Name:_Jessica Jaremy__________________________ Cohort: ____________

Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: __Writing Chemical Equations______________________________________ Grade: __11__ Date: _2017/10/19___

Subject: _Chemistry SCH3U___Strand: _C. Chemical Reactions____ Location: _Science Lab__Time: (length in minutes): __75 min___

Lesson Plan Description – (one/two paragraphs with general details about what you will do and how you will do it)
The lesson will begin with an introduction to chemical reactions. Students will first participate in a hands-on
demonstration that involves mixing chemicals. Some of these chemicals will react with each other, while some will
not, which will be used as an introduction to what a chemical reaction is. Students will answer questions about the
demonstration.

A PowerPoint presentation will then be given about writing chemical reactions. It will cover the following information:
the parts of a chemical reaction, word equations, skeleton equations and balancing chemical equations. The
PowerPoint will be presented up until the section on balancing equations, and then students will complete an activity.
This hands-on activity will let students physically balance equations using manipulatives (molecular model kits) so that
they can learn through an inquiry about how atoms rearrange within chemical reactions. The PowerPoint will then be
finished off with a few examples of how to balance equations.

Finally, students will be required to make a poster (for formative assessment), showing what they have learned about
balancing equations. They will also be able to use this poster to aid them with balancing equations later on, as this is a
recurring theme in grade 11 and 12 chemistry (and post-secondary education as well).
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
Ontario Curricular Overall Expectations (numbers from documents and details)

C2. Developing skills of investigation and communication

Ontario Curricular Specific Expectations (numbers from documents and details) selected & listed from the Ont. Curriculum, refined when
necessary, has verbs that are observable & measurable, has realistic number of expectations (1 to 3) have expectations that match assessment

C2.2. Write balanced chemical equations to represent synthesis, decomposition, single displacement, double
displacement and combustion reactions using the IUPAC nomenclature system [PR, AI, C].

Learning Goals Discuss with students: What will I be learning today? (clearly identify what students are expected to know and be able to do, in language
that students can readily understand)

Today I will learn…

 To identify the various parts of a chemical reaction
 To write chemical equations as word, skeleton and balanced equations and differentiate between the three
 To balance chemical equations
ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION
Success Criteria Discuss with students: How will I know I have learned what I need to learn? (clearly identify the criteria to assess student’s learning, as well
as what evidence of learning students will provide to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and thinking, in language that students can readily understand)

I can: identify and explain the different parts of a chemical reaction

I can: write a word equation and a skeletal equation to describe a chemical reaction
I can: balance chemical equations
Assessment – how will I know students have learned what I intended?
Achievement Chart Categories (highlight/circle the ones that apply): Knowledge and Understanding; Thinking; Communication; Application

Drafted by Lakehead University Orillia Faculty of Education Team-August 2013

 Assessment For, As, Of Learning (Complete the chart below)

Assessment Mode: Assessment Strategy Assessment Tool

Written, Oral, Performance Specific task for students Instrument used to record data
(Write, Say, Do) e.g., turn and talk, brainstorming, mind i.e., rubric, checklist, observation sheet,
map, debate, etc. etc.

Assessment For Learning Oral After the demonstration at the

Assessment As Learning
Assessment Of Learning
CONSIDERATIONS FOR PLANNING
Prior Learning: Prior to this lesson, students will have
* A knowledge of the periodic table, elements, and compounds
* A knowledge of polyatomic ions
* Discussed nomenclature of chemical compounds and bonding trends
* Seen chemical reactions before in other courses but likely will not have gone into much depth
beginning of the lesson, the
teacher will ask the students
some questions to see what
they already know about the
topic.
Performance Students will use a molecular Modelling kit
model kit as a tool to help
them balance equations to
figure out answers. This will
help them assess their
understanding of the material.
Oral Students will be expected to Observation
think about and answer
questions during the lesson,
which will help them realize
whether or not they
understand so far.
Performance Students will use a molecular Modelling Kit
model kit to model and find the
answers to equations that
need to be balanced. The
teacher will observe as they do
this to get an idea of whether
or not they understand and if it
is time to move on.
Students will make a poster
Written detailing the steps of balancing Observation/review of student’s
an equation. The teacher will productions
look at the posters after they
are completed and make sure
the students are on the right
track, but no mark will be
given.
Written In the future, this information Future quizzes, tests,
will be on a chapter and unit assignments, labs, etc.
test. It will also be used
throughout the year during a
variety of other assessments,
as balancing the equation is the
first step in most chemical
processes.

