LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE FOR THE AGENDA FOR EDUCATION IN A

DEMOCRACY
Name: Kim Insana
Date: 11/11/14
Unit Essential Question: Water is involved in many types of chemical
reactions
Lesson Topic: Types of Chemical Reactions and Balancing Chemical
Equations
Class: ESS
PLANNING THE LESSON
With Democracy and Social Justice at the Center of Instruction
Focusing on the National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER)
Mission the 4-Part Agenda for Education in a Democracy
EQUAL ACCESS
ENCULTURATION
NURTURING
PEDAGOGY
STEWARDSHIP
To Knowledge
In Democratic Society
Safe and Caring
for All
of the Mission
We are advancing the 4-Part Mission of Enculturation in a Democratic
Society. Todays lesson will allow students to act as a scientist and engage in
inquiry as they investigate certain chemical reactions and explore and learn
how to balance chemical equations. This lesson will allow students to
explore a part of the science field as a real world scientist would do. They
are taking part in a 21st century experience that they can then use outside
of class. They will act as scientists and citizens of a democratic society as
they ask questions and seek answers to their questions and questions from
their peers.
We will also be connecting to this part of the mission with cooperative
learning. Students will be working in pairs to complete a card sort and a
worksheet. They will learn how to work effectively with others for a common
purpose. This is part of our Democratic Society, with all citizens
participating.

STANDARDS

(www.cde.state.co)

Content: CDE 3.6 Evaluate evidence that

Earths geosphere,
atmosphere,
hydrosphere, and
biosphere interact as a
complex system.

Literacy and
Numeracy:
Think critically and be
quantitatively literate.

Democracy and
21st Century Skills:
Cooperate for a
common purpose.

Literacy and
Numeracy:
SWBAT think critically
and be qualitatively
literate by calculating
the appropriate
coefficients needed to
successfully balance a
chemical equation.

Democracy and
21st Century Skills:
Students will work
together to learn the
characteristics of
different types of
chemical reactions by
completing a card sort
for the purpose of
cooperating for a
common purpose.

ES6 & PS3 Describe,

identify and balance
chemical reactions.

OBJECTIVES
Content: SWBAT identify
and analyze different
types of reactions in
order to evaluate how
the hydrosphere
interacts as a complex
system by participating
in a cooperative learning
card sort.
SWBAT compose
balanced chemical
reactions by completing
a worksheet successfully.

ASSESSMENTS
Content: Students
worksheets will be
collected and the types
of chemical reactions will
be analyzed successfully
and the appropriate
coefficients will be
placed in the given
chemical equations to
create a balanced
chemical equation.

Literacy and
Numeracy:
Students will show
work for calculating the
balanced coefficients in
the chemical equations
provided on their
worksheets.

Democracy and
21st Century Skills:
Students will work
together and explore
and teach each other
how to recognize
characteristics of
different chemical
reactions and how to
identify those types of
reactions. This will be
observed as the
students cooperatively
complete a card sort.
Students will also
participate in a
balancing equations
activity. They will be
observed working
together to work
through the Snowman
Activity.

KEY VOCABULARY
Content
Balanced
Chemical Equation
Chemical Reaction
Coefficients

Literacy and
Numeracy
Reactants
Products
Coefficients
Subscript

Democracy and
21st Century Skills
Cooperative
Characteristics

HIGHER ORDER QUESTIONS for this lesson

Content
Why is it important for us
to explore how the
hydrosphere is
connected to the
complex system in which
we call home?

Literacy and
Numeracy
Why is it important for
you to be able to
perform analytical and
basic math skills even
if you are not planning
to enter into a science
or math field?

Democracy and
21st Century Skills
How does working
cooperatively in class
allow you to develop
skills for the real world?

LESSON FLOW
Time

Anticipatory Set Purpose and Relevance

This will include the pre-assessment.
Inform students where we are going from where we have been.
(see link to experience, link to learning)

Time

Pre-Assessment
Evaluate what students know about subscripts and what
symbols are used to represent items in a chemical
compound/equation. Evaluate what students know about how a
chemical reaction is represented and what each side of the
equation shows us.
This will come in the form of brainstorming on the Smart Board.
Students will popcorn their knowledge as we generate
information regarding what they already know about chemical
equations.

