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Chemistry Lesson Plans |
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Classroom Lessons
(Printed/paper versions)
Digital & Internet Lessons Note: Many of the digital worksheets are formatted to print on regular-sized paper so they can be used as printed worksheets.
Also check out ...
Internet Lessons NOTE: All links previously availble on the Kid Zone are now listed in the Sites for Students area. Please provide the links your students need for assignments through your LMS or teacher website.
Download the PPT for a the teacher version of the Unit 1 materials. This file is a modified version of the "notes" I use for the presentation of lessons and activities. I added teacher notes in the margin areas along with screenshots of the digital notebook for students. Links are provided for the unit review activities and other labs that tie in with these concepts. This unit incorporates many of the classroom lessons listed in the next section.. The FIRST slide has a link to the student digital notebook - it will force you to make a copy. The link to the unit textbook is also provided on the student slides. It was created on CK-12.org. I also have PDF versions I created for my students that list the notes for each lesson in an abbreviated format. E-mail me if you would like to see how I do those. The unit includes:
Density Challenge - Download the PPT file for this density lesson involving the use of an online simulation (free to use) and a density column experiment, which can be done as a demonstration for remote learning. The PPT also includes teacher notes, the answer key, and a link to the slides to use for digital notebook or as a worksheet.
Hot
Chocolate Science -
Everyday
Chemistry Scavenger Hunt (Digital) -
Download the PPT to find a link to the
digital worksheet for students. They explore
the science behind their favorite foods and kitchen
hacks as they complete this lesson by watching the
four videos (which are also listed on the
Everyday Chemistry page in the
Sites for
Students area.
I often use this activity prior to the Christmas
Cookie Mystery listed below.
Meet the Elements
(Digital) -
Click
HERE for a PPT with a link to the digital
worksheet for students and an answer key you can
use in class. Share the
Meet the Elements video about elements and
compounds with your students.
Classroom Lessons | Back to top |
Case #1225: Case of
the Christmas Cookie Mystery
(T.Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL) Try this mystery powder unit with a cool holiday twist! For this lesson, students use their "investigative" powers to test six samples as well as mystery samples to help Mrs. Claus save Christmas. Complete details and student worksheets are available in the pdf version! Lesson Resources:
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Christmas
Chromatography - Deck the Halls With Science
(T.
Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL) Explore chromatography with your students by making a string of "light bulbs!" Students cut light bulb shapes out of coffee filters or filter paper and use water-soluble markers, pipe cleaners, and water to create a colorful display. String the light bulbs on a piece of black yarn to decorate your hallway or classroom. I've also created a little tune to the "Deck the Halls" melody! Complete details, a copy of the song, and light bulb patterns are available in the download. NOTE: I do my chemistry unit before Christmas vacation. You could adapt this idea to create Easter eggs, flowers, rainbows, or other objects depending on the time of year. Lesson Resources: Deck the Halls (pdf)
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Adopt-An-Element
- One of the favorite
projects of the year! (T.
Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL) For this project, students are required to research an element, create an advertisement, and complete an element fact sheet. They may use the Internet, CD-ROM's, encyclopedias, science books, or other reference sources. The advertisements are used to create a large periodic table on a wall outside my classroom. The advertisement must be colorful, neat, and contain the required information - atomic number, atomic mass, symbol, element's name, advertising slogan, and cost. Students must create a slogan that is related to the their element's uses. Pictures related to the advertising slogan must be included. Advertisements may be done on a computer or hand written/drawn. The fact sheet must be neat, written in blue/black ink, and contain all the information requested. Students are required to provide a list of sources (at least three) on the back of the fact sheet. NOTE:
Links for students can be found
in the
Sites for
Students area. . Lesson Resources: Adopt-An-Element Project (pdf) - includes all the worksheets for this lesson Other ideas
... Adopt-An-Element Online- Thanks to Loyal Perry for sharing his students' Adopt-An-Element projects! Check out "wearable" science projects at ScienceWear.net - Aprons, shirts, or labc oats with an elemental theme as well as options for astronomy, biology, and more! Thanks to Jody Hodges for developing this great project! Students use permanent markers or fabric paint to create their own "atomic" attire by coloring the lettering and adding diagrams of cells. Visit her webpage on Facebook for more details and pictures of completed projects! Also
challenge your students with:
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Atoms Family
(Lesson created by
Kathleen
Crawford, 1994) I use this lesson to introduce the fifth graders in my school to the basics of atomic structure. The members of the Atoms Family correspond to protons, neutrons, and electrons to help students remember their charges and locations in an atom. In addition, students learn the basics of electron configuration with a tour of Matterville. At the end of the lesson, students sing the Atoms Family song to the tune of the Adams Family. Lesson Resources:
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Element Trading Cards
(T. Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL) I created this project for fifth grade students in my school. After completing the Atoms Family lesson and Atomic Math Challenge, students use their knowledge of the elements to create trading cards. Students are also challenged to find pictures that illustrate the various uses for the elements. The pdf download includes project directions as well as templates for the cards. The templates may be copied on cover stock or glued on 3" x 5" index cards. Our students create cards for 5 elements. The worksheet provided does not include such a requirement to allow you to modify the project to your classroom. Lesson Resources: Element Trading Cards (pdf)
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Periodic Table Basics
(T. Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL) I developed this lesson to
build on the activity called
Element Trading Cards (pdf) (see above) and
allow my students to explore the periodic properties
of the Periodic Table of Elements. Students complete
fact cards on the first 18 elements. They use
Internet sites or printed resources to find basic
information (atomic number, atomic mass, and phase),
melting and boiling points, physical and chemical
properties, and common uses as well as draw Bohr
diagrams and Lewis structures for each element.
