Science Lesson Plan I: Chemical Risks Field Trip

Teacher:	Nicolette Speziale
Subject:	Eighth Grade Science
Unit:	Chemical Benefit and Risks
Topic:	Chemical Risks Field Trip**
Time:	70 Minutes

Related Standards:

NCSCOS (http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/science/scos/2004/21grade8):

In Grade 8, Competency Goal 4 states, “The learner will conduct investigations and utilize technology and information systems to build an understanding of chemistry”.

Objective 4.09 Describe factors that determine the effects a chemical has on a living organism including:

· Exposure.

· Potency.

· Dose and the resultant concentration of chemical in the organism.

· Individual susceptibility.

· Possible means to eliminate or reduce effects.

Goals and objectives:

· Given a scenario of sickness from chemical exposure, students will use their knowledge of exposure, potency, dose, and individual susceptibility to identify the chemical responsible for the sickness.

· Given a scenario of chemical exposure, students will identify possible means to eliminate the exposure from reoccurring.

Special Considerations:

For students with Learning Disability/ADHD/Aspergers:

• Cooperative learning will allow students peer interaction.

Prerequisite Knowledge:

I expect students to know dose, exposure, and potency well enough to apply them to the activity.

Materials:

Field trip journal, Heads or tails worksheet, Choice cards, Pennies, Chemical Fact Sheet, Worksheet

Engage:

I will go over the answers of the double bubble sheet from lesson one on an overhead (students will be asked for the answers and I will fill them in).

I will review with the class the previous days lesson asking the following questions:

· I will give the students the type of medication and ask them for the definition or an example for the following:

o Analgesic (relieves pain, Tylenol - acetaminophen)

o Antihistamine (relives allergies, Benadryl - Diphenylamine)

o Antacid (neutralizes stomach acid to relive heartburn, Aluminum hydroxide – Mylanta, calcium carbonate - Tums)

o Antibiotic (Kills bacteria to stop infections)

o Hormone (Regulates some bodily functions)

o Vaccine (Prevent infections in people exposed to a disease, flu vaccine / chickenpox vaccine)

· What is potency? (The ability of a medication or chemical to produce a desired effect)

· What is dose? (how much and how often a medicine is taken)

· Why do adults take larger doses than children? (dose effects the concentration of the medication in your body and adults need more medication to have the same effect)

· What is a side effect? (an unintended effect of a drug)

· What is the goal of food preservatives? (To increase shelf life of food)

· What are three ways that food preservatives work? (prevent growth of bacteria or mold, prevent chemical reactions that break down food, prevent foods from going stale)

· What two types of chemicals do farmers use to increase crop yield? (fertilizers and pesticides)

· What is the difference between fertilizers and pesticides? (pesticides protect existing crops from getting eaten or destroyed, fertilizers provide nutrients to help crops grow)

· What is the goal of using chemicals in sanitation? (to prevent the spread of disease and infection)

The field trip activity will be explained to students and I will read aloud the first paragraph of the field trip journal to the class. Student volunteers will read the rest of the journal aloud. Then, as a class, students will flip coins to determine their actions on the field trip and complete the Heads or Tails worksheet. Students will also be given a choice card if they want to overrule one of the coin flipping decisions. After the students have completed the coin flipping activity, I will mark student’s paper as sick or not sick depending on the results of the coin toss (students that were on the back of the yellow bus will be marked as sick). Students will be told that after the field trip several students went to the emergency room with nausea and headaches. I will ask the students the following questions and put their responses on an overhead.

· Why did some of the students on the field trip get sick? (chemical exposure)

· Describe some of the chemicals that the students could have been exposed to. (Gasoline, caffeine, etc.)

· Why didn’t all the students get sick? (some of the students were not exposed)

Exploration:

In groups, students will work together to determine what actions and chemicals could have caused some of the students to get sick. They will compare their answers from the coin toss and read a chemical fact sheet about the chemicals that they may have been exposed to during the trip. They will complete a worksheet to help them identify the route of exposure and possible dose.

Explanation:

Students will be asked what chemical they have determined that has caused the students to become sick. They will explain how they decided upon this chemical.

• What chemical do you think was responsible for the sick students on the field trip? (carbon monoxide)
• How did you determine what made some students sick while others stayed healthy? (through the process of elimination (comparing who was exposed to what) or by reading the chemical fact sheet).

Expansion:

We will discuss how choices that students made during the field trip could have increased or decreased their exposure to chemicals. They will also discuss how these are similar to choices they make in their own lives. Students will discuss the faulty exhaust system on the bus and be asked what they could have done to prevent it. They will be asked what they could do to prevent it on a community level. I will explain to the students that in October, 27 students and 5 teachers at a Polk County school were sent to the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning.

• The students in the field trip got sick because of a situation that was out of their control. What would you do to make sure that this does not happen to other students on future field trips? (students may offer suggestions such as, write letters to the superintendent, go to the school board, etc.)

Evaluation:

Students will be evaluated on their understanding of the previous day’s lessons by the question and answer session at the beginning of class. The field trip task in itself serves as an evaluative activity. Students will have to apply their newly learned concepts of exposure, dose, concentration, and chemical risk to the chemicals in the field trip. During the brainstorming session at the beginning of the lesson, I will assess their initial understanding of how to apply the concepts. The worksheet that they complete while assessing the possible chemicals will be collected and reviewed. The student’s answers at the end of the lesson will also serve as an assessment of their understanding.

Questions (including bloom’s level):

1. What is a chemical? (knowledge) Any substance that is made of molecules.

2. What is exposure? (knowledge) Contact with a chemical

3. Why did some of the students on the field trip get sick? (comprehension) Chemical exposure

4. Describe some of the chemicals that the students could have been exposed to. (comprehension) Gasoline, caffeine, etc.

5. Why didn’t all the students get sick? (Comprehension) Not all were exposed.

6. How can you figure out what made some students sick while others stayed healthy? (application) POE, chemical fact sheet

7. What activities do the students that got sick and the healthy students share? (analysis) vary depending on student group

8. What activities do the students that got sick have that the healthy students do not? (analysis) vary by group

9. What chemical do you think is responsible for the sick students on the field trip? What evidence made you choose this chemical? (synthesis) Carbon monoxide

10. The students in the field trip got sick because of a situation that was out of their control. What would you do to make sure that this does not happen to other students on future field trips? (evaluation) Students may offer suggestions such as, write letters to the superintendent, go to the school board, etc.

** This lesson was adapted from a lesson Environmental Hazards, part of the Chemicals, The Environment, and You module developed by the NIH-NIEHS,

recommended for use by the NCSCS Middle Grade Support documents, available online at www.niehs.nih.gov.