Activity: Snowman Challenge
Summary
In this activity, students practice completing and balancing chemical
equations with a partner.
Resource Type
Activity
Grade Level
High or middle
school
Submitted by:
Tredina Sheppard
Columbia High School in
Lake City, Florida
Thanks to:
PASCO
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to
 determine the products of a reaction between given reactants.
 balance chemical equations.
Chemistry Topics
This lesson supports students’ understanding of
 Balancing equations
Time
Teacher Preparation: 15-20 minutes
Lesson: 60-90 minutes
Materials
 Printed set of snowman equation cards
 Student worksheets
Safety
There are no special safety considerations for this activity.
Teacher Notes
 Prepare a set of 36 snowman cards. To help the cards last longer, print on heavy cover
stock and/or laminate.
 Set aside an area of your classroom for the snowman cards.
 During the game, it is helpful to stay in the same spot so that students can come to you
to get their answers checked.
 Limit the teams to a total of two people. If you have an odd number of students, ask
for a volunteer to work alone.
FOR THE STUDENT
Student Activity Sheet: Snowman Challenge
Lesson
Procedure
Pick a card and balance the chemical equation found on that card! Write the
number, equation, and answer in the box below and have your teacher check your
answer. If the answer is correct, put the card back and pick another card. If you do
not get the correct answer, keep trying until you get it right!
Game Rules
1. If you pick it, you solve it! Teams are not allowed to put a card back if they don’t
like the problem on that card. Teams are also not allowed to peek at the problem
before choosing to take a card!
2. Your team can only work on one card at a time! Teams must finish a card and
get the answer approved by your teacher before getting for another card.
3. Teams must stay together and solve the problems together! All team
members must be together when checking answers.
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American Association of Chemistry Teachers
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