Chemistry

Please note – all ppt slides on this website are in “Read Only” format, after you download the ppt, click on “Read Only” to access the ppts. No password is needed to view the slides.

Properties of Matter 

  1. Mass, Volume, & Density (page)
  2. Buoyancy (page)
  3. Phases (page)
  4. Physical & Chemical Change (page)

Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures 

  1. Meet the Elements Song (link)
  2. Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures Classification Group Activity (blog entry)
    • Includes an interactive activity where students can guess if a substance is an Element, Compound, or Mixture
  3. Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures: Reinforcement & Quiz, Quiz, Trade Activity (blog entry)
  4. Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures Cut & Paste Activity (pdf)
    • Students will cut out and match atomic models with their formulas
  5. Element, Compound, or Mixture  – worksheet to practice identification (pdf)
  6. Lego Activity: Using Legos to represent Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures (Blog Entry)
  7. BBC Bitesize: Interactive Video for Compounds and Mixtures (link)
  8. Read About it: BrainPOP – Earth, Air, Fire, and Water
  9. BrainPOP: Mixtures and Compounds Quiz
  10. Rainbow Lab: Students will make the colors of the rainbow using food coloring and test tubes (blog entry)
  11. Chromatography Lab (pdf)
    • students will separate the dyes found in markers
  12. BBC Bitesize : Interactive Video for Solutions (link)
  13. Matter Vocabulary – Cut & Paste (pdf)
  14. Properties of Matter Study Guide (ppt)

Atoms 

  1. Atoms Vocabulary – Cut & Paste (pdf)
  2. Mystery Sock (blog entry) – student will practice using indirect evidence
  3. Atomic Theory Timeline: How do we make a model of something we can’t see?
  4. BrainPOP Activity Sheet: Atoms Adv. Activity
  5. FYI: BrainPOP Gold Foil Experiment
  6. FYI: BrainPOP Niels Bohr
  7. “Atoms Family” – practice finding Protons, Neutrons, Electrons, Atomic Number, and Atomic Mass (blog entry) (notebook handout)
  8. Adopt An Element – create an advertisement for your favorite element (blog entry)
  9. Periodic Table Reference Handout (pdf)
  10. BrainPOP FYI: Mendeleev
  11. BrainPOP FYI: Language, Periodic Table Elements
  12. Periodic Videos (original website link) or the Ted-Ed Version (link)
    • LOVE this website, they have videos for each element and the kids really enjoy them
  13. Coloring the Periodic Table of Elements (blog entry)
  14. Elements Bingo – play a fun game of Bingo to practice finding elements (pdf)
  15. How to determine the number of valence electrons and shells using the element’s group number and period (blog entry)
  16. “Find that Element!” Worksheet (pdf)- Practice finding the period & group for Elements
  17. Bohr Diagrams: How to draw Bohr diagrams for elements 1-20 (blog entry)
  18. Lewis Structures: How to draw Lewis Structures for elements in Groups 1-8 (blog entry)

Atomic Bonding

  1. Ionic & Covalent Bonding – Students will learn how atoms form Ionic & Covalent bonds
  2. Ions “Cut & Paste” vocabulary words – worksheet (pdf)
  3. Ionic or Covalent Bonds – learning how to determine bond types (blog entry)
  4. Making Molecular Models Activity – (updated lesson and blog entry) students will practice how to read formulas, practice Ionic and Covalent bonding, create models to show atomic structure, and have a better understanding of basic chemistry – Old version: handout (pdf) and answer key (ppt)
  5. Counting Atoms – students will practice reading formulas and counting atoms (pdf)
  6. Bond with a classmate activity – an active way to practice bonding and naming binary compounds, each student is an element and has to partner up with another element to create a bond and name the newly formed compound (blog entry)
  7. Naming Binary Compounds Study Guide – students will practice on their own after completing the in class activity for Bond with a Classmate – worksheet (pdf)
  8. Balancing Chemical Equations Activity – one of my long time favorite activities. Students will learn how to read formulas, count atoms, create and read chemical equations, and balance chemical equations using a hands on activity with color coded formulas.

