Summary

In this project, students will apply the principles of thermochemistry and thermodynamics to explain real world phenomena by creating an infographic using web based tools.

Grade Level

High School

NGSS Alignment

This project will help prepare your students to meet the performance expectations in the following standards:

• HS-PS1-4: Develop a model to illustrate that the release or absorption of energy from a chemical reaction system depends upon the changes in total bond energy.
• HS-PS1-5: Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation about the effects of changing the temperature or concentration of the reacting particles on the rate at which a reaction occurs.
• HS-PS3-1: Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.
• HS-PS3-2: Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as a combination of energy associated with the motions of particles (objects) and energy associated with the relative positions of particles (objects).
• HS-PS3-4: Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that the transfer of thermal energy when two components of different temperatures are combined within a closed system results in a more uniform energy distribution among the components in the system.
• Scientific and Engineering Practices:
  • Developing and Using Models
  • Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

Objectives

By the end of this project, students should be able to

• Discuss in the detail a real world phenomenon in which there is some form of heat transfer based on the principles of thermochemistry and thermodynamics (i.e. Exothermic vs. Endothermic, bonds breaking vs. bond forming, flow of heat (energy), average kinetic energy of the particles, and movement of particles.)

Chemistry Topics

This project supports students’ understanding of

• Energy & Thermodynamics
• Exothermic and Exothermic reactions
• Bond Energy
• Law of Conservation of Energy
• Energy flow in a system
• Temperature

Time

Teacher Preparation: 5 minutes

Lesson: 90 minutes

Materials

• Access to a computer of laptop for each student or group
• Free online resources (Venngage.com, canva.com, piktochart.com)

Safety

• No specific safety precautions need to be observed for this activity.
• Remind students of internet safety and responsibilities (plagiarism, etch) before assignment.

Teacher Notes

• Additional time may be assigned outside of class to complete this project. Plan to spend 15 minutes explaining the project and allowing for approximately 90 minutes of class time for student to work on and complete assignment.
• Spend some time navigating the free infographic sites. All websites are free to sign up and have many free templates for students to use. Each site has upgrades which can be purchased. Remind the students to use free templates. The sites are very user friendly.
  • www.venngage.com
  • www.canva.com
  • www.piktochart.com
• This activity works both individually and in groups (Max of 2 or 3 students). Students should select a real world phenomenon involving some type of heat transfer or regulations (i.e. human body, car engine cooling, refrigerator, ice rink, green house, etc.) and explain the phenomena using the principles of thermochemistry. Students should discuss how the process or device works to regulate temperature. Students should mention thermochemistry terminology when applicable (endo vs exothermic, bonds breaking or forming, energy flow, etc.). It is suggested that each group finds a unique topic to complete their project. Topics should be approved by the teacher before starting project.
• To submit the infographic, students should send a link to the infographic to the teacher (some websites require students to “publish” infographic before the infographic can be viewed). Student example is shown below. Note: Student names have been removed. Original version of the example can be found here.