisions about appropriate intervention to help the
student improve.

Lesson
Title/Focu
s

Classroom Chemistry 1 of 3

Date

Nov. 4, 2015

Grade

Time
Durati
on

45 mins

OUTCOMES FROM ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES

General
Learning
Outcome
s:
Specific
Learning
Outcome
s:

57 Describe the properties and interactions of various household

liquids and solids, and interpret their interactions
1. Recognize and identify examples of the following kinds of
mixtures: two or more solids; e.g., sand and sugar a solid and a
liquid; e.g., sugar and water two or more liquids; e.g., milk and tea.
2. Apply and evaluate a variety of techniques for separating different
materials.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will:
1. Identify mixtures of solids and liquids.
2. Differentiate between types of mixtures.
3. Evaluate a variety of techniques for separating different materials.

ASSESSMENTS
Observations:

The students distinguish solids and liquids in mixtures.

The students could describe different ways to separate a mixture.

What are the different types of mixtures?

What makes them different?
How can the mixtures be separated into their individual
components?
Products/Perform Could the students find a way to solve the problem
ances:
presented in learning activity 3?
Could the students work through the gizmo effectively?
Key Questions:

LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED

Alberta Programs of Study
Gizmo:
http://www.elearningforkids.org/science/lesson/cyprusdancing-school-separating-mixtures/
Alberta Grade 5 Science SAM

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Computers
Worksheet
Sand
Plastic Gold
Nuggets
Sieves

Water
Oil
Cups
Eyedroppers
Rocks

PROCEDURE
Prior to lesson

Mix sand and gold nuggets and make sure sieve is clean for
learning activity 1. Have a cup of water, a cup of oil, and an
empty cup ready for learning activity 2. Prepare rock, sand,
and oil mixtures and have an eyedropper ready for each
group. Have extra water ready for activity 3. Have paper
towels or a mop in case of spills. Have worksheets ready
for the class in case technical error occurs.
Introduction
Time

Attention
Grabber

Assessment of
Prior Knowledge

Expectations for
Learning and
Behaviour
Transition to
Body

Learning Activity
#1
Klondike Gold
Rush

In the 1890s the Yukon was not a part of Canada and

would not have been one for a very long time, if it were
not for the Klondike Gold Rush. Now, we as Albertans
rely heavily on the oil sands in order to finance our
province and our country. How we were able to get gold
out of the creek, or the oil out of the sand? We will
explore these topics along with many other practical
uses that we come across in our daily lives.
Before we begin, does anyone know how these
processes work?
-introduce idea of a sieve for gold/sand
We should all be familiar with some mixture such as,
water and liquid juice concentrate, sand and water at
the beach, and dirt and rocks on the park or playground.

3 mins

We will be learning about different types of mixtures and

by the end, you should be able to evaluate the method
necessary for separating a certain mixture.
Lets begin by going back to 1896 when an abundance of
gold was found on a creek and the settlers had to figure
out how to get at it.
Body
The first mixture we will discuss is solids mixed together.
Relate to what the students have seen (e.g. Rocks
and dirt mixed on a playground)
Ask for other examples of solid-solid mixtures
Introduce the gold rush when gold was mixed with sand
Hand out cups with gold nuggets mixed with sand
Prompt for ways to isolate the gold
Take 2-3 suggestions before showing the sieve
Hand out sieves and allow students to practice
them by getting gold out

Teacher Notes:
Assessments/
Differentiation

Students will do and see the importance of separation of

materials and link this to a historically significant
moment. This will appeal to kinesthetic and visual
learners.

Learning Activity
#2
Different Mixture
Types

Next we will investigate solid-liquid mixtures.

Ask the students to come up with examples with
a partner
o They will have one minute to come up
with as many examples as possible
o Some students will be asked to share
theirs with the class
o If some are having difficulty, prompt for
sand and water at the beach, dirt and
water on a rainy day, or juice that has had
too much sugar poured into it
The final type of mixture is liquid-liquid.
Ask if anyone has seen oil and water mixed and
then discuss it as a class

