8th Grade Compounds And Elements Lesson Plan

Topic: Compounds and elements

Objectives & Outcomes

• students will be able to distinguish between compound substances and simple substances
• students will be able to describe the properties and characteristics of compounds and elements

Materials

• Examples of compound substances (e.g. ice, salt, soda)
• Examples of simple substances (e.g. air, water, gold)
• Handouts with definitions and examples of compounds and elements

Warm-up

• Ask students if they have ever heard of compounds and elements before. Ask them to describe what they know about them.
• Display a list of simple and compound substances on the board and have students volunteer to read aloud the names of each substance.

Direct Instruction

• Define compound substances and simple substances. Explain that compound substances are made up of two or more elements that are chemically bonded together. Simple substances are elements that cannot be broken down into smaller parts by chemical means.
• Discuss the properties of compound substances and simple substances. Point out that the properties of compound substances are often different from the elements that make them up, whereas simple substances have the same properties regardless of the form in which they are found (e.g., water has different properties than hydrogen and oxygen, but hydrogen and oxygen have the same properties regardless of whether they are found as separate atoms or as a gas).
• Discuss the naming conventions for compounds and elements. Explain that the name of a compound is made up of the names of the elements it is composed of, with each element listed in order of highest to lowest atomic number. For example, water is made up of two elements: hydrogen and oxygen. The name "water" indicates that it is composed of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms, in that order.
• Explain that the name of an element is based on its symbol. For example, the symbol for hydrogen is "H," so the name of the element is "hydrogen."

Guided Practice

• Give students a handout with examples of compound substances and simple substances. Have them work in pairs to identify the type of each substance (compound or simple) and explain their reasoning.
• Bring the class together and have students share their answers and explain their reasoning to the class.
• As a class, discuss which substances were identified as compounds and which were identified as simple substances.

Independent Practice

• Give students a worksheet with a series of examples of compound substances and simple substances. Have them identify the type of each substance (compound or simple) and explain their reasoning.
• Encourage students to use their prior knowledge and the class discussion to assist them in completing the worksheet.

Closure

• Review the key concepts of compound and simple substances, including the differences between them and examples of each.
• Ask students to share what they found most interesting or surprising about the discussion on compound and simple substances.

Assessment

• Collect and review student work on the guided practice activity, paying particular attention to their ability to distinguish between compound and simple substances and explain their reasoning.
• Observe students during the independent practice activity and provide feedback on their ability to accurately and thoroughly conduct the research and present their findings.Evaluation
• Use the presentations from the independent practice activity to assess students’ understanding of the topic and their ability to communicate their findings to a group of peers.