Drafted by Lakehead University Orillia Faculty of Education Team-August 2013

 Differentiation: Content, Process, Product, Assessment/Accommodations, Modifications

The lesson contains oral/written instruction in the traditional presentation style, a hands-on/visual demonstration,
some discussion, a creative production and a hands-on activity. It has components that accommodate all types of
learners, and the different parts of the lesson support each other, so students will be able to get the information they
need even if one particular component of the lesson isn’t presented in their preferred learning style.

This lesson contains a lot of hands-on work and visual clues for English Language Learners. What they may have
trouble understanding in words, they may be able to pick up more easily from the hands-on activity where students
physically balance equations with a molecular model kit. The assessment can be modified for them as well. For
example, if they have a lower level of English and have trouble writing, they could make a poster that is only visual,
based on what they learned with the molecular model kit rather than what was taught with words.

This lesson also contains a couple of parts (the opening activity and the activity with the molecular model kits) where
students will have an opportunity to move around a bit and do something other than sitting at a desk and staring at a
slideshow. However, if there are students in the class who have a lot of energy and have trouble sitting for long
periods of time, a small break could be incorporated (about five minutes) where students have an opportunity to
stand up, stretch, and move around the classroom.

Learning Skills/Work Habits

Highlight/circle ones that are addressed: responsibility, organization, independent work, collaboration, initiative, self-regulation

Highlight/circle ones that are assessed: responsibility, organization, independent work, collaboration, initiative, self-regulation

Vocabulary (for word wall and to develop schema)

Chemical reaction – a process in which substances react to form one or more different substances
Reactants – the starting substances of a chemical reaction (found on the left side of the equation)
Products – the substances that are formed in a chemical reaction (found on the right side of the equation)
Chemical equation – a condensed statement that expressed chemical change using symbols and chemical names or
formulas
Word equation – a chemical equation in which reactants and products are identified by their names (in words) only
Skeleton equation – a chemical equation in which chemical symbols are used to represent the substances that are
involved in the reaction. It does not include quantities of each substance.
Solid – molecules/atoms are packed tightly together, it has a definite volume, and it can hold its shape (e.g., ice)
Liquid – molecules/atoms are packed more loosely than in solids where they have some room to move, it has a
definite volume, but it cannot hold its shape (e.g., water)
Gas – molecules are far apart and in constant, random motion, and it has no definite shape or volume (e.g., air)
Aqueous solution – when an element or compound is dissolved in water. It resembles a liquid but is not a pure
substance.
Balanced chemical equation – a chemical equation that uses chemical formulas and coefficients to show the identities
and ratios of reactants and products in a chemical reaction.
Coefficient – a positive number that is placed in front of a chemical formula to show the relative number of particles of
the substance that are involved in the reaction
Precipitate – a solid that forms from two liquids in a chemical reaction
Resources and Materials /Technology Integration List ALL items necessary for delivery of the lesson. Include any attachments of student
worksheets used and teacher support material that will support communication of instruction. Include the use of Information Technology (ICT) in your lesson plan
where appropriate.
 Three test tubes
 Four droppers/pipettes
 Aqueous sodium iodide
 Aqueous lead nitrate
 Aqueous magnesium sulfate
 Aqueous sodium carbonate
 Safety goggles (one pair for the teacher and one pair per student)

Drafted by Lakehead University Orillia Faculty of Education Team-August 2013

  PowerPoint presentation (see attached slides)
 Computer and projector/Smart Board
 Molecular model kits – a kit that contains wooden balls (which represent atoms) of various colours wooden
dowels. The balls have holes in them, and the dowels can be used to connect them to make molecules. (one
kit per student if possible, but if not, one per two students)
 Blank paper (one piece per student)
Learning Environment (grouping; transitions; physical set up)
The lesson will start with students grouped around the lab desk, where the teacher, with the help of the students, will
perform a short demonstration about chemical reactions.
Students will return to their desks for a PowerPoint presentation, which includes an interactive activity.
Students will then remain at their desks to do a follow-up mini-assignment.

Cross-Curricular Links
Concepts from this class can be linked to other classes, such as:

Food/nutrition classes: the sandwich example that is given in the PowerPoint presentation shows students how
following a recipe and cooking food can be a lot like using a balanced chemical reaction, and how chemistry relates to
food in general. There are tons of things that happen in the food industry that are actually chemical reactions (e.g.,
mixing vinegar and baking soda, baking a cake, making a sauce or soup, etc.), and only work if the recipe is balanced.