Time

7 mins

6 mins

Teacher Notes:
Assessments/
Differentiation

Learning Activity
#3
Alberta Oil
Sands

Teacher Notes:
Assessments/
Differentiation

Learning Activity
#4
Separating
Materials Gizmo

Introduce and link this to the term emulsion

Show a plastic cup with oil and water in it to the
class
Can anyone think of a way to separate the two liquids in
the oil-water mixture?
Show eyedropper, separating funnel, or a
distillation device either in the class or if none are
available have an image ready to put up on
projector
Students will relate the material to aspects of their
everyday life and see how this knowledge relates to
many different scenarios. This will appeal to auditory
and visual learners.
Now we are going to put ourselves in the shoes of the
people who work in the oil sands.
How can we use the types of separation in order to solve
a problem such as the one presented?
Place students in small groups (size may vary
depending on class)
Assign two people from each group to come up
and gather the materials (one side of the room
has a cup with oil and sand in it and empty cups,
have each group take two empty cups, the other
side will have a sieve and a cup of water).
The groups now have to come up with a way to
extract the valuable oil from the sand
Tell them to make sure not to miss any as every
last drop is very expensive!
The goal: Students will apply the knowledge
gained in the lesson and filter the sand out of the
oil and rinse the sand off with water to gain any
left over, then use an eyedropper to extract the
oil from the water. If the students can devise a
different way to solve the problem be sure to
encourage the innovative thought that they
brought to the problem.
Which types of mixtures were in this task?
Students will do a mini-performance task to apply the
knowledge of separating different types of mixtures that
they have just learned. The task is related to a wellknown feature of our province and teaches them how to
approach problems that are in our popular industry. This
will appeal to kinesthetic and visual learners.
See if the students can apply their knowledge in
different ways on the website gizmo.
Allow them to work in partners if they work
effectively and want to be in partners
The gizmo allows the students to deal with
problems that would not come across in the
classroom
Be sure to ask which type of mixture they are
dealing with before they go on to solve the
presented problems
If a technological error occurs or some students prefer a

15 mins

12 mins

written format, the attached worksheets may be used as

a substitute but the students are encouraged to go on
the gizmo website at a later time or at home.
Teacher Notes:
Assessments/
Differentiation

Consolidation of
Learning:
Transition To
Next Lesson

Students will solve problems in either a gizmo or written

form. They may collaborate in order to gain insight and
see different views on how to approach a problem. This
will appeal to visual, kinesthetic, auditory (gizmo has
sound), and read & write learners.
Closure
Revisit ideas of different mixtures and the historical
importance that this has played a role in. Tomorrow we
get to come back and discover why certain things mix in
special ways and maybe even perform some
experiments that could get big and messy!

Time

2 mins

Rationale
This lesson will introduce the concept of mixtures. In the days to come, the students will
build on this concept to understand solutions, physical changes, and eventually the basics
of a chemical reaction. The unit will begin building a foundation for interactions between
materials on a large scale and eventually work down to a molecular level. An assumption
made with this lesson is that they have experienced interactions between different
materials. It also makes the assumption that they have learned about the Klondike Gold
Rush and the Alberta oil sands but if they have not, it would play a great transition into a
social studies lesson on these topics. The lesson relates to the POS goal of gaining
knowledge, skills, and attributes. The knowledge gained is in seeing the different methods
used to separate materials in our daily lives. Skills based on practical use and practicing
them in the classroom will prepare them for future endeavors in fields such as oil. The
attitudes gained are that they could pursue a career in science because they have already
participated in a similar activity to what is done in the field. The next lesson will consider
SLO 3. Distinguish substances that will dissolve in a liquid from those that will not, and
demonstrate a way of recovering a material from solution. And SLO 7. Distinguish
reversible from irreversible changes of materials, and give examples of each. This is
connected because they have now been introduced to solids and liquids and how they
interact but next they will consider why certain solids will dissolve and alter the type of
mixture that is present. It also fits with SLO 7 because they will study why these mixtures
are often reversible and why some other mixtures are not.
I thought that the gizmo was best used in this lesson because the topic has so many
possible mixtures that it would be impossible for the students to deal with every one
inside the classroom. The gizmo does a great job of applying the knowledge in many
different ways while also including prompts for the students if they are still having troubles
with the concepts. It also presents the ideas in more ways that these problems relate to
everyday situations and they can help the characters along the way. Science gizmos have
only recently been shown but I have seen so many applications and possibilities to
implement them across different lessons throughout my teaching career. It is always
important to keep in mind that there is a possibility that the technology will fail and so
having a similar worksheet can suffice until the errors are worked out and the website is
back up and working.

