Ideal Gas Laws

Under Pressure—Exploring Gas Laws

High School Chemistry

by Wayne Birch (Nashville Big Picture High School), Kimberly Gravewood, Bethany Westerhoff, Euvellise Nicole Jusino, and An Nguyen

Page contact: Mark Abolins (Mark.Abolins@mtsu.edu)

Summary
In this unit, students will investigate the Ideal Gas Laws through real world events and applications. The focus of students' learning is using 21st century skills to identify the Ideal Gas Laws at work within the Earth's atmosphere and oceans, by looking deeper into natural phenomena or current world events, and seeing their relevance in normal every-day activities. Students will be able to apply and demonstrate understanding of crosscutting concepts through a culminating project that has real world relevance.

Learning Goals

Be the end of this unit, students will be able to:

Explain the behavior of ideal gases in terms of pressure, volume, temperature and number of particles using Charles' Law, Boyle's Law, Gay-Lussac's Law, the combined gas law and the Ideal Gas Law.
Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation about the effects of changing temperature or concentration of reacting particles on the rate at which a reaction occurs.
Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.

Students will also be able to connect an understanding of the Ideal Gas Law with geophysics, meteorology, oceanography and/or physical geography.

Description and Teaching Materials

· Ideal Gases and Air Travel

· Boyle’s Law of Ideal Gases

· Charles’ and Gay-Lussac’s Laws of Ideal Gases

· Going Deep: Ideal Gas Laws and Deep Sea Exploration

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Ideal Gases and Air Travel

Individual Task: Pre-assessment activity
Collaborative Small Groups: Students will begin this unit by working in small groups of three or four to read (Jigsaw or Read-Pair-Share) in order to elicit and create their own understanding of how chemistry and geoscience fit together in real-world events.

Plenary Group: Using their collective understanding, each small group must then present an essential question and/or a hypothesis that describes how the Ideal Gas Laws are relevant to air travel. They will be asked to write down their thoughts in their lab journals.

Reflection and Revision: Students will be able to post visual representations of their further reflection on this topic using the course on-line discussion system (e.g., a course Pinterest account). The teacher will use this digital forum as an ongoing means for both providing academic feedback and formative assessment.

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Boyle’s Law of Ideal Gases

Individual Task(s): Prior to class, students will view the video on Boyle's Law of Ideal Gases and post insights, questions, ideas or points for clarification on a class discussion page (e.g., a class Edmondo page). Teacher will monitor page, giving academic feedback and as a means to differentiate instruction and/or modify upcoming lessons if needed.

Video – Boyle’s Law: https://youtu.be/eR49g3ubTBg

Plenary Group Discussion: Using feedback from the class discussion page and the previous discussion, students will pool their collective understanding in a teacher-guided discussion on Boyle's Law. Students will be asked to write down their thoughts in their lab journals.

Collaborative Small Groups: Using their collective understanding, each small group will explore Boyle's Law of Ideal Gases through a hands on laboratory experiment. Students will utilize data collection and analysis skills and experience real world use of the Scientific Method. They will be asked to write down their concluding thoughts and observations in their lab journals.

Boyle's Law of Gases Experiment: Marshmallows and Balloons

Reflection and Revision: Students will be able to post visual representations of their further reflection on this topic using the course on-line discussion system (e.g., a course Pinterest account). The teacher will use this digital forum as an ongoing means for both providing academic feedback and formative assessment.

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Charles’ and Gay-Lussac’s Laws of Ideal Gases

Individual Task(s): Prior to class, students will view the videos on Charles' Law and Gay-Lussac's Laws of Ideal Gases and post insights, questions, ideas or points for clarification on the class discussion page (e.g., a class Edmondo page). Teacher will monitor page, giving academic feedback and as a means to differentiate instruction and/or modify upcoming lessons if needed.

Video – Charles’ Law: https://youtu.be/NplVuTrr59U

Video – Gay-Lussac’s Law: https://youtu.be/N6DZRiSIK3s

Plenary Group Discussion: Using feedback from the class Edmodo page and the previous discussion, students will pool their collective understanding in a teacher-guided discussion on all three of these Ideal Gas laws. Students will be asked to write down their thoughts in their lab journals.

Collaborative Small Groups: Using their collective understanding, each small group will explore Charles's Law and Gay-Lussac's Law of Ideal Gases through a hands on laboratory experiment. Students will utilize data collection and analysis skills and experience real world use of the Scientific Method. They will be asked to write down their concluding thoughts and observations in their lab journals.

Charles's Law of Gases Experiment: Balloons and Coke

Individual Task(s): Students will have the opportunity to improve their individual understanding as they engage in a teacher-guided discussion combined with another hands on experiment.

Combined Gas Law Experiment: Candles Under Glass

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Going Deep: Ideal Gas Laws and Deep Sea Exploration

Individual Task(s): Prior to class, students will view the video clip on James Cameron's dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench and review at least two of the online articles on deep sea exploration.

Video – Mariana Trench: https://youtu.be/Y2tm40uMhDI

Plenary Group Discussion: Students will pool their collective understanding in a teacher-guided discussion on the real world application of the Ideal Gas Laws and deep sea exploration. Students will be asked to write down their thoughts in their lab journals.

Collaborative Small Groups: Using their collective understanding, each small group will design and construct a 3d model of a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) in a theoretical competition to explore the Cayman Trough. Students will present their designs in front of the class.

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