Units of Instruction | ninaallouch

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Units of Instruction

Acids/ Bases Unit Plan

Overview

This unit will take place in a tenth grade General Chemistry classroom. It is based on concepts of acids and bases. It will take place after covering the topics of: types of chemical reactions, equations for chemical reactions, how molecules and atoms interact, the ability to identify physical and chemical change, and how atoms and molecules combine, reaction rates, reaction rate laws, chemical equilibrium. What follows this unit would be topics such as:Redox Reactions, Electrochemistry, The Chemistry of Life, and Nuclear Chemistry.

Acids- Bases Unit Plan includes seventeen lesson plans (I will be covering three of them) that will span over sevemteen full class periods. Acids and Bases are the three most common compounds seen in our lives. The purpose of this unit is to explore the properties of acids and bases , their proper nomenclature, their benefits and harmful effects, their strength in terms of pH, the different indicators and there action of Neutralization and for students to see how relevant they are in their everyday lives. Students will be able to identify the four properties of an acid and the four properties of a base, compare and contrast the varied strengths of acids and bases through variety of lab scenarios. The basis for teaching this unit is that students should be aware of the different properties of acids and bases . The students will be exploring what they already know about acids and bases and expand upon their prior knowledge. Students will also be able , and to identify acid rain as a direct problem of human technology. Thus, varied activities such as independent work, cooperative group work, whole-class learning, activities, experiments/labs, brainstorming activities, and collaborative discussions are used in order to develop a student- centered approach which will broaden and deepen students’ understandings of this topic, mastering this unit and hopefully developping an appreciation for the world around them. This unit is meant to be informative, but fun and engaging at the same time.

The Seventeen lessons are inquiry based lessons, which include the following five E’s phases: The engage phase which detains the students’ interest with knowledgeable questions to engage the students in the new concept; the explore phase which includes hands-on activity to investigate the engaging question; the explain phase, includes the students’ data, the discussion of their findings and an explanation of the concept they have been exploring. In addition, the explain phase allows the teachers to introduce proper terms, definitions, and explanations for the concepts that they are learning about. The extend and apply phase, extends students' conceptual understanding and allows them to develop broader and deeper understanding of main concepts and to improve their skills. The performance assessment phase gives teachers an opportunity to evaluate students’ understanding and knowledge of the key concept, also to offer feedback on their performance.

This unit based on “Learning Things” not “Learning about things” included lessons where 10th grade chemistry students are exposed to everyday phenomena that use acid and base chemistry such as water quality, acid rain, homeostasis, DNA, food, digestion, personal care products, etc. Students will build on their prior knowledge of acids and bases through a series of inquiry-based lessons and labs.

At the end of this Unit, a summative unit assessment will be included which is:

1- A unit test