Lesson
Title/Focu
s

Classroom Chemistry 2 of 3

Date

Nov. 5, 2015

Grade

Time
Durati
on

45 mins

OUTCOMES FROM ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES

General
Learning
Outcome
s:
Specific
Learning
Outcome
s:

57 Describe the properties and interactions of various household

liquids and solids, and interpret their interactions
3. Distinguish substances that will dissolve in a liquid from those that
will not, and demonstrate a way of recovering a material from
solution
7. Distinguish reversible from irreversible changes of materials, and
give examples of each.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will:
4. Differentiate solutes that will or will not dissolve different solvents
5. Demonstrate ways to separate original materials from a solution
6. Differentiate reversible from irreversible changes

ASSESSMENTS
Observations:

Key Questions:

Products/Perfor
mances:

The students could identify dissolved substances in their everyday

lives.
The students could distinguish themselves into groups that placed
them as solutes or solvents.
The students could explain why they would separate themselves in
different ways.
The students could differentiate reversible and irreversible changes.
What common solids will dissolve in water and which will
not?
How can we recover a material from a solution it has
dissolved in?
Why do some solutions go back to their original components
under certain conditions and why do others not?
Could the students place themselves properly in the game?
Could the students explain why different changes took place
on the website?

LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Alberta Programs of Study

Website Link to Gizmo
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ag Labels for Game
es/10_11/rev_irrev_changes.shtml
Paper
Writing Materials
Pictures of Separation Methods

PROCEDURE

Prior to lesson

Attention
Grabber

Assessment of
Prior Knowledge
Expectations for
Learning and
Behaviour

Transition to
Body
Learning
Activity #1
Materials that
Dissolve

Teacher Notes:
Assessments/
Differentiation

Learning
Activity #2
Solutes and
Solvents

Have labels ready for the game. Have pictures easily

accessible to place quickly. Have paper and writing utensils
ready if the students do not have their own. Get computers
or other internet device that is ready to play the game.
Introduction
Time
What do we do if we accidentally dissolve a substance
that we didnt mean to? There are many ways to extract
the substances but how would we go about doing it?
Let a few students give suggestions to see if they know
any ways.
Today we will build on these methods and discover some
new ways to separate materials after being dissolved.
We will also try to understand why certain things do not
dissolve and if there are certain mixtures that are
irreversible.
Let us begin by discussing in groups, substances that do
or do not dissolve in water or other liquids that we come
across in our daily lives.
Body
What common solids will dissolve in water and which will
not?
Put together groups of 4 to discuss and record
different solids that dissolve and liquids that
dissolve them.
Go around the class making sure students stay on
task and prompting students who are having
difficulty.
After 5 mins bring class together and discuss the
different materials that they came up with. Write
them on the board for the class to see.
Students will discuss and write about the different
materials that they have seen before. This will relate the
new knowledge to the prior life knowledge that the
students have. It will be important to know the students
well enough to group them in groups that they will not be
distracted in. This part of the lesson will be good for
visual, read and write, and auditory learners.
Introduce the words solute and solvent and relate
them to the ideas on the board
Solutes and Solvents Game
o Separate class into five groups
o Give one group tags that label them solute
o Give one group tags that label them
solvent
o Give one group tags that label them
different solutes
o Give one group tags that label them
different solvents
o Give one group tags that label them solids
that are not soluble in the solvents
o The students will now have to pair off to

2 mins

Time

8 mins

18 mins

Teacher Notes:
Assessments/
Differentiation

Learning
Activity #3
Reversible or
Irreversible
Gizmo

Teacher Notes:
Assessments/
Differentiation

Consolidation of

match with what their label is (e.g. A

student with a label that reads water would
pair with a solvent student)
o The pairs will now have to find a pair that
they are soluble with (e.g. A pair of
students with solvent/water would find a
pair that have solute/sugar)
o Allow the students to differentiate between
which solids are soluble and which are not
but those with insoluble solids can join a
group to be included in next step
o While they are grouping up, set the
pictures of different separation types put in
corners of the room
o When all groups are made, allow them to
place themselves by a separation method
in order to part from their opposing pair
o Facilitate a conversation about how and
why different separation methods will or
will not work and how these differ from the
methods discussed last class
Allow the students to settle back into their seats
How can we recover a material from a solution it has
dissolved in?
Students will actively participate in the game to place
themselves in the appropriate category, forcing them to
differentiate between solutes and solvents and what
substances dissolve in each other. This activity will get
the students up and moving around, which keeps
attention and interest high.
Why do some solutions go back to their original
components under certain conditions and why do others
not?
So far we have only seen reversible reactions so
what does it mean to be irreversible?
Allow students to give some ideas of irreversible
changes
Discuss different types such as baking a cake,
cooking an egg, or burning paper
Give some time to work on the reversible or
irreversible change website game
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/10
_11/rev_irrev_changes.shtml
o If technological error occurs have a class or
partner discussion about different
reversible and irreversible changes
Students will interact with the website in order to gain
more knowledge on the applications of the information.
The website has great visuals, making it a great tool for
the visual learners. It also allows the students to move
substances around making it useful for kinesthetic
learners.
Closure
Revisit ideas of mixtures and the differences between

15 mins

Time
2 mins

Learning:
Transition To
Next Lesson

dissolved solutions and mixtures. Briefly link this lesson

with previous one.

