Screencast: Balancing Chemical Equations Simulation

Intended Audience:

This lesson is intended for introductory level chemistry students.

Learning Objectives

1. Students will be able to balance a chemical equation.
2. HS-PS1-7 Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction. (Taken from NGSS)

Lesson Rational:

An integral component of every introductory chemistry course is the study of matter and how it interacts. When teaching about chemical reactions, it is common to start with the law of conservation of mass. This is a chemical principle that states that mass cannot be created nor destroyed. One of the biggest implications of this law is that all chemical equations must be balanced -- the same number of atoms must be represented on both the product and reactant side of the equation.

The screencast embedded below is meant to help students find, and operate a PhET simulation about balancing chemical equations. Students will be provided with a worksheet to go along with the PhET simulation. Therefore, the goal of this screencast is focused more on how to use the simulation, rather than explaining content. Ideally, the simulation and the worksheet will act together to make a guided inquiry lesson. In this lesson, students should see that an equation is not balanced until all elements are equally represented on the product and reactant side of the equation. If students are unable to finish the worksheet in class, the screencast can act as instructions to access the simulation at home as well.