chemistry, fertilizer, and the environment mandi bottoms, curriculum and evaluation specialist
TRANSCRIPT
Chemistry, Fertilizer, and the Environment
Mandi Bottoms, Curriculum and Evaluation Specialist
Agenda• California AITC Lesson Plans• Unit Background• Lesson Highlights• One in a Million Activity• Molecular Shuffle Activity• Wrap Up
California AITC Lesson Plans
•Written by educators• Field-tested by educators• 17 instructional units and
lesson plans• Aligned to the California
content standards• FREE
Chemistry, Fertilizer, and the Environment
• Funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture• Five lesson unit•Meets content standards for grades 8-12•Written and evaluated by teachers
Lesson 1: Micros and Macros(elements important for plant growth)
•What do plants need to grow?•What does chemistry have to do
with it?• Activity: Plant Doctor
Lesson 2: Matter of Fact (atoms, molecules, and compounds)
•What is matter?• How does nitrogen change in the
nitrogen cycle?• Activity: Nitrogen Cycle Game• Review: Molecular Shuffle
Lesson 3: Concentrate on the Solution(fertilizer solutions and their concentrations)
• How is fertilizer measuredand applied?• How much is a part
per million?• Activity: One in a Million Lab• Activity: Concentrate on the Solution
Lesson 4: Just Add Water(the relationship between irrigation and fertilizer)
•What is agricultural runoff?• How do you measure nutrient levels in
water?• How does nutrient load and irrigation
scheduling affect runoff?• Inquiry Lab: How Much is Too Much?
Lesson 5: Fertilizer, Inc.(producing and marketing fertilizer)
•Where do elements come from?•What does chemistry have to do
with it?• Activity: Students form teams to
research, develop, and market a fertilizer.
One in a Million Activity
• A solution is a homogeneous mixture.• The solute is the fertilizer.• The solvent is the water.
One in a Million Activity
• One part per million is a very small amount.•We can dilute solutions by
adding more solvent.•We can control the
concentration of a solution.
Molecular Shuffle Review Activity
• Choose an identifying trait that will represent different elements.Examples: hair color, gender, pennies, etc.• Call out molecular formulas—atoms,
molecules, or compounds.• Students gather in groups to represent the
number of atoms required for each molecular equation.
Molecular Shuffle Review Activity
Examples:P = “I’m an Atom!”NO = one male and one femaleH2O = two females and one male ortwo males and one female
NNitrogen
N2Atmospheric nitrogen
NONitric oxide
NO3-
Nitrate
NaSodium
NO2-
Nitrite
NaClSodium chloride
NH3Ammonia
KPotassium
H2OWater
NH4+
Ammonium
N2ONitrous oxide
CaCl2Calcium chloride
Molecular Shuffle Review Activity
• Choose several different identifying traits. Call out complex chemical formulas, with several elements. Example: Ca(NO3)2
• Call out the name of the molecule only. • Create responses for students to identify
micro and macro nutrients.
Chemistry, Fertilizer, and the Environment
• Currently being pilot-tested by California teachers.• Available for free download January 2013.• All AITC lesson plans are available at no
cost: www.LearnAboutAg.org/lessonplans
