Chemistry Lesson Plans Need links for your students? Visit the Kid Zone for links for chemistry, periodic tables, and pH! Also visit the Lesson Plan Links page for great online resources for chemistry!

Lessons
Case #1225: Christmas Cookie Mystery (Worksheet provided)
Christmas Chromatography - Deck the Halls With Science (Worksheet provided)
Adopt-An-Element - Internet project (Sites from the Kid Zone) (Worksheets provided)
Atoms Family (Worksheets provided)
Element Trading Cards - Internet project (Sites from the Kid Zone) (Worksheets provided)
Periodic Table Basics (Worksheets provided)
Bonding Basics (Worksheets provided)
Bond with a Classmate (Worksheets provided)
Balancing Act - Balancing Equations (Worksheets provided)
Playing with Polymers (Worksheets provided)
Amazing Marshmallows - Boyle's Law (Worksheet provided)
Bursting Balloons - Charles' Law (Worksheet provided)
Tasty Solution (Worksheet provided)
Messing With Mixtures (Worksheets provided)

Also available ... Metric Mania - an assortment of lessons and links for the metric system!

Internet Lessons
• Chemistry Scavenger Hunt (pdf)- Internet lesson using the sites listed on the Chemistry page of the Kid Zone.
• Periodic Tables Online (pdf) - A worksheet I use to review the basics of the periodic table. The sites for this worksheet are listed on the Chemistry links page of the Kid Zone. NOTE: This is the optional page 2 mentioned in the BrainPOP Periodic Table link below.
• Acids & Bases (pdf) - A worksheet I use during my Acids& Bases unit (I use it with the BrainPOP-pH Scale worksheet listed below.) The websites are listed on the Acids & Bases page of the Kid Zone.
• Balancing Equations 101 (pdf) - Challenge your students to this internet lesson about balancing equations. The sites for this worksheet are listed on the Chemistry links page of the Kid Zone.

NOTE: Brain POP requires a subscription to view the movies.
• Brain POP - Water (pdf) -Worksheet created by Stacy Baker for the "Water" movie on Brain POP.
• Brain POP - Properties of Matter (pdf) - Worksheet created by Stacy Baker for the "Properties of Matter" movie on Brain POP.
• Brain POP - States of Matter (pdf) - Worksheet I created for the "States of Matter" movie on Brain POP.
• BrainPOP - Atoms (pdf) - Worksheet I created for the "Atoms" movie on Brain POP.
• BrainPOP - Periodic Table (pdf) - Worksheet I created for the "Periodic Table" movie on Brain POP. Also includes an optional second worksheet using sites from the Chemistry links pages of the Kid Zone.
• BrainPOP - pH Scale (pdf) - Worksheet I created for the "pH Scale" movie on Brain POP.
• BrainPOP - Acids & Bases (pdf) - Worksheet created by Erin Marsh for the "Acids & Bases" movie on Brain POP.

Note For Teachers: Please take time to preview the links on any Internet assignment before you use it with your students. With the ever-changing nature of the Internet, links may be become broken or websites are no longer available. If you find a problem, please send me an e-mail.

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Case #1225: Case of the Christmas Cookie Mystery (T.(Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
Illinois Learning Standards: 12.C.3a, 12.C.3b, 13.A.3a; also 11.A.3c, 11.A.3d, 11.A.3f, 11.A.3g,

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 Worksheets: Cookie Mystery (pdf) & Cookie Mystery Teacher Directions (pdf)

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Christmas Chromatography - Deck the Halls With Science (T.(Trimpe) 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 Worksheets: Deck the Halls (pdf)

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Adopt-An-Element - One of the favorite projects of the year! (T.(Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
Illinois Learning Standards: 12.C.3b

For this project, students are required to research an element, create an advertisement, and complete an element fact sheet. They may use the Internet (see Chemistry Links at the Kid Zone), 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: For pricing information, visit the Chemicool and Los Alamos sites! I have also listed other periodic table sites for this project on the Chemistry links page of the Kid Zone.

Worksheets: Adopt-An-Element Project (pdf) - includes all the worksheets for this lesson

Adopt-An-Element Baby Book - Check out this neat project idea contributed by Lisa Curry!  Students "adopt" an element and create a baby book that details facts about the element and other information.

Also challenge your students with:
Periodic Table Puns (pdf)
Periodic Table Puns 2 (pdf)
Periodic Table Puns - Answer Key (pdf)
Tips for Elements (pdf)

Also visit ... Periodic Table Adventure!
This goal of this website is to introduce and explore basic chemistry concepts and to practice these concepts using engaging web-based research and activities. In the culminating activity, students will perform a WebQuest which requires them to research an element using the Internet. Once students have researched their elements, students develop and perform commercials for their elements.

Thanks to Robert Rountree for sharing the element posters his students created as well as a periodic table of atomic models!

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Atoms Family (Lesson created by Kathleen Crawford, 1994)
Illinois Learning Standard: 12.C.3b

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. Need the Adams Family song? Visit this site and turn up the volume - http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Rapids/1111/adamsfamsong.htm!

Lesson Worksheets: Atoms Family - Atoms Family Worksheets (pdf) - Includes student worksheets and answer keys.

I've also created an Atoms Family Atomic Math Challenge (pdf) to help students determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons for each element.

Also try ... Science Hits - The Elements Song at DiscoverySchool.com!

