Learning kitGrades 6-8
Chemistry and physical science
Count every atom
Run a chemical reaction in a sealed flask on a scale and watch every atom move into a new molecule. Balance the equations, burn steel wool and a candle, let the gas out of a zip bag, and follow the same atoms through photosynthesis and back. Finish by writing a reply to someone who thinks a scale is broken. Ages 11 to 14.
- Time
- About 60 minutes on screen, in two or three sittings.
- Steps
- 6 steps, 6 of them in Reaction Lab
- You need
- A computer or Chromebook with a mouse, trackpad or touch screen. Nothing else: every reaction, flame and scale is on the screen.
The 6 steps
These open once the kit is unlocked.
- 1The atom that vanishedIn Reaction LabA chemical equation is a promise about atoms: every atom that goes in comes out. The starter has hydrogen and oxygen in a sealed flask, one molecule of each, making one water molecule. That equation breaks the promise. Run it as it is and watch what the app has to do with the oxygen atom that has no place, then fix the equation and run it again.
- 2Balance fourIn Reaction LabWater is the warm-up. Now balance burning methane, the gas in a kitchen stove, and then any two more reactions from the list. Count before you press anything: which atom is short, and which molecule holds it? Every balanced reaction holds the scale still, because every atom has somewhere to go.
- 3Heavier after burningIn Reaction LabHere is a real puzzle from the history of chemistry. Burn steel wool on a scale and it gets heavier. Burn a candle on a scale and it gets lighter. Both are open to the air, and in both no atom is made or destroyed. Run both on the lab bench, guess first, and use the magnifier to see where the atoms went.
- 4Lid on, lid offIn Reaction LabBaking soda and vinegar fizz because they make a gas. Sealed in a zip bag, the bag puffs up and the scale holds. In an open cup, the scale drops. Do it both ways on the lab bench, then go back to the particles and take the lid off the flask, so you can see the gas molecules leave.
- 5The same atoms, there and backIn Reaction LabPlants make sugar from carbon dioxide and water, using light, and give off oxygen. Your cells burn that sugar with oxygen and give back carbon dioxide and water. Balance both and watch the same kinds of atoms make the trip one way and then the other.
- 6Fix the claimIn Reaction LabSomeone burned steel wool, saw the scale go up, and wrote that the scale must be broken. You know better. Answer the puzzle about the missing molecule, then write them a reply of one or two sentences that uses the readings and says where the extra atoms came from.
Work on a computer. The apps need a keyboard and a bigger screen than a phone: a laptop, desktop or Chromebook. You can pay here and open the emailed link on the computer.
One learner
Unlock the kit, $5
- All 6 steps, worked on screen, with a lesson you can print if you like paper
- Reaction Lab activities that check the work as it is done
- A numbered certificate with a page of the learner's own work: your notes, the equations you balanced, and your reply about the scale
Have a discount code?
Co-ops and classes: unlock it for a group
One payment and one code. Each learner types the code to unlock the kit on their own computer, and gets their own certificate at the end. Your pack page shows who has started and finished.
See a sample certificate (PDF) · Already paid? Find your link