|
QEP POLs for secondary cycle 1 relevant to the concept of chemical changes |
Resource |
|
Chemical changes: i. Describes the indicators of a chemical change (formation of a precipitate, effervescence, colour change, heat, light) ii. Explains a chemical change based on the changes in the properties of the substances involved iii. Names different types of chemical changes (e.g. decomposition, oxidation) |
Here is a fun way to teach students about chemical changes by using evidence-based learning. Students often have a hard time visualizing chemical changes. This article illustrates a fun and demonstrative way to teach chemical change through an activity involving powder particles. This article goes through a step-by-step process to explain how to conducts these experiments with baking soda and backing powder and how they react with vinegar. This resource provides teachers with all the worksheets that come along with the activities. In addition there is a section on the concepts that educators must know before teaching this topic. For more information, check out this article: Kessler, J. H., Galvan, P. M., & American Chemical Society. (2003). Inquiry in action: Investigating matter through inquiry. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society, 237-308. |
|
Chemical changes: i. Describes the indicators of a chemical change (formation of a precipitate, effervescence, colour change, heat, light) ii. Explains a chemical change based on the changes in the properties of the substances involved |
Use the science writing heurisitc approach in your classroom today to teach chemical change. Students have a hard time understanding the different types of chemical change. This article uses a story of a crime scene to teach chemical change. The student initially work individually and then in groups. Please read the article below for more information: Kingir, S., Geban, O., & Gunel, M. (August 01, 2013). Using the Science Writing Heuristic Approach to Enhance Student Understanding in Chemical Change and Mixture. Research in Science Education, 43(4), 1645-1663. |
|
Chemical changes i. Describes the indicators of a chemical change (formation of a precipitate, effervescence, colour change, heat, light) ii. Explains a chemical change based on the changes in the properties of the substances involved iii. Names different types of chemical changes (e.g. decomposition, oxidation) |
Incorporate some mystery into teaching chemical change. In this activity students use chemical change to identify an unknown element. Students have a hard time visualizing chemical changes since it happens at an atomic level. With the help of this resource, teachers can set up an inquiry based activity where students must investigate and test different subsistence by analyzing the chemical changes. This resource provides teachers with all the worksheets, driving questions, procedures and expected results they need to conduct a successful lab activity. Kessler, J. H., Galvan, P. M., & American Chemical Society. (2003). Inquiry in action: Investigating matter through inquiry. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society, 237-308 |
|
QEP POLs for secondary cycle 1 relevant to the concept of states of matter |
Resource |
|
States of matter: i. Names the different phase changes of matter (vaporization, condensation, freezing, melting, deposition, sublimation) ii. Interprets the phase change diagram for a pure substance |
Help students understand the different states of matter through the help of an inquiry-based learning activity. This activity uses multiple experiments that allow students to understand how heating and cooling affects molecular motion and the students explore the different states of matter. All the experiments come with driving questions that guide the students when they are doing the experiments. This activity comes with useful background information for teachers; in addition, it comes with all the worksheets that teachers need in order to conducts the experiments. Kessler, J. H., Galvan, P. M., & American Chemical Society. (2003). Inquiry in action: Investigating matter through inquiry. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society, 323-374 |
|
QEP POLs for secondary cycle 1 relevant to the concept of acidity/alkalinity |
Resource |
|
Acidity/alkalinity: i. Determines the observable properties of acidic, basic or neutral solutions (e.g. reaction to litmus, reactivity with metals) ii. Determines the acidity or alkalinity of common substances (e.g. water, lemon juice, vinegar, soft drinks, milk of magnesia, cleaners) |
Help students understand acid-base chemistry by incorporating everyday issues in their learning. If students have a connection to the topic, they may learn with ease. This article explains how to teach acidity through: acid rain, acidification of oceans, stomach acid, and health issue with pH of blood and urine. This connection to their daily lives will have your student on the edges of their seat when teaching about acidity. To learn more about how to organize your classroom when teaching about acidity, Please read the following article: Alvarado, C., Garritz, A., & Mellado, V. (2015). Canonical pedagogical content knowledge by CoRes for teaching acid–base chemistry at high school. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 16(3), 603-618. |
|
Acidity/alkalinity: i. Determines the observable properties of acidic, basic or neutral solutions (e.g. reaction to litmus, reactivity with metals) ii. Determines the acidity or alkalinity of common substances (e.g. water, lemon juice, vinegar, soft drinks, milk of magnesia, cleaners) |