Atomic Bomb

  1. Einstein’s letter to President Franklin Roosevelt (Link)
  2. FDR’s letter to Einstein (Link)
  3. BBC Documentary – Einstein and Atomic Weapons (Link)
  4. BrainPOP FYI: Robert Oppenheimer
  5. BrainPOP FYI: Radioactivity and Comic Books
  6. Youtube video of every nuclear detonation – shortened version or (longer version here)
    • this is a fascinating video that I show to my students as part of our unit on the history of the Atomic Bomb
  7. “Fat Man and Little Boy” – Movie clips

pH, Acids, and Bases (updated 1.28.15)

  1. Acids & Bases – Cut & Paste Vocab handout(pdf)
  2. Acids & Bases Venn Diagram: What are the properties of Acids & Bases? (blog entry)
  3. BrainPOP Acid/Bases Video, Activity Pages, & Quiz
  4. BrainPOP pH Video & Quiz
  5. Cabbage Juice Lab (blog entry) – students will use Cabbage Juice as a pH indicator to test the pH of various household items. How to make cabbage juice (link) or (link)
  6. “Alien Juice Bar” -(blog entry) a great interactive site where students have to serve juices to aliens, if they give them the wrong juice, the aliens get sick, or worse!
  7. Does Gas Have Mass? Students will observe a chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar, observe a balloon inflate, observe a visible change in pH, feel an endothermic reaction, and find the mass of the gas produced – worksheet (pdf)
  8. Mystery Powder Labs – student will complete a series of tests (pH, heat, vinegar, iodine) to identify different mystery powders – worksheet (pdf) and flow chart (pdf).

33 thoughts on “Chemistry”

  1. Pingback: Intro Chem 01 – Mass & Density – homeschoolsciencegeek
  2. Pingback: RSO Physics 02 – Mass & Buoyancy – homeschoolsciencegeek
  3. Ashley B. March 4, 2016 / 12:42 pm

    Thank you for sharing all of your resources! They have been very helpful for me to use in my classroom! When you are going through the Atomic Bomb unit with your students, do you have them write anything or fill out any worksheets as they watch/read?

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    • Liz LaRosa March 10, 2016 / 12:46 am

      Thank you for letting me know 🙂 When we talk about the Atomic Bomb, we usually keep it more of a discussion based activity. They take notes on the Atomic Model and this is just an extension and they find it fascinating. 🙂

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  4. Kelly Fisher November 7, 2015 / 4:49 pm

    I love your materials thank you for sharing them for free. 🙂 Do know of a lab activity to do with covalent bonding? thanks again, Kelly

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    • Liz LaRosa November 8, 2015 / 12:26 am

      Thank you 🙂 Everything I have is posted, please check for future uodates. ~Liz

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  5. Susanne September 14, 2015 / 1:50 am

    This is wonderful! I teach LLD self contained and it’s very hard to find anything that is broken down into something easy to understand (with lots of visuals!). I can’t wait to use this with the kids.

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    • Liz LaRosa September 14, 2015 / 3:20 pm

      Thanks Susanne! I hope the kids enjoy the lessons 🙂

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  6. Kim Meissner April 25, 2015 / 8:55 pm

    Hi Liz. I have been using your activities for years and I love how they keep my students so actively engaged. Can you describe what you use to complete the molecular models activities? Thanks.

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    • Liz LaRosa April 25, 2015 / 9:28 pm

      Thanks Kim 🙂 For the molecular models, I use a standard model kit with plastic colored atoms and wooden pegs or metal springs. I like to use them instead of gumdrops or marshmallows because it is more accurate when talking about bonding and the structure of the molecules. Sometimes I’ll make stations around the room with 3-4 molecules per station and index cards with the formulas on them. Each station would have the pieces needed for just those molecules. ie: H20, H2O2, NaOH, and KOH.

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      • Kim Meissner April 26, 2015 / 5:25 pm

        Thanks!

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  7. Rachele Gentile March 16, 2015 / 5:58 pm

    Hi there. I started using your resources in class for my interactive science notebooks. For the ionic and covalent smart board activity, i still could not get the updated file to open properly (is it just me?) also, there is an ionic covalent notes page above but do you have something to go with it (a powerpoint, pdf file?) so i can show the students how to fill it out. thanks!

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    • Liz LaRosa March 16, 2015 / 8:53 pm

      Hi Rachele, Sorry you are having trouble with the smart board file, do you have the notebook program to view the file on your computer? I would go to your tech department to see if they can help you with it. The notes that I have posted for I/C bonding go with that SB file, I don’t have other files for the notes. I use pennies as electrons and chalk in addition to the smart board file for students to practice bonding by drawing on their desks first then their notes.

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  9. wnorton1159 February 24, 2015 / 11:37 pm

    I really love your site. I was wondering if you had the answers for the ionic & covalent bonding notes (the smartboard activity link does not work). I would appreciate any help for the worksheet or the updated link-Thanks!!

