Nuclear Decay and Radiation (11th/12th Grade Chemisty)
Established Goal(s): To introduce nuclear decay and radiation and give students an understanding of
nuclear decay as a nuclear phenomenon.
Students will understand that…
● Nuclei are divisible and sometimes break apart causing emission of particles or photons--Radiation. It has various effects on surrounding environment. ● There are different types of radiation in daily life, both natural and artificial |
Students will know…
● How isotopes and atomic structure relate to radioactive decay ● A Geiger counter senses actual particles being emitted. ● Effects of radioactivity on human organisms ● Different forms of radioactive decay ● Radiation is a nuclear process, not a chemical process. |
radioactivitylessonplan.pdf | |
File Size: | 73 kb |
File Type: |
anticipatory_guide-1.pdf | |
File Size: | 170 kb |
File Type: |
average-dose-worksheet.pdf | |
File Size: | 72 kb |
File Type: |
For the Future: Post Teaching Reflections
Round 2
I was able to incorporate this lesson while substitute teaching during an Earth/Space Science class beginning to exploreradioactivity and radioactive decay. After an introduction to types of radiation, we explored the anticipatory guide and the average daily dose. It not only engaged the students, but left them wanting more and their regular teacher asking me where I got the resources...
Round 1
As the first class I have even designed and taught, surprisingly there seemed to be more areas of success than areas for improvement, thought the greatest challenge I encountered was one that most teachers seem to struggle with over and over: having enough time.
The anticipatory guide went well, with a fair amount of active engagement during the pair-share. While incorporating the geiger counter is a powerful tool for hands on interaction with concepts surrounding radiation, having only one instrument does not optimize the amount of active learning, and so it is debatable whether this concession to hands-on learning in valuable.
The clear success of this lesson where in the questions and ideas that were shared during the discussion near the end of class time. They showed engaged thinking about the material which seemed to add promise that the following class would be a successful follow-up to complete connections began during this lesson.
The anticipatory guide went well, with a fair amount of active engagement during the pair-share. While incorporating the geiger counter is a powerful tool for hands on interaction with concepts surrounding radiation, having only one instrument does not optimize the amount of active learning, and so it is debatable whether this concession to hands-on learning in valuable.
The clear success of this lesson where in the questions and ideas that were shared during the discussion near the end of class time. They showed engaged thinking about the material which seemed to add promise that the following class would be a successful follow-up to complete connections began during this lesson.