Chemistry
Standard I, Objective 3
Title: History of the Atom Group Project
Description: Students will research a chemist and make a class presentation that includes a poster and worksheet.
Time needed: 90 minutes preparation, 90 minutes presentation
Materials: computer, printer, poster board, markers
Procedures:
- Copy the directions and rubric for students.
2. Read the introduction with students and show the youtube video at:
The video starts a little slowly but is an EXCELLENT example of how science works.
- Ask students to read the directions and choose their part (A, B, C, or D).
- Allow time for students to work on the project. Remind them to use the rubric.
- Grade the projects as the students present them.
Student SheetName ______
Title: History of the Atom
Introduction: Our human understanding of the structure of atom developed over the course of centuries. Sometimes a discovery was made that was immediately accepted: other times the discovery was ridiculed by the community of scientists at the time. Even today, scientists must present their findings and convince other scientists of their value. Watch the video on Professor Dan Shectman. He discusses his work in 1984 that led to a Nobel Prize in 2011. Do not worry if you do not understand the chemistry involved, it is the process of science that is the important part of the video.
In this activity, you will investigate the work of famous scientists that laid the foundation of modern chemistry. Keep the video and Dr. Dan in mind, new discoveries are always taking place and scientists still have to convince others of their worth.
Directions:
1. You will be assigned to a group of 4 people who will research the work of a particular scientist and present your findings to the class in both a poster and an oral presentation. You will also create a worksheet for your classmates to learn about your scientist. Each person in your group will research a specific part of the scientist’s life and work, according to the parts A, B, C, and D that are outlined in the rubric (next page). You will be graded individually for how well you complete your part (A, B, C, or D). The group will be graded based on the three products: the worksheet, poster, and presentation. The scientists are: Antoine Lavoisier, Joseph Proust, John Dalton, JJ Thomson, Robert Millikan, and Ernest Rutherford.
2. You will need to create a worksheet, not longer than two pages (one page front and back), for other students to complete while you are doing your presentation. The worksheet should be typed, include space for all of the necessary information (parts A, B, C, and D), and a picture of the apparatus used for the scientist’s experiments. It should be a guide for note-taking, and therefore should require the student to write down the most important information, while providing some of the less important information so that they don’t have to write too much (slowing down the presentation). The worksheet should be submitted to electronically as a Microsoft Word or PDF file one day before the class presentations.
3. Your poster should contain all of the information about your scientist and his experiments (parts A, B, C, and D) as well as pictures of the scientist, the experiment, and the model he contributed to. The information should be typed in legible font (at least size 24). The poster should be neat and organized. All sources used to gather information should be listed in MLA format in a bibliography. There should be at least 8 different sources. You can and should use your textbook. The poster is due on the day of the oral presentation.
4. Your oral presentation should last 8-10 minutes. Each member of the group should contribute equally to the oral presentation, presenting their assigned part (A, B, C, or D). Your oral presentation should follow the form of your worksheet so that the other students in the class will be able to complete their worksheets while you are speaking. You should be prepared to answer questions about your work.
History of the Atom Group Project
Individual Roles:
A.Vital Statistics
i.When and where was the scientist born and die?
ii.When did his most important experiments take place?
iii.Who were his colleagues/competitors?
iv.Were the discoveries accepted immediately?
v.Picture of scientist
B.Historical Context
i.What was known about matter/atoms when this person was doing his research?
ii.What question(s) was this person trying to answer in their research?
C.Experiments
i.How were this scientist’s experiments set up in the lab?
ii.How did the experiments work?
iii.What predictions were made about the outcome?
iv.Picture of experiment/apparatus
D.Results
i.What were the results of the experiment?
ii.What conclusions were drawn from those results?
iii.How did these conclusions change our understanding of matter/atoms?
iv.Picture of new atomic model
E.Model of Experiment
i.If there is a fifth person in the group, he or she should make a 3-D model of the experimental setup.
ii.Typed description of the apparatus and experiment should be attached to the model.
Rubric0 / 1 / 2 / 3
Dates and Places / <50% / 50% / 75% / 100%
Colleagues / <50% / 50% / 75% / 100%
Acceptance / <50% / 50% / 75% / 100%
Picture / not present / present
Historical Context / <50% / 50% / 75% / 100%
Questions / <50% / 50% / 75% / 100%
Apparatus and Function / <50% / 50% / 75% / 100%
Predictions / <50% / 50% / 75% / 100%
Picture / not present / present
Results and Conclusions / <50% / 50% / 75% / 100%
New Ideas / <50% / 50% / 75% / 100%
Picture of Model / not present / present
3-D Model Accurate / <50% / 50% / 75% / 100%
Description / <50% / 50% / 75% / 100%
Information / <50% / 50% / 75% / 100%
Picture / not present / present
Guided / all or no information given / poor combination of information provided and spaces to fill in / some combination of information provided and spaces to fill in / good combination of information provided and spaces to fill in
Submitted / late / on time
Typed / not typed / typed with file in incorrect format / typed with file in correct format
Information / <50% / 50% / 75% / 100%
Pictures / not present / present
Organized and Typed / disorganized, unclear, not typed / disorganized or unclear, but typed in 24 font or larger / clear and concise, organized, not typed / clear and concise, organized, typed in 24 font or larger
Bibliography / <5 sources / 5-7 sources in wrong format / 5-7 sources in MLA format / 8 sources in MLA format
Submitted / late / on time
Information / <50% / 50% / 75% / 100%
Equal Contribution / one person does most of the work / one person doesn't contribute meaningfully, others make up the difference / all members contribute, but some do more than others / all members of the group contribute equally to the oral presentation
Organization / illogical or scattered / illogical but corresponds to worksheet / logical but doesn't correspond to worksheet / logical and corresponds to worksheet and poster
Questions / unable to answer questions quickly or accurately / able to answer some questions quickly and accurately / able to answer most questions quickly and accurately / able to answer all questions quickly and accurately
Professionalism / unrehearsed / sometimes difficult to hear or understand, reading from a paper, awkward transitions / sometimes difficult to hear or understand, but with smooth transitions, rehearsed / Clear speaking voice, notecards, smooth transitions, rehearsed