Unit 8 Plan

Part I: Information about the Lesson

Topic: Gas Laws
Generating Big Ideas
Abstract

I plan to teach the arrangement of molecules in states of matter as well as average kinetic energy that can affect these molecules. I also
plan to teach the gas laws including Boyles Law, Charles Law, Gay-Lussacs Law and the Combined Gas Law.
What are the underlying big ideas?

The underlying big ideas that are important to study is the relationships between volume, temperature, and pressure. We see these
relationships in our everyday lives whether it be the air pressure in tires affecting the volume of the tire, or the temperature affecting a
helium balloon. These examples as well as many other aspects of our daily lives are affected by these relationships.
Phenomenon:

An anchoring phenomenon I plan to use for this unit is the implosion of a tanker car and the causes for the implosion. A tanker car
was steam cleaned, sealed and left overnight. When the workers returned the next morning, the tanker car had imploded. The students
will have to use their knowledge and evidence they gain throughout the unit to explain the factors that affected the crushing of the
tanker car and how they affected it.

What does success for students look like?

Success for students in this specific scenario should look like the students being able to use the relationship between pressure, temperature, and
volume in order to explain what is happening on the inside and the outside of the tanker that causes it to crush. They should understand that
temperature is changing overnight, which then affects the state of matter of the molecules within the tanker. The change in phase changes not only
the volume the molecules occupy but the pressure they exert. Students should be able to use evidence from labs, activities, and demos seen in class
in order to support their claims and conclude what exactly happened to the tanker car overnight. After they are able to explain the tanker car, they
should be able to apply their critical thinking skills and explain how the different factors affect a similar but different situation. An example of this
would be the crushing of a pop can when its turned over in cold water after water inside of it has been boiled or a bike tire going flat in the winter.

Objectives for Student Learning

Michigan Objectives
C2.2B: Describe the various states of matter in terms of the motion and arrangement of the molecules (atoms)
making up the substance.
C4.3B: Recognize that solids have a more ordered, regular arrangement of their particles than liquids and that
liquids are more ordered than gases.
C3.3A: Describe how heat is conducted in a solid.
C2.2A: Describe conduction in terms of molecules bumping into each other to transfer energy.Explain why there is better
conduction in solids and liquids than gases.
C2.2f: Compare the average kinetic energy of the molecules in a metal object and a wood object at room
temperature.
C2.2c: Explain changes in pressure, volume, and temperature for gases using the kinetic molecular model.
C4.5a: Provide macroscopic examples, atomic and molecular explanations, and mathematical representations
(graphs and equations) for the pressure-volume relationship in gases.
C4.5b: Provide macroscopic examples, atomic and molecular explanations, and mathematical representations
(graphs and equations) for the pressure-temperature relationship in gases.
C4.5c: Provide macroscopic examples, atomic and molecular explanations, and mathematical representations
(graphs and equations) for the temperature-volume relationship in gases

NGSS Performance Expectations & Evidence Statements

HS-PS1-5 Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation about the effects of changing the
temperature or concentration of the reacting particles on the rate at which a reaction occurs.

Planning Discourse #1
Generic Questions (You do not add
anything in this column)

Actual Questions

What to listen for and plan to respond

to (You do not add anything in this
column)

Describe how you will introduce the phenomenon:

Step 1. Eliciting observations
What do you see going on here?
What did you notice when
___happened?
When or where does ___ occur?

Step 2. Eliciting hypotheses without

explanation
What would you predict about ___?
What has happened here? (at level
of inference)
What would happen if ___?
Step 3. Pressing for explanation
What might be going on here that
we cant see?
Why do you think this happens this
way? (emphasize cause)
What do you think causes ____?

Step 4. Summarizing
What are some things we are not
sure about here?
How could we test our hypotheses?
What kinds of information or
experiences do we need to learn
more?

What if students cite relevant features of

the task?
What if students cite irrelevant ideas or
cannot understand the representation/
problem?
What if students give inferences rather
than observations?
What if students exhibit pre-conceptions?
What if students cite relevant facets of the
big idea?
What if students do make connections to
what theyve experienced?
What if students offer explanations
congruent with scientific explanation?
What if students offer simplistic causeeffect?
Example: "Why does water boil?" "Because
you put it on the stove."
What if kids offer explanations that
involve alternative conceptions?
What if students are unable to respond to
any of these questions?

