TE 802: Guided Lead Teaching Unit Plan and Report

Name: Andrew Warner

Mentor Teacher: Dave Owens
Class and grade level: Intro Bio/Chem 9

School: Owosso High School

Date: 11/05/2014

Part I: Information about the Lesson and Unit

Topic: Introduction to Bonding
Abstract
As students familiarize themselves with subatomic particles, they will be introduced to
the periodic table and will make posters to further assist their learning. Guided through an
application sequence, students will analyze patterns in valence electrons and how they relate to
the two primary forms of chemical bonding. Teacher will guide students through interactive
sequences to familiarize students with the many possibilities of chemical bonds.

Part II: Clarifying Your Goals for the Topic

A. Big Ideas
All atoms are composed of three primary subatomic particles- protons, electrons, and
neutrons. The number of protons an atom contains designates what type of element it is. The
number of protons an atom has is also called the atomic number. Each cell on the periodic table
gives information about the element it displays, such as atomic mass (protons + neutrons),
atomic number (protons), and name. Almost all of the mass of an atom is located in the region
where the protons and neutrons are located, called the nucleus (NGSS PS1.A). While the
nucleus contains these particles, the electrons orbit the nucleus in electron shells. Elements bond
together by the outer shell of electrons that it has. These electrons are called valence electrons.
This is why there are millions of compounds but only around 110 elements. Compounds are
most stable when their outer electron shell is full. Usually it will take eight electrons to fill an
electron shell with the exception being helium and hydrogen. These compounds can be formed
by two different types of bonds, covalent and ionic. When elements combine to form bonds (or
break apart), no atoms or mass is created or destroyed during the process. Instead, they energy is
either released or stored within the bonds, usually in the form of heat (NGSS PS1.B). Ionic
bonding occurs between metals (on the left side of the periodic table) and nonmetals (on the right
side of the periodic table). This process involves the metal losing one or two of its valence
electrons, forming what is called a positive charged cation (HS-PS1-3). The nonmetal acquires
these electrons, becoming a negatively charged anion. Now that both of these elements have
their outer shells they bond together and form an ionic bond. This is because the cation and the
anions charge are attracted to one another and, since both outer shells are filled, these two
elements become more stable. Sometimes whole compounds have a charge. These are called
polyatomic ions and bond the same way monatomic ions bond, the only difference being the
charge is throughout an entire compound (for example, NH3+). Covalent bonds involve the
sharing of electrons between two nonmetal elements. Both of these bonds along with metallic
bonds can be manipulated in a way that technological advances can be made by reconstructing
material on the atomic scale, such as making computers hold more information on smaller space

or making energy more efficiently attainable through nuclear power plants (NGSS PS1.A).
These are great revisions. Now, can you connect these abstract science ideas to real world
observations? In other words, why does this stuff matter? What does it help us explain?

B. Student Practices
1. Naming key practices
Developing and using atomic models to conceptualize subatomic particles.
Using mathematical and observational thinking to correctly bond ions and
covalent structures without breaking octet rules.
Analyzing given elements and discerning what type of bond is created
Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information that successfully forms
bonds that are recognizable in everyday life.
Inquiry:
Developing Scientific
Knowledge
1. Asking
questions (for science)
and defining problems
(for engineering)
2a. Developing
models
3. Planning and
carrying out investigations
4. Analyzing
and interpreting data
7. Engaging in
argument from evidence

Application: Using
Scientific Knowledge
2b. Using models
6. Constructing
explanations (for
science) and designing
solutions (for
engineering)

General Practices Associated with the Three Arrows

5. Using mathematics and computational thinking
8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

Figure 1: Connecting scientific practices with scientific knowledge

C. Performance Expectations for Student Learning

Performance Expectation
NGSS Performance Expectation(s)
1. HS-PS1-2 Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple
chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in
the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.
2. HS-PS1-3 Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence to compare
the structure of substances at the bulk scale to infer the strength of electrical
forces between particles
This objective was not covered because the previous standard is going to lead into
macromolecules. It was advised by my mentor that only the first NGSS objective
be covered (HS-PS1-2). Two other objectives have been added to appropriately fit
the unit.

Associated NGSS
Practice
Obtaining,
evaluation, and
communicating
information
Using
mathematical and
observational
thinking

3. HS-PS1-1 Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of
elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.
4. HS-PS1-7 Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and
therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction.
Specific Lesson Objective(s)
1. Use the periodic table to identify atomic number, atomic mass, and number of
valence electrons.

Developing and
using models
Using
mathematical and
observational
learning.
Obtaining,
evaluating and
communicating
information
Analyzing and
interpreting data

2. Distinguish between an ionic and covalent bond by utilizing an elements

valence electrons

Part III: Example Activity Sequence

A. Storyline for the Activity Sequence in Context
Stage

Role in Storyline

Lessons before
your
sequence

Students will have covered the history of the atom and the scientists who contributed to its
primary discoveries. Alongside this, the anatomy of the atom and characteristics of neutral
elements will be covered up to this point.

