ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

The unit of instruction will address the NCA projects our districts have chosen on reading and writing. The district is currently trying to improve the 33% and 55% ratings on reading and comprehension. The district will begin the writing applications in 2 months. The unit will also address the applications of technology as addressed in the TWT curriculum. The unit is also addressing the needs of students to learn and apply science in their everyday lives. It is important to prepare students and encourage students to further their science education through chemistry and physics. This unit will aid in preparing the 40% of the students who continue on to chemistry and physics and hopefully give more students the courage to continue on in their science education.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: 1. Students will understand the arrangement of the Periodic Table. Students will learn to read the Periodic Table and understand the relationship to the chemical and physical properties of elements by their location. 2. The students will connect the properties of the elements and their location to their behavior (activity) based on the number of valence electrons (energy shells). 3. Students will understand the concept of periodicity. 4. Students will relate the elements on the table to real life value, products, applications, and uses.
Goal(s): 1. Students will learn how the patterns of chemical properties are organized and repeated in the Periodic Table. 2. Students will learn the families found on the Table and to predict their interactions.  3. Students will learn how to find the atomic number, mass, mass number, protons, neutrons, and electrons based on the periodic table. 4.  Students will be able to illustrate and discuss the history of the atom’s structure and the periodic tables development. 5. Students will be able to predict combinations of elements based on valence electrons and their energy as located on the periodic table.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: 1. How can the Periodic Table contain a library of information for a scientist?  2. Why is it often called a chemist’s bible?  3.  4. How did the table get its name? 5. Explain how it is possible for one tiny atom of an element to save or destroy your life?  5. How do these elements fit into your daily life? 6. Money a problem?  7. Can investing in the periodic table change your cash flow?  8. Why aren’t all elements available to all people?
Objectives: 1. Students will observe and discuss chemical properties while performing chemical reactions in a laboratory setting. 2. Followed by a questionnaire to take home.  3. Completion and participation is 100%. Students will build a 3 dimensional model of an atom accompanied by a key providing information on the neutrons, protons, and the name of the atom with 95% accuracy.  4. Students will be able to illustrate and discuss the history of the atom and periodic table from past to present through construction of a time line with 95% accuracy.  5. Students will be able classify and element using the periodic table as a metal, nonmetal, or metalloid with 80% accuracy through the use of work samples, oral questioning, and a performance project. 6. Students will predict combinations of elements or compounds based on oxidation numbers (valence electrons) as demonstrated through classroom check with white board and discussion within the classroom. 7. Students will be able to determine the reactivity, mass. # or protons, electrons, neutrons, (Lewis Dot and Bohr diagrams) families, and groups through the use of worksheets with 90% accuracy. 8. Students will demonstrate technology as a necessary research tool through the preparation of an element ad, report, and in class presentation.  9. Students will demonstrate and use proper English and works cited formatting throughout the project -rubric. 10. Students will use technology to present material on element families, properties, and uses to the class following a rubric scale through a cooperative learning project.11.  The presentation will be graded by rubric by the student, class, and instructor.

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding? 1. An element will be given. 2. The students through the use of the periodic table will find the atomic mass, atomic number, proton, electron, and neutron numbers, family, group, and valence electrons on quizzes. 3. A blank periodic table will be provided that students must fill in the family and group names.
What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding? 1. Explain how the periodic table received its name?  2. Does the name fit? 3. Explain why a janitor must be familiar with the elements found in the table?  4. How can a small part of one of these atoms change your life? 
What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding?
Performance tasks: 1. Students will research their element, organize their data, develop an ad with a jingle, brochure, and videotape their ad as they present it to the class. 2. The video will be available on line for parents, faculty, and other students to see. 3. The students will combine the word processing brochure, digital picture, imported pictures, and digital video done with Imovie transitions into a CD.  4. Students will research their information appointed them individually then share it with their group where the ad, jingle, and videotaping will be done for presentation.  5. A rubric will be used as a guide for what is expected of the students, the grading by fellow students, the individual, and the instructor.
Inquiry Based: 1. Students will evaluate information found through their research and decides what is interesting and valuable and then apply this to products in there real world.
Problem based: 1. The entire project is based on a real world problem of a chemical buyer for a large company who needs to restock the stockroom.
Cooperative Learning: 1. The students gather information individually and then share it with each other and complete the project in a creative but informative manner. 2. The completion of the periodic table worksheets involves teamwork and checks between students for correct answers for the end table to be developed.
Technology Based: 1. Students use the Internet to gather information, fill in worksheets, and finally put the information into a presentation. 2. The entire project builds throughout the unit culminating in a student directed higher order-thinking project guided by worksheets and rubrics.
What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect? 1. A poster time line on the history of the atom and the periodic table.  2. Dialogues done during the chemistry labs. Students will compile the data obtained from their final project to answer the chemistry buyer’s question of what chemicals to invest in.  3. Worksheets throughout the unit to check students understanding of the concepts. 4. Student and group self-assessment of the final element ad, bulletin, and jingle.  5. Questionnaire on chemicals found in the home, grocery store, and medicine cabinet.(reading labels)  6. Students will create a three-dimensional model of an atom with a key.

Instructional Strategies

Student-learning activities and the resulting end products play a vital role toward increasing student achievement as they take ownership of their own learning. An end product drives the lesson and dictates how the project is organized in an engaging learning activity. The specific content skills must be achieved for the finished project, including authentic, mirroring of the real world. Both are needed for a successful learning activity. The specific content skills must be achieved for the finished project, including authentic, mirroring of the real world. As a teacher you have the ability to examine student products(model, worksheets project), performance(performance in class labs, final project), collaboration (groupwork and sharing of material), and offer guidance along the way to as checks of understanding. All students (ADHD, auditory, visual, kinesthetic) have a chance to learn and excel at such a lesson hopefully enabling the student to find the confidence and curiosity to continue on in other fields of science. If the student does not continue on in science he/she has still learned how to read an ingredient list, importance of elements, and some chemical safety to take with them in life.