Time

Building Background
Link to Experience:
Students have been working on types of bonds between atoms
to form chemical compounds, building up to bonds between
water molecules.
Link to Learning:
We are now moving into how chemical compounds interact with
one another to yield chemical reactions.

Time

Activity Name
Building an Army
Anticipatory Set
We all have heard it takes a village to raise a child, to create
change etc.
Well, it takes a village to analyze chemical reactions and to
balance them! We are going to spend some time learning
different types of chemical reactions and learning how to
balance them TOGETHER!

Time

Instructional Input Includes: Powerpoint will be used for

part of lecture. Worksheets will be assigned to practice this
content with an activity to really get the kids into the learning.
This learning will require students to rely on one another and
carry everyone to the top to succeed.
Models of Teaching:Cooperative learning will be utilized in
this lesson. The students will complete a card sort together to
investigate the different types of chemical reactions. This
activity will not only utilize cooperative learning but will also
use inquiry. Inquiry will be used by the students as they
complete the card sort activity. The card sort activity allows
students to observe different characteristics that make up
different chemical reactions and come to conclusions and
findings on their own. This will help to reinforce the material
and allow to better recall. I will be using direct instruction in
order to show students exactly what they found through their
card sort. I also will use direct instruction in order to teach
students the correct process to balance chemical equations.
SIOP Techniques: I do, We do, You do will be used in this
lesson. We will be learning how to balance chemical equations
and I will be using this technique to run through examples.
Guided Practice: The card sort will allow for guided practice.
Students will be allowed to ask questions as they sort through
their card sort activity. I will be walking around and available to
students as they complete this task.

Time

Reading , Writing, Listening, Speaking

Checking for Understanding: After we complete the WE DO
examples, I will be walking around and looking to see if
students completed the balancing problems correctly. They will
be able to get more practice with other students as we head
into the activity.
Questioning Strategies:
What did you observe throughout the card sort?
Describe some of the characteristics you observed.
Can you analyze different chemical reactions in order to
identify and evaluate what is presented?
Can you solve the worksheet provided leading to correct
coefficients in a balanced equation?
Independent Practice: Students will be given a worksheet
as homework that will reinforce the content we learned in class.
They must complete it individually to ensure they have
mastered the content
Accommodations, Modifications, and Student
Adjustments
I will be using visual technique to teach the material, Kinestetic
learners will be able to participate in the card sort as well as
the activity. These learners will be able to work with others,
which can help to correct misunderstandings and
misconceptions.
For those students who I think will struggle, I may decide to
rework some of the teams during the activity. I may chose to
pair some students that are struggling with students who have
gotten the concept down. This will help those students who are
struggling to be taught in a different way, in hopes they can
master the material themselves.

Time

Review and Assessments of All Objectives

Content: The students will be able to successfully complete a
worksheet that asks them to identify different types of
chemical reactions and balance those equations correctly.
Literacy and Numeracy: Students will show work for
calculating the balanced coefficients in the chemical equations
provided on their worksheets. Students will also correctly
provide answers during their activity as they balance chemical
equations.
Democracy and 21st Century Skills: Students will work with
one another efficiently in groups to complete their card sort as
well as cooperatively through their Building an Army activity.
The main activity will require that no student is left behind, as
all group members must present the same correct answer in
order to move further into the activity.

Time

Closure
Cool down will reinforce the learning for the day and the TOD
will allow me to assess what needs to be addressed in the next
class period that was not clearly understood today.
What type of reaction is shown below? Balance the equation, write in
on your cool down, and copy it to your TOD.

Time

Next Step
From TOD, what needs to be clarified? What was
misunderstood? What do we need to go back to?

Post-Lesson Reflection ( For the Teacher)

1. To what extent were all objectives achieved?

2. What changes would you make if you teach the lesson

again?

3. What do you envision for the next lesson?

4. To what extent does this lesson achieve the Mission of the

Agenda for Education in a Democracy? To what extent does

this lesson achieve the 21st Century Skills?