Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 155378
Uniqueness of Carbon
In this lesson, students will be introduced to bonding and will ultimately learn that carbon is a versatile element in terms of its ability to bond in so
many different ways (single, double, and triple bonds).
Subject(s): Science
Grade Level(s): 9, 10, 11, 12
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Document Camera,
Computer for Presenter, Overhead Projector, Microsoft
Office
Instructional Time: 50 Minute(s)
Keywords: Covalent, Carbon, Unique, Molecular, Lewis, Lewis Dot, Valence, bonding, chemical bonds, electrons,
bonds,
Resource Collection: FCR-STEMLearn Physical Science 2016
ATTACHMENTS
Worksheet.docx
Worksheet_Answer_Key.docx
Student_PowerPoint.pptx
Teacher_PowerPoint.pptx
Gradual_Release_Lesson_Plan.docx
Assessment.docx
Assessment_Key.docx
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Students will be able to describe how carbon bonds to other atoms and acknowledge that carbon's versatility in bonding allows it to make many different types of
compounds.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Valence electrons
Determining the number of valence electrons of an element based on its position in the periodic table
Octet Rule
Lewis Dot Structures for elements
Lewis Dot Structures for ionic compounds
Lewis Dot Structures for molecular compounds
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
page 1 of 4 Why is carbon so versatile?
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
Lesson opener/attention getter:
"Have you ever wondered why all living things have carbon in them? What makes carbon so special that it is in almost everything on Earth?"
Key talking points about the lesson topic:
Teacher will go through the attached Uniqueness of Carbon PowerPoint (student version) which covers the following topics:
What valence electrons are and why they are important
How to know how many valence electrons an element has
How to predict how many bonds an element is likely form
The variations of bonds that can be used
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
Instructions for setting up and leading the activity that the students will complete with teacher guidance:
Students will work on the practice questions (drawing Lewis dot structures at end of PowerPoint) with teacher assistance or in teams based on the knowledge
learned in the PowerPoint. The teacher will work with students to guide them to the correct answers (reminding them of the steps for drawing Lewis Structures).
Teacher may provide additional examples beyond those found in the PowerPoint.
Teacher could utilize an overhead projector while having the students practice along with the teacher on small white boards or have the students work on paper as
the teacher instructs from the classroom whiteboard/chalkboard if more guided practice is deemed necessary.
Once the teacher feels confident that students understand how to draw Lewis dot structures, the students will move onto the Independent Practice Phase.
How will you check for student understanding?
Once the teacher has completed the PowerPoint and questions found therein, the teacher should allow the students to show their understanding by explaining to the
teacher the steps to drawing a molecular compound's Lewis dot structure. The teacher may choose to utilize any combination of non-metal not used in the
worksheet for this purpose (bromine, sulfur, silicon, etc.).
If they are able to indicate to the teacher how to draw a molecular Lewis dot structure to the teacher's satisfaction, then they are ready to attempt the attached
Worksheet on their own with the teacher circulating.
Common errors/misconceptions to anticipate and how to respond:
Students often have a disconnect between the number of electrons involved in each line of a Lewis Dot Structure. They understand that the dots are electrons, but
they often forget that the lines are also electrons (2 electrons per line). It is important to emphasize that a line represents two electrons or a pair of electrons. The
teacher may choose to ask an additional question like "Why in this example must we multiply a single bond by 2 when we are counting electrons" or "Why in this
example does it say there are 6 shared electrons in a triple bond?" These types of questions often get the point across that a bond in made up of 2 electrons.
Students also become confused as to when multiple bonds must be made. The teacher should stress that multiple bonds are made after all electrons have been
placed and when the central atom does not have 8 valence electrons.
Students also try to draw multiple bonds without erasing the electrons that are used to make them. The teacher should remind students that multiple bonds are
creating from the electrons that were already placed. Since there are no more electrons left to place, they cannot simply draw lines to make a double or triple bond
because those lines represent electrons that they do not have to place. Thus, electrons must be moved from a "non-sharing position" to a "sharing position."
