Portland Cement Lesson Plan for 10th Grade Students

Topic: Heat Capacity of Portland Cement

Objectives & Outcomes

• Understand the concept of heat capacity and how it relates to the temperature of portland cement.
• Calculate the heat capacity of portland cement.

Materials

• Calendar
• Timer
• Computer with internet access
• Portland cement (or simulated Portland cement powder)
• Water
• Hot plate
• Container(s) to hold water and portland cement

Warm-Up

• Ask students if they have ever experienced hot or cold days. Ask them to describe the difference in the way that they felt on these days.
• Ask students what they think causes these differences in the way that they feel.
• Write their responses on the board. Ask students to look at the responses and see if they can find any common themes.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the topic of heat capacity and portland cement. Explain that heat capacity refers to a material's ability to absorb heat and store it.
• Ask students to think about how portland cement is used in construction. Ask them to consider how the temperature of the surrounding environment affects the performance of portland cement.
• Explain that researchers have found that portland cement has a relatively high heat capacity, meaning that it is able to absorb and store a lot of heat.
• Show students the data table and the graph. Ask them to take a few minutes to look at the data and see what it shows.
• Ask students what questions they might have about the data. If necessary, provide any clarifying explanations.

Guided Practice

• Have students work in small groups to calculate the heat capacity of portland cement. Provide each group with a calculator and a copy of the data table and graph.
• Ask each group to calculate the average heat capacity of portland cement using the data from the table and graph.
• Have each group share their answer with the class and provide explanation for their calculations.

Independent Practice

• Ask students to research the phase transition properties of portland cement.
• Have students create a presentation or poster that summarizes their findings and explains how the properties of portland cement affect its heat capacity.

Closure

• Review the objectives of the lesson and ask students to share their presentations or posters.
• Ask students to summarize the main points of the lesson.
• Ask students to explain how the phase transition properties of portland cement affect its heat capacity.
• Ask students to describe how portland cement can be used in different applications to help with heat transfer.

Assessment

• Observe students during their group work and individual independent practice to assess their understanding of the material.
• Collect and grade the presentations or posters.
• Administer a quiz or written assessment to test students' understanding of the concepts covered in the lesson.