Students also color code the fact cards before
cutting them apart and arranging according to atomic
number. After students have created a "mini"
periodic table on a large sheet of construction
paper, they use the information they have collected
to answer questions related to periods, families,
and properties. NOTE: Links for students can be found in the Sites for Students area. Lesson Resources:
Also available ...
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Building Blocks of Matter - Lego Lesson
(Tracy Tomm & Lindsay
Bogner, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL) During this lesson students use Legos to model elements, compounds, and mixtures in order to better understand the differences between them. They learn what coefficients and subscripts represent as the write expressions for each challenge. Download the teacher information page for more details. A PPT is also available. Lesson Resources: Teacher Information (pdf) with student worksheet, PowerPoint presentation
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Bonding Basics
(Tracy Tomm & Lindsay
Bogner, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL) My students have difficulty visualizing ionic and covalent bonds. In order to better help them understand the transferring or sharing of electrons, my student teacher, Lindsay Bogner, and I developed this new version that involves the use of atomic headbands and ping pong balls. Students use the ping pong balls as electrons and we demonstrate how each type of bond forms by either transferring ping pong balls from one headband to the other or by sharing ping pong balls between two headbands. Lesson Resources:
2010 Version - Don't have time or materials to make the headbands? Try this one! For this version, I've combined the 2002 and 2008 versions into one that uses candy pieces with the element labels from the headbands.
2002 Version
- I used this lesson
prior to developing the new version. Students used
Fruity Pebbles (or other small candy or cereal) for
electrons to learn more about the process of
transferring electrons for ionic bonding or sharing
of electrons for covalent bonding. The pdf download
includes the student worksheets as well as an answer
key and notes for teachers. Also
available ...
Candy Compounds (pdf) -
For this lesson, students use
gumdrops or jellybeans to model molecules and bond
structures. Download includes teacher notes, student
worksheet, and an answer key.
Bond with a Classmate
(Gail Sanders, Monroe Middle
School, Wheaton, IL) In this activity from Gail Sanders, a member of the MidLevel Science Teachers group in Northern Illinois, students are given a tag (or necklace) to wear with the symbol of an ion and its oxidation number. Positive ions are green and the negative ions are blue. The students are instructed to "bond" with other ions and keep a record of their bonds. Students had to work with their bonding partner to agree on and write a formula and name for the compound they formed. Once that was done, they could break the bond and find a different ion with which to bond. After 5 bonds, students switch tags with another student and start bonding again. Lesson Resources: Bond with a Classmate Cards (pdf) and Bond with a Classmate worksheet (pdf)
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Balancing Act
(T.
Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL) During this introductory lesson, students learn the concepts behind balancing chemical equations. I instruct my students to make a list of the atoms on each side of the equation to help them keep track of their progress. As they add coefficients, they increase the numbers for those atoms in their lists. The students can easily see if they have balanced each equation. Lesson Resources:
Snowman Challenge Game - Challenge your students to a game of balancing equations! Print out the snowman cards and problems. Cut them apart and hide in your classroom. Have the kids work in pairs to find problems and solve them. Rules and directions are printed on the top of the student worksheet. I cross off the problems as they are solved to keep track of the number of problems that are still hidden as they play the game.
Student Worksheet -
Snowman Challenge Worksheet & Answer Key (pdf) Equation Challenge Game - An updated version of the Snowman Challenge Game, which includes new questions in addition to the equations from the original challenge for a total of 60 problems. I printed out the challenge cards and placed each one inside an Easter egg, which I hid in various locations around my classroom. I have the kids work in pairs to find problems and solve them. Rules and directions are printed on the top of the student worksheet. Worksheets - Equation Challenge Worksheet (pdf), Equation Challenge Cards (pdf), and Equation Challenge Answer Key (pdf)
Want more equations to
balance? Visit these links ...