Math: Students may have heard before/will hear in the future the term coefficient in their math class, particularly
when talking about graphs and functions (y = mx + b, polynomial equations, etc.). If they’ve already discussed this, it
can be related back to math, so the students understand the concept better. The concept of balancing an equation is
also similar to the idea of both sides of a math equation having to be equal to each other, and the rule of “what you do
to one side, you do to the other,” which is commonly used when solving math equations (e.g., if 2 is added to one side,
2 must be added to the other side).

Lesson – Delivery Format

Write the lesson description with enough detail that another teacher could replicate the lesson without a personal discussion.
What Teachers Do: What Students do:
Minds on: Motivational Hook/engagement /introduction (5-15 min)
Establish a positive learning environment, connect to prior learning, set the context for learning, pre-determine key questions to guide lesson
Time: _8:15___-_8:30___ (Indicate time breakdown of instructional elements)

Before the students arrive in class, the teacher will have

set up a test tube rack with three test tubes in it. There
will be four bottles on the lab desk containing aqueous
solutions of sodium iodide, lead nitrate, magnesium
sulfate and sodium carbonate. Next, to each bottle, there
will be a dropper or a pipette.
When the students arrive, the teacher will instruct them
to get a pair of safety goggles (they will be out on a lab
bench or desk where students can easily access them)
and come over to the area where the materials for the
demonstration are set up.
The teacher will ask for two volunteers (if nobody
volunteers, the teacher will choose two students at
random). They will instruct one student to carefully use
the dropper to collect a few drops of aqueous sodium
iodide and put it into one of the test tubes. The student
can place the dropper back beside the bottle. They will
then instruct the second student to collect a few drops of
Students will be responsible (under the direction of the
teacher) for having safety goggles and taking other safety
precautions (i.e., tying hair back, etc.) before they
approach the area that contains the chemicals. They will
then approach the lab desk for the demonstration).
Students will participate in the demonstration (under the
direction of the teacher) by mixing different substances.
One student will be responsible for adding one part of
each reaction into the test tube (i.e., for the first reaction,
one student will be responsible for sodium iodide, and
another will be responsible for lead nitrate). The students

Drafted by Lakehead University Orillia Faculty of Education Team-August 2013

 aqueous lead nitrate and add it into the same test tube. who are not taking part in the reaction will observe what
The two clear, colourless solutions will mix to form a is happening.
yellow precipitate.
The teacher will ask for two more volunteers, and the
same process will be repeated in a second test tube, with
one student adding magnesium sulfate and the other
adding sodium carbonate. The two clear, colourless
solutions will mix to form a white precipitate.
The teacher will ask for two more volunteers, and the
same process will be repeated in the third test tube, with
one student adding sodium iodide and the other adding
magnesium sulfate. Nothing will happen when these two
solutions are mixed.
When the demonstration is done, the teacher will ask the
students to return to their desk and take out any Students will return to their desks and take out any
materials they need for a note (pencils, paper, etc.). As materials that they need to prepare for the next part of
the students prepare for the rest of the lesson, the the lesson (pencil, paper, etc.)
teacher will move the materials from the demonstration
to a safe area (perhaps into the fume hood or the lab
prep room, depending on what the particular lab has) for
later disposal.

When the students are settled at their desks, the teacher

will ask:
“What did you see happening during this The students will be required to think about and answer
demonstration?” (Answer: students’ opinions) the questions asked by the teacher. There will be a small
“Can you think of some terms or words that could class discussion.
describe what happened?” (Answer: chemical reaction)
“What was different between the first two
demonstrations and the last one?” (Answer: the first two
were chemical reactions, the last did not react)
“Do you know of any ways that what happened here
could be represented on paper?” (This leads to the
lesson)

Action: During /working on it (time given for each component, suggested 15-40 min)
Introduce new learning or extend/reinforce prior learning, provide opportunities for practice & application of learning
Time: _8:30__-_9:10__ (Indicate time breakdown of instructional elements)

8:30 – 8:47: At this point, the teacher has asked the 8:30 – 8:47: Students will return to their desks and take
students what they thought about the demonstration and notes/listen during the PowerPoint presentation. As it is
what they think happened. The teacher will then ask the an interactive presentation, they are expected to take
students how they think the demonstration could relate part in the discussion and reflect on the questions that
to the lesson that they will be learning. This leads into the the teacher asks.
PowerPoint presentation. The teacher will present the
slideshow that contains important information up until
slide 13, at which point they will reach the activity. Each
slide has some information and examples written on it,
and a more detailed script can be found under the
“notes” section for each slide. It contains exactly what
should be said, and at what point of the slide it should be
said.

