S+Roy,+Matthew

**Office: 123 Blank Hall** **Office Phone: Always** **Office Hours: 555-5555** ** E-mail: matthew.e.roy@maine.edu **
 * Teacher: Mr. Roy**

=Summary of Unit= Welcome to Atoms, Elements and the Periodic Table! The purpose of this unit is to familiarize high school chemistry students with the atom and the elements of our natural world. In this unit we will cover atomic structure and introduce you to the sub-atomic particles: protons, neutrons and electrons. Once the basics have been established we will move on to the Periodic Table of the Elements and begin applying our new-found knowledge of atomic structure to real world elements. Students will learn how to read the Periodic Table to determine atomic mass, number of sub-atomic particles present and electron configuration. Students will also gain and understanding of dimensional analysis, conversions and the “mole road”. From this unit, I want students to gain three main understandings: At the end of the unit, students will be given the opportunity to combine all of these understandings and create a digital poster for their own unique element. You will assume the role of prominent astrochemists investigating a meteor crash site where you discover a completely brand new element. I look forward to this unit and hope that you are all able to have a lot of fun with it!
 * 1) Students will understand that the physical world around us is ultimately the aggregate sum of countless, seemingly invisible, chemical processes.
 * 2) Students will understand that atomic structure influences behavior.
 * 3) Students will understand that the Periodic Table is a tool to be read and used to aid our understanding of the physical world around us.

=Establish Goals= Maine Learning Results //Content Area:// Science and Technology //Standard Label:// D The Physical Setting //Standard:// D3 Matter and Energy //Grade Level Span:// 9-Diploma
 * Students describe the structure, behavior, and interactions of matter at the atomic level and the**
 * relationship between matter and energy.**

=Students will understand that= •The living world around us is the aggregate sum of countless, seemingly invisible, chemical processes. •Atomic structure influences behavior. •The Periodic Table is a tool to be read and used to aid our understanding of the physical world.

=Essential Questions= •How do atomic/chemical ("small-scale") interactions effect our "large-scale" world? •Why are electrons important? •How can the Periodic Table help us understand our world?

=Students will know= •Vocabulary: atom, neutron, proton, electron, matter energy, covalent bond, ionic bond, columns, periods, groups. •Formulas: Ideal Gas Law, "mole road", dimensional analysis. •Critical Details: Conversions, electron orbitals, states of matter, different bonds, atomic structure.

=Students will be able to= •Explain why electrons are important. •Translate the Periodic Table into useful information. •Apply their understanding of valence electrons. •Compare and contrast the different sub-atomic particles. •Assume the role of sub-atomic particles in order to understand the structure of atoms. •Recognize that the Periodic Table can be read to help predict behaviors and gather information.

**Performance Task Overview** Earth has been struck by a mysterious meteorite, you and your partner are leaders in the field of Astrochemistry and have been contracted by the US Government to examine the impact site. In your examination you have discovered a new alien element that simply must be shared with the people of Earth, however, the Director of Area 51 is demanding that all of your research be kept a military secret. You must design a presentation outlining the atomic structure, electron configuration, placement on the Periodic Table and practical uses (and safety) of this element in order to convince the Director to release your research.

=Expectations= Attendance is extremely important to you success in this course. Science is a difficult (but extremely manageable) subject matter if you are an active participant in class and do your work. I understand that life does happen and things do come up unexpectedly. If you must miss class I ask that you simply contact me via email to discuss what was missed and how you may best make up the material that you were absent for so as to not fall behind. Many of the activities and resources used in this classroom can be easily converted into a digital media and sent along to you at home wherever you may be. If you must miss a test or a quiz and have an excused absence from class, we will work together to establish a time for you to take a different version of the test or quiz so as to avoid any allegations of academic dishonesty.

