LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

Your Name: Brooke DAdamo

Title of Lesson: Too Much Carbon Dioxide!
Grade: 5

STANDARDS

Next Generation Science Standard:
ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems:
o Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on the land, vegetation,
streams, ocean, air, and even outer space. But individuals and communities are doing things to help protect
Earths resources and environments. (5-ESS3-1)

Next Generation Science Standard:
HO6- Chemical Reactions that occur when substances are mixed can be identified by the emergence of substances
with different properties; the total mass remains the same.




LESSON SUMMARY/OVERVIEW

This lesson will cover the basics of acids, neutrals, basics, and the pH scale, with a main focus on identifying acids. The lesson
will build upon these chemistry skills, relating them to the topic of ocean acidification and how the oceans becoming more
acidic is due to the carbon dioxide being absorbed by the oceans. The lesson will require the students to test out a fake ocean
and create carbon dioxide gas, by putting an Alka-Seltzer tablet in the water. The chemical reaction will turn the water red,
with universal indicator dye, and show the students that the carbon dioxide is making the oceans acidic. The carbon dioxide
gas that is being created will be trapped in the balloon, placed over the flask of fake ocean, and fill with the gas. This lesson
connects to sustainability because the students will learn about how excess carbon dioxide is having a direct impact on our
oceans, and how this has a direct impact on human life. They are also thinking and explaining how they can help decrease
carbon dioxide emissions.



OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to define what a chemical reaction is.

Students will be able to explain what is making the oceans acidic, through their knowledge of acids, bases, and neutrals, and
with the help of a pH scale.

Students will be able to explain what they can do to help decrease carbon dioxide emissions.

ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION

Students will have mastered the objectives when the students can:

Explain in a class discussion how they could tell their ocean was becoming more acidic, what is making their
ocean more acidic, and why this important to our world. The students will use terms: pH scale, acid, base, and
neutral.
Define as a class what a chemical reaction is, in their science notebooks.
Give at least one example in their science notebooks of how they can help decrease carbon dioxide emissions.
PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE

Students will need to know what carbon dioxide is. This can be reviewed in the beginning of the lesson if needed.


MATERIALS
Per group of two or three:
o One Flask
o One Alka-Seltzer tablet
o Flask of Water (about 1/3 filled with water)
o One Balloon (not blown up)
o Science Notebooks
o Colored Pencils (red for acid, blue/purple for basic, and green for neutral)
Per class:
o Universal Indicator Dye (will be distributed by teacher, about three drops in each flask)
o pH scale (image on the board)

VOCABULARY/KEY WORDS
Acid: Releases hydrogen ion when in water solution. (This is a bit complicated for students, so they will be expected to
know traits of acids and explain an example of an acid)
Base: Releases hydroxide ion when in water solution. (This is a bit complicated for students, so they will be expected
to know traits of acids and explain an example of a base)
Neutral: Neither an acid or a base. (They will explain an example of a neutral)
pH scale: Tool used to measure the how acidic or basic a solution is. It ranges from 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very basic).
Carbon Dioxide: A gas in our atmosphere produced naturally and man-made.
Ocean Acidification: The process by which our oceans are absorbing too much carbon dioxide and becoming acidic.
Chemical Reaction: A process that leads to the change of one set of chemical substances, to another.
Reactants: Substances that enter a chemical reaction and are changed in the course of the reaction.
Products: Substances that are created by a chemical reaction.

TEACHING PROCEDURES
Procedural Steps

First, the students will need to be aware that they are conducting a science experiment and need to abide by certain rules: No
drinking, spilling, or splashing the solution. Be gentle with the flasks. If there is a safety concern, always tell the teacher. If a
glass is broken, step away and do not attempt to clean it. Tell the teacher right away. Failing to abide by these rules will result
in zero tolerance and removal from the activity, entirely.

