Middle School Curriculum
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SEPUP Texas Edition, Science Grade 8, The Chemistry of Materials Unit
30-40
When we buy a cell phone, there is no label that describes how much waste, some of it toxic, was created in manufacturing the phone. But should there be? When you buy a new product, do you think about what materials it is made of? How it was manufactured? What will happen to it when you no longer have a use for it? In this unit students will consider these questions as they investigate the chemistry of materials. With this information, students will be able to analyze the environmental impact of a product and decide which products to purchase.
Content in SEPUP Texas Edition, Science Grade 8, The Chemistry of Materials Unit is organized into 13 activities, as follows:
| Activity Title | Activity Type | Activity Overview | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30. | The Impact of Electronic Products | Talking it Over | Students prepare graphs of information about electronic products from 1980 to 2010. This information includes the numbers sold, where they are in their life cycles, the percent recycled, and the composition of a typical laptop computer. This will prepare students to understand the life cycle of an electronic product and the decisions faced by materials engineers and consumers related to the impact of electronic products on the environment. |
| 31. | Families of Elements | Investigation | Students compare physical and chemical properties of 14 elements and sort them into groups based on common properties. They then compare their classifications with groups—or families—of elements as defined by scientists and displayed in the Periodic Table of the Elements. |
| 32. | Elements and the Periodic Table | Reading | Students read about the history and organization of the Periodic Table of the Elements and are introduced to the difference between elements and compounds. The reading also introduces atoms, and subatomic particles. Students use the Stopping to Think literacy strategy while reading to improve their reading comprehension. |
| 33. | Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table | Investigation | In this activity, students work with cards that represent atoms of 17 elements. They arrange the cards according to their order in the periodic table and observe patterns in atomic structure. This reinforces their understanding of the trend in the number of protons and atomic number and introduces the importance of valence electrons in determining the properties of elements and their arrangement into groups on the periodic table. |
| 34. | Modeling Molecules | Modeling | Students use models to investigate atoms, elements, chemical bonds, molecules, and compounds. This activity prepares them to understand the roles of valence electrons in the next activity. |
| 35. | Elements and Compounds | Reading | Students use the Stopping to Think literacy strategy to aid their comprehension of a reading about elements and compounds. The reading distinguishes compounds from elements, introduces chemical names and formulas, and explains the role of valence electrons in the formation of chemical bonds. |
| 36. | Creating New Materials | Laboratory | Students cross-link polyvinyl alcohol with sodium borate to produce a polymer similar to the one known commercially as Slime. Students investigate chemical change as they compare the properties of the reactants and the new product they developed through a chemical cross-linking reaction. |
| 37. | Producing Circuit Boards | Reading | After a talk about the function of a circuit board in a computer and other electronic devices, students etch a circuit board using an acidic copper-etching solution. They then read about the etching process and consider the copper-containing waste it produces. |
| 38. | Diluting the Problem | Laboratory | Students explore dilution as a disposal method for copper-containing solutions produced during circuit-board manufacturing. They prepare a serial dilution of 100,000 ppm used copper chloride solution and add ammonia to demonstrate that chemical tests can reveal concentrations lower than those visible to the human eye. They then use the serial dilution for comparison in determining the concentration of the copper chloride waste from Activity 37, “Producing Circuit Boards.” |
| 39. | Conservation of Mass | Laboratory | In this activity students explore the Law of Conservation of Mass in a closed system. They conduct a metal-replacement reaction and a precipitation reaction in closed systems and measure the total mass before and after the reactions. Activities 40-41 will build on this concept as students are asked to think about the implications of the Law of Conservation of Mass in their investigations of chemical methods of waste treatment. |
| 40. | Conservation of Atoms: Balanced Equations | Investigation | Students use molecular models to investigate the reactants and products of chemical reactions. They apply their experiences with the models and their understanding of conservation of mass and atoms to identify whether a group of equations are balanced and to correct partially balanced equations. |
| 41. | Reclaiming the Copper | Laboratory | Students compare the effectiveness of three different metals in extracting copper from the used copper chloride solution from Activity 37, “Producing Circuit Boards.” After determining which of the metals removes copper ions from the solution, they examine cost and health-related information to inform their decision of which metal to use. |
| 42. | Another Approach to Metal Reclamation | Laboratory | Students investigate a second common industrial method for reclaiming dissolved metals using precipitation reactions. Rather than the metals to reclaim metallic copper as in the last activity, they now use compounds in solution to precipitate copper compounds from used copper chloride. Students compare the advantages and disadvantages of the two methods for reclaiming copper from the used copper chloride solution. They then evaluate different approaches for handling toxic waste. |
A full suite of course tools is available for teachers, as follows:
Student Edition
The Student Edition guides investigations and provides related readings. It uses a variety of approaches to make science accessible for all students. SEPUP’s integrated literacy strategies help students process new science content, develop their analytical skills, make connections between related concepts, and express their knowledge orally and in writing.
eStudent Edition
Availible in both download and online access platforms.
Teacher Edition
The SEPUP Core Curriculum Teacher’s Edition takes you through each activity in the Student Edition and helps you see the development of concepts within the big picture of the units and the course you are teaching. It helps you set up the equipment from the kit, organize the classroom, conduct activities, and manage practical details, all of which enhance students’ learning environment. The Teacher’s Edition is packaged as a series of loose-leaf binders that you can personalize with annotations, rearrangements, and insertions. The Teacher’s Edition provides full support for teaching the program. Additional support resources can also found in the Teacher’s Edition.
Complete Material Package
All SEPUP materials packages are designed with teachers, students and environmental considerations in mind. Traditional laboratory style classrooms are not necessary to teach SEPUP. Materials packages include most of the items needed for the activities. They support multiple classes – typically up to five classes of 32 students (160 total students) – before consumables need to be replaced. It’s important to note that materials are consumed at various rates; therefore, it will not be necessary to replace all consumable items every year. Exclusive to SEPUP programs are the molded tray liners that keep everything in place and easy to locate – even in a hurry.
Online and Technology Tools
These include the Exam View suite of assessment tools and more than 100 web links for each of the three SEPUP 6-8 courses, to be used for basic instruction and enrichment.
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