Summary

In this activity, students display their knowledge of the five main types of chemical reactions on a miniature sized poster.

Grade Level

High school

Objectives

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

• Describe each of the main types of chemical reaction.
• Differentiate between the main types of chemical reactions.
• Understand how these reactions correlate to real-life.
• Give examples of when each type of reaction takes place.

Chemistry Topics

This lesson supports students’ understanding of:

• Classifying Reactions

Time

Teacher Preparation: 20 minutes

Lesson: Two 50 minute classes

Materials

• Computers or iPads (for research)
• Manila folders
• Colored pencils
• Colored paper
• Glue
• Scissors
• Additional craft supplies (as needed)

Safety

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

Teacher Notes

• After teaching the five main types of chemical reactions (synthesis, decomposition, single replacement, double replacement and combustion), have the students show their understanding of these types of reactions through the creation of a mini poster. I have each student complete the project individually so that students are solely responsible for their own work.
• I have the students make a miniature tri-fold poster project by taping two manila folders together, overlapping the connecting page, to provide three surfaces to display their information.
• Students can make a bi-fold instead if supplies are limited.
• A suggestion for adding a uniqueness factor in the real world examples. Possibly offer extra points in the rubric if they are able to come up with an example that nobody else does.
• Grading the project: I assign 8 points to each reactions type, divided into 2 points for each of the bullets:
  • Name of reaction type
  • Generic equation
  • Real Life example of reaction
  • Definition of reaction type

This totals 40 points.
I also assign 2 points for consideration of the remaining bullets:

• Title of Poster
• Color
• Pictures
• Readability
• Sizing & Usage of space
• Creativity
• Originality

Using this grading format the project will be worth a total of 54 points.

• There are many variations of this activity that your students can follow during other units in the curriculum. An example of this would be having the students create a mini poster project for ionic, molecular, and organic bonds.