Lesson 1

Dissection of the periodic table. Trends and labels of the periodic table will lay the foundation
of bonding and how certain elements bond together.

Lesson 2

Valence electrons introduced, activity sequence will begin as students figure out how to make
stable, low reactivity octets.

Lessons after
your
sequence

Monatomic and polyatomic ions to increase awareness of bonding with other compounds.

B. Activity Sequence Details

Focus Objective
Objective
. Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction
based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and
knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.

NGSS Practice
Obtaining,
evaluating, and
communication
information
Developing and
using models

1. Application Cycle
Examples and Scaffolding (Pattern in Student Practices)
A scaffolding technique will revolve around the Lewis diagram and the position on the
periodic table. For all examples, the first scaffolding step will be identifying the Lewis Structure

of the elements in question. What does an Na diagram look like? What about Cl?
Next, students will deduce whether it is ionic or covalent depending on the elements
location on the periodic table. Does this element or compound have a charge? If it is an ion,
what kind of bond is this going to be?
Third, the octet rule will be enforced, given that all elements are at a stable state at the
end of the problem. Is this atoms outer shell filled? Are there eight electrons in its valence
orbit? Whether or not this is ionic or covalent will depend whether or not more bonds have to be
added.
*If students cannot identify Lewis structures, harnessing prior knowledge of an atoms
electrons or all of its subatomic particles may prove helpful. How many protons does lithium
have? How many electrons does that mean it has? Are there certain rules to follow when
placing electrons in orbits?
List of examples
1. Throughout three chemical bonding PowerPoints (see attachment), scaffolding
will guide students initially through common and simple ionic bonds such as NaCl and
progress with not only Checkpoint questions throughout presentation but also interactive
demos. .
a. Bonds Ionic bonds Ions Monatomic ions Polyatomic
ions
i. These ideas all include the common idea of the ion,
indicating that electrons need to be stolen from somewhere.
b. Bonds Covalent bonds Double Bonds Triple Bonds
i. These concepts, similar to ionic bonds, now include
ways that octets can be filled when nonmetals need to bond to one another.
This will scaffold into double bonds by giving students numerous
examples of single bonded compounds (CH4, CH3CH2OH, H2O) and
inserting a single double bond to follow (CO2, C2H2).
c. Covalent bonds Macromolecules
i. As a transition into the next section (and
introduction into biological systems), students will be introduced to
macromolecules such as fats, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and possibly
amino acids.
Stages in Your Application Sequence
Stage
Establishing
the
problem
Modeling
Coaching
Fading
Maintenance

Teaching Activities
Introduction to the valence electrons; how do just 100 elements bond together
into millions of combinations? Why does salt allow electricity to pass
through water when dissolved but sugar cannot?
Using the whiteboard and numerous colored markers, diagram valence
electrons as they are stolen or shared amongst their partner elements.
Students will stand in valence groups and will hold hands in an incomplete
circle. Students will try to figure out which valence electrons will be shared
or stolen and create their own student bonds.
Worksheets will be handed out to assess mastery.
Daily warmups giving review problems and also challenging new questions to

help stimulate thought on how bonding occurs between molecules and

compounds.

C. Lesson Plans
Lesson One
NGSS Objective
MS-PS11.

Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.

Synthesized Objective
Comprehend the anatomy of the atom and its subatomic particles.
What Should Students Know by the End of This Lesson
The subatomic particles of an atom are the proton, neutron, and electron.
The protons have a positive charge, electrons negative, and neutrons a neutral charge.
In an element, the number of protons are equal to the number of electrons.
The atomic number is the number of protons and the atomic mass is the number of
protons + neutrons.
Timeline
Introduction 10 Minutes
Ask students to list three things that they know (whether in pop culture or academics)
about the three subatomic particles- proton, neutron, electron. Teacher should not assist students
since this is an introduction to a more in depth view of the atom and its anatomy. Some possible
examples may be the Jimmy Neutron model, students should identify what the model is made of.
A similar example may be from the Big Bang Theory television show.
Establishing the Problem- How many elements do you see on the periodic table? How
many things are there that exist? Are there more, less, or equal to 118 things? Much moreplastic, coins, computer screens, flags, wood, chairs, hair, were almost to 100! How can there
be so many things yet so few atoms? If students already answer bonds, inform them that
there are many types of bonds and it all depends on an elements position on the periodic table.
Main Teaching Activity- 40 Minutes PowerPoint
Protons are positively charged particles in the nucleus
(or center) of the atom. Neutrons are also located in this area
and have a neutral (zero) charge. Both of these particles
weigh 1 amu. The amu is the measurement we use to define
atomic mass, similar to the gram in the metric system. The
electron is almost 2000x smaller in size than the proton and is
located in orbitals around the nucleus. With only this
information, we are going to use electrons in many different
ways in order to understand why we have millions of combinations of atoms yet only 110+
elements.
Materials and Equipment
Notebook
Atomic Theory PowerPoint
Atomic History and Anatomy Worksheet
Assessment from Worksheet
What are the three subatomic particles? What is unique about each of them? If an

element has 43 protons, how many electrons does it have?