Academic Honesty is another critical component of this course. In order for you to truly learn anything in this class, all work must be authentic and your own. If we are all taking the time to show up and be here we might as well go the extra inch and do our own work so that we can actually benefit from the experience, right? The school has policies on Academic Honesty which can be found either in your student handbook or in the office should you go there and ask to see a copy of the policy. All cases of academic dishonesty in this class will be dealt with as outlined in the Academic Honesty policy set forth by the school. With all of this being said, please familiarize yourselves with the policy but do not be terrified of it. I view this as a learning process and expect that there will hiccups as a natural side effect. As long as it is obvious that you made an honest effort to do it correctly, we can work together to finish it up.

Bullying will not be tolerated in this classroom. The school has strict bullying policies that can be found in either your student handbook or the school office. My classroom is a place where students will feel safe to learn and explore new ideas in their own way, I will have zero patience for students who try to intimidate students or otherwise threaten the learning experiences of others through acts of hate or violence. Every person deserves the right to learn and come to school in a safe and welcoming environment, please work with me to help make this classroom and school such a place.

=Benchmarks= • **Blog (15 points):** Students will explain their knowledge of electrons and their purpose. Students will create a blog that introduces what electrons are and what their purpose in the atom is. The student can give examples of electrons in society such as electricity, lightning or static electricity to give some flare to the blog. This blog will be read by your classmates so feel free to assume that your audience has had some background experience with atomic structure and basic chemistry. Please provide at least 3 links to external resources that pertain to the blog. Students will be assigned two blogs from their classmates to read and provide feedback for in the form of comments.

• **Comic (45 Points):** Students will create a comic documenting the creation/history of the periodic table. In this comic students will be asked to either create their own illustrations or take photographs to create some sort of story documenting the creation of the Periodic Table. Some background information will need to be used in order to help your audience (your peers) understand the research and theory behind what the Periodic Table is used for (possibly covered when discussing why the Periodic Table was created). Students are encouraged to get creative with the assignment, don't think that it needs to be a conventional comic, feel free to narrate if you wish or incorporate video software as you see fit.

Students will create a pod-cast simulating an interview explaining basics of atomic structure. Following two lessons building on their understanding of atomic structure and create a podcast as a mock interview. For the interview the class will be partnered up, one partner will assume the role of the interviewer while the other partner will play a prominent figure in the history of atomic structure such as Neils Bohr. Again, I would like for students to assume that their audience has never had any interaction with atomic structure thereby encouraging students to really break the material down into its most basic components.
 * • Pod Cast (35 points):**

•**Educational Video (50 points):** Following a lesson on valence electrons and bonding and in-class activities designed for further explanation of bonding, students will be be broken into groups of 4 and asked to create a short (5-7 minute) video introducing the same material. This movie will be made under the assumption that it is meant to introduce bonding to a younger and unaware audience (for the purposes of this assignment we will say middle school level students). Due to the fact that this video is intended for a younger audience, the group must assume that the audience knows nothing at all about atomic structure. This will force students to re-evaluate their knowledge and put them in the shoes of a layman (where they were not too long ago) and think about how they would have wanted the information introduced to them. The video should include all basic information on atomic structure and bonding such as protons, neutrons, electrons and orbitals/shells.

• **Movie (50 Points):** A movie will be created by the students to explain keys aspects of the periodic table. Students will use their knowledge from the previous video assignment to create another short (5-7 minute) video on the key aspects of the Periodic Table. Students will focus on teaching a layman how to use the Periodic Table. In order to do this, students must introduce what each of the symbols mean and how to read the Periodic Table and then build up to the uses of the Periodic Table. This video should be created under the assumption that your audience has no chemistry background.

• **Homework & Quizzes (200 Points):** Homework and quizzes will be assigned throughout the course and be totaled to 200 points.

• **Exams (400 Points):** Four exams will be given totaling 100 points each.

• **Participation (50 Points):**

=Grading Scale= **A** (93 -100), **A-** (90 - 92), **B+** (87 - 89), **B** (83 - 86), **B-** (80 - 82), **C+**(77 - 79), **C** (73-76), **C-** (70 - 72), **D+**(67 - 69), **D** (63 - 66), **D-** (60 - 62), **F** (0 - 59).