Topic: Chemistry lab pt 1

Target group

Elementary school student (grades 7. and 8.)

Core curriculum:

Primary school. Chemistry.

III. Mastering practical activities. Pupil:

1) safely uses simple laboratory equipment and basic chemical reagents;

2) designs and carries out simple chemical experiments;

4) complies with the principles of health and safety at work.

General aim of education

The student safely uses simple laboratory equipment and basic chemical reagents, and exchanges equipment and glass that can be used in the laboratory, and discusses its purpose.

Key competences

• communication in the mother tongue;

• communication in foreign languages;

• mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• what is the importance of laboratories in various fields of science and industry;

• apply the safety rules in a chemical laboratory in practice;

• what is the purpose of observing the regulations of the school classroom and applying its rules when conducting experiments and chemical experiments;

• identify equipment and laboratory glass and discuss their use.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers;

• methodician or green, yellow and red cards.

Lesson plan overview

Introduction

1. The teacher hands out Methodology Guide or green, yellow and red sheets of paper to the students to be used during the work based on a traffic light technique. He presents the aims of the lesson in the student's language on a multimedia presentation and discusses the criteria of success (aims of the lesson and success criteria can be send to students via e‑mail or posted on Facebook, so that students will be able to manage their portfolio).

2. The teacher together with the students determines the topic – based on the previously presented lesson aims – and then writes it on the interactive whiteboard/blackboard. Students write the topic in the notebook.

Realization

1. The teacher introduces students to the issue of scientific research, referring to biological, chemical, physical, geographical and other fields. He talks about the importance and role of the scientific laboratory. He gives the example of CERN as a laboratory occupying a huge surface area and presents a photo in the abstract („Scientific and research center of the European Organization for Nuclear Research CERN”).

2. The teacher explains what is the difference between an empirical test and an experiment and together with the students analyzes the illustration showing the stages of the scientific experiment.

3. The teacher divides the class into four‑person groups. Each receives a different description of the experiment. Students get acquainted with it and formulate research questions and hypotheses. After the end of work, the group leaders present the proposals, the teacher corrects mistakes.

4. The teacher presents laboratory glass and equipment that is a workshop's equipment. He gives them their names and determines their destiny.

5. Students carry out exercise number 1 and exercise number 2. The teacher discusses the correct solutions with them.

6. Students develop crosswords using the generator found in the abstract. Volunteers display them on the interactive whiteboard. The task of other students is to guess the individual slogans. After each crossword, students assess the questions based on the technique of light (whether they are clear, logically formulated).

Summary

1. The students consolidate the acquired information, discussing it with their nearest neighbors („tell your neighbor” method.

2. The teacher asks the students to finish the following sentences:

   • Today I learned ...

   • I understood that …

   • It surprised me …

   • I found out ...

   The teacher can use the interactive whiteboard in the abstract or instruct students to work with it

Homework

1. Listen to the abstract recording at home. Pay attention to pronunciation, accent and intonation. Learn to pronounce the words learned during the lesson.

2. Carry out task number nr 2.1.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Chemistry lab pt 1

The laboratory is a place where the part of scientific research that requires performing experiments under strictly controlled conditions is carried out.

Laboratories can be either small rooms or large research halls or research complexes the size of a large city – such as the research and development facility of the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, located in the suburbs of Geneva, which occupies a significant area. One of its parts: the Large Hadron Collider, is located in a tunnel that is 27 kilometer long. Much smaller, but very interesting chemical, biological and physical laboratories can be visited at the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw. There, under the supervision of specialists, you can carry out various unusual experiments on your own.

What is the difference between an empirical test and an experiment?

An experiment is the basic method of scientific cognition. It differs from the empirical test in this that it includes not only the performance of laboratory activities in accordance with the instructions (as it happens in the observation), but assumes independent formulation of hypotheses and their testing.

What are the stages of a scientific experiment? What is a hypothesis and how to test it?

1. Problem statement (problematic situation “Does...”).
   A problem, to be a research problem, must be: precisely stated, researchable, useful.

2. Formulating a hypothesis (“If... then....” or “The more... the less...”)
   A hypothesis is a guess: precisely stated, formulated in such a way that it is easy to test, empirically verifiable.

3. Selecting the research method.

4. Carrying out the empirical test.

5. The result verifies or falsifies the hypothesis.

6. Solving the research problem or to rejecting the wrong hypothesis.

One of the most important elements of chemistry lessons are empirical tests. To make them, you need laboratory glass, sometimes porcelain or metal dishes and laboratory equipment. Knowledge of their names and rules for their use allows for safe experimenting.

The description of the chemical experiment should include:

• the title of the empirical test

• list of equipment and laboratory glass that is needed to carry out a given empirical test

• list of necessary reagents

• description of laboratory activities

• empirical test design

• observations, i.e. findings that we make using our senses: sight (e.g. color change), smell (characteristic smell), hearing (characteristic sound) or touch (the walls of the tube are hot):i.e. what do you see? what do you hear? what can you measure or weigh? Eating and drinking, as well as checking the taste of chemicals is prohibited in the laboratory.

• conclusions formulated on the basis of the performed empirical test (what results from this?)

How is laboratory glass connected?

• In the chemical laboratory, the rules of health and safety regulations (health and safety at work) must be observed.

• Special glass, dishes and laboratory equipment should be used for chemical experiments.

• When planning the empirical test, you must remember to use reagents reasonably in order to reduce the amount of waste generated.

• Chemical experiments should be performed on a laboratory table in accordance with laboratory work techniques, keeping in mind the principles of health and safety and order.