NGSS Lesson Plan on Trends in the Periodic Table
5 E Learning Cycle Model
This unit was inspired by the primary documents read during the workshop “Border Crossings:
The Making of the Mexico-US Borderlands” in which the speaker, Professor Verónica Castillo
Muñoz, discussed the development and regulation of the border between the U.S. and Mexico
despite the fact that Mexican people had been crossing the border back and forth between the
two nations for decades. One of the primary sources from the New York Times details how
Congress decided to get involved in controlling the borders because of a fear that Mexican
migrants might bring disease into the U.S. Upon further research, it was discovered that the
Mexican migrants were subjected to inhumane treatment in that they were forced to go through
a process of decontamination that involved harmful chemicals.
The objective of this lesson is to connect chemistry to real-life applications, specifically how
elements on the periodic table combine to make various molecules and compounds that
comprise harmful chemicals. The students will analyze primary sources in order to participate in
a Socratic seminar in which we discuss how chemicals have been used as a way to oppress
people. They will also find evidence that prove their claims about the conditions of migrant
workers, thereby demonstrating their understanding of the implications that science has on
people in the real world as well as developing their analytical and critical thinking skills.
In addition, the second half of this unit will focus on chemicals found in South Korean beauty
products and their effects on people. Many of my students are Latino or Black, and it would be a
great opportunity for students to learn about other cultures (if they haven’t already been
exposed to South Korean culture). This would be a contrast to the first half of the unit because
the first half discusses the harm that chemicals can have on people, but the second half will
focus on the benefits of understanding the underlying chemistry behind beauty products.
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Strategies for addressing the needs of diverse learners: ELLs, LTELs, GATE, LEPs,
Students with Special Needs
 Sentence starters
 Think-Pair-Share
 Concept maps - Building vocabulary and connecting to concepts
 Jigsaw reading
 Vocabulary
 Exit Slip
 Choice – editorial on the ethics of the Bracero program, artistic representation of the
Bracero program
Lessons should include complete directions, links to materials, handouts (any teacher should
be able to read your lesson and understand how to carry it out), rubrics, PowerPoints, etc.
o Article 1: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5176177
o Article 2: https://www.kcet.org/shows/artbound/crossing-the-line-a-history-of-medicalinspection-at-the-border
o Article 3: handout from Professor Veronica Castillo Munoz
o Article 4: http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/DDT.aspx
o Article 5: http://www.nizkor.org/faqs/auschwitz/auschwitz-faq-06.html
o Image of Zyklon B: http://www.schoah.org/holocaustleugner/tabun.gif
Context Issues of the Lesson
Unit or Lesson Title:
Trends in the Periodic Table
Grade Level
10th and 11th
Topic/Theme/Nature of
the Investigation:
How has science been used to help or hurt people? Are chemicals
helpful or harmful?
NGSS Performance
Expectation(s)
HS-PS1-1
Learning objective: Students will be able to.
HS-PS1-1 Structure and Properties of Matter: Students who
demonstrate understanding can use the periodic table as a model
to predict the relative properties of elements based on the
patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.
[Clarification Statement:
I CAN… use evidence from texts and from the structure of
chemicals to support my claims about the effects of certain
chemicals on people.
NGSS Dimension 1
component
(Scientific and Engineering
Practices)
NGSS Dimension 2
component
(Crosscutting Concepts)
Dimension 2
NGSS Dimension 3
component
(Disciplinary Core Ideas)
Dimension 3
Duration:
Developing and Using Models
Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
Patterns
Energy and Matter
Structure and Function
Structure and Properties of Matter
Types of Interactions
15 days
Planning Stages Within the 5-E Inquiry Model
Engage
PURPOSE:
 To discuss more complicated molecules and their effects on people.
What is the teacher doing?
What are the students doing?
Post Directions:
In their interactive notebooks, students will
On the images of Zyklon B and DDT, write the draw the images and write the number of
number of bonds of each type of atom in the
bonds of each type of atom in the molecule
molecule. Does it match what the periodic
on the left page.
table predicts?
Students will look at the periodic table to
check to see if the number of bonds
corresponds to what the periodic table
dictates.
Explore
PURPOSE:
 To learn about the two chemicals and connect it to how the chemical structure
dictates its properties.
Activities (list)
Driving Question
 Read the articles on Zyklon B and DDT.
 Answer these questions: What are the
o Half of the students will receive
effects of these chemicals on people? How
does the structure of the chemical
one article, and the other half will
contribute to it?
receive the other article
Student Communication Product:
A written paragraph about the article read to demonstrate understanding of the
chemicals’ properties.
Explain
PURPOSE:
 To compare and contrast the two chemicals based on its structure and application.
Activities:
Poster outlining the answers to these questions:
1. What is the chemical name?
2. What are the chemical’s properties?
3. Make a prediction: What is the purpose of the chemical?
Share out answers
Content Media: (written material, video, teacher lecture, technology)
o Article on DDT http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/DDT.aspx
o Article on Zyklon B http://www.nizkor.org/faqs/auschwitz/auschwitz-faq-06.html
Student Communication Product:
Think-pair-share ideas and add onto Padlet what students found out.
Elaborate
PURPOSE:
 To connect how the chemicals have been used in ways to dehumanize others and
discuss the importance of ethics in the field of science.
Activities:
Jigsaw the articles on the migrants. Annotate the articles.
Content Media: (written material, video, teacher lecture, technology)
o Article 1: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5176177
o Article 2: https://www.kcet.org/shows/artbound/crossing-the-line-a-history-of-medicalinspection-at-the-border
o Article 3: handout from Professor Veronica Castillo Munoz
Student Communication Product:
Tell the story of how the chemicals have been used in the past. (Written paragraph)
Evaluate
PURPOSE:
 To make connections of chemistry to the real world.
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Skill/Reasoning Learning
Objectives
Be able to discuss the effects of
chemicals on people
Be able to listen and respect
others
Be able to provide evidence for
claims about the ethics of the topic
Knowledge Learning Objectives
Understand how the structure of a
chemical is used to dictate its
properties
Assessment Instrument
 Socratic Seminar
 How has science been used to help or hurt
people? Are chemicals helpful or harmful?
Assessment Instrument
 Written paragraphs
Round 2: Focus on South Korea and their beauty products
Materials:


