pH

Cabbage Juice – Quick & Easy Set Up

Liz BelasicLeave a comment

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Quick & easy – no fuss – no mess – way to prepare cabbage juice:

  1. Chop up half of a purple cabbage
  2. Add to a coffee pot
  3. Fill with very hot water from sink or water cooler
  4. Let it sit for at least 20 minutes
  5. Pour into flasks, beakers, or plastic cups
  6. Add a pipette or spoon to containers

You can add more hot water during the day as you use it, refrigerate leftovers if using next day.

Here is the link to my Cabbage Juice Lab: https://middleschoolscience.com/2016/02/28/cabbage-juice-lab-ph-indicator/

 

 

 

 

Acids & Bases Venn Diagram Activity

Liz Belasic1 Comment

Acids&BasesVennDiagram

Updated 4/13/2020

Distance Learning – Google Slides in Google Classroom

  1. I made a slight modification of this activity by making it an interactive Google Slide.
  2. In Google Classroom, assign the activity and make a copy for each student.
  3. Students are able to drag the text boxes (using the arrow keys worked best) into the Venn Diagram.
  4. Grade for completion or accuracy.

[Template] Acids & Bases Venn Diagram (ONLINE).jpg

Materials:

  • New Version
    • Acids & Bases Google Slides (Public)
    • Handout – print pages 3 & 4 or page 5 Acids & Bases Venn Diagram pdf
    • Glue & scissors if using as cut ‘n paste activity
    • Optional – red & blue colored pens or pencils
  • Older Versions
    • Acids & Bases Venn Diagram worksheet (pdf)
    • SmartBoard file download (link)

This is a fun activity to get students thinking about the properties of acids and bases based on their prior knowledge. Then using what they know, can they figure out the rest of the properties?

I like to do this activity as a friendly competition and see how many each pair of students can answer correctly. Before the students place items into the Venn diagram, I ask them to look at the properties and write a red “A” next to the property if they think it belongs to an acid, a blue “B” if they think it belongs to bases, and “AB” if it belongs to both categories.

Once they have completed categorizing the properties on their own, have each student share their answers with their seat partner. What was the same? What was different? Have them discuss their reasoning for each answer and try to come to a consensus. (You can add an additional step by asking partners to compare answers with another set of partners.) When they are ready, reveal each answer, one at a time, and discuss. Students will write (or glue in) each property into the Venn diagram.

Please click on the tags below to find additional lessons on Acids, Bases, and pH.

 

Cabbage Juice Lab – pH indicator

Liz BelasicLeave a comment

My students have enjoyed the Cabbage Juice Lab over the years – and yes, it does smell!

Materials per group of 3-4 students:

  • Student Handout (pdf)
  • Cabbage Juice in an Erlenmeyer Flask with a pipette
  • micro-wells or small clear bathroom cups
  • litmus paper – blue and red
  • toothpicks
  • ‘garbage’ cup
  • beakers and pipettes for each solution
  • Substances to test – diluted in water
    • You can have all of these set up at one station and students can pick one up and take one to their desk for testing, then return it to the station and choose another substance- you don’t have to have a complete set for each group.
      • vinegar
      • lemon juice
      • lime juice
      • pickle juice
      • baking soda
      • salt
      • sugar
      • detergent
      • hand sanitizer
      • alka seltzer tablets
      • bleach
      • ammonia

cabbage_juice_lab

Additional Resources:

‘Alien Juice Bar’ – Cabbage Juice and pH Values

Liz Belasic3 Comments

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This classic interactive website is a great way to practice identifying acidic, basic, and neutral substances along with reading pH values. There are three different levels which increase in difficulty as the students complete each activity.

Challenge 1 – students have to identify and categorize the different ‘juices’ that they will serve to the aliens as either Acids, Bases, or Neutral.

Challenge 2 – students will practice serving requested juices to aliens, but if they serve a juice from the wrong category, aliens can become sick, or worse!

Challenge 3 – students have to change the pH values of the juices on the tray by either adding acids or bases to raise or lower the pH values.