What makes up the majority of the volume of an atom?
What makes up the majority of the mass of an atom?
Lesson Two
NGSS Objective
HS-PS1-1 Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical
reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table,
and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.

MS-PS1-1.

Synthesized Objective
Given one factor of an atom, be able to deduce other components of that atom, such as atomic
mass, atomic number, number of electrons, and number of neutrons.
What Should Students Know by the End of This Lesson
An element has contains a certain number of valence electrons depending on what group
it is in.
Lewis structures show how many valence electrons an element has by drawing dots on
the sides of the chemical symbols.
Ions are formed when elements gain or lose electrons. Cations become positively
charged, anions become negatively charged.
The ions bond together to become more stable by having both of their outer octets full.
Timeline
Introduction- 15 minutes
Teacher will ask students to move desks so that the floor is open. A student will be
chosen as the proton and another will be chosen as the electron. Teacher will ask class what they
think the electron should be doing as well as what they think is missing from the demo (where is
the neutron? If it is not hydrogen, an element should have a neutron). Create two student
atoms and see if they can figure out how they bond together. Some expected results may be that
the protons all join together and electrons circle the entire nucleus, they may just get close
without touching, and possibly even share electrons.
PowerPoint- 30 minutes
When explaining valence electrons, make sure to make well aware to students that the
group number indicates the number of valence electrons an element has. Giving an example of
bromine,

, have students try out examples on their own.

o Calcium, carbon, silicon, chlorine, xenon, potassium
Another way to test students is to give students an unknown element with Lewis dots and
they have to figure out which element it could possibly be.
o Is `X. representative of Ca, K, O, or Cl?
Call up a student to draw all electron(s) for sodium. Another student should be asked to
draw all electrons for chlorine.
o Simply ask students how it would be easiest to fill an outer shell. Should
chlorine move seven electrons or should sodium move one? Which would be easier and
more energy efficient?
Teacher should ask how these elements are now different. If no responses are present,
ask about potential charge changes. By scaffolding, what charge is an electron? If a neutral
atom gains an electron, what charge does it become? What if an element loses an electron?

o Mr. Warner discovered a new element, Warnerium. What is its charge if

it gains 3 electrons. What if it loses 4 electrons?

Ionic bonds have a high melting point, high boiling point, and form crystal-like
structures.

o Why do you think ionic bonds have a high boiling point? What does this
say about their bond strength?
Materials and Equipment
Notebook
Atomic Theory PowerPoint
Atomic Theory Sheet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODbgKXFED5o
Assessment
1. Draw the electron diagrams for Kr, K, Cs, P, Ca, S, F
2. If an atom has 45 protons and 44 electrons, is it a cation or an anion? Why?
3. How do a cation and anion act like a magnet?
4. Draw the following ionic bonds: CaS, Li2O, NaBr, CaO, KCl, NaOH, NaCl
Element

Protons

Manganese

25

Sodium
Bromine

Electrons

Actinium

Atomic #

Atomic Mass

39

89

30
11

35

12
45

Yttrium
Arsenic

Neutrons

33

75
227

Lesson Three
NGSS Objective
HS-PS1-1 Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical
reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table,
and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.

MS-PS1-1.

What Should Students Know by the End of This Lesson

Covalent bonds share valence electrons instead of stealing from one another. They are
located on the nonmetal side of the periodic table.
Covalent bonds can also form double or triple bonds.
Covalent bonds have a lower melting and boiling point than ionically bonded elements.
They are also poorer conductors of electricity.

Timeline
Introduction 10 Minutes
Teacher should inform students that there are other types of bonds than ionic. The bonds
of focus are now called covalent bonds. As a warmup, students are going to break down this
word with guidance from the teacher.
o What do you think -valent stands for? Where does this word sound
familiar?
o What about co-? What words do you see the prefix co in? What
does it indicate?
Cooperate, coordinate, coexist.
o This should give students a healthy hint into what will be covered.
Main Teaching Activity- 40 Minutes PowerPoint

Learning activity- Call forward 14 student valence electrons. They will be two
bromine atoms. Group them into two groups of seven. Using what they know about ionic
bonds, tell these two groups to bond together to form the diatomic molecule, Br2.
o Hopefully students try to steal a student, but hopefully they will
realize that an octet will not be satisfied. They should realize that they need to
share the student that is standing as a lone pair at each bromine.
Initiate scaffolding for covalent bonds. Have students draw two nonmetals,
starting simple with Chlorine. Move on to HCl and NH3, giving students time to write
these examples in their notebooks. As students progress, give students a final challenge.
To scaffold into a double bond, give them two oxygens to see if they can correctly bond
this molecule. Teacher should give no hints, as it is okay for students to think and
possibly get incorrectly.
Refreshing the earlier method, introduce CCl4 as a way to see if students held onto
information they learned from earlier. As a final challenge, give students N2, the
nitrogen molecule, to see if they can form a triple bond. The teacher should give no hints
about this challenge, inform students it is okay to be wrong.
Materials and Equipment
Notebook
Chemical Bonding 3 PowerPoint
Covalent Bonding worksheet
Assessment from Worksheet

