Classroom Resources: Chemistry Basics
1 – 25 of 51 Classroom Resources
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Chemical Change, Interdisciplinary, History | Middle School, High School
Video: Spellbound Episode 3—A Yellow Sweater: Bassam Shakhashiri, Ph.D.
Produced for the 2011 International Year of Chemistry, the video series Spellbound, tells the story of scientists whose childhood curiosity about everyday things helped them launch careers in the lab, win Nobel Prizes and make other achievements. Their early childhood experiences may encourage young people into careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. This episode features Bassam Shakhashiri, Ph.D.
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Chemical Change, History | Middle School, High School
Activity: Spellbound Episode 3 Bassam Shakhashiri Video Questions
In this activity, students will answer questions while watching a video from the Spellbound series produced by ACS. Each episode focuses on a different notable scientist, recounting how their interest in science was sparked in their childhood and how they went on to make great contributions to the scientific community. This third episode focuses on the childhood of Bassam Shakhashiri, whose early interest in colors led him to study chemistry and become a passionate chemistry educator and ambassador.
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Chemical Change, Interdisciplinary, History | Middle School, High School
Activity: Spellbound Episode 1 Ahmed Zewail Video Questions
In this activity, students will answer questions while watching a video from the Spellbound series produced by ACS. Each episode focuses on a different notable scientist, recounting how their interest in science was sparked in their childhood and how they went on to make great contributions to the scientific community. This first episode focuses on the childhood of Ahmed Zewail, who went on to become the 1999 Chemistry Nobel Laureate.
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Observations, Chemical Change, Inferences, Scientific Method, Experimental Design | Middle School, High School
Demonstration: What Causes Yeast to Ferment?
In this lesson, students will observe and verify molasses sugar content as a result of its ability to ferment yeast. They will compare how molasses allows yeast to ferment with other sugar solutions as well as a sugar-free solution.
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Observations, Chemical Change, Physical Change, Molecular Structure | Middle School, High School
Lab: Determining a Chemical or Physical Change
In this lab, students will follow a laboratory procedure that instructs them how to heat a small sample of copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate. Students will make observations in order to determine if a chemical or physical change occurs.
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Observations, Chemical Change, Polarity, Physical Change, Molecular Structure, Chemical Change, Lewis Structures | High School
Lab: DIY Triiodide
In this lab, students will investigate how iodine interacts with various substances. They will use color changes to justify whether a chemical or physical change is taking place. This activity is referenced in the October 2019 ChemMatters article called “Cash, Chemistry, and Counterfeiting.”
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Density, Physical Properties, Chemical Change, Physical Change, Chemical Properties, Graphing, Alloys | Middle School, High School
Lesson Plan: The Captivating Chemistry of Coins
In this lesson, students will develop a better understanding of physical and chemical properties of matter by comparing the composition of different pennies. This is done by determining the density of different pennies which will be compared to the density of different metals.
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Physical Properties, Chemical Change, Physical Change, Chemical Properties | Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Activity: A Physical vs. Chemical Challenge
In this activity, students will first complete a card sort to best categorize examples of change as physical or chemical change. Then they will compete in teams to identify whether given situations represent a physical change or a chemical change, or a physical or a chemical property.
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Chemical Change, Physical Change, Activity Series, Redox Reaction, Chemical Change | High School
Demonstration: Understanding the Discrepant Reactivity of Copper in the Presence of Strong Acids
In this demonstration, students practice their observation skills during the additions of different acids to two test tubes containing copper. The activity is structured to allow students to make thoughtful remarks about what they observe, using rich indicators of both chemical and physical properties and changes. In subsequent lessons on new concepts, students can reflect back on their observations to rationalize the discrepant results of the reactions in the demonstration.
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Observations, Physical Properties, Chemical Change, Physical Change, Dimensional Analysis, Measurements, Matter, Chemical Properties, Mixtures | Middle School, High School
Activity: Cupcake Conversions, Bench to Bakery
This activity will help to reinforce the importance of scientific measurement and apply it to the introduction of chemical reactions. Using an example of baking a single batch of cupcakes, students will plan for a larger production scale in a commercial bakery. This will help to introduce the idea of producing a reaction at the lab bench and converting it to mass production. In addition this activity investigates how chemistry is used in everyday life and challenges students to consider potentials errors that may occur when completing chemical reactions in the kitchen.
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Separating Mixtures, Physical Properties, Chemical Change, Introduction, Physical Change, History, Lab Safety, Measurements, Significant Figures, SI Units, Chemical Properties | 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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Chemical Change, Physical Change, Conservation of Mass, Chemical Change | Middle School, High School
Lab: Chemistry in a Bag
In this lab, students will observe and identify chemical and physical changes contained inside a plastic bag. Students will also use this lab to understand the Law of Conservation of Mass.