Ask students to look at the objectives and read it aloud on the count of three: I will be able to define what a chemical reaction
is. I will be able to explain what is making the oceans acidic, through my knowledge of acids, bases, and neutrals, and with the
help of a pH scale. I will be able to explain at least one way I can decrease carbon dioxide emissions. Then, have the students
take out their science notebooks and explain that they are going to watch three videos to help them understand the concepts.
They will need to take notes. When writing their notes, they will want to write what an acid is, what a base is, what a neutral
is, and what the pH scale is. (Watch the three videos here to introduce the topics and have the students use colored pencils to
show acids, bases, and neutrals. Have them draw the pH scale in their notebooks, and label the acid side, base side, and
neutral. Also, have them talk in pairs to summarize the videos and have them share aloud). For the ocean acidification video,
have the students write what is creating ocean acidification. The three videos are about ocean acidification,
acids/bases/neutrals, and the pH scale.

Call on student volunteers to share their examples of acids, bases, and neutrals and then, ask the class, Have you ever bitten
into something that is really sour? Well, these are traits that can help us define what acids and bases are. If you look at our
objective, we are learning about chemical reactions, through acids and bases. When we study chemistry in science, acids can
be items that taste sour, like a lemon or even your orange juice. Bases are different than acids. An example of a base would be
soap. (Refer to more information using the two videos on bases and acids and the pH scale). Acids and bases are measured
using a scale. Kind of like how we use a scale for weight. This scale is called the pH scale. (Put the pH scale image on the
board) This scale ranges from 0, which is very acidic, to 14 which is very basic. By looking at the pH scale, you will notice
colors. What colors show you an acid? Yes, reds and oranges. What colors represent a base? Yes, blues and purples. What
does the green color show on the scale? That is a neutral and it is neither an acid nor a base. An example of a neutral would be
drinking water. Scientists use the pH scale to determine how basic or how acidic a solution is. This is important because some
acids are very dangerous, just like some bases. The farther you go left and right on the scale, the more extreme is it. Today, we
are going to test a solution and see if it is acidic or basic or even neutral. Lets take a look at the pH scale again and tale a few
minutes to re-draw yours if you need to make changes.

(For more complex information, when a hydrogen ion is released in water and break down, it is acidic. When a hydroxide ion
is released in water, it is basic)

The pH scale is really useful for testing solutions and we will be testing a solution today. We will be using two materials for our
solution: water and Alka-Seltzer tablets. These materials will come together and create something very spectacular: a
chemical reaction! I dont want to give away too much yet, but it is really important that you write down a t-chart in your
science notebooks (model t-chart on board) One side will be for what we started with and the other side will be for what we
ended with. What substances did we say we were starting with today? Yes, water and Alka-Seltzer. Please take a moment to
write that down. Now, you will be grouped in either groups of two or three and you will each be responsible for taking
observations of the chemical reaction. You will first get a flask, filled with water. Please remember our safety rules. Next, you
will write in your notebook your observations of the water alone, because that is our first substance we are starting our
reaction with. Next, in order to test whether our solution is basic or acidic, what scale will we use? Yes, the pH scale and it will
remain on the board. When you have written your observation, me know and I will come around to drop in some universal
indicator dye. This dye lets us test if our solution is acidic, basic, or neutral. Then, we can look at the pH scale and determine
what color the solution is, to know if it is an acid, base, or neutral. Once we drop in the dye, you will write down your
observations and determine if it is an acid, base, or neutral. Then, here comes the fun part. One partner will drop on the Alka-
Seltzer tablet while the other partner will put the balloon over the flask like so (model this) If there is a group of three, you can
break the tablet in half and two people can drop the tablet in, while one person puts the balloon over the flask. In your
notebook, observe what is changing and if the solution has changed to become an acid, base, or neutral. Also, observe what
happens to the balloon and write down your thoughts. Take a moment to predict to yourselves what will happen. Lets see if it
comes true!
One last thing before we start, remember to always write your observations down after each step. Can someone remind us of
the steps? Then, when you are done, call the teacher and I will take your materials. When you are done, try to guess what we
ended our reaction with. Remember that t-chart? We will come back together as a class and review what our chemical
reaction ended with, when we started with water and an Alka-Seltzer tablet. Have them draw two flasks in their notebooks,
one for the starting and ending of the reaction, and have them color in what happened, using the green colored pencil first and
the red colored pencil second. Begin!

Monitor progress and safety. Give time limits. Should only take 5-8 minutes for the whole student-discovery activity.


