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Chemistry Lesson Plans (21 results)

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Algae String Chemistry and Design
Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th
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These lessons use open-ended exploration to introduce students to biopolymers and the chemistry behind cross-linking. Students will draw inspiration from biology and use authentic scientific practices to design and create colorful string creations from a natural polymer, alginate. Learning Objectives Students will: Engage in authentic science practices through open-ended exploration. Create a string using polymers harvested from living algae. Manipulate the properties of a… Read more
E-factor: Environmental Impact Factor for Chemical Reactions
Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-12th
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In this lesson, students will do a simple exercise with M&Ms to understand what environmental impact factor (E-factor) is, how it applies to chemical processes, and how waste from chemical reactions can be reduced by applying the principles of green chemistry. Learning Objectives Students will: Understand strategies for reducing waste Perform an exercise which has them practice E-factor Relate the exercise to chemical processes NGSS Alignment MS-PS1-3. Gather and make… Read more
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Wind Maze
Lesson Plan Grade: 4th-12th
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Students will explore the elements by designing a wind maze, a device that can direct the wind along a specific path. Learning Objectives Students will: Design and test a wind maze. Consider how to direct the wind down an intended path by creating bends in the maze. Use observations from their tests to compare solutions and iterate on their designs. NGSS Alignment This lesson helps students prepare for these Next Generation Science Standards Performance Expectations: … Read more
Investigate the Properties of Liquids
Lesson Plan Grade: 2nd
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When discussing material properties, most of us usually think of solid materials and material properties such as hardness, flexibility, or strength. However, liquids are characterized by distinct properties, too. Some of these properties overlap with those of solids, like density or transparency, but others are more specific to liquids. Viscosity—the resistance of a fluid to flow—and surface tension, are two examples of properties that are specifically used to characterize liquids.… Read more
NGSS Performance Expectations:
  • 2-PS1-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.
Make a Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell
Lesson Plan Grade: 9th-12th
How does a solar cell work? In this green chemistry lesson plan, students will build and test their own dye-sensitized solar cells using dye from blackberries. Along the way, they will learn about the principles of green chemistry and evaluate how solar cell manufacturing can go green. Read more
NGSS Performance Expectations:
  • HS-ESS3-2. Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.
  • HS-ESS3-4. Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces the impact of human activities on natural systems.
What To Do About CO₂?
Lesson Plan Grade: 5th-12th
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Where does CO₂ come from and how does excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere affect the ocean and aquatic life? In this lesson students are introduced to the carbon cycle and explore pH and acidification with hands-on experiments. They then connect their experimental data with real-world data to evaluate claims about carbon dioxide and ocean acidification. Finally, students are introduced to how different companies and research groups are using green chemistry to build carbon capture… Read more
Engineering Silver Nanoparticles
Lesson Plan Grade: 9th-12th
Engineering silver nanoparticles for use in water filters has shown promising results in keeping water free of disinfection byproducts that arise after chlorination. In this activity, the students do individual research to learn about nanotechnology and silver nanoparticles, and how silver nanoparticles can be used in water treatment. Students choose a plant of their choice (from home, school, or from the teacher) to use as an agent to reduce silver nitrate into silver… Read more
Fabulous Fabrics: The Chemistry of "Green" Textiles
Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th
Look around and you will see fabrics everywhere, from clothes to upholstery, in a wide range of colors. In this chemistry lab students will dye strips of fabrics to explore how variables like pH and fiber type influence fabric colors. Students will also look at the life cycles of natural and synthetic fibers and apply green chemistry principles to understand how science can help make advances towards a "greener" textile industry. Learning Objectives Students will: Understand that synthetic… Read more
Molecular Models and 3D Printing
Lesson Plan Grade: 9th-12th
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Students are challenged to use computer-aided design (CAD) software to create "complete" 3D-printed molecule models that take into consideration bond angles and lone-pair positioning. To begin, they explore two interactive digital simulations: "build a molecule" and "molecule shapes." This aids them in comparing and contrasting existing molecular modeling approaches—ball-and-stick, space-filling, and valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR)—so as to… Read more
NGSS Performance Expectations:
  • 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.
Nanotechnology in Action: Organic Electronics
Lesson Plan Grade: 9th-12th
This activity focuses on the use of graphene in organic fibers, and their applications in organic electronics, e-textiles and wearable technologies. Students learn about the properties of graphene—unique form of carbon—and how graphene-based fibers are fabricated, how to measure resistance, how to calculate resistivity, and how a material changes its electrical properties. Students also learn about the importance of defining design parameters, which is an… Read more
Recycling PLA Plastic using Green Chemistry
Lesson Plan Grade: 9th-12th
Educational Goal To understand: How polylactic acid (PLA) plastic is an example of green chemistry technology particularly pollution prevention and designing safer chemicals Student Objectives Students will: Learn about renewable "corn" plastic is made from polylactic acid Recycle the polylactic acid cup into a new product: a cleaning solution Conduct a saponification reaction Analyze PLA against the 12 principles of green chemistry (Optional) Verify the contents of their… Read more
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