What is the difference between an ionic and covalent bond? Draw your answers
from not only the periodic table but also in terms of valence electrons.
Why can covalent bonds form double and triple bonds but ionic bonds cannot?
CH3CH2CH2CH2CH3 is a common organic compound. Draw its Lewis dot
diagram, making sure all octets are filled.
How does hydrogen (H2) have a stable shell even though there are only two
electrons total?
Lesson Four
Michigan Objective
HS-PS1-7 Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore
mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction.

*While this objective does not directly relate to the lesson plan, this lesson preludes the
lesson that will cover HS-PS1-7.
Synthesized Objective
Calculate how many atoms are present in a complex polyatomic molecule.
Timeline
5 minutes - Attendance
5 minutes - Formative assessment- Scaffolding from energy a few weeks prior, ask students what they
remember about the law of conservation of mass and what it means in english.
35 minutes - We are going to start the hour with water. What is water made of? How many of each
element? How do these elements bond together? Scaffolding from covalent bonding, reinforce that water
is a covalent molecule. In order to make water, we need hydrogen gas, H2, and oxygen gas, O2. Draw
the equation on the board. Does this make sense? How many oxygens do we have on the left side, what
about the right? Show the class that a coefficient can be placed in front of the element that needs to
change.
Bi2O3 + 3C 3CO + Bi
SiO2 + HF SiF4 + 2H2O
If you are using parenthesis, make sure to distribute the subscript to each element inside of it.
NH3 + CO2 CO(NH2)2 + H2O
Materials and Equipment
Based on the level of understanding, there are three worksheets that can be given.
Assessment
What is the difference between the coefficient and the subscript?
How many total atoms are in 4H2O?
How many phosphorus atoms are in H3PO4?
Reflection
This lesson did not fit very well with the scaffolding of this unit. This lesson could possibly be
introduced before bonding to familiarize students with seeing the subscripts in bonded compounds they
have seen. A common misconception students have lies in the water example. How many atoms of
oxygen are in H2O? Many students will say two because they hear two O.
Lesson Five
Michigan Objective
HS-PS1-7 Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore
mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction.
Synthesized Objective
Balance a chemical equation so as to enforce the law of conservation of mass.
Timeline
5 minutes - Attendance
10 minutes - Formative assessment- By now we are becoming very familiar with the water molecule, H 2O.
Ask students what two elements water is consisted of. Inform them that hydrogen and oxygen both exist

as diatomic molecules, H2 and O2. Briefly introduce the yield sign ( ), and ask students to raise their
hands if they can recall the law of conservation of mass. (Mass cannot be created or destroyed.)
20 minutes - Establishing the problem- How can two molecules of hydrogen and two molecules of oxygen
create a water molecule that only contains one atom of oxygen and two atoms of hydrogen?
Initially, the subscript is going to be brought into question. Does the subscript apply to all atoms
in the compound? How can we remember that the subscript only applies to the element before it? Model
for students that you can add a coefficient in front of the whole molecule (in this case, H 2O and then H2).
Labeling the reactants and products, balance the equation and also draw a visual explanation of 2H 2 and
O2 and the product 2H2O. Using two different colors, ask students (for both products and reactants side),
how many (black) circles do I have? How many (green) circles do I have? Is this even? Is it
balanced? How can we change it? This will coach students to balance on their own.
20 minutes- Work Time
Distribute Balancing Chemical Equations Worksheet. Students should use a separate sheet of
paper to balance, the worksheet is far too crammed to balance in their head. If students get stuck, make
them draw different colored circles and visually balance it on a sheet of paper. This will help them for the
computer lab tomorrow.
Materials and Equipment
Balancing Chemical Equations Worksheet
PhET Colorado, Balancing Chemical Equations
Computer lab
Assessment
N2 + H2 NH3
KClO3 KCl + O2
NaCl + F2 NaF + Cl2

Part V: After the Unit Report

A. Description of Changes in Your Plans
Many factors went into planning for bonding, and creating the unit plan into one fluid,
conceptual idea was one of the biggest changes that helped become the skeleton for the units
content. Creating an understandable Big Ideas section is crucial not only for explaining what
students should be thinking, but it also helps lay out the individual lessons that follow. Many of
the details in my Big Ideas were taken in a context that the reader (or student) presumably knew
about the details surrounding the statement. (Ex. Each cell gives information about the element it
displays. This statement is accurate, yet there was no previous discussion about the periodic
table or the fact that they contain boxes called cells.)
To build upon a deeper elaboration, modifying key practices from the NGSS triangle
diagram to custom fit my lesson is also an improvement to my previous methods of unit
planning. When NGSS states, for example, developing and using models, this should be taken as
the foundation of a practice that I should explain deeper so that it connects to my lesson. Instead
of developing models, a more in-depth explanation in bonding can be developing models to
develop an understanding of valence electrons and their importance in bonding.
While explaining objectives clearly is of great importance, it is also necessary to assess

students in a manner that will track understanding appropriately. Connecting concepts to real
world examples and having students use the information they learned through an application
sequence is a great example of being able to measure how much was attained during a lesson.
For example, asking students to explain why electricity travels through salt water brings
scaffolding to its peak and allows students to connect every concept they have learned so far.
This allows for answers that help me scope where students are in understanding and I can then
adjust accordingly.

