Tim Allison's Virtual Portfolio -- Lesson Plans

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Tim Allison: A Virtual Portfolio

Lesson Plans

This page shows two lesson plans, which demonstrate my development as a planner of science lessons. The first, Quantities in Chemical Reactions, was my first attempt at a formal lesson plan. While reasonably good, it did have some flaws, particularly with relation to the time assigned to each task. It was designed for a grade eleven Chemistry class. The second, Health of Mother and Baby, is a much more efficient plan (designed for grade IX applied science), and is actually a slightly modified version of a lesson which I taught on my first practicum. It goes with the PowerPoint presentation of the same name, found later in this portfolio; and attempts to incorporate the practice of making science relevant to the students' experience, as discussed by Volkmann. It also fits in well with Gallas, and with Gilbert, Osborne, and Fensham, by encouraging students to express their views, and encourages students to pursue their interests, while giving guidelines on how far they can do so. The most significant development which I have observed in my development as a teacher, through the development of lesson plans, has been in terms of improved time management and planning abilities. Understanding how much (or how little) time it might take students to grasp a concept is key to planning one's lessons. I believe that I am progressing well in this area.

Subject: Quantities in Chemical Reactions

Grade Level: 11 U

Topic: The mole concept

Date: October 22, 2003

Time: 75 minutes

Instructional Expectations:

■Students should be able to:

-Identify the mole as one of the most important units of measurement in Chemistry

-Use Avogadro’s number (6.02 x 10²³) to determine numbers of molecules or moles

-Appreciate the size of Avogadro’s number in relation to the familiar

-Convert quantities from grams to moles and from moles to grams

-Use the periodic table to determine the molar mass for a substance

Preassessment:

■Students should already possess:

-basic arithmetic and algebraic skills

-knowledge of chemical formulae of common compounds

-knowledge of the nomenclature of ionic and covalent compounds from Grade IX & X

-awareness of phases in which products and reactants can occur
-awareness of terminology applied to chemical reactions

■The classroom will require:

-a periodic table
-an overhead projector

■resources required will be:
-250 mL beakers, with: (i) 12 g of Carbon; (ii) 20 mL of water; (iii) 58.5 g of NaCl

Content:

Strategies:

Introduction:
■How small is an atom? Could we possibly count them, if we are trying to determine amounts to use in chemical reactions?

Time: 15 minutes
■Get students to discuss, in small groups, the number of atoms of each substance in the beakers described above; get each group to write their estimates on the board and leave them there for later reference.

■Define the atomic mass unit, 1/12 of the mass of an atom of Carbon 12. Natural carbon contains ¹²C and ¹³C (two forms of carbon); the choice of Carbon was made arbitrarily for the sake of convenience.

Time: 5 minutes
■Point out where/how Atomic Mass Units (AMUs) are displayed on the periodic table. Make students aware that many AMUs are close to being whole numbers, and that this is part of the reason that AMUs are based on ¹²C (i.e. whole numbers are easier to calculate).

■A mole represents an extraordinary number of molecules. Describe 1 mole as # of atoms in 12.0000 grams of ¹²C.

■Define molar mass: the mass of 1 mole of any substance, measured in grams. Indicate that different compounds generally have different molar masses

Time: 10 minutes
■Because moles measure larger quantities than AMUs, they are much easier to use for measurements and calculations in Chemistry.
■Use the beakers of C, H₂O, and NaCl to illustrate this point. Each beaker contains 1 mole of substance, yet the masses are clearly different

■Moles can be converted into grams to determine amounts of chemicals to use in a reaction

Time: 10 minutes
■Demonstrate, by showing how to calculate moles/grams/molecules of the above samples.

■Avogadro’s number = 6.02 x 10²³. This number is roughly the number of atoms/molecules in 1 mole of a pure substance

Time: 10 minutes
■Describe: eg, 6.02 x 10² is the number of students in the school; 6.02 x 10⁹is the population of the world; there are still 14 0s left! Compare this number with the estimates given by the students earlier

■The mole is a very important measurement in Chemistry

Time: 10 minutes
■Explain that the mole is used as frequently (or more frequently) than the gram in Chemistry; everyday uses of the mole (eg for diabetics); Mole Day is TOMORROW!!

Summarization:
■Summarization of lesson

Time: 15 minutes
■Go over material briefly
■Encourage student questions; cover any problems
■Hand out and explain activity sheet to be completed for next class

Evaluation and Assessment:

■The activity sheets will be taken up next class so that students can bring up any concerns that they might have with the material
■This material will be on a test, next Thursday

Reflections:

This lesson plan has been adapted from a similar plan found at: http://www3.sympatico.ca/upton/teach/4537lessonplan.doc

Subject: Embryonic and Fetal Development	Grade Level: 9 Applied
Topic: Health of Mother and Baby
Date: December 12, 2003	Time: 75 minutes
Instructional Expectations:
■Students should be able to: -conduct investigations into questions arising from reproductive issues -examine the impact of scientific research and technological developments on issues related to reproduction -through investigations and applications of basic concepts identify a current problem or concern relating to human reproduction -identify local environmental factors and individual choices that may lead to a change in a cell’s genetic information or an organism’s development, and investigate the consequences such factors and choices have on human development
Preassessment:
■Students should already possess: -an understanding of the basics of human reproduction and of embryonic and fetal development, from the preceding part of this unit -an awareness that alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs can have a negative effect on human health ■The classroom will require: -an LCD projector -a VCR -enough computers for all students (class will be held in the computer lab) ■resources required will be: -students will require their letter assignment sheets (see "Use of Letters..."), with the details of the assignment, as well as the saved versions of their letters up to this point -video: “Life Sentence” (CBC documentary on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome), Lakehead Public Schools IMC#V012191A
Content:	Strategies:
Introduction: ■What are some things which might be helpful or harmful to a pregnant mother and/or her baby?	Time: 7 min. ■Students' suggestions can be written in two columns on the board ('helpful' and 'harmful')
■Lecture/PowerPoint presentation	Time: 8 min. ■Brief presentation will be given to students (describes various influences on an expectant mother's health and on the health of her baby)
■Video/discussion	Time: 25 min. ■VCR will be hooked up to LCD projector; students can watch video; brief discussion of FAS will ensue
■Working time	Time: 30 min. ■students will conduct internet research on factors affecting the health of a pregnant woman and of her baby; they will combine their findings with what they have learned in class to write the "what to do" and "what not to do" sections of their letters
Summary: ■Wrap-up	Time: 5 min. ■students will be told to save their work, log off computers, and collect their materials ■students will be reminded to bring their materials to the next class, when they will also be working on their letters
Evaluation and Assessment:
■Students' work skills will be assessed during the class ■When letters are submitted, they will form the basis for an evaluation
Reflections:

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