Drafted by Lakehead University Orillia Faculty of Education Team-August 2013

 8:47 – 9:00: At the activity stage, the teacher will give
each student a molecular model kit (see vocabulary
section if clarification is needed). If there are not enough
kits, students will work with their neighbor (the desks are
arranged in twos), and there will be one kit per two
students. If any students are sitting by themselves, they
can move to pair up together with the person that is
closest to them. If there is an odd number of students,
the student that is left out will join the closest pair to
make a group of three. If students can’t find a partner
after all this, the teacher will pair them up.
The students will proceed to balance four equations using
the molecular model kits. These equations can be found
on Slide 13 in the slideshow. The teacher will instruct
students to write down the answers that they come up
with in their notes and to draw the models that they
make along with their answers. The first equation on the
slide, Na + Cl2  NaCl, will be done as a group (the
students and the teacher together). The teacher will use
the modeling kit to demonstrate how exactly atoms move
around during a chemical reaction (see Slide 13 for a
more detailed script), then the students will be left on
their own to complete the next few questions. The
teacher will circulate to observe and help any students
who appear to be having trouble.
8:47 – 9:00: When the activity portion commences, the
students will be given molecular model kits so that they
can complete the activity. They will watch and actively
participate (i.e., answer questions) as the teacher goes
through the first example together with them. Then they
will continue the activity on their own or in small groups
(depending on the number of kits available) and try to
balance the remaining three equations by modeling. To
do this, they need to build the reactants and try to
rearrange the atoms so that they can make the products.
They may find that the need to add coefficients (by adding
new atoms) to make the equations work out as they
should (all atoms should be used up and there should be
none left over). From this experimentation with numbers,
they will obtain the coefficients that they need to write to
balance the equations.

9:00 – 9:10: When the students have finished the activity,
the teacher will instruct them to clean up their model kits
and put them off to the side. The teacher will then return
to the slideshow to take up the answers to the questions.
Next, the teacher will go over the remaining four slides
(14 – 17), which explain formal rules for balancing
equations along with some examples that the teacher will
go through with the class.
9:00 – 9:10: When the activity is done, the students will
listen/take notes during the rest of the PowerPoint
presentation. This portion contains only examples, so they
are expected to actively participate when questions are
asked.

Consolidation & Connection (Reflect and Connect) (5-15 min.)

Help students demonstrate what they have learned, provide opportunities for consolidation and reflection
Time: __9:10_-__9:30__ (Indicate time breakdown of instructional elements)

When the teacher has finished the slideshow, they will Students will create the poster that they can use for
explain the task that is presented on the last slide to the reference when they need to balance equations in the
students. The students are to take a blank piece of paper future. They are expected to put steps for balancing an
and make a poster describing how to balance an equation, some examples, and any other drawings or
equation. They will be able to use the poster in the future visuals that they’d like. They have the liberty to design it
as a reference for when they need to balance equations how they’d like so that it can be a useful tool for their use
in the future. Each poster should contain steps for in the future. If they do not finish in time, they can finish it
balancing an equation, an example or two and any other at home.
information that the students feel they require.
The teacher will stress that the students should put
information that they fell is necessary for them to
remember how to balance equation, and that will help
them personally (i.e. if a student is a very visual learner
and wants to draw out all the molecules, then they

Drafted by Lakehead University Orillia Faculty of Education Team-August 2013

 should, but if they prefer words and symbols, then they
should use those on their poster). The teacher will either
draw out a rough outline of a poster on the
board/smartboard or on a piece of paper to give students
an idea of what they could do, but in the end, they have
the liberty to design it in the way that works best for
them.

Extension Activities/Next Steps (where will this lesson lead to next)

This lesson will lead to a discussion of different types of chemical reactions including synthesis, decomposition, single
displacement and double displacement. Once students have learned about these types of reactions and what they are,
they will be able to perform an activity or lab in order to fulfill the expectations C2.2 (C2.2. write balanced chemical
equations to represent synthesis, decomposition, single displacement, double displacement and combustion reactions
using the IUPAC nomenclature system [PR, AI, C].), C2.3 (investigate synthesis, decomposition, single displacement and
double displacement reactions, by testing the products of each reaction (e.g. test for products such as gases, the
presence of an acid, or the presence of a base) [PR, AI]) and C3.1 (identify various types of chemical reactions,
including synthesis, decomposition, single displacement, double displacement and combustion).

Personal Reflection (what went well, what would I change, what will I have to consider in my next lesson for this subject/topic)
The Lesson:

The Teacher:

Source: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Chemistry 11

Drafted by Lakehead University Orillia Faculty of Education Team-August 2013