NAUTILUS EDUCATION | BETA PRODUCT
Chemistry & Fuels
The matter in our world is recycled. The pair of articles here explores how elements and atoms wend their way through space and time. Students will explore how chemical reactions usher ele- ments through their journeys. You Are Made of Waste illustrates, in five short vignettes, the lives of the elements that make up our teeth, fi breath, hair,and blood. Frack ‘er Upisanin-depth look at the botched promise of biofuel—energy from cars made from renewable plant growth.
In the “curriculum” section of the teacher’s notes, you will find information on how these pieces can help fulfill requirements of the Next Generation Science Standards. Specifically, they make for entry pomts to—or a means of reinforcing—lessons on photosynthesis, chemical reactions, valence electrons, and energy. But more than that, these lessons will connect to the students’ daily lives, and spark discussion.
Lesson Plan:
Ask students to read one or both of the articles for homework. Briefly introduce or review the vocabulary words in class. Assign all or a selection of the reading comprehension questions for the students to complete along with the reading, and ask them to come up with one question for further discussion. (Note that a couple of the questions for each article are redundant.)
Start class with students raising any technical questions they might have about the readings. Ask them to contribute their discussion questions, and write these on the board, along with the questions provided in the teacher’s notes. Ask the students to break into small groups; assign each group to address a question, and briefly present to the class for further discussion. 30-45 MIN
In the following class time (or another class) have the students complete one or more of the activities in the teacher’s notes in small groups. 30 MIN
Teacher’s Notes: You Are Made of Waste
VOCAB WORDS
Mass: a physical property that describes an object’s Radioactive decay: the process by which a nucleus resistance to force. The mass of an object canbe used ejects alpha particles, particles of ionizing radiation. to calculate its weight: (mass) x (gravitational force) A nucleus that does this is considered “unstable;” a = weight. substance that contains unstable nuclei is consid-
ered “radioactive.” This process usually only occurs in
Carbon: an element found in stars, planets, comets, : . atoms heavier than tron.
as well as in all known living things.
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