UNIT- Chemical Reactions
As students look critically at their local environment they should
become aware of the millions of substances that surround them.
Some, like water and sand, occur naturally; some, like sugar and
blood, are produced by living things; while others, like plastic and
paper, are produced in factories. Regardless of their origin, the one
thing that all of these substances have in common is that they all
contain the basic building block of matter – the atom.
The Chemical Reactions unit aims to:
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Extend students’ understanding of the Particle Model to the level of
basic Atomic Theory
Introduce the Periodic Table and its role in organising the elements
Familiarise students with chemical symbols and formulae – the
language of Chemistry
Conduct a series of practical activity that demonstrate common
chemical reactions
Begin to write chemical equations
Investigate the role and impact of industrial chemistry in the students’
every day life
Key Competencies
KEY SKILLS
The Key Skills that students will improve during the completion of this unit
are:
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Defining and using designated chemical terminology appropriately
Using the theory learnt in the unit to solve problems
Recording and interpreting experimental results
Designing and evaluating a practical investigation
Conducting an extended practical investigation
Time management and meeting deadlines
KEY KNOWLEDGE
The Key Knowledge that students will gain from this unit include:
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basic structure of an atom
differences between elements, compounds and mixtures
symbols/formulae of designated elements/compounds
characteristics that distinguish a physical change from a chemical
change
characteristics of several different types of chemical reactions
guidelines for writing simple chemical equations using either words or
symbols
factors that influence the rate of a chemical reaction
role of chemical reactions in common industrial processes
KEY TERMS
The Key Terms that students will become familiar with the definition and
spelling of during this unit are:
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KEY TERMINOLOGY I
Atom
Symbol
Neutron
Periodic
Table
Nucleus
Mass Number
Proton
Electron shell
Element
KEY TERMINOLOGY II
Mixture
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Atomic
Number
Electron
Compound
Chemical
formula
Molecule
KEY TERMINOLOGY III
Physical change
Chemical change
Reactant
Aqueous solution
Rate of reaction
Word equation
States of matter
Chemical reaction
Product
Insoluble
Combination reaction
Decomposition reaction
Combustion reaction
Precipitation reaction
Formula equation
Diagrammatic equation
Unit Resources
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“Chemical Reactions” Resource Folder
e-textbooks and Teacher Resources (should be loaded onto Laptop
from external hard-drive)
Hardcopy textbooks including- Science Alive 2, Science Links 2,
Science Dimensions 2
Science Alive 1 and 2 Teacher Resource
POSSIBLE ASSESSMENT TASKS INCLUDE
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Practical Report- “Is it an acid?”
Practical Report- “The Hydrogen ‘pop’ test”
Student designed practical investigation- “Properties of
Elements”
Topic test