Week 4 Lesson Plan 3: Acids and Bases (The Chemistry of Biology)

Student Info:

Wednesday/Thursday (block days) and Friday,

Readiness Level: Biology, 9^th & 10^th grade

Unit 2: Lesson 3

Learning Profiles: Strong Auditory and Kinesthetic Profiles. Also visual.

Interests: varied, but include sports (football, soccer, basketball), parkour, drama, socializing and video games.

Student Connection:

Students learned about water the day before. In addition, they learned about ant-acids dissolving in water last week, during the “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz” lab. We will connect that to teaching students about how antacids work to quench a stomach-ache. Students will learn that their stomach has a pH of 1, and, if it weren’t for the mucosal lining of our GI tract, we would have huge holes in our stomach linings. In fact, people who suffer from that have “ulcers”. Connecting acids and bases to our human bodies makes the content interesting to students because it’s relevant to their bodies.

Rationale:

Enduring Understanding:

Students will understand what acidic, basic, and neutral solution are. Students will understand how antacids reduces the amount of acid in your stomach. Students will understand how pH is related to hydrogen and hydroxide ion concentrations.

Essential Questions:

1. What are acidic and basic solutions? What is a neutral solution?
2. How would you increase the pH of a solution? How would you decrease the pH?
3. What is the hydrogen ion concentration like in an acidic solution? In a basic solution?
4. What is the hydroxide ion concentration like in a basic solution? In an acidic solution?

(Consider using a graphic organizer for 3 & 4)

Instructional Strategies:

Provide content with a PowerPoint presentation, process (quick write & share in response to questions embedded in the presentation), and product (Acids and Bases laboratory activity; Unit 2 Quiz). Graphic organizer for properties of acidic vs. basic solution.

Student Activities:

Provide supports for varied readiness levels (visual and auditory presentation, think-quick-write-share at end of presentation), learning profiles and interests (visual and auditory presentation; lab for hands-on learning (kinesthetic)). Complete graphic organizer on properties of acids and bases. Unit 2 quiz to check for understanding and identify areas to review before test next week.

Content Standards:

Grades 9 & 10 Biology

1: “Cell Biology”

b. “Students know that enzymes are proteins that catalyze biochemical reactions without altering the reaction equilibrium and the activities of enzymes dependon the temperature, ionicconditions, and the pH of the surroundings."

h.  “Students know most macromolecules (polysaccharides, nucleic acids proteins, lipids) in cells and organisms are synthesized from a small collection of simple precursors.” (State Board of Education, 2002).

ELD Standards:

EL students are ELD III/IV

Part I: Interacting in Meaningful Ways

1.      Exchanging information/ideas

2.      Interacting via written English

5. Listening actively

Part II: Learning About How English Works

1.      Understanding text structure

2.      Understanding cohesion

Objective:

By the end of this unit students will be able to:

·         Explain what acidic and basic solutions are.

·         Explain what pH measures.

·         Compare acidic and basic solutions in terms of their hydrogen and hydroxide ion concentrations.

Assessment Plan:

Entry Level—Students will start with a warm-up activity by summarizing their notes on water from the day before. The teacher will check for understanding by calling on three students to share their summaries.

Formative—The teacher will check for understanding periodically by including questions on slides embedded in the PowerPoint presentation. Students will “think-quick-write-share” in response to these questions. In addition, the exit ticket will include calling on students at random to answer questions written in the margins of their Cornell-style notes, such as:

a.      What is the difference between acidic and basic solutions?

b.      What does pH measure?

c.       Describe the hydrogen ion concentration of an acidic and a basic solution.

d.      Do the same for hydroxide ion concentration.

Summative—Students will complete a lab on Acids and Bases, which will be peer graded as I review the answers in class. Finally, students will take a quiz on Unit 2 on Friday to assess whether they have learned the key points of this unit.

Differentiation Strategies:

Content

            Warm-Up Activity—write summary and share with class.

Check to ensure students are taking Cornell notes during presentation.

            Think-pair-share during PowerPoint presentation.

            Handout to explain labs.

Process

            Teacher will arrange students in groups for the lab and poster.

Teacher will circulate during student activities to answer questions, check for understanding, and guide students in the right direction.

            Teacher will review material for Unit 2 quiz by reviewing material and answering questions.

Product

            Students will follow handout guidelines for lab.

            Students will peer-teach each other within their lab groups.

Students will be instructed to study for Unit 2 Quiz and will have opportunities for review with teachers.

Students who need extra time to finish certain assignments or extra teacher assistance are invited to come after school (or make an appointment during lunch or before school).

Further Ideas:

Students love to eat. We can connect macromolecules and many ideas of Unit 2 (The Chemistry of Life) to nutrition. Another activity where students can learn about pH, as well as solubility of different mixtures in water, is to test the pH and solubility of several different types of foods, such as: orange juice, lemon juice, apple juice, vinegar, egg white, meat, fish, fruits, tomato, and vegetables.

Resources:

1.      PowerPoint presentation, “pH”

2.      Acids and bases lab

3.      Unit 2 quiz