Summary
In this lesson, students will watch a video of fireworks and write down what they notice and wonder. Students will participate in a flame test lab. They then will draw Bohr models for the element hydrogen, labeled with arrows to show the release and absorption of energy. Finally, students will research the science behind fireworks and how it relates to an electron’s energy.
Essential Question(s)
How is the electron’s position in the atom related to its energy? What is the relationship between the energy of light released/absorbed and the change in the electron’s energy?
Snapshot
Engage
Students watch a firework video and fill out an I Notice, I Wonder chart.
Explore
Students participate in a flame test lab.
Explain
Students draw a Bohr models for hydrogen and answer questions.
Extend
Students research the science behind fireworks.
Evaluate
Students create a Caption This image and add 1-2 sentences answering the essential questions.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
I Notice, I Wonder handout (attached; one per student)
Electrons in Atoms Handout (attached, one per student)
Flame Test Lab Facilitator’s Guide (attached)
Flame Test Lab Instructions (attached; 1 per group)
Flame Test Lab (attached; 1 per student)
Device (1 per student)
Goggles (1 per student)
Apron or lab coat (1 per student)
Science notebook or blank notebook paper (1 per student)
Bunsen burner and related equipment (1 per group)
Spot plate (1 per group)
Cotton swabs (number depends on how many tests will be performed)
Beaker of distilled water (1 per group)
Cobalt glass (1 per group)
Metallic salts (1 sample per group)
Calcium chloride, CaCl2
Copper (II) chloride, CuCl2
Potassium chloride, KCl
Lithium chloride, LiCl
Manganese chloride, MnCl2
Sodium chloride, NaCl
Strontium chloride, SrCl2
Unknown metallic salt
Engage
Introduce the lesson using the attached Lesson Slides and display slide 2.
Move to slide 3 to share the essential questions and slide 4 to go over the lesson's learning objectives to the extent you feel necessary.
Display slide 5, share the I Notice, I Wonder strategy with students, and pass out the I Notice, I Wonder handout.
Move to slide 6 to show the "The Greatest Showman - A Pyromusical Fireworks Display by Pyromania Fireworks" video. As students watch the video they will record their thoughts on the I Notice, I Wonder chart.
As a class, discuss the things students noticed and are wondering about.
Explore
Move to slide 7 and show the "Flame Test Colorful Elements - Sick Science!" video. Discuss with students what they believe the mystery powder is and why. Inform them that they will be completing a flame test and put students into groups for the experiment.
Show slide 8 and display the safety directions for the flame test. Explain them in detail to ensure safe procedures are followed.
Move to slide 9 and go over the materials students will use to complete the flame test. Ask students the following questions prior to starting the lab.
Besides the fact that they all contain a metal, what do all four substances have in common that you can consider a constant or control (and therefore ignore) while doing the flame test?
When the electrons are in an excited state, they (absorb, release) energy and move to a (higher, lower) energy level. How will we be exciting the electrons in the lab?
When the electrons return to ground state, they (absorb, release) energy and move to a (higher, lower) energy level. How will we know when that has happened?
Move to slide 10 and guide your students through the directions for the flame test. Pass out the attached Flame Test Lab Instructions and Flame Test Lab handout for students to record their findings from their lab. Students will test four to five known samples and one unknown sample. Encourage your students to use color words and other adjectives to describe what they observe during the lab.
Explain
Move to slide 11, use this slide to introduce the Bohr model drawing activity. Pass out the attached Electrons in Atoms handout to each student. Students will draw Bohr models for the element hydrogen. They will draw arrows showing the absorption and release of energy for different energy transitions.
Extend
Display slide 12 and inform students that they will be researching the science behind fireworks. Have students access the Wakelet titled Science Behind Fireworks. Inform students that they will be using what they learn about fireworks to answer the essential questions. Optionally, have students take notes in line with class note-taking norms. Provide students sufficient time to research the science behind fireworks. This research will be used in the Evaluate section of the lesson. Encourage students to share and discuss what they discover with peers as they research.
Evaluate
Move to slide 13 and explain the Caption This strategy to students. Instruct them to use this strategy to show what they learned during their research on fireworks and how it relates to the essential questions. This can be done using Google Drawings.
Students should either find an image online or draw their own in order to demonstrate what they have learned about the science behind fireworks. Images could be of fireworks, elements, or anything else that is relevant.
Resources
Flame Test - Colorful Elements. Steve Spangler Amazing Science Experiments. https://stevespangler.com/experiments/flame-test/
K20 Center. (n.d.). Caption This. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/82
K20 Center. (n.d.). I Notice, I Wonder. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/180
K20 Center. (n.d.). Google Drawings. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/629
K20 Center. (n.d.). Wakelet. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/2180
PyromaniaFireworks. (2018, November 11). The Greatest Showman - a Pyromusical Fireworks Display by Pyromania Fireworks [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe-8QopJn9k
SteveSpanglerScience. (2013, July 2). Flame Test Colorful Elements - Sick Science! #146 [Video] . YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1LMYP-lJJY
