If your pupils think a catalyst is a list of their cats, then this might be the lesson for you! Young chemists study the effect of temperature, catalysts, concentration, and particle size on reaction rates during four different experiments. 

Concepts

chemical reactions, collision theory, concentration, reaction rates, surface area, temperature, catalysts, activation energy, endothermic reactions, exothermic reactions

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Schedule a fire inspector to speak about catalysts

Classroom Considerations

• Set up the experiment as a lab rotation or have the whole class complete the same lab simultaneously
• The lesson best fits after lesson nine in the series
• The tenth in a series of 11 lessons

Pros

• Lesson offers multiple assessment options
• Includes extension ideas
• Provides many differentiation strategies

Cons

• None

Common Core

RST.9-10.3 RST.11-12.3