I chose to do my structured lesson on how to control the Rates of Chemical Reactions. We had one lesson in our textbook, but I wasn't very happy with it so I went searching and found many variations of the same one that used Alka Seltzer and then an different temperatures of water and varying the surface area of the tablets and found one and changed it to suit our schools needs. It was interesting that another teacher in my school found the same experiment and made the same changes. I guess it is fair to say, we think along the same lines, which is great for instructing the students, not too many different ideas out there.
The kids had fun. I did adjust it and had half of the kids do temperature and the other half do surface area. We then combined our figures and found the averages. This was due to time and economic reasons. This allowed for quite the discussion of why times were so different from one group to another. In our discussion, it was determined that the kids had different ideas of when the reaction was complete, was it when bubbles stopped coming up from the bottom or when bubbles stopped popping on top. Even though I had told them at the beginning it was when bubbles stopped forming, kids being kids, were excited about starting the experiment and did not listen the best. This was a great time about talking about paying attention and how to "observe". We also discussed what the difference was of the bubbles forming and the bubbles popping, how one was due to the chemical reaction and the other was due to physical properties.
Instead of having the students complete the graphic organizer and hand it in for their lab report, I decided to grab the computer lab while it was free for a week and have the students research more about controlling chemical reactions and make a Power Point Presentation for the lab report. The kids loved being able to work in the computer lab (the 8th graders are working on research papers, so it is hard to get in for a month or two) and the Technology Teacher is next door and she was helping the students "jazz" up their Power Points. The students who had already had their computer elective for the year had designed Power Points as an assignment, but some students had not had it, so having the Tech teacher there was great. I taught the students how to develop a table in Excel and then make the graph from there. There was a lot of cooperation between students, as one student would figure out the best way to get all of the information on the table and chart, they would help the other students. I also gave the students one website to start their research, http://chemistry.about.com/od/stoichiometry/a/reactionrate.htm this website gave them great information about how each one works. The students had been working in their Tech class and English classes, about finding good information on the web, so this research allowed them to use those skills. The students were also encouraged to use their textbooks, so many forget that it contains useful information also! :) Looking over the what presentations have been turned in (the flu hit some of the students), the students went in many different ways. Again, I can tell which students listened to instructions and read over the requirements and which students charged ahead. Overall it was a good lesson. We did not have much discussion about controlling reactions before we started this lesson. I was interested to see how the students would research to find the information. They were also given notes to fill in about the subject as a review and we will correct those this coming up week and correct any misconceptions. Being able to design this lesson and use the technology, makes me even more eager for all of the technology improvements being complete in our building over the summer. Now if we can find the funding and the right 1 to 1 computer program for our district, it will be great to have the students use the technology on a daily basis.
Here is the link to my website where I have posted the students work: http://sjschools.org/1619204118268850/blank/browse.asp?A=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&C=60664
I enjoyed reading your post. You have some interesting ideas of how to show chemical reactions and reaction times. I like that you utilized a lot of student talk in this lesson, as well as discussion. Students communicating about what they learn is an excellent way for them to remember the information, especially since they are at such a social age. I also like that you incorporated technology and research into this experiment. I did a similar experiment using vinegar when I was teaching my students about the digestion system and the types of digestion that occurs in the mouth and stomach. I would like to have my students try your experiment using Alka-Seltzer when we start our physical science unit.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work.
Very nice work. We study chemical reactions and this is a lesson I'd like to incorporate into my curriculum next year. The powerpoints are fantastic and will be great to show my students as an example of what I expect.
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