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Ms. Reyna & Ms. Middleton

Student Teachers
College of New Jersey
Unit Description:
Chemistry is the study of the structure of matter and the changes or
transformations that take place in it. Learning about the makeup of substances
gives us knowledge about how things go together and how they can be taken
apart. Learning about changes in substances is important for several reasons:
changes can be controlled to produce new materials; changes can be used to
give off energy to run machines. The Mixtures and Solutions Unit will cover
four investigations that introduce students to these fundamental ideas in
chemistry.
Unit Goals:
Students will gain experience with the concepts of mixture and solution.
Students will gain experience with concepts of concentration and
saturation.
Students will gain experience with the concept of chemical reaction.
Students will apply an operational definition to determine the relative
concentrations of solutions.
Students will use group problem-solving techniques to plan investigations.
Students will apply mathematics in the context of science.
Students will acquire vocabulary associated with chemistry and the
periodic table.
Students will be introduced to the concept that all matter is made of
very small particles called atoms and that atoms combine to form
molecules.
Students will use scientific thinking processes to conduct investigations
and build explanations: observing, communicating, comparing, organizing,
and relating.
Assessments:
Students will be assessed for their level of mastery in particular skills in
the following ways:
Teacher observation
Student sheets
Response sheets
Performance assessment

Homework:
Ask your child everyday what they learned in school, have them explain it to
you. You can bring chemistry to life at home by exploring familiar household
materials in a scientific way! Watch for the home/school connection sheets we
will be sending home with your child. These suggest ways for the whole family
to investigate interesting aspects of chemistry.
Make up Work:
Every student will be given the same number of days to make up the work as
the number of days they were absent. It is extremely important for your child
not to miss any school days.
Rules:
The students are expected to conduct themselves in an orderly manner and not
be disruptive to the learning process of the other students. Additionally,
general classroom safety rules for carrying out experiments/investigations will
be discussed and modeled on the first day of our unit.
Content:
All content areas will be taught by meeting the state standards and
benchmarks of Pennsylvania.
Special Projects/Programs:
Science Fair- April 30, 2014
o The scientific method allows scientists to collect and analyze data
in a strategic and unified manner. As a class, we will use the
scientific method to design and execute a project. The students
will be expected to collaboratively create a tri-fold including their
purpose, hypothesis, background/research, materials/procedures,
data, results, conclusion/discussion, and references.
o The philosophy and values of a science fair are the following:
emphasis on using the scientific method
investigation by experimentation (inquiry-based learning)
development of critical thinking skills
opportunity for a positive learning experience
extension of formal science education
o This project will be completed during class time under the
supervision of Ms. Reyna, Ms. Middleton, and Ms. Queen.
o Parents are invited and encouraged to attend our classroom
science fair on April 30th, location is to be announced. Students
will be able to present their findings to the parents!
Unit Calendar:
Note: unit calendar is tentative and may or may not be subject to change.








Date Lesson Taught
by:
Thurs. April 10 Scientific Method &
Safety Rules
Ms. Reyna &
Ms.
Middleton
Mon. April 14 Making and Separating
Mixtures
Ms. Reyna
Tues. April 15 Separating a Salt
Solution
Discuss Science
Fair Guidelines

Ms. Reyna
Wed. April 16 Salt Saturation Ms. Reyna
Tues. April 22 Citric-Acid Saturation Ms. Reyna
Wed. April 23 Soft- Drink Recipes Ms.
Middleton
Thurs. April 24 Salt Concentration Ms.
Middleton
Fri. April 25 Chemical Reactions &
Prep Day for Science
Fair
Ms.
Middleton
Mon. April 28 Mini-Science
Discrepant
Event #1
Guest Speaker
Prep-Day for
Science Fair
Ms.
Middleton
April 29 Mini-Science
Discrepant Event #2 &
Prep Day for Science
Fair
Ms. Reyna
April 30 SCIENCE FAIR Ms. Reyna,
Ms.
Middleton &
Ms. Queen