Free 5th Grade Chemical Reactions Lesson Plan (Science)

Topic: Chemical Reactions

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to describe the basic concepts of chemical reactions and predict the products of simple chemical reactions.

Materials

• Cardboard tubes
• Water
• White vinegar
• Glucose
• Artificial sweetener
• Lemon juice
• Baking soda
• Aluminum foil
• Ice
• Orange juice
• Vinegar
• Grapes
• Carrots
• Pretzels
• Potato chips
• Candy
• Construction paper
• Pencils
• Papers
• Scissors
• Hole puncher
• Glue
• Markers
• Calculator

Warm-up

• Show the students a few different chemicals, such as vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, and artificial sweetener. Ask the students what they think will happen if they put these chemicals together. Have the students raise their hands to share their ideas.

Direct Instruction

• Explain to the students that when certain chemicals are combined, a chemical reaction occurs. Show the students the different chemicals and have them watch as you slowly add them to one another. Ask the students to describe what they see happening to the chemicals. Record their observations on the chart paper.
• After observing the reaction, discuss with the students what they think caused the reaction to happen. Explain that the chemicals reacted because they have different properties that caused them to react with each other. For example, vinegar is acidic and lemon juice is acidic, so when they are combined, they create a more stable, less acidic substance (water and carbon dioxide).

Guided Practice:

• Divide the students into small groups and give each group a set of chemical reactions to observe. Have the students make observations and comparisons about the reactions taking place. Allow the students to make their own explanations about what is happening.
• As a class, discuss the different reactions that were observed and compare them to the reactions that were previously observed. What similarities and differences can be seen?

Independent Practice:

• Give each student a sheet of paper and a pen. Ask them to think of five different chemical reactions that they can do in class and write them down on their sheets of paper.
• Ask the students to work in small groups and try the different chemical reactions they have written down. Encourage them to make observations and comparisons about the reactions taking place.
• As a class, discuss the different reactions that were tried and compare them to the reactions that were observed in the guided practice activity. What similarities and differences can be seen?

Closure:

• Review the different chemical reactions that were tried during the independent practice and ask the students to share their observations and comparisons.
• Ask the students to summarize what they have learned about chemical reactions during the lesson.

Assessment

• Observe the students during the guided practice and independent practice to check for understanding.
• Collect the students' written observations and comparisons during the independent practice and use them to assess their understanding of the different chemical reactions and their properties.