B. Story of What Happened

As the unit began, I was worried that the same students (Rick being one of them) would grasp
immediately and I would be caught in the struggle of catching other students up to speed. Students were
a day past testing of the history of the atom and its basic anatomy. Knowing that Rick would know the
anatomy of the atom, I wanted to scaffold from the previous section with a simple question for Riane.
What is the name of the particle that has a negative charge? Riane was excited to share her knowledge of
subatomic particles and answered the question correctly. Then, I asked students to draw the Rutherford
electron model of sodium so that all electrons are visible. Rick and Rosie, as I expected, knew the correct
drawing, but Riane struggled. This is where I noticed her disconnect, as she had a hard time relating
information on the periodic table (atomic number = number of protons/electrons) to a visual drawing.
This was important because I remembered from about a month ago Riane had asked when she was going
to get a textbook. She told me she learned better through reading as opposed to drawing examples. (As a
side note, Riane did not receive a book until after the test, something I need to take action upon earlier.
Her test results showed great struggle and wonder how she would have done in the possession of a
textbook.)
The primary visual aid during this section is the whiteboard and I knew that having students in
the teacher position, at the board drawing out their answers and explaining their reasoning to students
would be a very helpful method to figuring out valence electrons and bonding. Rick raised his hand and
asked if he could teach the class how he drew the electron model. After reinforcing the importance of the
outer electrons, many students were confused by the term valence electrons and how they relate to the
atom as a whole. One student raised his hand and asked, In the book, The Outsiders, there was a
character named Cherry Valent. Immediately many students connected valence electrons with the outside
electrons. This was a wonderful connection that helped my students understand a new scientific term.

The next day, I wanted to use both Riane and Rosie in a group warm up. Riane, even though she
struggles doing her work and paying attention in class, loves participating in labs, demos, and even
learning about science on YouTube at home. Rosie, on the other hand, very slowly came up to the front to
participate. I enjoyed Rianes enthusiasm but I knew that she struggled with the newly introduced
concept of valence electrons. My warmup consisted of making a living atom made of students. I needed
5 students to be the nucleus and five to be electrons. I wanted Rosie to be tested of her knowledge
regarding where she would be in the atomic figure, but I also wanted Riane to be involved with material
she knew. I asked Riane if she could be a positively charged particle- where should you go?, I asked.
She jumped into the middle, happy to be a nucleus with the other four students. I instructed Rosie to be a
valence electron. She not only placed herself in the correct orbital, but she even moved around the
nucleus like an electron would revolve around the nucleus (HS-PS1-2).
When moving onto octets, Rick did what he does best- ask to volunteer. While I was still
modeling for the class, I decided to let him give it a shot. After looking back on the lesson, I will be
waiting until the coaching phase before letting students attempt to teach everyone else. This is not to say
Rick got it incorrect, but his ability to explain what he was doing may have confused students.
As we entered into naming ions and their charges, I could tell that most students were
understanding what was happening. Taking the stress off of the situation and thinking of bonding as
moving little dots around until one or two have eight dots seemed to help students. Rick seemed to be
doing fine until assessing him on the giving and taking of electrons. If an atom gains an electron, it gets
a positive charge. It becomes a cation, he said. This was difficult for many students, resulting in point
deductions for inaccuracy. I also stayed away from letting too many students to the board because of
potential confusion.
During this lesson I learned the importance of moving slowly. While it can be easy for me to
think that an octet is eight electrons, this may be the first time students hear this word. I am expecting
students to do far too much without much modeling. I think much of this content can be covered in one
day, but I have dragged it out to two days accidentally because I have not given students enough time to
observe me doing problems until their feel comfortable to complete the assignment.

B. Making Sense of Focus Students Responses

1. Descriptions of focus students
Pseudonym

Academic
Standing

Rosie

Riane

Rick

Personal Description
This student is very quiet but if she is seated around
those who distract her, she can easily be led astray
into the surrounding discussion. She rarely finishes
her work but sometimes has the ability to answer
difficult questions well.
Riane struggles with getting her work done. She is
very gentle and soft-spoken but does not do her
work. She is sensitive and gets sad easily when her
grades do not hit the mark. She is always happy to
come to class and talk to me but slowly fades away
into quietness once class begins.
Rick gives an ideal amount of participation. He
cracks a little joke at times and enjoys going up to the
board to do examples. Some students make fun of
him, but Im not sure if they mean harm against him.

