COOPERATIVE LEARNING LESSON PLAN NAME: Natalie Hudok CLASS: Honors ChemistryAbingdon High School Periods 1 & 5 DATE:
April 10, 2013 TIME: 50 minutes each LESSON AIM: Ch. 18 Chemical EquilibriumConcept of Equilibrium and Equilibrium Constant Expression RATIONALE FOR COOPERATIVE LEARNING: About a month ago, I taught equilibrium to my dual credit classes and found that they had trouble conceptualizing two opposing reactions reaching equilibrium, even after we had discussed it, watched a simulation, and answered questions and worked problems. This past week, I had to teach the same concept on an introductory level to my younger honors students. In an attempt to prevent the same confusion, I decided to begin the unit with a hands-on activity that I found described online. Interlocking beads in a tray are used to represent atoms. Two students carry out one of the two directions of the reaction 2AA2, one of them snapping single beads together into pairs and the other breaking the pairs apart, each as fast as they can. Students record the number of singles and pairs present in the tray every 15 seconds over time until equilibrium is reached. We then would use that activity as a jumping-off point to discuss what equilibrium is. The activity should be effective because it allows students to see equilibrium in action. Furthermore, the lesson should be engaging because it is highly cooperative. Students in each group assume one of four roles that work together to model and explore an equilibrium reaction taking place.
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SOL CH.3 The student will investigate and understand how conservation of energy and matter is expressed in chemical formulas and balanced equations. Key concepts include f) reaction rates, kinetics, and equilibrium Specific Objectives: Students will be able to describe the difference between irreversible and reversible reactions. Students will be able to describe the four major characteristics of equilibrium. Students will be able to write the Keq expression for a chemical reaction. INTRODUCTION: Have written on the board: Chapter 18: Chemical Equilibrium Brainstorm: What is equilibrium? Tell students we will be starting a new chapter Chapter 18: Chemical Equilibrium. Show them the chapter in the textbook in case they would like to reference it during our study over the next couple weeks. Tell students that today we will be doing a little brainstorming about equilibrium, doing a short activity, taking some notes, and then finishing with some math practice.
In notebooks, give students one minute to write what comes to mind when they think of equilibrium. Call on students to offer their ideas. Make a list of ideas on the board.
TEACH THE LESSON: Materials: 3 Trays Interlocking Beads (300) Handout: Activity: Determining the Equilibrium of a Reaction Involving Interlocking Beads Worksheet: Equilibrium Constant Expressions
Materials: interlocking beads (100 per group), tray, timer Procedure:
One of the groups
Notes and Discussion of Irreversible and Reversible Reactions o Tell students that in this chapter, we are learning what it means when chemical reactions reach equilibrium. o Up to this point in the class, we have acted as if every reaction went completely in one direction, but that is often not the case. o Irreversible (One-Way) Reaction Reactants are transformed completely into products. Ex. Combustion: CxHy + O2 CO2 + H2O (Remind students of the demonstration we discussed of burning propane. Draw attention to the oneway arrow.) o Reversible Reaction Does not go to completion. Proceeds until an equilibrium is reached between the forward and reverse reaction. Ex. N2 (g) + 3H2 (g) 2NH3 (g) (Ask students what they notice is different about this reaction from the previous one. Draw attention to the double-sided arrow.) Forward reaction: N2 + 3H2 2NH3 Reverse reaction: 2NH3N2 + 3H2 Activity: Equilibrium Reaction with Beads
Tell students we are going to conduct our own reversible reaction. Describe the importance of modeling in chemistry. Because we cannot see atoms, we must represent them. o Show beads and explain that they represent atoms that we will call A. We will be conducting the following reversible reaction. Write on the board: A + AA2. o Explain the procedure: I will assign students to three groups, each of which will receive a tray of 100 beads. There will be four roles: Forward reaction Reverse reaction Mixer (because according to the collision theory, what must happen for a reaction to occur?) Timer Recorder Show the data chart and explain how they will record data. o Allow students to complete activity at lab tables for about 10 minutes. Activity Follow-Up o At what point does the reversible reaction reach equilibrium? o If you altered the experimental method, how did you do so? o How does the model represent reality and what are its weaknesses? Notes and Discussion of Equilibrium o Equilibrium is dynamic (not static). o At equilibrium, the concentration of each reactant and product remains constant over time. o At equilibrium, the rate of the forward reaction equals the rate of the reverse reaction. o Every reaction has a specific equilibrium constant called Keq. o For the general reaction: aA + bB cC + dD, Keq (or Kc)= [C]c[D]d [A]a[B]b o Liquids and solids are omitted because they are pure and have an unvariable concentration. Worksheet on Equilibrium Constant Expressions
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ATTACHMENTS: Handout: Activity: Determining the Equilibrium of a Reaction Involving Interlocking Beads Worksheet: Equilibrium Constant Expressions
SELF-EVALUATION:
The activity worked even better than I had expected. The students had fun doing the activity, and during the discussion afterward that day and the next two days, I could describe each of the new principles we learned in terms of the activity they had done. Even better, the students when they had
questions would use the activity as a starting point to ask their questions. I was relieved to see that these younger students were conceptualizing equilibrium much better than the older students had. Chemistry is an abstract subject, and the students probably did so well because they were able to actually see a reaction taking place. Additionally, it presented a framework in which they could learn the concepts of the chapter. An added bonus from this activity was that it led to a discussion of the benefits and limitations of scientific models. The students discussed how the model might represent a real reaction and how it may not. Cooperation was excellent, better than I usually see in lab activities, in which one or two people in each group tend to dominate. Students even came up with novel ideas to improve the efficiency of the activity.
Activity: Determining the Equilibrium of a Reaction Involving Interlocking Beads Overall Reaction A + A A2 Forward Reaction: A one bead Reverse Reaction: A2 two connected beads A one bead + A one bead + A one bead A2 two connected beads
Time [A] [A2] (seconds) (number of single beads) (number of bead pairs) 0 ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ At what time was equilibrium reached? How do you know?
