Part I: Information about the Lesson

Topic: Chemical Reactions

Generating Big Ideas
Abstract
In this unit we are going to cover chemical reactions (double displacement, neutralization), balancing equations and speeding up a reaction. This
unit covers 3 sections of the second chapter of the textbook provided for our class.
What are the underlying big ideas?
Many of the reactions that we will see in this unit are chemical reactions that happen in everyday life and it is important for students to know what
is happening on a chemical level. In this unit we will cover the theory of the conservation of mass which is an idea that will blow students minds.
The concept of no mass being lost when a chemical reaction happens where the products look completely different than the reactants is
fundamental to many of the reactions we see in everyday life. We will take a look at the process of speeding up a reaction (the use of catalysts)
which can be found in multiple biological processes.
Phenomenon: Our big phenomenon is going to be why marble statues (CaCO3) are attacked by acid rain (HNO3). We will use this as our
phenomenon because this is a double replacement reaction where an observable change is made for students to see (the statue eroding). The
chemical reaction for this phenomenon is
CaCO3 + 2HNO3 ----> Ca(NO3)2 + H2O + CO2
Here we can see that a double replacement action is taking place. The CaCO3 ends up being dissolved so it is observed that statues lose
their features, like so:

This unit includes much, much more than an acid/base reaction and we will use activities to cover those other topics. We will then relate these
other topics (balancing equations, writing equations, catalysts) to the phenomena.
Draw for yourself a full explanatory diagram (your model) that combines representations of observable things and unobservable processes at work.

What does success for students look like? Success for students in this unit would be for them to predict what the products side would be in a
chemical equation given the reactants. This skill involves critical thinking and identifying what the cations/anions are in a chemical compound.
Students will also understand the difference/similarities of the 5 types of chemical reactions (single replacement, double replacement, synthesis,
decomposition and neutralization) and have their own definitions/models of these reactions. Students throughout the semester will edit their
original models to apply ideas/concepts that they have gathered from other activities in the semester.

Objectives for Student Learning

Use the table below to list the Michigan Objectives (probably one or two) that apply to your lesson and a small number of
specific lesson objectives that you will be addressing during this lesson. The Michigan Objectives should be copied from the Content
Expectations and the NGSS performance expectations should be copied directly from the NGSS document (both are available via the
websites provided in the syllabus).
Note: Each lesson objective should be an observable outcome. They are not teaching activities. They are what you want
students to be able to do that will indicate that they understand at the appropriate level. For example, understand photosynthesis
does not describe what a student with that understanding will be able to do. Also, Conduct an experiment on plant growth under
different environmental conditions is a good learning activity, but not a good objective. It doesnt say what students will learn to do
as a result of conducting the experiments.

Michigan Objectives
1. Balancesimplechemicalequationsapplyingtheconservationofmatter
2. BDistinguishbetweenchemicalandphysicalchangesintermsofthepropertiesofthe

reactantsandproducts.
3.Drawpicturestodistinguishtherelationshipsbetweenatomsinphysicalandchemical
changes.
4.

NGSS Performance Expectations & Evidence Statements

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.
2. 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.
3.
4.