Classroom Resources: Chemistry Basics
1 – 25 of 33 Classroom Resources
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Periodic Table, Elements, Introduction, Temperature | High School
Activity: An Element Fill-In Puzzle
In this activity, students will solve a puzzle by using element symbols from the periodic table to fill-in missing letters in familiar chemistry terms related to energy and thermodynamics.
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Introduction, Interdisciplinary, History, Heat, Renewable Energy, Polymers, Molecular Structure | Middle School, High School
Activity: The Frontiers of Chemistry: Video Questions
In this activity, students will answer questions while watching a video about several exciting scientific developments, including solar cells, 3D printing and micro machines. This video will help students understand that fundamental chemistry concepts are essential to the advancement of science and technology.
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Introduction, Lab Safety, Chemical Properties, Physical Properties, Chemical Change, Physical Change, History, Separating Mixtures, Measurements, SI Units, Significant Figures | High School
Lesson Plan: Chemistry Basics Unit Plan
The AACT High School Classroom Resource library and multimedia collection has everything you need to put together a unit plan for your classroom: lessons, activities, labs, projects, videos, simulations, and animations. We searched through our resource library and constructed a unit plan for introducing the basic chemistry concepts to students: Laboratory Safety, Equipment, and Reports, Periodic Table Basics, Physical and Chemical Properties and Changes, Endothermic and Exothermic Changes, and Classification of Matter. These topics are very important for your students to master before they dig into other chemistry concepts. This unit is designed to be used at beginning of the school year.
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Lab Safety, Introduction, Review | Middle School, High School
Activity: Laboratory Equipment Memory Game
In this activity, students will play a modified version of the classic Memory Game in order to help them identify common laboratory equipment by name. This activity provides an opportunity for students to increase their familiarity with the laboratory equipment that they will be expected to properly use.
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Separating Mixtures, Physical Properties, Observations, Matter, Mixture, Introduction | Elementary School
Activity: Sandbox
In this activity the students will separate a mixture and classify objects by their physical properties.
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Periodic Table, Subatomic Particles, History, Introduction, Elements, Atoms, Valence Electrons, Electrons | Middle School
Project: Elemental Art: A Visual Periodic Table
In this activity students will research an assigned element of the Periodic Table and then create a poster that visually explains and expresses the element. The final posters can be arranged into a classroom Periodic Table.
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Molecular Structure , Molecular Structure, Molecular Formula, Naming Compounds, Chemical Bond, Interdisciplinary, Introduction | Middle School, High School
Activity: Modeling Carbohydrates
In this activity, students will identify that organic compounds contain carbon and other elements such as hydrogen and oxygen. They will investigate the structure of different organic and inorganic compounds and model several molecules, including a carbohydrate molecule. They will use their models to help understand how larger molecules are broken down into smaller molecules.
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Periodic Table, Elements, Introduction, History, Atoms, Electrons, Subatomic Particles | Middle School, High School, Elementary School
Activity: Writing Your Name using Chemical Element Symbols
In this activity, students will use their creativity to spell their name (first or middle name and their last name) using chemical symbols of elements on the periodic table. For example, you can spell Yvonne using the symbols for yttrium (Y), vanadium (V), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), and neon (Ne).
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Introduction, Interdisciplinary, Scientific Method | High School
Activity: Write the Methods Section
In this activity, students will learn how to write and think like a scientist when they complete their lab write ups.
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Phase Changes, Physical Change, Melting Point, Introduction, Observations | Elementary School
Lesson Plan: Let's Get Physical About Water
In this lesson, students will learn about the phase changes of matter. During the course of two days students will perform several short experiments in order to change the state of water and they will record their observations.
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Density, Mixture, Physical Properties, Introduction, Observations | Elementary School
Lesson Plan: What is Density
In this two-part lesson, students will learn about density through a teacher-led demonstration and a hands-on activity. The demonstration will give students the opportunity to observe the formation of a density tower made from common drinks. Students will then create their own density tower using simple ingredients, and then further investigate differences in density when solid objects are added to the tower.