Students may also struggle with understanding that a triple bond is an alternative to 3 single bonds or a double bond is an alternative to 2 single bonds. The teacher
may choose to ask probing questions to reinforce this idea as the students work to fill in the column labeled "Drawn Bonds." It may also be helpful for the teacher to
do an example or two of how the values for the "Total Valence Electrons Shared in Bonds" column was calculated for the nitrogen example provided in the
worksheet.
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
Instructions for facilitating the activity that the students will complete independently or in groups:
Teacher will distribute the attached worksheet to the students. Students may work with partners to complete the worksheet.
How will you check for student understanding?
The teacher will use the attached Worksheet Key to gauge whether students understand how to draw Lewis dot structures for molecular compounds and the
different variations of bonds possible.
The teacher may also guide the students towards the correct answer through probing questions.
Common errors/misconceptions to anticipate and how to respond:
The same errors and misconceptions mentioned in the Guided Practice section above may occur during this part of the lesson. Use those descriptions for guidance
in responding to those errors.
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
Instructions for leading the closing discussion
The teacher should say something to the effect of "We've discovered that carbon is unique because it can form up to four bonds. Those four bonds can be achieved
via a combination of one triple bond with one single bond, or two double bonds, or 2 single bonds and 1 double bond, or four single bonds. It's amazing how carbon
is able to bond in so many different ways. You could say in terms of bonding that it is the most versatile element on the Periodic Table. There are so many
variations for carbon, in fact, that there is an entire realm of chemistry related to the study of it. Organic chemistry is a subject dedicated solely to carbon and
carbon compounds, their chemical structures, their abundance in nature and how these compound undergo chemical reactions."
Depending on the effectiveness of the lesson, the teacher may also choose to reinforce the concept that the number of valence electrons helps predict how many
bonds will be formed, that there are only 3 possible bond types (single, double, and triple), and that each line in a bond is representative of 2 shared electrons.
page 2 of 4 Summative Assessment
How will the students show that they met the learning objectives?
Students will complete the attached Assessment. This assessment will display a picture of carbon's location on the periodic table as well as a picture of a
macromolecule that exhibits a variety of carbon bonds and asked to explain why carbon is so unique in terms of bonding.
Formative Assessment
Specific suggestions for conducting Formative Assessment can be found in the Guided Practice and Independent Practice phases of the lesson where it says, "How will
you check for student understanding?"
Feedback to Students
Specific suggestions for providing Feedback to Students can be found in the Guided Practice and Independent Practice phases of the lesson where it says, "Common
errors/misconceptions to anticipate and how to respond."
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
Allow students to work in pairs.
Provide students with a set of printed notes for reference.
Extensions:
Have students research certain carbon based molecules found in living things and their purpose. Students may present their findings to the class including a drawing
of the structure and its specific carbon bonds.
Have students research career fields that require students to take organic chemistry.
Suggested Technology: Document Camera, Computer for Presenter, Overhead Projector, Microsoft Office
Special Materials Needed:
Materials
Small whiteboards
Whiteboard markers
Overhead projector
Paper towels or napkins (for students to erase whiteboards)
Documents
PowerPoint Slides (Teacher Version)
PowerPoint Slides (Student Version)
Uniqueness of Carbon Worksheet
Uniqueness of Carbon Worksheet Key
Versatility of Carbon Assessment
Versatility of Carbon Assessment Key
Gradual Release Lesson Plan
Additional Information/Instructions
By Author/Submitter
This resource is designed to follow the resource titled "Molecular Compound Lewis Dot Structures" (CPALMS Resource ID 155373).
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Joy Harper
Name of Author/Source: Joy Harper
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Volusia
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
page 3 of 4 Name
SC.912.P.8.12:
Description
Describe the properties of the carbon atom that make the diversity of carbon compounds possible.
Remarks/Examples:
Explain how the bonding characteristics of carbon lead to a large variety of structures ranging from simple
hydrocarbons to complex polymers and biological molecules.
page 4 of 4