Instructional Planning: Unit Plan (K-12) Template

Unit
Interactions of Matter Subject/Course: Science
Title:
Grade/s: 7th Name: Sudeepta Sridhara

Stage 1: Desired Results

Standards/Goals:
MS-PS1- 1: Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.

MS-PS1- 2: Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to
determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.

Supporting/Repeating Standards:

N/A

Understandings: Essential Questions:

Students will understand that
Substances are made from different types of atoms, which Why is it important to learn chemistry?
combine with one another in various ways. Atoms form
molecules that range in size from two to thousands of atoms. Where in our daily lives do we find atoms,
Each pure substance has characteristic physical and substances, etc.?
chemical properties (for any bulk quantity under given
conditions) that can be used to identify it. Substances react What are characteristics of homogeneous vs.
chemically in characteristic ways. In a chemical process, the heterogeneous substances?
atoms that make up the original substances are regrouped
into different molecules, and these new substances have
What kind of reaction produces a molecule?
different properties from those of the reactants.

How can you tell whether something reacted

chemically or not?

Students will know Students will be able to

Vocabulary
Homogeneous Create models of atoms, molecules and substances
Heterogeneous Differentiate between multiple types of mixtures
Mixture Identify properties of chemical reactions
Substance Answer questions about types of matter and
Atom reactions
Molecule Conduct a research project about a type of matter
Chemical reaction

How do these desired results align with your class vision?

One piece of my classroom vision states that students should be able to identify why the curriculum is important and

John Hopkins University School of Education

Unit Plan (K-12) Template 1
relevant to them. By probing my students to think further and to do their own independent research regarding the topics
covered in class, I hope that they will be able to develop an interest in the chemistry of common objects around them.

Also, I want my students to receive above 80% on all exams and be prepared for high school science classes. By
adding analyses and labs into my class, I will make sure that my students think deeply about this class and others, so
that they are ready for further analyses in high school chemistry.

Finally, I want my students to be able to see that each one of them is a scientist, and that there are many scientists just
like them in the world. By exposing my students to real-life problems that were solved by scientists of underrepresented
groups, hopefully they will be able to see themselves as scientists who can also solve problems and answer questions.

Stage 2a: Assessment/Evidence

Explain any performance tasks you will use (major projects and core task, i.e., common assessments):

Flint Water Crisis Project

Students will research the Flint Water Crisis in groups, create a poster and present it in a creative way in
front of the class
Students will research: what is a public health crisis, what happened in the Flint Water Crisis, were there
any identifiable chemical reactions in Flint, how did the residents know that something was wrong with
the water, how was the crisis fixed, and why is Flint relevant today?
Presentations must be in the form of a song, dance, skit, rap, movie, series of social media posts, or
another creative outlet which must be approved by the teacher

End of Unit Exam

Students will take an exam which is written and administered by the county board of education
All students will receive either a proficient or mastery rating on this exam

Explain other assessment evidence you will use: (quizzes, tests, prompts, work samples and
observations):

Exit Tickets: Exit tickets will be given three times a week to record progress in understanding the class material.
Exit tickets will be of the recall level of questioning, and will serve to better differentiate lessons based on which
students understood the material from the day before vs. which students did not.

Chapter Quizzes: Chapter quizzes will be given three times per quarter, to determine students understanding of
and mastery over material covered in class. Quizzes will require students to answer multiple choice questions
which are aligned to the end-of-unit test, but will also require students to analyze scenarios and to write, in order
to build their scientific literacy.

Modeling labs: Students will create models of atoms and compounds to show how molecules are created in
chemical reactions. Doing so will increase students kinesthetic abilities and will invest them in the material.
How do these assessments measure your students progress toward your classes big goal(s)?

These assessments provide students with an opportunity to relate the class material back to their own lives and
to the lives of people around them. Many of my students elementary schools had lead in the water pipes, and
my students know that it was not a good thing, but they cant identify that lead corrosion is the result of a
chemical reaction between the lead and the water. By preparing for and taking the standardized unit exam, my
students will practice their test-taking skills in order to get above 80% on the exam and on all further exams that
they take. Lastly, by doing a modeling lab, my students will have hands-on experience participating in scientific
discoveries.

John Hopkins University School of Education

Unit Plan (K-12) Template 2
 Stage 2b: Summative Assessment for this Unit
Create and/or copy/paste the summative assessment that accompanies this unit here. Note if you have created the
summative assessment for this unit in another file, you may zip the two files together to submit to the gradebook.

Explain how you have designed your assessment, so you can easily track mastery by objective. You may
explain this here or if its easiest to track changes in your assessment and explain why you organized it as you
have, please feel free to do so.