He may just be the target of jokes because of his

lanky demeanor. He excels on his exams and
completes nearly all of his work on time.
2. Excellent Response or Rubric
What is the difference between an ionic and covalent bond? Draw your answers from not only the
periodic table but also in terms of valence electrons.
An ionic bond involves metals and nonmetals while a covalent bond involves only nonmetals.
Ionic bonding involves a nonmetal taking a metals outermost electrons in order to form its octet.
In a covalent bonds, electrons are shared so that neither atom needs to lose its outer electron
orbital.
If an atom has 13 protons and 15 electrons, is it a cation or an anion? Why?
This atom is a cation. If it has one less electron, it may have lost it in an ionic bond. This makes
the atom positively charged.
Why can covalent bonds form double and triple bonds but ionic bonds cannot?
Ionic bonds cannot form double and triple bonds because they are not sharing electrons to create
a bond. The valence shell used is the shell underneath the shell that had its electrons stolen.
CH3CH2CH2CH2CH3 is a common organic compound. Draw its Lewis dot diagram, making sure all
octets are filled.
Due to difficulty, this question was removed and replaced with the question below.

C2H2 (or HCCH) is a chemical compound. Draw its electron dot diagram, make sure all octets are filled.

Using as much detail as you can, explain why salt water can conduct electricity but regular water cannot.
When salt is dissolved in water, + ions and ions are freely floating in the water. This allows for
electricity to pass through the anions and to the lightbulb. Water alone cannot do this because
water only contains hydrogen and oxygen, and these two elements are nonmetals which cannot
conduct electricity very well.
Both salt and sugar have a crystal-like structure, why doesnt sugar conduct electricity when it dissolves
in water?
Sugar cannot transfer electricity because it is made of only hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon. All
three of these elements are nonmetals and do not form ions when dissolved in water. Salt forms
ions which allows for electrons to flow easily.

How does hydrogen (H2) have a stable shell even though there are only two electrons total?
The first valence shell has a limit of two electrons. Hydrogens shell is stable because it only needs
one more electron to have its two electron shell filled.

3. Finding and Explaining Patterns in Student Responses

As the final test of student understanding of the focus objective, students were asked to
correctly form magnesium fluoride. They were not given the number of atoms each and they had
to correctly state that it was an ionic bond. When viewing the image, the order of answers from
top down is Rick, Rosie, and Riane. This question was focused solely around the focus objective
and their answers reflected their abilities with great accuracy. Ricks answer is ideal and is an
example of an accepted, full points response. He uses the term octet to explain that each atom is
going to end up with 8 valence electrons and even specifies that, since it is between a metal and a
nonmetal, it must be an ionic bond (for all intents and purposes). Rick was on the right track
throughout this unit and showed his mastery long before this when he volunteered on the board.
Since oxygen has two valence electrons, it needs eight, you see, to make an octet. And since
sodium has only one [valence electron], you need two to give to oxygen. Then they [the
sodiums] are filled and make oxygen filled. Another interesting tidbit lies in their study habits.
I specifically asked Rick and Riane if they had studied the night before. A resounding and
confident yes came from Rick while a tearful Riane was ashamed of her 45% score. (Students
were able to make up their test for 0.5 points per incorrect answer, so her feelings werent too
shattered.)
Rosies response seemed on the right track, but her lack of ability to put her drawings into
words cost her points. Many students had great success drawing the Lewis dot structures and
even bonding electron pairs together but the idea of sharing versus stealing electrons confused
many students, Rosie being one of them. It is interesting to note that she did not write or indicate