Examples of different South Korean beauty products and U.S. beauty products
Computers/cell phones
Engage
PURPOSE:
 To discuss more complicated molecules and their effects on people.
What is the teacher doing?
What are the students doing?
Posting images of a mixture of U.S. and
Guessing which products are from the U.S.
South Korean beauty products.
and which are from South Korea.
Explore
PURPOSE:
 To learn about the similarities and differences between U.S. and South Korean
beauty products.
Activities (list)
Driving Question
 Having a gallery walk of different face
 What similarities and differences
masks from both the U.S. and South Korea
do we see in the products?
 Listing the different chemicals on each
product
Student Communication Product:
Interactive Notebook: notes on the chemicals found in the beauty products with a
summary of discoveries
Explain
PURPOSE:
 To learn about organic and inorganic chemicals in cosmetics
Activities:
 Research the different chemicals that go into specific beauty products (lotion)
Content Media: (written material, video, teacher lecture, technology)
 Article on the different all-natural South Korean product lines
o http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35408764
o http://www.bustle.com/articles/121204-7-all-natural-korean-beauty-brandscommitted-to-all-things-organic-photos
 Article on the different all-natural U.S. product lines
o http://www.greenlivingonline.com/article/15-beauty-brands-we-can-get-behind
o http://ecosalon.com/the-best-organic-makeup-brands-consumer-guide/
o https://lifestyle9.org/top-10-best-makeup-brands-of-all-time/
 need computers for research
Student Communication Product:
One paragraph explaining how chemicals in makeup affect the human body including
proper citations
Elaborate
PURPOSE:
 To create a proposal for an experiment that tests the effectiveness of the products.
 Question: How effective are South Korean beauty products in comparison to U.S.
beauty products?
Activities:
 Creating an outline for the experiment
Content Media: (written material, video, teacher lecture, technology)
 Laboratory report set-up
Student Communication Product:
 Outline for the experiment and get approval
 Laboratory results written in the form for laboratory reports.
Evaluate
PURPOSE:
To evaluate the overall effects of chemicals on people based on knowledge gained from
both the section about Mexican migrants and South Korean beauty products

Skill/Reasoning Learning
Objectives
Be able to discuss the effects of
chemicals on people
Assessment Instrument

Socratic Seminar on the comparison
between how chemicals are used for different



Be able to listen and respect
others
Be able to provide evidence for
claims about the ethics of the
topic
Knowledge Learning Objectives
Understand how the structure of a
chemical is used to dictate its
properties
purposes.
o How were chemicals used with the
Mexican migrants?
o How are chemicals used in South Korean
beauty products?
o How does knowing about both these
topics affect your opinion about
chemicals?
o How does the structure of the chemicals
dictate the properties of the chemical?
Assessment Instrument
Exit Slip – Explain how the structure of
chemicals can dictate the properties of a
chemical.
Optional:
Research and find an article that discusses the types of chemicals that are placed into meat in
the U.S. and how China has reacted to it.