Enduring Understanding

 

The student will understand:

  • The chemical elements are the fundamental building materials of matter and are best understood by considering them as composed from atoms that always retain their identity.
  • Chemical and physical properties of materials can be explained by the structure and the arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules and the forces between them.
  • Changes in matter involve the rearrangement and/or reorganization of atoms and/or transfer of electrons.
  • Any bond or intermolecular attraction that can be formed can be broken. These two processes are in a dynamic competition, sensitive to initial conditions and external perturbations.
  • The laws of thermodynamics explain and predict the direction of changes in matter.
  • Rates of chemical reactions are determined by details of the molecular collisions.

 

 

Essential Questions

 

  • How are the interactions of matter expressed quantitatively?
  • What are the energy considerations when reactions occur?
  • At room temperature, CO2 is a gas, while SiO2 is a solid. What is it about the bonding and structure of these compounds that gives rise to such a dramatic difference?
  • How does the organization of the periodic table reflect the structure of matter?
  • How does matter interact on an atomic level? On a molecular level?
  • How does the motion of matter affect its properties?
  • Why does hot air rise?
  • Does chemical energy always result in useful work?
  • What makes chemical reactions stop and go and why do some reactions need a kickstart?
  • Why are some reactions fast (explosions), while others are slow (fossilization)?
  • How is balance achieved in chemical systems?
  • How does strengthening your teeth through brushing depend on a solubility product constant?

Content Topics

 

Unit 1

Basic Review

 

Unit 2

Stoichiometry

 

Unit 3

Reactions in Aqueous Solutions

 

Unit 4

Gases

 

Unit 5

Thermochemistry

 

Unit 6

Kinetics

 

Unit 7

Equilibrium

 

 

Key Skills

 

  • Asking testable questions, drawing conclusions based on evidence, and generating useful representations
  • Using symbolic and graphical representations of relationships
  • Organizing and communicating ideas
  • Applying the scientific way of knowing through reasoning based on evidence
  • Participating in experimental design, execution, and data analysis

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Assessments

 

  • Essays
  • Tests and Quizzes
  • Simulations
  • Lab Reports

 

 

Standards Alignment:

 

PA State Standards:

S11C111 Explain that matter is made of particles called atoms and that atoms are composed of even smaller particles (e.g., protons, neutrons, electrons).

S11C112 Explain the relationship between the physical properties of a substance and its molecular or atomic structure.

S11C113 Explain the formation of compounds (ionic and covalent) and their resulting properties using bonding theories.

S11C114 Explain how the relationships of chemical properties of elements are represented in the repeating patterns within the periodic table.

S11C115 Predict the behavior of gases through the application of laws (e.g. Boyle's law, Charles' law, or ideal gas law).

 

National Standards:
Unifying Concepts and Processes:

Systems, order, and organization; Evidence, models, and explanation; Change, constancy, and measurement; Evolution and equilibrium; Form and function

Science as Inquiry:

Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry; Understandings about scientific inquiry

Physical Science:

Structure of atoms; Structure and properties of matter; Chemical reactions; Conservations of energy and increase in disorder; Interactions of energy and matter

Science and Technology:

Abilities of technological design; Understandings about science and technology

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives:

Personal and community Health; Natural resources; Environmental quality; Natural and human-induced hazards; Science and technology in local, national and global challenges

History and Nature of Science:

Science as a human endeavor; Nature of scientific knowledge; Historical perspectives