Teacher: Rachel Valiquette Date: March 1st, 2017

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School: Conrad Ball Middle School Grade Level: 6 grade Content Area: Chemistry
Title: Mix it! Lesson #: 1 of

Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson: (Write Content Standards directly from the standard)
PS1-4: Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure
substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
PS3-4: Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass,
and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample.

Understandings: (Big Ideas)

1. Students will compare the effects of temperature on the energy of molecules. (Blooms analyze)
2. Students will illustrate how food coloring moves throughout water in a variety of temperatures. (Blooms apply)
3. Students will discover that molecules moving faster have a higher energy. ( Blooms apply)
4. Students will hypothesize about the effects temperature of water has on the movement of molecules. (Blooms
create)
5. Students will demonstrate their abilities to follow safe laboratory procedures. ( Blooms understand)

Inquiry Questions: (Essential questions relating knowledge at end of the unit of instruction, select applicable
questions from standard)
1. How do molecules move?
2. How is the energy of molecules affected by temperature?
3. Would molecules in a higher or lower temperature have more energy?
4. Would molecules in a solid, liquid, or gas have more energy?
5. How can you increase the energy of molecules?
6. How can you observe the movement of molecules in an experiment?

Evidence Outcomes: (Learning Targets)

Every student will be able to: Build a connection between the temperature of water and the energy of the molecules in
that water.
This means I can: Understand that an increase in temperature will increase the energy of molecules.
 Planned Lesson Activities
Name and Mix it!
Purpose of
Lesson The purpose of this lesson is an introduction to the thermal energy unit. I wanted to create a lab
that would allow students to explore a simple question, How does temperature affect the
movement of molecules?

Approx. Time Materials: beakers, graduated cylinders, ice water, kettle for hot water, food coloring, mix it
and Materials worksheet, students iPad

Approximate time:
0-5 minutes: Do Now
5-8 minutes: Agenda, Standard, and Learning Target
8-18 minutes: Crash Course Chemistry #21 - Lab Safety and Technique
18-45 minutes: Mix it! Lab
45-54 minutes: Whole class demonstration and discussion

Anticipatory The students follow a routine each morning in which they answer a Do Now question. This
Set questions is typically a simple question in which students will have a variety of answers all
revolving around a similar idea. Using this routine helps students to make connections to what
they learned in the previous day and help them connect those ideas to what they will be learning
about in following lessons. For this Do Now, I will have the students answer the question, How
would you describe the energy of a molecule? Think about the movement of a molecule. I came
up with this question because I wanted students to inquire about movement of molecules and
how when they move slower they would have a lower energy, similar to how we are as humans.
They will complete this task in their Do Now folder on their iPads. If a students does not have
their iPad present in class, they are expected to problem solve and use a paper and pencil.

Procedures Teacher Actions Student Actions

0-5 minutes: Do Now 0-5 minutes: Students will be

During the first 5 minutes of class I will have the students expected to have their iPads
complete a Do Now activity that they are used to seeing in charged and ready to use in class
their everyday practice. This Do Now question will involve in order to complete the Do Now
students answering the question, How would you describe activity. If students are not
the energy of a molecule? Think about the movement of a prepared with their iPads, they
molecule. The Do Now will be displayed on the projector are expected to problem solve
and will also be available in a folder that students can locate and complete the activity on
on their iPads. After I have assessed that the students have paper and pencil.
completed the Do Now, I will ask some of the students to
share out their answers and we will have an open discussion
about them as a class. I like to give the students an
opportunity to jot down thoughts that they have in regards to
the prompt and then see them make those clarifying
connections when we hold the class discussion.
Check for understanding - Ask some of the students to share
their answers for the Do Now question on molecules.
(Intrapersonal, interpersonal, verbal/linguistic, visual/spatial)
5-8 minutes: Agenda, Standard, and Learning Target 5-8 minutes: The students are
I will explain to the students the agenda for the day. The expected to listen quietly with
agenda will be as follows: Do Now activity, talk about the their iPads closed and locked.
goals for the class period and expectations for the lab, we
will be watching a crash-course video on lab safety and
techniques in the classroom, then we will be spending the
majority of the class on the lab. It is important that I show the
students what the lab procedure looks like and the important
steps they need to remember in order to prevent taking too
much time with individual students to clarify the lab
procedure.
(verbal/linguistic)

8-18 minutes: Crash Course Chemistry #21 - Lab Safety and 8-18 minutes: Students are
Technique expected to be listening to the
Although the students will be working with water and food video and paying attention to safe
coloring in their lab, I think it is always interesting for laboratory procedures.
students to think about safe laboratory procedures when
working with chemicals. I also think that the video gets
students excited about lab work and exploring with
movement. We will also be discussing the video as a class to
make sure that students dont have any questions they need
clarifying.
Check for understanding
(Visual/spatial, musical/rhythmic)

18-45 minutes: Mix it! Lab 18-45 minutes: Students are

During the lab, students will explore the effects of expected to complete the lab and
temperature on molecule speed. This lab is an exploratory lab worksheet in a timely manner.
lab in which students will make their own discoveries about
molecule movement. The lab is split into three sections of the
same procedure in which students will take a beaker of
water, cold, room temperature, and hot water, and place one
drop of food coloring on the top of the beaker. The students
will then observe the path that the food dye takes through the
water and form their own observations from the beaker. The
students will also draw what they observe the food dye does
in the beaker. After the students have completed the lab,
they will form conclusions about the effects of temperature
on the water molecule speed. Students should reach the
conclusion that the food dye in the cold water moves at a
slower speed, inferring that the colder the water, the slower
the molecules are moving. Similarly they should students
should reach the conclusion that the food dye in the hot
water will spread through the water at a faster speed,
inferring that the hotter the water, the quicker the water
molecules are moving.
Check for understanding individually and in groups
(Body kinesthetic, visual/spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal)
 45-54 minutes: Whole class demonstration and discussion 45-54 minutes: Students will
(see closure for description) participate in the class discussion
Check for understanding to further their understanding.
(visual/spatial, verbal/linguistic, interpersonal)

Closure The closure of todays lesson will be a class discussion guided by my demonstration of the lab. At
this point in the lesson, students will have completed the lab. This would include observing what
happens to the movement of food coloring though cold water, room temperature water, and hot
water. The students will record their observations for each trial and describe what they believe is
happening to the energy of the water molecules. I will demonstrate each section of the lab for
students individually and after each section I will ask them to read some of their observations that
they had written on their assignment. I will know that the students understood the purpose of the
lesson by assessing their answers to my prompted questions.

Differentiation Do Now: During the Do Now, students are allowed to use their notes to answer the prompt.
There are several modes of accessing the daily prompt, such as it is projected on the screen as
well as accessible through their iPads. The students are also encouraged to answer the prompt
using whatever creative outlet they choose.

Mix it!: During the lab there are different levels of understanding that students can choose to
complete. Each student is given the opportunity to test their understanding at any level they feel
comfortable at. Students are always encouraged to move up a level if the assignment is too
simple, or to move down a level if they feel that they are struggling.

Assessment Do Now: The Do Now is a basic post-lesson assessment that students complete each morning
to help their understanding of prior knowledge and how they can connect that knowledge to the
days lesson.
Checks for Understanding X?: Throughout the lesson I check in on the students understanding of
the content and assignment and expectations for the day in order to guide each student
individually, or as a whole group, towards what is best for their learning progression.

Mix it! Lab: The students will be graded on this lab through using their prior knowledge to answer
questions as well as providing meaningful observations throughout the lab.