Chemistry Matters

Welcome to Chemistry Matters – a digital series for high school chemistry from Georgia Public Broadcasting! The series is comprised of 12 units of study divided into segments. Under each segment you will find support materials designed to enhance student understanding of the content. Complete and submit this form to request the teacher toolkit. The Chemistry Matters teacher toolkit provides instructions and answer keys for labs, experiments, and assignments for all 12 units of study. GPB offers the teacher toolkit at no cost to Georgia educators.

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Unit 1: Introduction to Chemistry

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In this unit, students investigate a fish kill on Georgia’s Ogeechee River, and learn how to obtain, evaluate, and communicate data and information.

Host outlines eight science and engineering practices of chemistry.

Segment A: What is Chemistry?

Teacher and students discuss possible reasons for the deaths of the fish in the Ogeechee R

Segment B: Hypotheses and Models

Host creates a testable hypothesis and procedure for testing collected samples from the

Segment C: Investigating the Problem

Explore Unit 1: Introduction to Chemistry

Unit 2: Introduction to Matter

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Students explore the chemical and physical properties of matter and discover how scientific ideas are connected to each other rather than existing in isolation.

Systems and System Models , Cause and Effect, and Structure and Function.

Segment A: Properties of Matter

Students discuss results after measuring the and density of pre-1982 and post-1982 pennies

Segment B: Density Lab Results and Crush Lab

Segment C: Physical Properties and Phase Change

Explore Unit 2: Introduction to Matter

Unit 3: Atomic Structure

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Students analyze conceptual, mathematical, and physical models of atoms. This unit also includes an overview of protons, neutrons, and electrons, as well as a periodic table of elements.

Segment A: Atomic Models

The periodic table is the focus of this segment.

Segment B: The Periodic Table

In this segment, the students build models of elements.

Segment C: Characteristics of Electrons

Explore Unit 3: Atomic Structure

Unit 4: Bonding

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The focus of this unit is chemical bonds, both intermolecular and intramolecular. Students also look at the bond spectrum and learn about electrostatic and electronegative forces.

Segment A: Introduction to Bonding

In this segment, the students learn about chemical bonds, Lewis diagrams, and ionic bonds.

Segment B: Chemical Bonding

Intramolecular bonds are discussed in this segment.

Segment C: Intramolecular Bonding

Explore Unit 4: Bonding

Unit 5: Chemical Reactions

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Students identify the primary indicators of chemical change and learn about the law of conservation of matter. This unit also covers balanced chemical equations and showing reactants and products of chemical reactions.

Chemical reactions are the focus of this segment.

Segment A: Balancing Equations

This segment features two special guests – Dr. Mike Petelle and Dr. Eileen Kennedy.

Segment B: Types of Reactions

The students perform a lab in this segment about which metals react with each other.

Segment C: Reactivity and Predicting Products

Explore Unit 5: Chemical Reactions

Unit 6: The Mole and Stoichiometry

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In this unit, students learn the mathematical tool of dimensional analysis, alternately called the factor-label method. Students also explore how to predict and measure the outcome of a reaction.

Stoichiometry is introduced in this segment.

Segment A: Dimensional Analysis

This segment examines the mole and Avogadro's number.

Segment B: The Mole

The topics of this segment include converting moles to liters.

Segment C: Percent Composition and Empirical Formulas

Explore Unit 6: The Mole and Stoichiometry

Unit 7: Solutions, Acids, and Bases

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Students discover how solvents dissolve ionic and covalent solutes and learn how to measure solution concentration by mass percent, molarity, and molality. This unit also covers colligative properties.

The host introduces solutions, acids and bases and their importance in chemistry.

Segment A: What is a Solution?

In this segment, students learn about solubility, insolubility, and saturated solutions.

Segment B: Solubility

Our host describes ways to express solution concentration.

Segment C: Solution Concentration

Explore Unit 7: Solutions, Acids, and Bases

Unit 8: Chemical Thermodynamics

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This unit focuses on the three laws of thermodynamics. Students also explore endothermic and exothermic reactions and total bond energy.

The first segment in this unit looks at the laws of thermodynamics.

Segment A: The Laws of Thermodynamics

Our host explains exothermic and endothermic reactions.

Segment B: Specific Heat

In segment C, students learn about thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity.

Segment C: Heat Transfer

Explore Unit 8: Chemical Thermodynamics

Unit 9: Kinetics and Gases

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In this unit, students learn about kinetics, which is the study of factors that affect the rate of chemical reactions. Students also investigate collision theory and the five components of kinetic molecular theory in gas.

Unit 9 introduces kinetics and looks at how molecular motion affects gases.

Segment A: Reaction Rates

Students discuss their hypotheses about rates of reaction and conduct experiments.

Segment B: Reaction Rate Lab

The teacher discusses the behavior of gases at the macro and molecular level.

Segment C: Reaction Rate Lab Results and Catalysts

Explore Unit 9: Kinetics and Gases

Unit 10: Introduction to Equilibrium

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The focus of this unit is to help students understand the condition in which all competing influences counteract each other, resulting in a stable, balanced, or unchanging system.

Our host introduces equilibrium theories and the dynamic nature of chemical equilibrium.

Segment A: Chemical Equilibrium

Segment B: The Equilibrium Constant Part I

The teacher asks the students to list examples of why chemical equilibrium is important.

Segment C: The Equilibrium Constant Part II

Explore Unit 10: Introduction to Equilibrium

Unit 11: Nuclear Chemistry

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This unit focuses on isotopes, nuclear decay, fission, and fusion. Students learn how to identify different types of nuclear decay products and look at real-world applications of radioactivity.

This segment explains how nuclear fission creates new elements.

Segment A: Radioactivity

Segment B: Nuclear Fission and Types of Radiation

Students review results from nuclear decay experiments.

Segment C: Half-Life

Explore Unit 11: Nuclear Chemistry

Unit 12: Chemistry Matters Recap

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Unit 12 is a recap of Units 1 through 11 and includes an overview of all the Georgia standards covered in this series.

Our host recaps the content in unit 1, " Science and Engineering Practices."

Segment A: Introduction to Chemistry Review

We recap Unit 2," Introduction to Matter."

Segment B: Introduction to Matter Review

Segment C reviews the information covered in Unit 3, "Atomic Structure."

Segment C: Atomic Structure Review

Explore Unit 12: Chemistry Matters Recap

Toolkit

Scope and Sequence

Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) for Science

Standards Alignments for Chemistry and Physical Science

Science and Engineering Practices

Crosscutting Concepts

How to Argue Using Evidence

Periodic Table of the Elements - Black & White

Periodic Table of the Elements - Blank

Periodic Table of the Elements - Pastel

Periodic Table of the Elements - Color

Periodic Table of the Elements with Ionization Numbers

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Unit 5: Sustainable Infrastructures

Host Raiany Silva takes students on a journey to feature sustainable infrastructures like the Atlanta Beltline, Clayton County Wetlands, and The Ray Highway in LaGrange. In order to understand the effects of human population growth on ecosystems, Raiany also visits Arabia Mountain High School to learn about sustainable design from teachers and students.