that an ionic bond is between a nonmetal and a metal. Also, on her multiple choice answers, she
indicated that a covalent bond is between two metals and ionic bond is between two nonmetals.
It seems that these correlate to a possible guess on the multiple choice and short answer section.
Also, in contrast to Ricks study habits, Rosie even wrote down on her study sheet ionic
bonding is between a nonmetal and a metal; covalent bonding is between a nonmetal and a
nonmetal. Simple reinforcement of the importance of studying before a test could have
resolved this error that was the cause of numerous points lost.
On a practical level, students had a hard time conceptualizing what happens when ionic
bonds are dissociated in water. Rick was doubtful of his answer; he wrote a few sentences but it
appears that he erased his whole response. His second responds was unfinished- the ions charge
the salt to-. Something students may have a hard time differentiating between is the idea of salt
and the fact that salt is (in this case) sodium and chlorine bonded together. Rick is mistaken here
because the ions are the salt, the ions dont charge the salt. A more ideal response may be ions
allow charge to travel through the atoms that make up salt.
Riane had an answer with a lot of potential and had a better explanation of salt and its
sub-particles. The beginning of her response makes sense while the second half lacks accuracy.
When the salt atom hits the water atom, [it] makes metal atoms, is a great start. It is visible
that she knows that an ionic bond is formed from a metal and that, when dissolved, a metal ion
and nonmetal ion are formed. When her second half states that the water can hold more energy
is where Riane (and I) get lost. I can see her efforts in trying to connect previous lessons but
energy has very little to do with the desired response. Riane meets the primary objective in
terms of being able to draw bonds correctly, but she is not grasping key ideas at a core level. It
appears that everything she knows is separated into chunks and not part of a fluid picture. This
may be due to her not having a textbook to use as reference. If she cannot visually connect
words to a figure, a gap in understanding could be present. Since she is quiet in class and only
responds when I approach her, it is difficult to assess her understanding unless I am consistently
checking back up on her, making sure each step is in the correct place in her mind.
Rosies response also came up short but had some hints at slight understanding. When
we learned about metallic bonds, students were told that a sea of electrons forms when metals
are bonded together. This allows an easy flow electrons through the object, thus having the
ability to conduct electricity. Rosie said that electricity is formed when salts electrons and
waters electrons swap with each other. While swap isnt necessarily the correct word, I can
see her mind having an electron move from the gator clip, past salt particles in the water (which
she may think are bonded to the water?) to the other gator clip. She did not mention anything
about ions, which, if she did, I would feel more confident awarding some credit. The reason salt
water is such a better conductor than distilled water is the presence of ions. This question was
stretching Rosies abilities to prove her mastery of HS-PS1-1 and HS-PS1-3. Strangely, her
answer regarding the conductivity of sugar was closest than all students in class. She knew that
sugar doesnt contain ions. Why she knew that sugar was all covalent bonds yet guessed on the
multiple choice regarding covalent and ionic bonds is interesting. We can see a gap between
understanding and confusion because she has the ability to draw bonds between atoms, know
whether or not a large molecule has ionic or covalent bonds, and the ability to show the correct
valence charge.
While Rick, Riane, and Rosie showed understanding of HS-PS1-1 and HS-PS1-2, Rick
with the obvious advantage of knowing bond types, it seems that there was questionable teaching
of HS-PS1-3. Students responses were not adequate and this may have been due to lack of time

during the primary demo that covers this NGSS standard. A noticeable reason is the schedule of
events throughout the other Bio/Chem 9 classes and the time we need to cover the rest of the
material. If I cannot finish explaining before the bell rings, I am almost forced to move on
because I dont want students to fall behind due to my lack of ability to manage the hour in a
time efficient manner. When lesson planning, the time I set toward certain activities sometimes
take longer than expected (Ive been told this happens a lot), which allows for less time for the
demo. Since a demo has the possibility of taking even longer, this jeopardizes students
understanding of critical NGSS standards needed for understanding.
Riane

Rosie

Rick

C. Improvements Parts I-IV

As an application sequence, this unit consisted of a large amount of time with me at the
whiteboard drawing sample models for the students to see. While this method was better than

using a PowerPoint, there could have been more interaction with other models to help them
further visualize what is happening. An example of a model that was slightly hectic was using
students as valence electrons. This involved over 15 students needing to stand up and form
circles (electron orbitals). If students were not in a perfect circle, this got very confusing because
it was hard to conceptualize what was actually happening to the electrons as they were
transferred. This may have been even more difficult for students that were sitting down due to
the angle at which they saw the demo being done. A much more controlled idea could be the use
of marbles and hole-punched cardboard. Marbles are relatively inexpensive as is cardboard and
can help students visualize the transfer of electrons from one element to another (or the covalent
bonding of one to another). The hole-punched cardboard would prevent marbles from rolling all
over the table and possibly on the floor. By creating their own electron orbitals, they can
physically touch the marbles and hopefully create solid connections in their minds through this
technique. This can be a fun lab that can take a whole class period if there are enough examples
to keep all levels of knowledge entertained. This can be done through simple ionic bonds such
as CaCl2 or CaO and more complex bonds such as N3, CO2, and NO3.
Including real life application to this lesson seemed like a challenge besides simply
saying to the class, salt, or sodium chloride, is a great example of an ionic bond. One
modification I made was to include a salt water conductivity demo that gave a small look into
why electricity can flow through salt water as opposed to tap water. A simple circuit was set up
so that a batterys current was flowing through a beaker of water, connected to a lightbulb by an
alligator clip also placed in the water. When salt dissolved, positive and negative ions were
formed, allowing electrons to flow through the water, to the other alligator clip, through the
lightbulb, and back to the battery, creating a full circuit. Bringing this point to students is a great
way to spark interests, but there could be a whole day devoted to deciphering between ionic,
covalent, and even metallic bonds. Dissolving other compounds such as CaCl2, glucose, and
even mixing compounds such as vinegar or soda can better help students conceptualize what is
happening at the subatomic level. This is a better idea because labs can open students up to
deeper learning through hands-on interaction as opposed to only viewing a demo in the front of
class. This could also hint towards other content down the road such as aqueous solutions or
molarity; why does the lightbulb light up when salt is stirred into the water yet there is no
reaction when sugar is dissolved? Another possibility to add to the lesson could be different
salts. A few weeks prior, we burned various salts (KCl, Li2O, CaCl2) to observe the different
flame colors. With their increased awareness of atomic structure and bonding patterns, students
can now hypothesize which salt would conduct electricity (light the bulb) best. A simple
quantitative test to teach this could be to equally measure out the same mass of each salt and
dissolve each compound into their own beaker of water. Students can then judge which
lightbulb shines brightest. Possibly with the inclusion of a voltmeter, students can observe which
salts allow the strongest passage of electrons through the water system.
(For further explanation, here is a helpful link that compliments the lesson with deeper
explanation of content: http://www.andybrain.com/sciencelab/2007/12/20/multimeterexperiments-with-electricity-and-water/)
Several times in my questioning of student understanding, there comes stale answers with
very little explanation. I have a hard time scaling the difficulty of the question and there are
certain situations where I make the questions far beyond their understanding. While I would not
attribute this to low quality application strategies (such as model, coach, fade or establishing a
problem), I will attribute this problem to a faulty view of students ability to conceptualize ideas