Planning Discourse #2 (you should think about questions for each of your D2 activities for us, please fill this out for at least 3
activities)
Generic Questions (You do not add
Actual Questions
anything in this column)
Describe how you will introduce the activity:
Step 1. Orienting students to the
concepts
What can we observe/ measure in this
activity?
OR What will we be seeing
happen/measuring?
Step 2. Back-pocket questions:
Observations and patterns
What are you seeing here? (or similar
broad observational question)

Step 3. Back-pocket questions:

Connection to the big idea
Can you explain what you are doing or
what is happening in terms of [the big
idea]?
Step 4. Whole class coordination of
students ideas & their questions
What did you (addressing whole class)
find in your activity [adjust this questions
to the specifics of the activity, seeing
trends, patterns, differences, etc.]

What to listen for and plan to respond to

(You do not add anything in this column)
Then you need to listen for, plan to respond to:
What if students can cite relevant features of
the activity?
What if students focus on extraneous features
of activity?
What you need to listen for, plan to respond to:
What if students can cite relevant features of
the activity?
What if students are focused on extraneous
features of activity?
What if students mention patterns, but do not
explain the significance?
What you need to listen for, plan to respond to:
What if students hesitate or seem to rely on
vocabulary?
What if students can make connections
between activity and some aspect of big idea?
What you need to listen for, plan to respond to:
What if students hesitate?
What if can students describe patterns,
insights?

Planning Discourse #3
Generic Questions (You do not add
Actual Questions and Plans
anything in this column)
Describe how you will introduce the activity:

What to listen for and plan to respond to

(you do not add anything in this column)

Step 1. Re-orienting students to the

focal models and hypotheses.
This is what our groups have been
thinking about what is it we have been
trying to represent?
What is the puzzle we are trying to
solve?
What are we trying to explain?
Step 2. Coordinating a tentative
explanation with available evidence.
What do we think is causing ___?
Who would like to offer an
explanation?

Then you need to listen for, plan to respond to:

What if students can only talk about their
explanations in terms of specific observables
and not in terms of an underlying model? (see
examples on previous page).

Step 3. Committing an explanation to

paper
Now stop and write down your
explanation
(groups or individually).
Followed by:
Now from the data you collected in the
____activity, or from ideas you read
about in the text, you need to come up
with two pieces of evidence that supports
your explanation.
Step 4. Talking about the strength of
the data and the reasoning

What you need to listen for, plan to respond

to:
What if students start talking about descriptive
findings only, or talk only about how things
are correlated?
What if students depend only on vocabulary in
their explanations?
What if students respond to an imagined
question?
What if students skip over the chain of events?
What you need to listen for, plan to respond
to:
What if students cannot begin to write an
explanation, how will you help them begin?
What if students cannot imagine what a piece
of evidence might be? How will you help them
not just state of piece of evidence, but
understand what counts as evidence?

What you need to listen for, plan to respond

to:

Step 5. Writing a final explanation

Step 6. Applying the new explanatory

model

What will you do if students cannot make

connections between evidence and
explanations? Or if they dont see how
evidence might contradict an explanation?
What you need to listen for, plan to respond to:
How can you help students understand what
might have to be changed in their previous
model?
What you need to listen for, plan to respond to:
How might you help students who cannot
understand how to apply their explanatory
model to another kind of situation or
phenomenon?

Part III: Fleshed Out Summary Table (This should include materials for each activity/lesson for example, a
copy of the lab, a link to the simulation, the exact pages for the reading, a link to the video, a copy of the worksheet)
Activity/Lesson

Observations

Why?

Link to Anchoring
Phenomenon: Tanker car

Marshmallow vs. Pebble

As we increased the volume in the

syringe, the marshmallow got
bigger. As we decreased the
volume in the syringe, the
marshmallow got smaller.

Pressure decreases when volume

increases because the is the same
number of molecules in the
syringe (sealed), but the molecules
now have more room to move
around and this causes less
collisions with the container.
Collisions cause pressure, so with
less collisions, then we have less
pressure. Evidence of this is seen
through the marshmallow being
able to expand with more volume
because theres less pressure
being put on it.

The tanker car also has the same

number of molecules throughout
the entire process (sealed). The
only time theres a volume change
is when the tanker is crushed.
Assuming the tanker is still
sealed, the pressure should be
greater within the tanker than it
was before the change in volume.
Assuming the tanker is no longer
sealed, the pressure should be the
same on the inside as the
atmospheric pressure.

