Science Demonstration:

Aaron Lawlor and Becky Whitters

St. Thomas University
Lesson title: How to: Create a Chemical Reaction to Blow Up a Balloon
Grade: 5
Length: 30 minutes
9 February 2017

NGSS:

5- Matter and its Interactions

5-PS1-1.Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be

seen

5-PS1-4.Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more

substances results in new substances.

NB Science curriculum standards:

GCO:
Chemical changes

SCO:

301-12 describe examples of interactions between materials that result in the production
of a gas

301-11 describe changes that occur in the properties of materials when materials
interact with each other

205-5 make observations and collect information that is relevant to a given question or
problem

Learning objectives:

As students have just had a lesson on states of matter (liquid, solid, gas) they will be moving on
to seeing a demonstration of what happens when the states are mixed together.

Students will leave understanding that the mixing of certain liquid and solids can create a
gas.

Materials:
2L bottle
5 grams of sugar
1 packet of yeast
Warm water
Balloon
Safety concerns:
Make sure students are reminded not to fool around with the ingredients and that they
show respect to the materials they are given.
Remind students that the balloon could explode if it inflates too much and could become
a safety hazard to their eyes.

Misconceptions:
Explain to students that it is only certain ingredients mixed together that will create a
gas.

Organization: Teacher tasks: Students tasks:

Engaging The teacher will begin by asking
questions: the students why certain
(5 minutes) ingredients mixed together can
create a chemical reaction.
The teacher will then ask
the students to make
predictions about what will
happen to the balloon when
the warm water, yeast and
sugar are mixed.
The students will think about
what type of chemical reactions
occur with the mixing of certain
ingredients. They will come up
with examples of ingredients
that create a chemical reaction.
Ex: baking soda and vinegar.
The students will make
predictions about what will
happen to the balloon as the
three ingredients mix together.

Exploration: The teacher will then explain the The students will be in groups of 3-4
(10 minutes) experiment to the students. and each group will do the experiment.
The warm water will be put
in the bottle, along with the
package of yeast and 5
grams of sugar.
Each group will then make
sure that all ingredients mix
together properly
The balloon will then be
placed on the bottle
The balloon will be blown up
because of the chemical
reaction created inside the
bottle.

Explanation: The teacher will explain how the The students will learn what type of gas
(10 minutes) chemical reaction occurred inside was created when the warm water,
the bottle. yeast and sugar were added to the
The yeast dissolves in the bottle.
warm water. As the sugar is
added, the yeast eats the
sugar and creates a gas
 called carbon dioxide.
The gas fills the bottle, and
fills the balloon. As it fills the
balloon, it blows it up.

Expansion: The teacher will give the The students will fill out their
(5-10 mins) students an activity sheet. activity sheet.
The teacher will ask the
students to explain what
they saw during the
chemical reaction, and what
happened to cause the
balloon to blow up.
The students will draw a
picture of what they saw
during the experiment.

Evaluation: The teacher will take The students will be observed

anecdotal notes as the as they are doing their
students are doing the experiment.
experiment.
The teacher will also collect
their activity sheets at the
end of the lesson to ensure
their understanding.