Introduction |
| Anchor Video |
| Concept Map |
| Project Calendar |
| Lesson Plans |
Letter to Parents |
| Assessments |
| Resources |
Modifications |
| Grant |
Intro Paper
Project Description, Driving Question, Goals, Objectives, Rationale, Background, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Addressed, National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Standards Addressed, AssessmentThe Car Chemistry Unit is separated into four sections: Tires, Metals, Cooling System, and Batteries. Within each section different chemical principles are explored. Tires investigates the relationship of pressure, volume, and temperature in gases. Metals explores the properties common to metals and the phenomena of rusting cars. Cooling System takes a look at the properties of water and how they make water an important fluid in automobiles. Batteries studies the electrochemistry that creates the energy cars need. The lessons in Car Chemistry are designed to focus in on parts or components of a car and extract the applicable chemical aspects. This unit also allows students to develop their communication skills by designing inquiries in group settings and offering a variety of assessments.
back to topWhat kind of chemistry goes
on in a car?
- Provide a real world example of how chemistry is used
- Engagement of students in learning chemistry
Students will be able to:
- Explain the gas laws.
- Describe the rusting process.
- Explain the difference between rusting and corrosion.
- Discuss parameters that affect the rate of rusting.
- Observe the properties of water.
- Apply water properties to their daily lives through activities.
- Analyze
how these properties of water make it useful in cars.
- Draw the structure of water and label the partial charges on oxygen and hydrogen.
á List the properties of water i.e. Density, Polarity, Solubility, Boiling point, cohesion, adhesion, and thermal properties.
- Define each property of water and give at least one example.
Chemistry is a difficult and often unpopular subject; however, it is at the root of several advances in technology. Synthetic fibers, water treatment, fuel sources, and pharmaceuticals are just a few of the ways that chemistry intersects everyday life. The ways in which chemistry interacts with the world are what makes it interesting despite the subjectâs inherent difficulty. Unfortunately, real world interactions are often relegated to a few boxes in a text book. Chemistry is presented as largely separate from the real world. Many students are uninterested because to them there is no relevance to their life. Research shows that perceived relevance and real world connections are an important part of learning.
The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) compared classrooms, teachers and students from several countries. Video footage of a Japanese geometry class depicts what learning math and science should do for a person. The teacher reviewed a newly learned concept then asked the students to workout a problem concerning the division of land that combined the new concept with other things that had previously been taught. This method develops three important skills in students. First, students see how different concepts are connected and used together. Second, a connection with the real world is made. Third, students learn to think problems out. The National Research Council (NRC) affirms that these three things should be key goals of every science course in their publication of National Science Education Standards (NSES). The NSES asserts that a shift in what is emphasized in science education is needed. The emphasis on knowing facts, separating disciplines, and getting an answer should be shifted to understanding concepts, integrating disciplines in a real context, and using evidence and strategy to devise an explanation (113). Studying cars aligns well with this shift in emphasis. Cars mix different types of chemistry and physics in order to run properly. As students learn to explain how and why certain aspects of a car work through chemistry they will be encouraged to explain how the chemical principles work in other contexts.
The Car Chemistry unit provides a context in which high school students can learn chemistry. Automobiles are a large part of everyday life and are often a focal point of a teenagerâs life. What better way to engage students in learning than by centering lessons on a favorite topic? This idea is supported by research on the generative learning theory. This theory suggests that when ãpupils genuinely feel that classroom learning is helping them make better sense of their world ·they are likely to be well motivatedä (Osborne 75).
On the surface the chemistry of what happens in a car may seem trivial, yet the automobile provides a rich laboratory where several basic principles of chemistry are at work. The Car Chemistry unit is designed to achieve two important goals: to provide a real world example of how chemistry is used and to engage of students in learning chemistry.
Rust refers to a red or brown oxide coating on iron or steel caused by the action of oxygen and moisture. Different parameters such as temperature, salt, and moisture affect that rate of rusting. After experimenting with rust in different environments, the students will have a better understanding of rust and how and why it is formed. This lesson will also illustrate why different parts of the car that rust and why rusting may occur at faster or slower rates in different cities (such as those located near the coast).
Electrochemistry is science that deals with the relation of electricity to chemical changes and with the interconversion of chemical and electrical energy. Voltaic cells consist of two separate compartments called "half cells" containing electrolyte solutions and electrodes (the anode and the cathode) that can be connected in a circuit to some voltmeter placed between the two electrodes within the circuit. The anode accepts electrons lost by ion species (anions) that migrate to the electrode; therefore, oxidation occurs here. The cathode attracts ions (cations) where electrons can be gained by the species that migrates to that electrode. These electrons are received by the cathode through the circuit and passed on to the cations which undergo reduction. In order for this to occur the circuit must be completed by connecting the two separated half cell compartments with a salt bridge (a medium that allows ions to pass from one half cell to the other).1 This concept is used to explain how a car battery works. The students will have a better understanding of this after completing the lesson on voltaic cells in which they will practice writing half reactions, learn to designate the cathode and anode, and make a reduction table.