Tomorrow we get to make substances turn into different

ones and discuss why they change while the solutions we
dealt with today do not.
Rationale
This lesson will build upon the initial lesson about mixtures. The students have now seen
that sometimes certain solids will dissolve in liquids and how to differentiate between ones
that will and those that will not. Students began talking about separating substances last
class on a physical, macroscopic level and have now moved into a more complex level of
thinking. With state changes, the matter is harder to comprehend but this will now
scaffold into the next lesson where we discuss chemical reactions on a microscopic level.
This lesson would require that the students fully understood yesterdays lesson, which
may lead to some difficulty if we continue to press on through the material. The
knowledge gained in this lesson is deepening the students understanding of separation of
materials and seeing materials change state. The skill developed is distinguishing solutes
and solvents. Though they did not distinguish the actual solvents and solutes, the
students had to decide which was which and which were neither when playing the game.
Next class the students will move into studying chemical reactions. They will use these in
order to produce carbon dioxide which will fulfill SLO 6 and 8, and will also prepare them to
complete their final performance task.
I decided to put another gizmo into this unit for a similar lesson as the previous one.
There are just far too many possibilities when it comes to mixtures and reactions and
these gizmos do a great job of exposing the students to many more of these than would
be possible with in class experiments. While many of these could be brought into the
classroom, it would take much more time to set up, perform, and clean up than it does on
a computer gizmo. I am glad to see the abundance of gizmos for the science curriculum
and I cant wait to discover more as I go on in my teaching career.

Lesson
Title/Focu
s

Classroom Chemistry 3 of 3

Grade

Teache
r
Date
Time
Durati
on

Andrew Kerssens
Nov. 6, 2015
45 mins

OUTCOMES FROM ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES

General
Learning
Outcome
s:
Specific
Learning
Outcome
s:

57 Describe the properties and interactions of various household

liquids and solids, and interpret their interactions
6. Produce carbon dioxide gas through the interaction of solids and
liquids, and demonstrate that it is different from air.
8. Recognize and describe evidence of a chemical reaction. Explain
how the products of a reaction differ from the original substances.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will:
7. Be able to produce carbon dioxide gas through interacting solids and liquids
8. Identify the differences between carbon dioxide and air
9. Differentiate chemical reactions from physical changes
10. Explain how the products of a chemical reaction differ from the original substances

ASSESSMENTS
Observations:

Key Questions:

Products/Perfor
mances:

The students linked the different forms of evidence for chemical

reactions to things that they saw outside of the classroom.
The students could explain to their classmates who didnt
understand why the concepts were linked in certain ways during
the game.
The students could differentiate between physical changes and
chemical reactions.
How can we tell is a chemical reaction took place or if it was
just a physical change?
What are the differences between air and CO2?
The students could match the concepts quickly during the matching
game.
The students performed the experiments properly and could
distinguish the chemical reactions from the physical changes.
The students could explain how the fire acted differently in the bag
of CO2 compared to air.

LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED

Alberta Programs of Study

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Plastic cups
Observation
Sheet
Matching
Game Pieces
Water
Lighter

Sugar
Vinegar
Baking Soda
Hydrogen
Peroxide
Dry Yeast
Bags
Splints

PROCEDURE
Prior to lesson

Attention
Grabber

Assessment of
Prior Knowledge
Expectations for
Learning and
Behaviour

Have plastic cups containing water, sugar, vinegar, baking

soda, hydrogen peroxide, and dry yeast ready. Make sure all
of the matching game pieces are mixed up and there are
enough for each group.
Introduction
Time
We have been discussing the interactions of materials as
3 mins
they cause each other to undergo physical changes.
What happens when they interact to create a completely
new substance that was not present before? This is
called a chemical reaction and we will be exploring them
today.
Before we begin, does anyone have any experience with
chemical reactions?
Prompt for burning fire, baking, rusting, soaps, etc.
We will be learning how these processes work today and
by the end, you should be able to explain how they work
and which kind we can use in order to create carbon

Transition to
Body
dioxide.
Learning
Activity #1
What Evidence
Is There?

