Summary

In this activity, students will watch a video about Antoine Lavoisier, who many consider to be the father of modern chemistry. They will answer questions as they learn about oxygen, hydrogen, and the first proposal of the Law of the Conservation of Mass.

Grade Level

Middle, and High School

Objectives

By the end of this activity, students should be able to

• Explain the Law of Conservation of Mass.
• Understand how Lavoisier is widely considered to be the father of modern chemistry.

Chemistry Topics

This activity supports students’ understanding of

• Conservation of mass
• History of Chemistry
• Observations
• Measurement
• SI units

Time

Teacher Preparation: minimal

Lesson: 10 minutes

Materials

• Antoine Lavoisier Video
• Student Handout
• Projector with Volume
• AACT Student Video Pass (optional)

Safety

• No specific safety precautions need to be observed for this activity.

Teacher Notes

• The Antoine Lavoisier video was developed as a part of the AACT original video series, Founders of Chemistry. The entire series can be found here.
• The running time of this video is six minutes.
• This video is intended for students to watch, and for teachers to integrate into their curriculum.
• The student questions/answers are presented in sequential order in the video.
• An answer key has also been provided for teacher reference.
• Videos can be shown with the use of a classroom projector, or teachers can generate a Student Video Pass through their AACT membership to allow students to independently access the video.