MAKING SENSE OF THE MATERIAL WORLD: LEVEL 6

ACHIEVEMENT OBJECTIVES

Students can

investigate and understand how familiar chemical substances can be grouped into families which have characteristic chemical properties;
(Metals and common metal compounds such as oxides, hydroxides, and carbonates; non-metallic oxides; hydrocarbons and simple alcohols should be studied.)
investigate and relate the physical and chemical properties of a family of substances to their use in the home and the community, e.g., carbonates, bases, acids, metals;
investigate and understand factors that affect chemical processes, e.g., factors affecting changing rates of reactions;
investigate and describe the applications and effects of chemical processes in everyday situations, e.g., corrosion, cosmetic manufacturing, dyeing, petrochemicals.

Note: Students will be starting to develop ideas about chemical bonding at this level.

Students could be learning by:

identifying the carbonates from a range of compounds;
using chemical formulae to represent chemical compounds, such as laboratory acids and bases, to increase their understanding of chemical language and symbols;
designing an experiment, and reporting findings, on the effectiveness of a variety of commercial antacids to learn how to make the measurement of the volume of an acid required to neutralise an antacid;
carrying out an experiment which demonstrates the relative reactivities of a range of common metals and linking these results to the common usage of these metals;
examining the labels of various household products and using their knowledge of the properties of chemicals to link the substance to their stated function, e.g., strong alkalis to clean fats from ovens or drains;
observing and discussing a teacher's demonstration of the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide using potassium dichromate as a catalyst in the presence of a detergent;
investigating the rate of reaction of a whole Redoxin tablet in water compared with a ground tablet in water;
preparing metallic lead by dipping a glowing matchhead into red lead;
exploring carbon compounds and fuels to learn about everyday uses of petrochemicals;
interviewing a boat manufacturer about the use of sacrificial metals on boats;
investigating and comparing the use of mud and commercial dyes in dyeing piupiu to investigate an application of chemical change.

ASSESSMENT EXAMPLES

Teachers and students could assess the students':

ability to use an identification test for carbonates, when the students identify the carbonate compound from a group of unknowns;
ability to recognise common acids, when they name several common acids found at home and in the laboratory;
understanding of the different classes of compounds, when the students demonstrate the similarity in reactions of a group of common acids;
understanding of written formulae, when the students identify the type and number of different atoms in a variety of formulae;
understanding of how the uses of materials are related to their properties, when the students describe the materials they would use to make a can crusher and justify their choice of materials;
skill at gathering information, when the students present a report on a chemical that is manufactured locally;
understanding of the application of reactions in everyday situations, when the students investigate and report on the role of baking powder in baking;
practical skills, when they carry out an investigation into the factors affecting the rates of a chemical reaction;
understanding of the reactions involved, and factors which affect these, when the students write instructions for a new bike owner on 'Preventing rusting';
understanding of the impact of technology on people and the environment, when the students tell a peer about the pros and cons of using sprays on fruit trees.