Thanks to Kari Pate for
sharing her "I
Spy An Element" game, which was created
after she used the Snowman Challenge. For this
challenge, the students must find elements that
match the clues on the various cards. She used
pumpkins to decorate the back of her cards.
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Chemical Reactions
(T.
Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL) My students have difficulty identify the different types of chemical reactions. I use this worksheet after we have already discussed balancing equations to explore the differences between synthesis, decomposition, single replacement, and double replacement reactions. Students watch a movie about chemical reactions and then use colored pencils to help them determine what happens during the reaction. Teacher notes have been provided along with the student worksheet and answer key. Discovery Education subscribers: The video is available at their streaming site under the name "Physical Science Series: Chemical Reactions." It may also be viewed on YouTube. Lesson Resources:
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Playing with Polymers
(T.
Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL) Explore the world of polymer chemistry with your students! My students loved learning about polymers and playing with their slime during a unit on petrochemicals. After the students make a batch of slime, they do a variety of tests and write their data/observations in a chart. After everyone has had a chance to test the slimes, I provide 3 samples of mystery slimes. The students do the tests with the mystery slimes to determine which ingredients were used to make each one. Download the recipes and teacher notes for more details! Lesson Resources:
Visit the Hands-On Plastics website to order the free kit and view other great educational materials! The kit provides several different types of plastics and great lesson ideas that I used to integrate the world of plastics into the Playing with Polymers unit!
Want more information about slime? Visit these sites
for information, recipes, and lesson ideas ...
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Amazing Marshmallow's
Lab (Boyle's Law)
(T.
Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL) Materials: Syringe & fresh small marshmallows Procedure: To demonstrate Boyle’s Law, give students a syringe and 3 small marshmallows. Instruct them to place the marshmallows in the syringe and replace the plunger. Push the plunger as far down as possible without squashing the marshmallows. Place one finger on the end of the syringe and pull the plunger out to the end of the syringe. Observe the marshmallows. Students will notice that they get larger, or expand. As the plunger is pulled out, the volume of air inside the syringe increases causing a drop in pressure. This can be seen by the expansion of the marshmallow. Next leave the plunger at the end of the syringe and place a finger on the other end. Push the plunger into the syringe and observe the marshmallows. Students will notice that they “shrink”. As the plunger is pushed into the syringe, the volume of air inside the syringe decreases, causing an increase in pressure. This can be seen by the compression, or shrinkage, of the marshmallows. | Back to top |
Bursting Balloons (Charles' Law)
- Best
done on a cold day! (T.
(Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL) Procedure: To demonstrate Charles’ Law, obtain two helium balloons of about the same size. Cut tissue paper into strips and wrap tightly around each balloon. Place one balloon in a warm spot, such as in a car on a warm day or near a heater. Leave for several minutes. Students should be able to observe the balloon increasing in size (or volume). If you are lucky, the tissue paper will tear! As the temperature of the gas increases, the volume also increases as the gas expands. A good reason not to leave helium balloons inside a car on a hot day! Place the other balloon in a cold spot, outside on a winter day or in a freezer. Leave for several minutes. Students should be able to observe the tissue paper becoming loose on the balloon - it may even fall off or slide off easily. As the temperature of the gas decreases, the volume also decreases. Many places that sell helium balloons in the winter time will warn you that your balloons may shrink when they are in the cold, but will return to normal size once they are back at room temperature. Charles’ Law should help explain this phenomenon. | Back to top |
Tasty Solution
(T.
Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL) During a lesson on mixtures and solutions, my students compare the dissolving time of a piece of candy in various situations. Once completed, they use the data to create a graph and answer a few questions related to solutions. Student Worksheet: Tasty Solution (pdf) | Back to top |
Messing With Mixtures
(T.
Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL) This lab project allows students to investigate the differences between mixtures, colloids, and solutions! Download the lesson worksheets and lab notes for more details. NOTE: This lab includes the Tasty Solution lesson described above. Lesson Worksheets: Messing With Mixtures Lab Worksheet (pdf) and Messing With Mixtures Lab Notes (pdf) Extension Idea: Use sharpie markers and rubbing alcohol to make a cool tie-dye t-shirt project that would be a hit for any unit on solutions and mixtures! Visit the Steve Spangler tie-dye webpage and scroll down the page for the directions!
Be sure to visit http://middleschoolscience.com/ for a wealth of resources! Check out "wearable" science projects at ScienceWear.net! Also
available ...
Lesson Plan Links for Chemistry
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The Science Spot was developed in March 1999 by
Tracy
Tomm Science Teacher @
Havana Junior High, Havana, IL. Activities,
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Tracy (Trimpe) Tomm. Visit my
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