Learning about the mole using rice is pretty nice! Help your chemistry scholars visualize the concept of a mole of substance with an easy-to-perform lab. Partnered pupils find the mass of a single grain of rice and relate this information to the volume one mole of rice would occupy if it were spread evenly over the earth's surface.

Concepts

moles, volume, mass, avogadro's number

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Assign the final question of the student worksheet as homework to save time for in-class calculations
• Add a problem that asks the class work from a known volume to determine a number of rice grains

Classroom Considerations

• Ensure learners remember how to convert between liters and cubic centimeters

Pros

• Lab is a great combination of chemistry and geometry
• Teacher's guide includes a printable student worksheet

Cons

• None

Common Core

HSN-Q.A.1 HSN-Q.A.2 RST.9-10.3 RST.11-12.3