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Introduction, History, Periodic Table, Elements, Observations, Physical Properties, Chemical Properties | High School
Lesson Plan: What is Chemistry?
In this lesson, students watch a video narrated by Bill Nye, and then complete a SOMA cube to enhance their perspective in the process of discovery.
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Conservation of Mass, Balancing Equations, Limiting Reactant, Introduction, Conservation of Mass | Middle School, High School
Activity: Kinesthetic Reactions
In this lesson students, through their physical movement, will model the law of conservation of mass during a chemical reaction. Students will also explore the concepts of limiting and excess reactants as well as balancing a chemical equation. Through this activity they also develop a means of representing particles at the molecular level.
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Introduction, Culminating Project | High School
Activity: Toy Project
In this project, students will develop a toy or elementary school project into an inquiry demonstration suitable for a high school chemistry class.
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Elements, Model of the Atom, History, Introduction, Matter, Observations, Periodic Table, Culminating Project, Atoms | Middle School, High School
Activity: Is a Picture Worth 1000 Words?
In this activity, students will learn about early chemistry discoveries through a textbook reading as well as from a cartoon.
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Phase Changes, Physical Properties, Molecular Motion, Introduction, Matter | Elementary School
Lesson Plan: Introducing States of Matter
In this lesson, students will investigate particle behavior in different forms of matter: solid, liquid and gas. Students will have an opportunity to examine a model of the particles in the different states of matter and will also participate in a kinesthetic demonstration of matter. They will also learn what makes the states of matter different from one another when changing from one form to another.
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Introduction | High School
Lesson Plan: How To Write a Formal Lab
In this lesson, students learn how to put the parts of a formal lab write up together.
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Observations, Density, Physical Properties, Introduction | Elementary School
Activity: Sink or Float
In this activity, students investigate whether certain materials will sink or float in water. Students will also explore how the shape of an object can affect its volume and density.
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Introduction, Interdisciplinary | High School
Activity: Experimental Design using Science and Engineering Practices
In this activity, students will read a short story about an experiment that was conducted about an everyday question. Then the student will decide if and how the experimenter followed the scientific method. Then they will consider their own everyday questions and propose a way to answer them experimentally.
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Physical Properties, Introduction, Matter, Chemical Properties | Elementary School
Activity: Properties of Matter
In this activity, students will focus on the properties of matter and distinguish matter by their physical properties
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Introduction, Observations, Interdisciplinary, Scientific Method | Middle School, High School
Activity: Engineering Project
In this activity, students work together in a small team in order to solve a problem and achieve a common goal. Students will need to work collaboratively in order to be successful. They will be required to communicate their ideas both verbally and in written form, assign duties, design and carry out a procedure in this activity. They will also be challenged with problem solving when/if their original plan fails.
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Introduction | High School
Activity: Procedure Pictures
In this activity students are put into groups of 2 – 3 and are then charged with developing a procedure to investigate a provided “fact or fiction” statement. The twist to this task is that they are not allowed to use words; their entire procedure must be represented in pictures. This idea is based on the recent “Can You Picture That?” article by Julie Damico in the February 2014 edition of The Science Teacher magazine.
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Periodic Table, Introduction, Elements | High School, Middle School
Activity: Element Skit
In this activity, students will become familiar with the periodic table by creating a skit to explain an element’s symbol, atomic number, and atomic mass.
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Elements, Model of the Atom, Periodic Table, Introduction, Atoms, Electrons | Middle School, High School
Activity: Periodic Puzzler
In this activity, students will learn about what makes up an atom and how important protons are in the placement of elements on the periodic table.
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Introduction | High School
Activity: Chemistry Fact vs Fiction
In this activity, students will read a short article, view a video, and discuss why they believe the article and video are or are not reliable sources of information. Students will then perform a basic laboratory experiment implementing the steps of the Scientific Method.