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    • Liz LaRosa February 25, 2015 / 12:29 am

      Thank you! I updated the SmartBoard file link, they moved it but it is the same file. Sorry, but I do no have an answer key.

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      • wnorton1159Wnorton1159 February 25, 2015 / 12:57 am

        Wonderful, I use a lot of your sheets for centers for my gifted 7th graders, doing the accelerated 9th grade physical science.

        Liked by 1 person

  10. Ashley February 17, 2015 / 2:05 am

    Thank you for sharing your resources with us! I am really liking this new layout to your website! I LOVE of the resources you have created, especially for the chemistry unit. This is my 2nd year teaching, and your products have helped me a lot! When you do the BrainPOP Atomic Theory notes with your kids (didn’t use this last year), what do you do with the “What’s in the container?” portion?

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    • Liz LaRosa February 17, 2015 / 2:26 am

      Thank you, congrats on making it through your first year and best of luck for the rest of this school year. For the ‘what’s in the container’ part of the lesson, which I use as an opening activity, I have a collection of new black socks filled with 3-4 small plastic toys in them (like GoGos/Crazy Bones). I double over the socks and use a rubber band to secure them closed so they can’t peak inside. The students try to figure out what is inside the socks by making indirect observations. I have also used a plastic container with toys in it, and cardboard boxes with assorted items in it. After several minutes, I let them see what is inside. Hope that helps 🙂

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      • Seanagh Strebchuk February 19, 2015 / 6:23 pm

        Our entire school is unable to access the powerpoints, even after selecting read only. It is too bad, as these resources look pretty good!

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      • Liz LaRosa February 19, 2015 / 11:43 pm

        Sorry to hear that, it sounds like a firewall or server issue if it was school wide. Have you tried accessing it from home? I checked on two different desktops (without logging into my page) and I was able to download, open, and view the ppts. ~Liz

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  11. Brian February 5, 2015 / 3:35 pm

    Liz do you also have the answer key for the counting atoms worksheet? Great job..

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    • Liz LaRosa February 5, 2015 / 5:24 pm

      No, sorry, that is a link to an outside resource.

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  12. Carolyn January 30, 2015 / 2:09 am

    I am so glad you are still here – love your revised website. Thank you for making your resources available.

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    • Liz LaRosa January 30, 2015 / 2:38 am

      I am loving this new layout, too, thanks! Happy to be back on the web and always happy to help 🙂

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  13. Brian January 29, 2015 / 9:02 pm

    Great lab on balancing chemical equations…do you have the answer key for the pdf table 1 chemical equation problems!. Did this last year and amazed how students were able to pick this up! Laminating the formulas was a great idea.

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    • Liz LaRosa January 29, 2015 / 10:36 pm

      Brian – Yes, I just posted it tonight, I had to reformat it and did not get a chance to when I posted the lab last night. Once the kids get the hang of it, most kids can balance the equations by sight and mental calculations. I tell them they can do the equations in any order they like once we do the first one together. Learning how to balance equations this way really helps them understand how it works. Liz

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      • Brian January 30, 2015 / 12:29 pm

        I emphasized to them the importance of placing the cards on the table. I noticed a lot of students are so programmed to do things in their head. I found that those that were confused would try to think it instead of seeing the pattern visually. Once they figure it out visually it falls into place.

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      • Liz LaRosa January 30, 2015 / 12:51 pm

        Agree, they used the cards for each problem and their abilities to solve the problems improved with each one.

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  14. Nikki Sims January 24, 2015 / 7:04 pm

    Hi! I love the worksheet you created on finding the valance electrons. I tried to download the powerpoint slides that go along with the work sheet but it says something about the file being password protected. Is there another way that you can send it to me? I would love to use it in my 7th grade science classroom. Thanks!!

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    • Liz LaRosa January 24, 2015 / 7:24 pm

      Hi Nikki, The power points are in a ‘read only’ format and can be used by anyone, they just can’t be saved and edited. A lot of the ppts I make are posted in places I don’t want them to be, for example on Teachers Pay Teachers or on other websites, so that is why they are in Read Only and can be used by accessing the link. Thank you for understanding. Liz

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  15. Lisa January 21, 2015 / 6:47 pm

    I am glad this is still available- I love your style of teaching and it helped me get through my first few years of teaching at a low SES school with no science resources~ Thank you

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    • Liz LaRosa January 22, 2015 / 2:43 am

      Lisa – that is so great to hear, we should all help each other since we all have the same goal, but we don’t all have the same resources or experiences. I am still learning from other teachers, too. Liz

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