Summary

In this activity, students work in small teams to evaluate a given scenario. Based on the information provided, students will determine the type of chemical reaction described and write a balanced chemical equation for it. They will also create a particulate level representation to model the chemical reaction and prepare an explanation to explain their reasoning.

Grade Level

High School

NGSS Alignment

This activity will help prepare your students to meet the performance expectations in the following standards:

• HS-PS1-2: 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.
• Scientific and Engineering Practices:
  • Developing and Using Models
  • Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
  • Engaging in Argument from Evidence
  • Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

Objectives

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

• Properly classify the type of chemical reaction based on a chemical equation.
• Write a balanced chemical equation from a written description.
• Model a chemical reaction at the particulate level, accurately representing both the reactants and products of the reaction.

Chemistry Topics

This activity supports students’ understanding of:

• Chemical Reactions
• Classification of Reactions
• Balancing Equations

Time

Teacher Preparation: 5 minutes|
Lesson: 30 minutes

Materials

• Student Handout
• Periodic Table
• White Boards

Safety

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

Teacher Notes

• To learn more about this activity, read the associated article, Reflecting on ChatGPT in the Chemistry Classroom, featured in the May 2024 issue of Chemistry Solutions.
• The performance task questions for this activity were generated by providing prompts to ChatGPT. In our experience we found that, in order to generate a “workable” question, the initial prompt we provide with a sample question was very important. See figures 1-3 in the associated article, Reflecting on ChatGPT in the Chemistry Classroom, for more information.
• This activity is used at the end of the Chemical Reactions unit. Each team of students is provided with a performance task generated by ChatGPT. Students work together to answer the questions and display their work on a whiteboard. Teams then share their responses with the class.
• An Answer Key document has been provided for teacher reference.