Backwards Design Unit Planning Template
Adapted from Understanding by Design (2005) – Wiggins and McTighe
Course: Grade 10 Science SNC2D
Strand: Academic
Stage 1: Identify Desired Results
Overall Expectations:
 Analyze a variety of safety and environmental issues associated with chemical reactions
 Investigate through inquiry the characteristics of chemical reactions
 Demonstrate an understanding of the general principles of chemical reactions and various
ways to represent them
Big Ideas:
Essential Questions:
 What constitutes a substance as an acid,
 Chemicals react with each other in predictable
what constitutes a substance as a base?
ways.
 When has a chemical reaction taken
 Chemical reactions may have a negative
place?
impact on the environment, but they can also
 Is matter ever created or destroyed?
be used to address environmental challenges.
 How do you classify reactions?
 Why is it that chemicals can be both
useful, but also pose as a safety and
environmental risk to us?
Important for Students to Know:
Important for Students to Do:
 What type of chemical reaction is taking
 Balance full chemical reactions
place
 Construct and perform a chemical
 The law of conservation of mass
reaction
 What the pH scale represents
 Explain when a chemical reaction has
taken place
 What indicates a chemical reaction has
taken place
 Identify different types of compounds
(polyatomic, ionic, acid, base etc.)
 The dangers/harm of chemicals and
their reactions on people and the
environment
Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence
Products:
 Nomenclature/balancing
quiz
 Lab reports
 Unit test
 In class problem sets
 Presentations/ question
answering
Observations:
Conversations:
 Ability to follow
 Dialogue and
procedure skills and
vocabulary used to
understand concepts
describe chemical
in a lab
reactions in
conversation
 Students’ ability to
help one another with
 Ability to answer
the content
questions in class
Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences
Topic 1: Balancing chemical reactions
Lesson
1. Introduction
and
overview
Learning Goals, Subtopics and Activities
Learning Goals: Describe the difference
between an element and a compound.
Understand how the organization of the
periodic table works.
SEs
C2.1
C3.1
A1.11
Resources
Periodic table,
Diagrams
C2.2
C3.8
A1.5
A1.13
Diagrams,
Video tutorials,
Fill in the
blanks,
Homework
C2.3
A1.5
A1.6
Examples,
Powerpoint,
Comparative
charts
Minds On: Review from grade 9. Ten minute
overview of what an atom is and the structure
Action: Go over the structure of an atom with
valence shells and how these are organized in the
periodic table. Select atoms at random from PT
and have students draw them
2. Bonding and
Chemical
nomenclature
Consolidation/Debrief: I will lead a final
drawing of a difficult atom and ask questions for
the students to answer about atomic weight and
mass number etc.
Learning Goals: Show how ionic and covalent
bonds form, begin writing the chemical
formulas for chemical compounds.
Minds On: Review previous days activity. Ask
students to list al of the chemically bonded
compounds they can remember
Action: Create a table outlining the differences
and characteristics of ionic and covalent bonds.
Get the students to predict the types of bonds
that will form between different ions and
investigate metal/nonmetal relationships.
3. Types of chemical
reactions
Consolidation/Debrief: Draw the transfer of
electrons from elements I have selected. Draw
the sharing of electrons from elements that I
have selected
Learning Goals: Understand the difference
between the 4 main types of reactions and
when each takes place
Minds On: Quick Powerpoint presentation
showing the different types of chemical
reactions. Very basic, simply showing
substances either rearranging or breaking apart
etc.
Action: Use symbols on the board to represent
each type of reaction and have the students
answer which reaction is which and why.
Provide examples for them to record and have
them fill in the blanks with partially completed
reactions.
4. Balancing chemical
reactions
Consolidation/Debrief: Review of the days
lesson, I will ask students to answer questions
verbally and assign a short amount of homework
for them to complete
Learning Goals: Take a given written
chemical equation and convert it into the
chemical formulas. Complete the reaction and
Balance it using the law of conservation of
mass.
C2.4
C3.2
C3.4
A1.7
Counting atoms
worksheet,
Problem sets
C2.2
C2.4
C3.2
C3.4
C2.5
C3.3
C3.5
A1.8
Quiz on
balancing and
nomenclature
Minds On: give students an overview of where
we started, why we started there, and where we
will end up by the end of the lesson. I will show
the students how to balance a chem equation and
what it looks like, then will work backwards so
they can do it as well
Action: Have them write down the law of
conservation of mass and explain what it means
and its purpose. Provide them with hands on
examples performed in class of how matter is not
destroyed, simply conserved and changes form.
Get students to begin balancing their own
chemical equations by counting atoms
Consolidation/Debrief: Provide a table of
specific compounds for the students so that they
can break it down into the individual elements
and count the atoms, this will allow them to
visualize the conservation of matter when
balancing
5. Quiz on Balancing
6. Chemical reaction
lab
Learning Goals: Understand what signifies
that a chemical reaction has taken place. See
first hand different types of reactions.
Test tubes,
Chemicals,
Beakers,
Examples,
Minds On: Show the students a video of some
small scale chemical reactions as well as large
scale ones to show the power of chemicals.
A1.9
Demonstrations
Action: Have the students partner up and follow
my given instructions on mixing pre determined
amounts of chemicals in order to show them the
different ways to recognize a chemical reaction
has taken place (precipitate formed, change in
temperature etc)
7. Test #1
Consolidation/Debrief: Have the students list for
me their observations and have them classify
whether or not they believe a chemical change
has occurred.