Use fun and games to teach acidity and alkalinity. Students often have trouble distinguishing between acidity and alkalinity. This article explains how you can use an online library of educational simulations designed to teach about acidity, alkalinity, and pH balances. The simulation provides a variety of liquids to choose from. The simulation will show how the acidity or alkalinity will change depending on how much solution the students add. To find out more please read the resource below: Ambrosio, L. J. (2012). Finding the fun and games in science learning. IEEE Potentials, 31(1), 42-45. |
|
Acidity/alkalinity i. Determines the observable properties of acidic, basic or neutral solutions (e.g. reaction to litmus, reactivity with metals) ii. Determines the acidity or alkalinity of common substances (e.g. water, lemon juice, vinegar, soft drinks, milk of magnesia, cleaners) |
Incorporate cartoons when looking at the chemical bonds during acidity and alkalinity. Students learn better when concepts are drawn out for them. This article illustrates how to effectively use cartoons to explain the concept of chemical bonding. Students have a hard time visualizing acidity and alkalinity at an atomic level and this article clearly states the teacher’s and student’s role when teaching with cartoons. Please read the artcile below to obtain more information on this technique. Neslihan Ultay. (2014). The Effect Of Concept Cartoons Embedded Within Context-Based Chemistry: Chemical Bonding. Journal Of Baltic Science Education. 14(1):96-108 |
|
QEP POLs for secondary cycle 1 relevant to the concept of temperature |
Resource |
|
Temperature: ii. Defines temperature as a measurement of the degree of agitation of particles iii. Explains the thermal expansion of bodies |
Use technology in your classroom to teach about phase change. This application allows students to view and interact with the models that depict atoms, particles and different phenomena. Student have a hard time visualizing at a molecular level and this type of simulations can provide learners with visual representations of dynamic concepts that are difficult to represent in the static environment. To learn more about how you can integrate this software into your classroom, please follow up on the article bellow: Plass, J. L., Milne, C., Homer, B. D., Schwartz, R. N., Hayward, E. O., Jordan, T., Verkuilen, J., Barrientos, J. (2012). Investigating the effectiveness of computer simulations for chemistry learning. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 49(3), 394-419. |
|
QEP POLs for secondary cycle 1 relevant to the concept of Periodic table |
Resource |
|
Periodic table: Describes the periodic table as a structured classification of elements |
The periodic table is very complex and it is hard for the students to remember the different names and where the elements are placed. Use a free online resource called the quick response coded audio periodic tables of the elements (QR-APTE) in your classroom today and help students learn about the different elements. The QR-ATPE is the ideal tool to use to teach the periodic table because it helps both visual and auditory learners. This tool comes with videos that can help the students learn about the different elements. To learn more on how you can use this application, please check out the following article: Bonifacio, V. D. B. (2012). QR-coded audio periodic table of the elements: A mobile-learning tool. Journal of Chemical Education, 89(4), 552-554. |
|
QEP POLs for secondary cycle 1 relevant to the concept of volume |
Resource |
|
Volume: i. Defines the concept of volume ii. Chooses the appropriate unit of measurement to express volume |
Use the combination of nature and measurement to teach students about volume. Students often have a hard time defining volume because of the different measurements. Use this model-based instruction to help students measure the volume of a tree. This article provides insight to enhance students’ in-depth understanding of measurement. To learn more about this lesson, please read the article below: Shen, J., & Jackson, D. F. (2013). Measure the Volume of a Tree: A Transformative Modeling Lesson on Measurement for Prospective Middle-school Science Teachers. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 24(2), 225-247. |
|
QEP POLs for secondary cycle 1 relevant to the concept of mixtures |
Resource |
|
Mixtures: i. Describes the properties of a mixture (e.g. made up of several substances, one or more phases) ii. Distinguishes between a solution or homogenous mixture (e.g. drinking water, air, alloy) and a heterogeneous mixture (e.g. tomato juice, smog, rock) |
Use particulate drawings to teach about pure substances and mixtures. Students may have a hard time understanding the difference between pure substances and mixtures (homogenous and heterogeneous). This illustrative method of teaching allows students to draw and see the difference between the different mixtures. To learn more about how you have use particulate drawings in your classroom, please read the following article: Sanger, M. J. (2000). Using Particulate Drawings to Determine and Improve Students' Conceptions of Pure Substances and Mixtures. Journal of Chemical Education, 77, 762-766. |
|
Mixtures: Distinguishes between a solution or homogenous mixture (e.g. drinking water, air, alloy) and a heterogeneous mixture (e.g. tomato juice, smog, rock) |
Teach your students about the chemistry of a cat litter. This inquiry-based activity will connect chemistry to a real life example of cat litter. Students may have a hard time understanding the different terminologies in mixtures. Use this hands-on activity to teach the student about mixtures. To learn more on how you can implement this activity into your classroom, please read the following article: Celestino, T., & Marchetti, F. (2015). The Chemistry of Cat Litter: Activities for High School Students to Evaluate a Commercial Product's Properties and Claims Using the Tools of Chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education, 92(8), 1359-1363. |