Michelle Solomon

Conceptual Chemistry
11th - 12th Grade - have not passed Algebra I
December ____, 2014 (This will be a part of a new unit I am created for the start of the year, Im
not sure where it will fit in the sequence)

The following will need to be repeated for each lesson. (Please delete this line for submission to the
department head.)

Nuclear Chemistry
Part of Nuclear Power Plant Project Lesson Series
Dates or number of Class Sessions: TBA

Connection to Standards (List local or national standards which will be met upon
completion of this lesson. There should always be at least one objective from the Skills
portion of your compass):
Oregon State Science High School Standards
H.1P.1 Explain how atomic structure is related to the properties of
elements and their position in the Periodic Table. Explain how the
composition of the nucleus is related to isotopes and radioactivity.
Next Generation Science Standards
HS-ESS3-1 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the
availability of natural resources, occurrences of natural hazards, and
changes in climate have influenced human activity.
Note: There will not be a complete shift to this standard yet.
However, I am moving towards NGSS standards as the state moves
towards implementation of these newly adopted standards.
Common Core State Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects
Grades 11/12
Reading Informational Text - Key Ideas and Details
11-12.RST.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of
science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the
author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account.
11-12.RST.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text;
summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented
in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.
Reading Informational Text - Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
11-12.RST.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of
information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g.,
quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question
or solve a problem.
11-12.RST.8 Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and
conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when
possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other
sources of information.
11-12.RST.9 Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g.,
texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a
process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting
information when possible.
Materials/Resources (Include a detailed list of all resources that will be used. Including
but not limited to, text books, online resources for worksheets and other activities, media,
etc.)
Textbook: Conceptual Chemistry
used for background reading
Gale Opposing Viewpoints and Gale Science in Context
This is a subscription through the school library. It contains a vast
collection of articles dealing with nuclear chemistry and nuclear power
plants. Here are a few of the articles I have pulled for class use. This list
is not set in stone. I am constantly finding new up to date articles to use in
class.
Hanford Nuclear Site Tank May Be Leaking Waste Into Soil
Health Risks and Environmental Issues Fukushima
Low Level Nuclear Waste Can be Disposed of Safely
Nuclear Energy is Affordable
Nuclear Energy is Expensive and Unsafe
Chernobyl Heart Documentary

Technology Integration (Include all technology that will integrated into this lesson,
including videos, SMART boards, web simulations, etc.)
PowerPoint or somesort of smart board if one is installed over the summer
Celly - group function feature

Sponge Activity/Snapshot (What activity will be done when students enter the room to
get them into the mindset of the concept to be learned?):
Celly - Class Poll feature
Poll Questions: Are you for or against nuclear power plants?
Explanation: This will get the class in the mindset of the upcoming
project that will last several days. The final assessment is an
Argumentative Writing Work Sample for the following prompt, There is
a proposal to build a nuclear power plant in Southern Oregon. You need
to write a paper that is either in support of or against the development of a
nuclear power plant in the area and argue your point of view. The paper is
to be written from a science standpoint.
This was the prompt for the 2013-2014 school year. Myself and
the other Chemistry teacher will most likely sit down and revise the
prompt as we get closer to this unit next year.

Objective/Purpose (For the student's benefit, explain what students will be able to do by
the end of the lesson and why these objectives are important to accomplish.
At the end of this series of lessons, students will be able to
explain the basic design of a nuclear power plant and the nuclear process
that takes place inside the reactor.
discuss valid reasons for both sides of the nuclear power plant issue.
argue their point of view regarding the potential use of a nuclear power
plant in Southern Oregon.

Skills (Use this section to clarify the skills you will introduce or reinforce.):
Reinforce knowledge of radioactivity.
Reinforce reading informational text, pulling out key ideas and details.
Introduce reading informational text to integrate their prior knowledge with new
information.
Classroom and Celly discussions will help students practice integrating
new knowledge as they develop their stance on the issue.

Model/Guided Practice: (If you will be demonstrating the skill or competence, how will
this be done? List activities which will be used to guide student practice and provide a
time frame for completing this practice.):
Before students begin the Celly Group Discussion over their chosen articles, we
will have practice discussion using sentence frames in class. This not only helps
them coherently form their thoughts with connections to the textual evidence, but
it can also help form respectful group discussion to create a positive learning
experience.

Check for Understanding (Identify strategies to be used to determine if students have
learned the objectives.):
Multiple strategies will be used throughout this series of lessons to assess if
students are ready for the summative assessment (writing work sample).
warm up
cold calling
polling - Celly
group discussion on Celly
I have not used Celly before and have not time to fully explore its
features, but from the session at the summit, it seemed like I would
be able to monitor student discussion groups
think-pair-share
creation of small group posters

Independent Practice (List seat work assignment to be given to students to ensure they
have mastered the skill without teacher guidance.):
I have a variety of organizers for students to use as they read text to help organize
the main ideas, textual details, and record their thoughts.

Assessment/Closure (What method of review and evaluation will be used to complete
the lesson?):
Exit Ticket
What new information did you learn today from the reading?
What new information did you learn today from a classmate during
discussion?

Homework (Please list homework assignments for reinforcing and remediation of the
days learning.)
Celly Group Discussion
One day out of these series of class meeting, students will be assigned into
small groups. Each member of the group will be responsible for reading a
different article and annotating that article. Then the homework
assignment will be to use the Celly Group Discussion feature to share
what each person learned and decided on the strength of the points made
in the article.