Test on naming, balancing, reaction types,
All
nomenclature and the periodic table
except
C2.6
C3.6
C3.7
Assessment/Evaluation Opportunities:
Assessment for Learning: homework questions, in class problem sets, examples on the board
answered by students, post lesson questions/discussion
Assessment as Learning: Students will compare their own answers from in homework to other
students answers so they may assess themselves and work together towards the correct answer (with
my guidance)
Assessment of Learning: Unit test, quiz, formal lab report
Topic 2: Reactions of acids and bases
Lesson
8. Naming
Acids and
Bases
Learning Goals, Subtopics and Activities
Learning Goals: Understand the principles of what is
an acid, what is a base, and how to recognize them
from the nomenclature.
Minds On: Review everything we have done from part 1
of the unit so far, and now begin getting into the definition
of a base and an acid.
Action: Outline the chart to explain how we get the acid
name from the name of the ion (ie. Hydrogen perchlorate
 perchloric acid). This will help them understand the
chem formula for acids. Provide examples of acids and
bases that do not fit into the H and OH classification
SEs
Resources
C2.6 Table listing the
C3.8 rules of naming,
A1.2
A1.10
system for acids and bases
9. Properties
of acids and
bases
Consolidation/Debrief: Recap that acids typically begin
with an H ions while bases usually end with OH ions.
Give them examples of acids and bases that dissolve into
their compounds in solution
Learning Goals: Understand dissociation and what
happens to acids and bases in water and when
combined.
C3.6
C3.3
Powerpoint,
Video,
Examples,
Comparative
chart
C3.7
Copy of the
scale, Examples
of where
common items
fall on the scale
C3.5
C2.3
C2.4
A1.6
Video,
Examples,
Hands on
Demonstrations
Minds On: Introduce the concept of ionization with a
quick hands on example of a substance dissolving in water
to represent the idea of acids and bases dissociating
Action: Provide fill in the blank handout sheets for
students to work through with me while I lecture about
strong and weak acids and bases and other ionization
properties
10. The pH
scale
Consolidation/Debrief: Give the students a word search
with two columns, the first will be all strong acids and
bases, the second will be all weak acids and bases. The
kicker is I will give the chem formulas, they have to know
the names in order to find the word!
Learning Goals: Recognize where common items fall
on the pH scale. Identify characteristics of substances
with different pH levels.
Minds On: Ask the students to list for me what items they
think might be acidic and draw out the pH. I will draw out
the pH scale and only label 1-14, they will rank substances
I provide them with
Action: Bring in litmus paper to dip into certain acidic and
basic solutions to show the differences between the two,
Red is acid, Blue is basic. Do an activity to show the
relationship of how many H ions in a substance can effect
its acidity. Have the students fill in the blanks with pH
information that I provide them with.
11. Factors
affecting
reactions
Consolidation/Debrief: Hand out to the students an article
summarizing how acid rain is effecting habitats and the
environment so that they can comprehend how pH can be
altered and effect us
Learning Goals: List and describe the 4 main factors
affecting chemical reactions. Explain how to speed up
or slow down a reaction.
Minds On: Recap the 4 main types of chemical reactions,
ask students to think about ways that they can make all of
their cool-aid powder dissolve into water fastest
A1.8
Action: I will initially list the ways to speed up a chemical
reaction and then on the board I will draw diagrams
representing each so that the students can visualize how
this works. I will then ask them to describe to me how and
why they think these reactions operate and I will simply
guide their thought process
Consolidation/Debrief: Provide the students with a sheet
of different types of reactions (one at room temperature,
one in hot water, one in room temperature but with a
crushed up solute instead of a big block of a solute) and
get them to rank them from quickest to fastest.
12. Quiz #1
Dissociation questions and factors affecting reaction
13. Safety and Learning Goals: Describe how current real life
environmental practices can impact our health as a population and the
concerns
subsequent effects that chemicals may have on our
environment.
C2.3
C1.1
C1.2
A1.4
A1.13
Hand out
Video
documentary,
Case studies,
News reports
C2.6
C3.6
Graduated
cylinders, acids,
bases, litmus
paper, beakers,
test tubes
Minds On: Ask the students to tell me about any safety or
environmental concerns they have heard about that they
think might have anything to do with chemicals.
Action: I will provide them with different articles of recent
events from around the world that have to do with
chemicals and have had negative impacts on our
environment such as increase in CFC concentration, more
CO2 emissions and Chernobyl nuclear disaster. I will then
simply hold a discussion about how dangerous chemicals
can be and how reactions have huge impacts on our world.
14. Lab
15. Test #2
Consolidation/Debrief: Wrap up the discussion and leave
them with thought provoking questions about what certain
chemical uses means for the environment and safety of
people. Get them to be curious of industrial processes and
question how to improve current methods of production.
Testing the effectiveness of antacids
Acids and Bases test evaluating naming, oxides,
properties, neutralizations, factors affecting reaction, the
pH scale and environmental concerns
C3.3
C3.6
C3.7
C3.8
C1.2
C1.1
Assessment/Evaluation Opportunities:
Assessment for Learning: homework questions, in class problem sets, examples on the board
answered by students, post lesson questions/discussion
Assessment as Learning: Students will compare their own answers from in homework to other
students answers so they may assess themselves and work together towards the correct answer (with
my guidance)
Assessment of Learning: Unit test, quiz, formal lab report