Lastly,
the students will study the unique properties of water due to its structure
and composition. Water is important because it affects our everyday
lives and is also important for the proper function of a car. The water molecule has two hydrogen atoms
with one oxygen atom. Each Hydrogen atom makes one covalent bond with
oxygen in such a way that they have an angular shape. This shape of
the water molecule makes it polar due to the partial negative charge
on the oxygen and partial positive charge on the hydrogen atoms. These
partial charges allow water to make hydrogen bonds with other water
molecules, which gives water its unique physical properties. Some of
the unique physical properties of water due to hydrogen bonding include
high heat capacity, high specific heat, high boiling point temperature,
high surface tension, and cohesion-adhesion forces. This concept is
important for the students because the students will be able to relate
the use of water in their daily life to its properties.
References
1.
Voltaic Cells <http://members.aol.com/logan20/voltaic.html> (accessed
Nov. 2004)
(1) Scientific processes. The student, for at least 40% of instructional time, conducts field and laboratory investigations using safe, environmentally appropriate, and ethical practices. The student is expected to:
(A) demonstrate safe practices during field and laboratory investigations; and
(B) make wise choices in the use and conservation of resources and the disposal or recycling of materials.
(2) Scientific processes. The student uses scientific methods during field and laboratory investigations. The student is expected to:
(A) plan and implement investigative procedures including asking questions, formulating testable hypotheses, and selecting equipment and technology;
(B) collect data and make measurements with precision;
(C) express and manipulate chemical quantities using scientific conventions and mathematical procedures such as dimensional analysis, scientific notation, and significant figures;
(D) organize, analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and predict trends from data; and
(E) communicate valid conclusions.
(5) Science concepts. The student knows that energy transformations occur during physical or chemical changes in matter. The student is expected to:
(A) identify changes in matter, determine the nature of the change, and examine the forms of energy involved;
(B) identify and measure energy transformations and exchanges involved in chemical reactions
(7) Science concepts. The student knows the variables that influence the behavior of gases. The student is expected to:
(A) describe interrelationships among temperature, particle number, pressure, and volume of gases contained within a closed system; and
(B) illustrate the data obtained from investigations with gases in a closed system and determine if the data are consistent with the Universal Gas Law.
(10) Science concepts. The student knows common oxidation-reduction reactions. The student is expected to:
(A) identify oxidation-reduction processes; and
(B) demonstrate and document the effects of a corrosion process and evaluate the importance of electroplating metals.
(11) Science
concepts. The student knows that balanced chemical equations are used
to interpret and describe the interactions of matter. The student is
expected to:
(C) explain and balance chemical and nuclear equations using number of atoms, masses, and charge.
C.3. Recommendations for Teachers of Chemistry
C.3.a. Core Competencies. All teachers of chemistry should be prepared lead students to understand the unifying concepts required of all teachers of science, and should in addition be prepared to lead students to understand:
1. Fundamental structures of atoms and molecules.
2. Basic principles of ionic, covalent, and metallic bonding.
5. Principles of electrochemistry.
8. Acids and bases, oxidation-reduction chemistry, and solutions.
12. Fundamental processes of investigating in chemistry.
13. Applications of chemistry in personal and community health and environmental quality.
C.3.b. Advanced Competencies. In addition to the core competencies, teachers of chemistry as a primary field should also be prepared to effectively lead students to understand:
23. Energy flow through chemical systems.
27. Applications of chemistry and chemical technology in society, business, industry, and health fields.
C.3.c. Supporting Competencies. All teachers of chemistry should be prepared to effectively apply concepts from other sciences and mathematics to the teaching of chemistry including:
28. Biology, including molecular biology, bioenergetics, and ecology.
31. Mathematical and statistical concepts and skills including statistics and the use of differential equations and calculus.
Students in this project will be graded on individual as well as group work. Points will be deducted for late work, and/or turning in the work that does not meet the given requirements. Individual grading of the students will be based on their attendance, class participation, lab reports, lab participation, and daily log books. Group member evaluations will be completed by each student and the project presentations will be a group effort. Formative assessments in the project will be lab reports, a presentation on chemistry in the car engine, and a paper on batteries. The summative assessment will be a final presentation displaying studentsâ conceptual understanding of chemistry in the car.