Okay, lets come back as a whole class. Now, what color did the water turn when we added the dye? Yes, it turned green.
What does that represent on the pH scale? Yes, a neutral. Then, we added the tablet and what happened? Yes, it bubbled and
started turning from green to red. What does the color red represent on the pH scale? Yes, an acid. What happened to the
balloon? Yes, it filled up. Now, here is the tricky part. What did it fill up with? Yes, a gas or some sort. Everyone take a deep
breath and exhale. When you breathe in, you take in oxygen, but when you exhale, you breathe out a gas called, carbon
dioxide. This gas occurs naturally in our world from situations like, exhaling and volcanic eruptions. Compressed carbon
dioxide is also in some of our fire extinguishers. The carbon dioxide was created from the chemical reaction. Look back at
your t-charts. The starting materials were the water and the tablet. The ending material was the carbon dioxide gas. We can
label the starting materials, reactants. Reactants come together and during the reaction, they are altered. We can label the
ending material, products. Products are the result of the reaction. Take a moment to label that in your notebooks. Now that we
know this, we can define our chemical reaction. It looks like our reaction started with substances and ended with a substance.
We labeled those reactants and products. So a chemical reaction starts with something and produces something. How can you
define a chemical reaction, using the words reactants and products? Take a moment and share with your partner. (Take
volunteers) Yes, it seems like a chemical reaction is a process that leads to the change of one set of chemical substances, to
another. We started with reactants and resulted in products. Good job! Please write your definition down in your notebooks.

Now, this might seem like just another science activity, but you know what? This is important to your lives and this is
happening right here, right now. When we tested our water after adding the tablet to see if it was acidic, basic, or neutral,
what was it? Yes, acidic. That water we tested was kind of like our oceans. Now, our oceans are becoming more acidic, just like
you saw today with the activity. Can anyone guess why? Think back to what the balloon filled with. Yes, when we made the
carbon dioxide gas and it turned the water red, showing the acidity, that was a representation of how our oceans are becoming
more acidic. They are taking in a lot of carbon dioxide gas. Carbon dioxide gas is produced naturally, but also by us. That
means you and me! (Refer to the ocean acidification video and ask them to give examples of this from the video)

Talk with your partners about what the video showed you and write down in your notebooks what is happening to our oceans
and why. Lets share with the class. What is this process called? Yes, ocean acidification. How are our oceans becoming more
acidic? Yes, the carbon dioxide produced by human activity. Why is this important? What is it affecting? Yes, it is impacting
our animals in the ocean and us, by our sea food. We also receive a lot of oxygen that is produced by the plants in our ocean.
The acidity makes it difficult for these animals and plants to survive, which impacts us. But, we know how carbon dioxide is
produced by us right? Like driving cars excessively and burning fossil fuels. Take a moment and brainstorm one way you
could make a difference and help our oceans. Share with the class. For example, I could decide to drive my car less one day a
week and take the Light Rail to work, to not produce as much carbon dioxide. Could you bike with friends and family instead
of driving places?

Thank you for doing so well today! Lets just review what we learned. First, we learned about acids, bases, neutrals, and the
pH scale. What is an example of all three and what does the scale tell us? Then, we learned about chemical reactions and that
we start with reactants and end with products. What were our reactants and what was our product? Last, we learned about
ocean acidification. What is happening to our oceans that make them more acidic? What is one thing you can do to help?

Thank you again.

RESOURCES

Science buddies. (ND). Acids and Bases Information. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-
projects/project_ideas/Chem_AcidsBasespHScale.shtml

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo-bHt1bOsw (source for ocean acidification video)

http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/file/The+pH+scale+with+some+common+examples (source for pH scale)

http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/acidsandbases/preview.weml
http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/ph/preview.weml
(The other two videos are the acids/bases and the pH scale. These videos were found on BrainPop, but need to be subscribed to
view them)



WAYS OF THINKING CONNECTION
This lesson plan connects to futures thinking because it encompasses how the students will think about how to save the future
generations from dealing with the same problem. They are taking what they know now, to find a way to better in the future
and present. Futures thinking is really important when thinking about ocean acidification. They are making the connection
that what they decide now, impacts the future.