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Element Trading Cards (T.(Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
Illinois Learning Standards: 12.C.3b

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 Worksheet: Element Trading Cards (pdf)

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Periodic Table Basics (T.(Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
Illinois Learning Standards: 12.C.3b

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.

There are two versions available. Version 1 includes atomic number, atomic mass, number of subatomic particles, Bohr diagram, and Lewis Structure. Version 2 is the one I use with my 8th grade students and includes all of the items in Version 1 as well as phase (solid, liquid, gas), melting/boiling points, discovery information, properties, and common uses.

NOTE: I have listed periodic table sites for this project on the Chemistry links page of the Kid Zone.

Student Worksheets:
Version 1 (Basic) - Periodic Table Basics (pdf) - Includes all the worksheet and cards
Version 2 (Advanced) - Periodic Table Basics 2 (pdf) and Periodic Table Basics 2 cards (pdf)

Done with the lesson? Challenge your students with the Periodic Table Crossword Puzzle (pdf) . The Periodic Table Answer Key (pdf) is also available.

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Bonding Basics (Tracy (Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
Illinois Learning Standard: 12.C.3b

I use this lesson to introduce my students to the basics of ionic and covalent bonding! Students use 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.

Student Worksheets: Bonding Basics -Ionic Bonds (pdf), Bonding Basics - Covalent Bonds (pdf), and Bonding Basics Practice Page (pdf)

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Bond with a Classmate (Gail Sanders, Monroe Middle School, Wheaton, IL)
Illinois Learning Standard: 12.C.3b

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 Worksheets: Bond with a Classmate Cards (pdf) and Bond with a Classmate worksheet (pdf)

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Balancing Act (T.(Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
IL Learning Standards: 12.C.3a

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 Worksheets:

Balancing Act (pdf) - A basic worksheet introducing balancing equations. The download includes student worksheets, overhead key, and answer keys)

Balancing Equations Practice (pdf) - A new version of Balancing Act that includes questions about subscripts and coefficients. An answer key is provided.

Balancing Equations Challenge (pdf) - A worksheet to use after the Balancing Equations Practice to reinforce what the students have learned about balancing equations. An answer key is provided

Balancing Equations 101 (pdf) - Challenge your students to this internet lesson about balancing equations. The sites for this worksheet are listed on the Chemistry links page of the Kid Zone.

Snowman Challenge Game - Challenge your students to a game of balancing equations!
Student Worksheet - Snowman Challenge Worksheet & Answer Key (pdf)
Snowman Cards - Front of cards - Snowman Cards (pdf) and Back of cards - Snowman Card Problems (pdf)

NOTE: For a great lesson about balancing equations, try the balancing equation lesson at the MiddleSchoolScience site.

Want more equations to balance? Visit these links ...
• ChemTeam - Balancing equation basics/examples, information about chemical reactions, and practice worksheets
• ChemBalancer* - Challenge your students to this interactive game about balancing equations. Visit the Fun Based Learning website for worksheets and other Chemistry games.
• GenChem - Balancing Equations Tutorial* - An excellent interactive lesson to use with your students! The site also provides online practice problems!
* = Indicates a link on the Chemistry links page of the Kid Zone.

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Playing with Polymers (T.(Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
Illinois Learning Standard: 12.C.3b

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 Worksheets:
Playing with Polymer Recipes (pdf)
Playing with Polymer Teacher Notes (pdf)
Playing with Polymer Data Chart (pdf)

Also available ...
Playing with Polymer Unit Notes (pdf) - Notes created from Chapter 4 in the Prentice Hall's Chemistry of Matter book. Download includes master copy and student worksheet.
Playing with Polymers Puzzle (pdf) - A word search puzzle that includes words from the polymer unit as well as 8 extra words.
Polymer Basics Internet Scavenger Hunt (pdf) - Uses sites on the Chemistry links page of the Kid Zone.

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 ...
Polymer Project - Information and recipes for a variety of slimes!
A Bag of Slime - Information about non-Newtonian fluids and recipes for slime.
JLab Obleck - A polymer version of Obleck with several ready-to-use worksheets to challenge your students.
Senior Science - This page provides lots of links to websites with information about polymers and recipes for slime.
Bizzare Slime - A great page filled with lots of useful information for beginning slime makers!
Slime & Polymers - This page provides recipes and information for Elmer's glue slime.
Slime Recipes - Recipes for the common slimes as well as some unusual ones!
Youth Online Slime - Visit this page for tips on making guar gum slime.
Craft Recipes - Recipes for many types of slime - PVA, guar gum, and more!
Polymers & People - A great resource of the history of polymers from the Chemical Heritage Foundation.

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Amazing Marshmallow's Lab (Boyle's Law) (T.(Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
Illinois Learning Standard: 12.C.3b

NOTE: A worksheet that combines Boyle's law and Charles' law is available - Gas Laws Lab (pdf)

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.

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Bursting Balloons (Charles' Law) - Best done on a cold day! (T.(Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
Illinois Learning Standard: 12.C.3b

Materials: Helium balloons (mylar type) & tissue paper strips

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.

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Tasty Solution (T.(Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
IL Learning Standards: 12.C.3b

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)

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Messing With Mixtures (T.(Trimpe) Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
IL Learning Standards: 12.C.3b

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!

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Activities, lessons, & worksheets available on any page of this web site are intended for use by a single teacher in his/her classroom or to share at educational conferences. Reproduction for commercial use or profit is not permitted without the express written consent of Mrs. Tracy (Trimpe) Tomm. Visit my Frequently Asked Questions page for more details!