The summative assessment that I used for the unit was created by the county, and is attached. I also asked the
following questions to my students in addition to the questions asked by the county. Questions created by me needed to
be answered in paragraphs, using full sentences.

1. Scientists continue to update their understanding of the atom. Why is it important to research and develop
newer models of atoms?

2. Ms. Sridhara is making lemonade on a hot summer day. She mixes together lemon juice, sugar, and
water, and stirs it together before drinking the mixture.
a. Did a chemical reaction occur?
b. Why or why not?
c. What kind of mixture did Ms. Sridhara make? Why? (Homogeneous or heterogeneous)

3. While conducting a science experiment, you discover that you have broken down a substance into its
elemental form. Now, you want to see what makes up these elements. What chemical means could you use
to break apart the atoms of the elements in your experiment?

4. A scientist has two pieces of Copper (Cu) in her lab. She leaves one piece in a protected box and one
piece outside. After three days, she observes both Copper pieces and sees that the piece that she had put in
the box looks the same, but the piece that she left outside turned brown with rust. After careful research, she
realizes that it has formed into Cu O. 2

a. Would you classify Cu O as a(n) element, compound, atom or mixture?

2

b. Explain your answer from part (a)

c. Did a chemical reaction happen to both copper pieces?
d. Explain your answer from part (c)

5. Why was it important for you to learn about the Flint Water Crisis?

6. List three things that you learned in this unit that you can use in your everyday life.

John Hopkins University School of Education

Unit Plan (K-12) Template 3
 Stage 3: Learning Plan

Learning Plan (Activities and Resources):

Day 1: SW identify atoms, substances and elements IRL

SW define atoms, substances and elements
SW find these on the periodic table
SW come up with real-life examples of each

Day 2: SW identify the differences between heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures

SW define mixture
SW identify the difference between homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures
SW look at various mixtures and determine which kind each is

Day 3: SW identify real life implications and differences between heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures
SW find homogeneous and heterogeneous solutions around school
SW try and convert the mixtures from one type to the other

Day 4: SW identify what protons, neutrons and electrons are

SW define protons, neutrons and elections
SW find protons and neutrons on the periodic table
SW find the number of electrons in neutral atoms of elements

Day 5: SW identify atomic numbers, ions and isotopes

SW find atomic numbers, ions and isotopes using the periodic table

Day 6: SW draw models of molecules

SW choose two elements that bond and draw the molecule
Drawings will highlight the bond between the elements

Day 7: SW create models of molecules

SW use modeling clay and toothpicks to make models of their molecules

Day 8: SW define chemical reactions and their properties

SW define chemical reaction
SW identify properties of chemical reactions

Day 9: SW identify whether a chemical reaction has occurred or not in real-life scenarios
SW look at before and after scenarios and determine whether a chemical reaction has occurred or not

Day 10 & 11: SW design an experiment to test whether something has gone through a chemical reaction or not. Include
a background, hypothesis, scientific question, and three types of variables.
SW use their knowledge of scientific experiments to design one

Day 12: SW research background information about the Flint Water Crisis
SW use electronic devices to research how the flint water crisis occurred
SW create their poster with researched information

Day 13: SW research lead corrosion, and analyze whether it means a chemical reaction has occurred or not
SW define lead corrosion
SW determine if a chemical reaction occurred or not

Day 14: SW present their projects in front of the class

SW present in groups, in a creative way

Day 15: SW review for the unit exam

SW play a review fame and fill out a graphic organizer

Day 16: SW take the unit exam, including extra teacher-created questions
All SW receive above 80%!

John Hopkins University School of Education

Unit Plan (K-12) Template 4
 Other Notes/Handouts/Rubrics:
Reflection: While I believe that I did what I could with the resources that I had for this unit, I think I could have done a
better job with backwards planning. Unfortunately, when I began teaching the unit, there was neither a unit plan nor a
unit assessment created for the unit, though we knew that students would have to take one at the end of the unit.
However, I do think that I used tests and quizzes that I created for data that informed instruction, as Instructional
Planning And Delivery says. I also did not realize, until I first saw the unit assessment, that the questions did not require
very much analysis and were very basic. Thus, I needed to supplement the questions because I did not feel that 26
multiple choice questions were enough to gauge my students understanding of the material.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Summative assessment. Baltimore, MD: Author.

(approximate length: 19 minutes)

Teach For America. (2011). Instructional planning & delivery.

Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9aKdxaTnscyZmZ4aVh5Wnd4aG8/view?pli=1

John Hopkins University School of Education

Unit Plan (K-12) Template 5