VCE Chemistry: Sample Teaching Plan

VCE Chemistry Units 1 and 2: 2016–2020; Units 3 and 4: 2017–2021SAMPLE TEACHING PLAN

VCE Chemistry: Sample teaching plan

Sample Course Outline – VCE Chemistry Unit 2: What makes water such a unique chemical?

Note:This is a sample guide only and indicates one way to present the content from the VCE Chemistry Study Design over the weeks in each school term. Teachers are advised to consider their own contexts in developing learning activities: Which local fieldwork sites would support learning in the topic area? Which local issues lend themselves to debate and investigation? Which experiments can students complete within the resource limitations of their learning environments?

Week / Area / Topics / Learning activities
1 / How do substances interact with water? / Properties of water (melting and boiling points of Group 16 hydrides; specific heat capacity; latent heat; applications for living things) /

Experiment: comparison of specific heat capacities of water and different oils
Modelling: group oral or multimodal presentation related to the application of latent heat in student-selected context of perspiration, kitchen chemistry, storms, climate science

2
3 / Properties of waterand water as a solvent(solution processes in water of molecular substances and ionic compounds; precipitation reactions; applications in everyday life) /

Experiment: group-developed hypotheses to investigate different aspects of solubility
Problem-based learning: groups investigate acid rain or ocean acidification effects
Research and experiment: electrolytes in soft drinks, mineral water and sports drinks
Hypothesis formulation and testing: How can hard water be softened?

4
5 / Acid-base reactions in water (Brǿnsted-Lowry theory; polyprotic and amphoteric species; ionic equations; ionic product of water; pH; strong and weak acids and bases; concentrated and dilute acids and bases; reactions of acids with metals, carbonates and hydroxides; acid-base chemistry issue in society) /

Experiment: differentiation between strong and weak acids on the basis of conductivity, pH and rate of reaction with magnesium
Laboratory safety: relate the strength and concentration of acids and bases to the safety procedures for their use
Scientific skills: compare the accuracy, precision and validity of collated class measurements of the pH of a variety of everyday solutions
Experiments: round-robin of acid reactions – students record results and write equations in logbooks; annotate equations to show direction of proton transfer
Acid-base chemistry web dilemma including social, ethical and economic implications

6
7 / Redox reactions in water (oxidising and reducing agents; conjugate redox pairs; redox reactions; reactivity series of metals; redox chemistry issue in society) /

Experiment: metal displacement reactions and the reactivity series; compare predictions with results
Chemical language development: equation-writing and annotation of redox equations to identify direction of electron flow, oxidising agent, reducing agent, conjugate redox pairs
Experiment: oxidation of a copper foil envelope

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9 / How are substances in water measured and analysed? / Water sample analysis and measurement of solubility and concentration (distribution of drinking water around the world; sampling protocols; chemical contaminants; solubility and solubility tables; relationship between temperature and solubility; solubility curves; solution concentration conversions) /

Media analysis: YouTube clips related to water contamination issues
Experiment: solubility curve of a salt
Data analysis: interpretation of world maps showing water distribution and quality
Site tour: water treatment plant – infographic to link processes to solubility concepts
Class display: increasing salt or sugar concentrations of packaged foods

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11 / Analysis for salts, organic compounds and acids and bases in water (sources; mass-mass stoichiometry; volume-volume stoichiometry; acid-base titrations; analytical techniques – colorimetry, UV-visible spectroscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy, HPLC ) /

Experiment: Law of Conservation of Mass – tracking of mass changes of chemical reactions in closed systems; model the rearrangement of atoms in the reactions
Experiment: gravimetric analysis of the total chloride content of a water sample
Instrumental analysis – colorimetric versus instrumental analysis of phosphate
Acid-base titration: dilutions; preparation of a standard solution of hydrochloric acid; analysis of a base in a water sample
Calculations: mass-mass and volume-volume stoichiometry worksheets

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15 / Practical investigation / Negotiation with students/class to undertake research question – laboratory investigation and/or fieldwork (hypothesis formulation; determination of aims, questions and predictions; identification of independent, dependent and controlled variables; methodology and equipment list; laboratory and/or fieldwork techniques; risk assessment; undertaking of experiment and/or fieldwork; analysis and evaluation of data, methods and models; limitations of conclusions; possible further investigations; poster presentation)
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18 / Unit revision
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