Teacher Notes:
Assessments/
Differentiation

Learning
Activity #2
Matching Game

Teacher Notes:
Assessments/
Differentiation

Learning
Activity #3
Experiments

Body
What is a chemical reaction?
Explain the transformation from a substance into a
new substance. Compared to physical changes where
substances just mix together, chemical reactions actually
completely change their form so that the original
substance is no longer present.
What is the evidence of a chemical reaction?
Discuss with visual prompts (photos or drawings) of
each form of evidence:
Temperature change (e.g. Fire and cold packs)
Colour change (e.g. Leaf colour change in fall)
Precipitate be sure to discuss what this means in
detail as the students will most likely have never
heard the term (e.g. Milk curdling in acid/pop)
Formation of a gas (e.g. Baking soda and vinegar)
Odour change (e.g. Cooking and baking)
Can anyone come up with their own examples of a
chemical reaction?
The students will see that chemical reactions are all
around them. They should be able to come up with some
examples of reactions that they have witnessed in their
lives. This part of the lesson will appeal most to the
auditory and visual learners.
Bring out matching game of pictures, terms, and
definitions. The students can work in table groups to
match the three correct terms together. (e.g. Picture of
fire with term temperature change and definition heat
gained or lost due to an interaction between two
materials.)
Can anyone tell me how these examples are different
from the physical changes that we have explored over
the past couple days?
How can we tell is a chemical reaction took place or if it
was just a physical change?
The students will do a matching game to show their
ability to bring the concepts together. This will require
them to have understood the previous activity well and
the students who were struggling can now have their
partners assist them in understanding the material. This
part of the lesson will appeal most to the kinesthetic and
read & write style learners.
Introduce experiment
Hand out observation sheets
Explain that they are to place an X or a check in
each box if the evidence is or is not present
Have students gather the cups with the reactants
in them
They will mix the materials as described on the

Time

8 mins

9 mins

20 mins

experiment sheet
Be sure to express the danger of ingesting H2O2
For the baking soda and vinegar reaction have
them attach a bag to the top of the cup and
gather the CO2
Collect a bag of CO2 and light a splint. Put the flame on
the splint into the bag of CO2 and have them explain how
the flame differs in the bag of CO2 from the air.
Teacher Notes:
The students will perform experiments in order to witness
Assessments/
these chemical reactions taking place. They will have to
Differentiation
relate the evidence discussed previously to the work in
order to identify if a chemical reaction took place or not.
If one did take place they are to use the worksheet to
identify the evidence that showed that the reaction took
place. This part of the lesson will appeal most to the
kinesthetic and visual learners.
Closure
Time
Consolidation of
Reconnect the ideas of chemical reactions with physical
Learning:
changes. Connect how the macroscopic physical
changes can be similar to the microscopic chemical
changes except that the molecules can change into
different molecules instead of the two materials just
Transition To
5 mins
mixing.
Next Lesson
Get the students excited that next class they get to
become chemists and work to isolate materials and react
them in order to produce a gas that wasnt present
initially.
Rationale
At this point the lessons should have prepared the students for the performance task.
This final lesson was the last step of the scaffolding process that led the students to
thinking about mixtures and solutions on a microscopic level with molecules taken into
consideration. They began with large easily visible pieces and have now worked their way
toward understanding the fundamentals of chemical interactions and reactions. In this
lesson the knowledge was scaffolded into three sections. First the students brought out
their own knowledge and linked the new terms and concepts to the pre-existing
knowledge. They then applied this knowledge in a game in order to align their thoughts
and clarify what was part of each form of evidence. Finally, they had to analyze different
situations in order to conclude whether a reaction did or did not take place. This will be
similar to their performance task so I decided to include a miniature portion in order to
properly prepare them for what will be expected in the days to come.

Experiment Observation Sheet

Chemical
Reaction
Took Place

Vinegar +
Baking Soda

Sugar +
Water

Hydrogen
Peroxide +
Yeast

Temperature
Change

Gas
Formation

Precipitate

Colour
Change

Odour
Change

Matching Game
Terms:
Precipitate

Temperature Change (increase in

temperature)
Temperature Change (decrease in temperature)
Gas Formation

Colour Change

Odour Change

Definitions:
A solid is formed in a liquid solution that is insoluble with the
solution
Requires energy to start reaction (intakes energy)
Releases energy when the reaction takes place (outputs energy)
Gas is formed during a reaction
Colour of the solution is different from the reactants
Smell is different than it was initially
Pictures: