Summer Science Lesson Plan – Reactions



Summer Science Lesson Plan: Reactions

Overview/Motivation:

• Discuss what a reaction is

• Talk about different kinds of reactions

• Entertain and interest the kids

Materials:

• 1 2-Liter Bottles of Diet Coke

• 1 Rolls Mentos

• 15 Film Canisters (clear if possible)

• 15 Alka-Seltzer Tablets

• Vinegar

• Baking Soda

Goals:

• Students should leave with a basic understanding of what a reaction is

• They should know of a few different kinds of reactions

• They should be excited about science

Vocabulary:

• Reaction

o A response caused by some other action

o Chemical Reaction – involves a change in chemical substances

o Physical Reaction – involves some kind of motion or force

Introduction:

• Ask if anyone can tell you what reaction means

o If no one responds, ask what it means to react

• Define what a chemical and a physical reaction is

• Ask for examples from their lives that are reactions

o When they chew food, their saliva starts to digest the food

o When a car uses gasoline to power itself, a chemical reaction occurs

o When a driver presses the brakes, a physical reaction takes place that causes the car to stop

o You can think up a lot more examples – let the kids brainstorm some to take up a bit of time

• Ask them to classify each as a chemical or physical reaction (try to come up with at least a few of each)

• Tell them that today we are going to look at things that are a combination of chemical and physical reactions

• Ask them what Alka-Seltzer is and why it is special (bubbles, used to treat upset stomachs and colds)

• Talk about reactions that produce gas (baking soda and vinegar, Alka-seltzer and water, etc)

• Ask what happens if you put a lot of gas in a small space

o As a possible example, ask what happens if you keep blowing up a balloon (eventually it gets too full and pops)

• Tell them we will be using the gas produced from Alka-seltzer mixing with water to make rockets

Demonstration 1:

• Fill each film canister half-full with water

• Break the tablets in half (or maybe even quarters if the tablets are big enough)

• Drop a piece of tablet in the water and quickly cap

• You can have the lid face up or the bottle face up (the top piece shoots off)

• If you want to, you can have them decorate the canisters (not necessary)

• Rockets will be powerful enough to hit the ceiling

• Let the kids guess how high the rocket can shoot

• Find an open place and see how high you can get it to shoot (perhaps outside when doing mentos and diet coke)

Discussion:

• Talk about how the chemical reaction produced gas (CO2) that made a lot of pressure in the canister

• The rocket exploded (a physical reaction) when the pressure became so great that it had to be released, shooting the part of the canister in the air

• Ask if they have any questions

Demonstration 2:

• Take the kids outside, hopefully onto a piece of grass somewhere

• Mix the baking soda and vinegar for them, explaining that this mixture also produces gas, causing it to bubble (same gas as in alka-seltzer, CO2)

• Ask them if that was cool (probably will say yes)

• Tell them you are about to do something that will blow their minds

• Open the bottle of diet coke

• Ask them why the coke makes a hissing noise when you make it (some of the dissolved bubbles of gas escape)

• Ask if anyone has an idea what would happen if all of the gas in the soda came out really quickly

• Drop the roll of mentos in the diet coke

• Make sure you do this well, as we don’t have the budget to buy extras (feel free to bring extra coke and Mentos rolls if you want to do it more than once)

• Ask for questions

Discussion:

• Ask the kids if they enjoyed learning about chemical reactions

• Have someone describe the difference between chemical and physical reactions to you

• Tell them we will have another fun experiment for them next week

Q&A:

• Why does the mentos make the gas come out of soda

o The gas is trapped in soda because the water molecules of soda like to “stick” to each other (dipole interactions) and end up around the individual gas molecules

o This prevents the gas molecules from joining together to make bubbles

o The mentos does two things

▪ The rough surface of the mentos provides nice little holes for the gas to gather in to make bubbles

▪ The act of falling into the soda disrupts the water, letting the gas molecules come free and join together to make the bubbles

• Why diet coke?

o It is the most carbonated, and doesn’t make a sticky mess like regular coke

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