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Observations, Chemical Change, Conservation of Mass, Stoichiometry, Conservation of Mass, Limiting Reactant, Chemical Change | High School
Demonstration: Understanding Limiting Reactants
In this demonstration, the teacher will perform a series of reactions between acetic acid (vinegar) and varying amounts of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) in order to inflate several balloons. Students will observe the reactions and analyze the quantities of reactants used as well as the results in order to understand the concept of limiting reactants.
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Chemical Change, Physical Change, Chemical Change | Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Lab: Chemical and Physical Changes
In this lab, students will observe and analyze a number of examples in order to determine if a chemical or physical change occurred.
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Chemical Change, Phase Changes, Interdisciplinary, Culminating Project, Conservation of Mass, Chemical Change | Middle School, High School
Project: Law of Conservation of Mass Comic Strip
In this project, students will work in groups to create a comic strip that illustrates understanding of the law of conservation of mass.
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Observations, Chemical Change, History, Reduction, Redox Reaction, Oxidation | High School
Demonstration: Nitric Acid Acts Upon Copper
In this demonstration, students will hear a story about Ira Remsen and watch a demonstration that recreates her first experiment reacting nitric acid with a copper penny.
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Observations, Chemical Change, Redox Reaction, Scientific Method, Electron Transfer, Experimental Design | High School, Middle School
Lab: Test Tube Geology
In this lab, students will observe a reaction between an iron nail and copper(II) sulfate in a test tube over the course of several days, modeling how a similar reaction occurs to form copper deposits in the earth. Students will also modify the procedures to evaluate how changing a factor of their choice affects the results of the test tube reaction, introducing them to concepts of experimental design. It also introduces students to my version of the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH).
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Observations, Chemical Change, Net Ionic Equation, Reduction, Activity Series, Redox Reaction, Oxidation | High School
Lab: Fine Art of Redox
In this lab, students will practice writing and balancing redox reactions and use the activity series to verify the outcome of a chemical reaction.
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Observations, Chemical Change, Chemical Change, Reaction Rate, Acid Base Reactions, Limiting Reactant, Chemical Change, Indicators, Le Châtelier's Principle | High School
Demonstration: Milk of Magnesia Magic
In this demonstration, students will observe a color change in a milk of magnesia solution as vinegar is added.
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Chemical Change, Chemical Change, Concentration, Acid Base Reactions, Molarity, Balancing Equations, Stoichiometry, Limiting Reactant, Chemical Change, Measurements, Titrations, Indicators, Graphing, Equivalence Point, Error Analysis, Error Analysis | High School
Lab: Acid-Base Mole Ratio
In this lab, students study several concepts, including acid-base reactions, limiting reactants, and stoichiometry, by observing the contained reaction of acetic acid (diluted vinegar) with sodium hydrogen carbonate (baking soda) in an unconventional, cost effective titration.
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Observations, Density, Chemical Change, Density, Inferences | High School, Middle School
Demonstration: Comparing Gas Density
In this demonstration, students will observe a reaction between baking soda and vinegar in the presence of a variety of different heights of lit candles. The initial environment has plenty of oxygen present in order to sustain the candle’s flame; however the reaction will produce carbon dioxide which will cause the lit candles to extinguish in order of height. Students will analyze and compare the presence of the gases in the container and make determinations about the densities of each.
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Density, Temperature, Chemical Change, Gas Laws, Density, Pressure, Balancing Equations, Stoichiometry, Chemical Change, Dimensional Analysis, Kinetic Molecular Theory, Ideal Gas, Volume, Graphing | High School
Lesson Plan: The Gas Laws 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 constructed a unit plan using AACT resources that is designed to teach the Gas Laws to your students.
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Observations, Chemical Change, Chemical Change | High School, Middle School
Lab: Corrosion in Motion
In this lab, students will expose metal samples to various solutions and observe the amount of corrosion of a period of time.
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Observations, Chemical Change, Reduction, Activity Series, Redox Reaction, Galvanic Cells, Chemical Change, Oxidation, Half Reactions, Electron Transfer, Electrons | High School
Lesson Plan: Exploring Automotive Corrosion
In this lesson students will investigate the galvanic corrosion that can occur when different metals come in contact with each other in modern cars.
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Observations, Chemical Change, Balancing Equations, Classification of Reactions, Chemical Change | High School
Lab: Recycling Copper: Understanding Chemical Reactions
In this lab, students will demonstrate their understanding of writing, balancing, translating, and identifying types of chemical reactions. While doing so, they will learn about the process of recycling copper.