Changing the volume did not

affect the pebble.
Evidence of a change in pressure
is from the marshmallow getting
bigger or smaller as we changed
the volume.
When volume increases, pressure
decreases.
Expanding Balloon

As we sucked air out of the flask,

the balloon was able to expand.
We removed molecules from
inside the flask, which caused the
balloon to expand. The balloon
expanding is evidence that
pressure is changing within the
flask, specifically decreasing.
Therefore, as # of molecules
decreases, the pressure decreases.

The pressure decreases with a

decrease in number of molecules
because there are less molecules
in the container therefore less
collisions are able to happen
against the container. With less
collisions, we know that there has
to be less pressure.

The tanker had the same number

of molecules throughout the entire
process, but if it didnt, we could
increase or decrease the pressure
inside the tanker.

Balloon in Flask

As we decreased the temperature

in the flask, the balloon went into
the flask. As we increased the
temperature in the flask, the
balloon expanded. The balloon
expanding and deflating is
evidence of a pressure change.

Pressure decreases with a decrease

in temperature because molecules
move slower at a lower
temperature. With the molecules
moving slower, there are less
collisions within the container and
therefore less pressure. If we

In the tanker, the pressure started

off high due to the steam.
Therefore, the molecules were
moving quickly within the tanker,
increasing the number of
collisions and giving the inside of
the tanker a high pressure. As the

Therefore, as temperature
decreases, pressure decreases.

increase the temperature, the

molecules begin to move faster
and therefore create more
collisions, which causes an
increase in pressure.

temperature inside the tanker

cooled overnight, the molecules
began to slow down and less
collisions were made, which then
decreased the pressure in the
tanker. The pressure outside of the
tanker remained the same though
and therefore was able to win
against the pressure on the inside
therefore causing the tanker to
crush.

Part IV: Assessment of Students

Assessment Tasks
Assessment Task

Description of Assessment (including exact wording where possible)

PhET
Simulation

1. What can we conclude about the relationship between volume and pressure? Why?
2. What can we conclude about the relationship between temperature and pressure? Why?
3. What can we conclude about the relationship between # molecules and pressure? Why?
4. What can we conclude about the relationship between volume and temperature? Why?
What causes the tanker car to crush?

Initial Models

Summative Assessments
Assessment Task
Final Models

Description of Assessment (including exact wording where possible)

What causes the tanker car to crush?

Pop Can
Explanation

What causes the pop can to crush? Give a detailed explanation including all factors that affect the crushing and
provide evidence for each claim you make based on activities and labs we did in class.

Unit Test

1. Describe the movement of particles and the arrangement of particles for solids, liquids and gases. (1/2 point per box =
3 points)
Solids
Liquids
Gases

Arrangement of
particles

Movement of particles

2. What has to happen to the particles of a solid in order for it to melt to a liquid? (3 point)
3. Which state of matter conducts heat best? Why? (2 points)
4. Identify each of the following graphs as showing the relationship between: P&V, T&V, or T&P (3 points)
Graph A
Graph B
Graph C

5. What are the four factors that affect the condition of a gas? (4 points)
6. A gas at a constant pressure has a decrease in temperature, what should happen to the volume of the gas? (2 points)

7. A gas at a constant temperature has an increase in volume, what should happen to the pressure? (2 points)
8. Explain how the four factors affected the crushing of the tanker car. (3 points)
Directions: Gas Laws Show your work for full credit. Round your final answers to the hundredths place (two places
after the decimal point). Circle or Box your final answer. For extra credit, at the top of this page define write the Kelvin
and Celsius temperatures that represent absolute zero.
9. If the original volume of a gas is 143 mL and the original pressure is 1.2 atm, when the pressure changes to 3.0 atm,
what will be the new volume? (3 points)
10. A gas has a volume of 2.5 liters at a pressure of 1.5 atm. If the volume decreases to 1.0 liters, what is the new pressure?
(3 points)
11. A gas has a volume of 34 mL at 25 degrees Celsius, if the Celsius temperature doubles to 50 degrees Celsius, what is
the new volume? (3 points)
12. A gas has a volume of 3 liters at a temperature of 300 K. What is the kelvin temperature if the volume increases to 4.5
liters? (3 points)
13. A gas has a pressure of 2.0 atm at 25 degrees Celsius. If the pressure is doubled to 4.0 atm, what would the new Kelvin
temperature be? (3 points)

14. A gas has a volume of 250 ml when the temperature is 30 degrees Celsius. At what Celsius temperature would the
volume be increased to 750 ml? (3 points)