in their mind. I am teaching material this guides students through A, B, and C yet my questions
ask them to figure out point E. E.g. Using as much detail as you can, explain why salt water is a
better conductor of electricity than pure water. This area small demo has little to do with my
focus objectives and only served to confuse students by adding information that they had not
covered enough during the week. While metallic bonds were touched upon, adding in electricity
and the flow of electrons explains that C to E jump in thinking that was brought up earlier. A
strategy to be able to include this can be a
On the same note, there were areas where coaching was not reinforced enough to expect
quality answers. Giving students two or three atoms to bond together seemed to be the safe
limit. I wanted to open their thinking to macromolecules as a way to expand their skill in regards
to the octet rule. For example, bonding four hydrogens to one carbon seemed like a problem that
students should have known how to do on day one. For their review day (the Friday prior to the
Monday test), I wanted to test their ability to bond a five carbon hydrocarbon
(CH3CH2CH2CH2CH3). This would not only be scaffolding their ability to count atoms but also
review covalent bonding. In this problem alone gives enough practice with octets to give
students confidence for the test. However, this problem was given on a Friday that I was away
from Owosso. My mentor teacher decided that this problem was far too difficult for the students
and told them to skip it. While I want students to be ready to tackle unfamiliar problems, the
depth that this particular question posed was too far out of their understanding. As a better
alternative, I hope to still test students by giving them deeper thinking problems that still keep
some material familiar. A great example is C2H2. While this does not have a dauntingly high
number of atoms (such as 17 for C5H12 above), it still challenges students to think deeper into
bonding and octets by using a triple bond and a first level valence octet. This is a better
approach because it still allows students to take small steps in a more challenging direction while
still keeping them wisely sheltered from higher level chemistry until they are at an academic
level appropriate for these questions.

D. Improvements in Your Understanding of Science Teaching

Something that is constantly reinforced throughout this semester is the importance of
actively using model, coach, fade in areas where students are being introduced. Many of the
struggles that I am having revolves around my students inability to think integrate harder
problems into their workload. I have recently become aware that I only model one or two
examples for students. Following this modeling phase, I made students try their hand at a new
concept they have not seen yet. For example, scaffolding from the concept of ionic bonding, I
introduced two bromine atoms that result in covalent bonding. This introduced the new practice
that nonmetals can share electrons. After bringing the second example of H2O and modeling it
for understanding, I followed by having students try their hand at O2, a molecule that has double
bonds. Following this, worried that I wont have enough time for students to work, I jump into a
triple bonded diatomic nitrogen! These two examples were not appropriate for an introduction to
covalent bonding and it all comes back to my ability to properly model, coach, and fade.
The root of this shortcoming lies in the belief that my modeling is also my coaching.
Seeing students struggle with covalent bonding made this apparent. Harnessing the fact that
these students are not as familiar with these problems will help me slow down my teaching so
that students can be coached in the methods that need to be taught. I presume in my mind that
since it is easy for me, it must be easy for them; this is not always the case. I am starting to see
that even after weeks of teaching something that I think is elementary (an electron has a negative

charge), some students simply do not grasp it no matter how many times (and ways) it is
explained. This further reinforces the notion that I should be taking more time in the beginning
to coach; it will give students more confidence to work through problems on their own.

Attachments
If you have electronic files you are using with your unit, either paste them here, or list
them here and upload them as separate files to the course D2L site.
When you have completed your report, rename it [your last
name].14TE802.GLTUnit2.doc, and upload it to the D2L dropbox for your content group.

Grading Rubric
Summary Comments
Comments on specific sections. Criteria for grading are the bulleted lists in each section.
I: Abstract
IIA: Big ideas
IIB: Practices
IIC: Performance
expectations
IIIA: Storyline
IIIB: Steps in activity
sequence
IIIC: Lesson materials and
activities
IV: Assessment tasks
VA: Story of what
happened
VB: Analysis of focus
student responses
VC: Improvements for
next time
VD: Improvements in
your understanding
Final Grade =