Lesson #3 Acid/Base Indicators Date November 15, 2013

Time
Subject/Grad
Grade 5 Science Duratio 75 Minutes
e Level
n

Unit Classroom Chemistry Teacher Gregory Craig

OUTCOMES FROM ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES

General
5-7 Students will describe the properties and interactions of various household liquids
Learning
and solids and interpret their interactions.
Outcomes:
Specific
Learning 9. Students will use an indicator to identify a solution as being acidic or basic
Outcomes:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will:
1. Identify basic properties of acids
2. Identify basic properties of bases
3. Identify indicator results as acidic or basic
ASSESSMENTS
Observations:  Observing the students.
 Students responses to the exit questions
Key Questions:  What is an acid/base? (7) (8)
 What indicator results show if a substance is an acid or a base? (9)
Products/Performanc  Litmus paper results notes (9)
es:  Checklist (9)
LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
 http://chemistry.about.com/od/acidsbase1/a/red-  Sour skittles
cabbage-ph-indicator.htm  100% (or close to) dark chocolate
 vinegar
 litmus paper (red and blue)
 tums and water
 lemon juice and cola
 ammonia and orange juice
 dish soap and milk
 coffee
PROCEDURE
Prior to lesson Prepare the liquids/mixtures and spread them around the room. Include both
red and blue litmus paper at each station (7 of each colour at each station).
Introduction Time
Attention Grabber Brainstorm with the students what they think acids and bases
are and if they could name some examples of each. 5 min
What is an acid/base? (7) (8)
Assessment of Prior Part of attention grabber.
Knowledge Making note of student’s answers to brainstorming.
Transition to Body Conclude with the students what they came up with for what
they think acids and bases are.
Body Time
Learning Activity #1 Have the students discuss in pairs what they think acids and 15 min
 bases could do to you if you accidentally poured some on your
skin. After 2-3 minutes have the students share their findings
with the class. (answers: burn your skin, cause a rash, damage
your skin) This means that acids and bases are “corrosive.”
Remind the students to use quiet discussion voices while talking
(demonstrate an appropriate volume of voice for them). The
students will then discuss in their pairs what are some safety
precautions they could take while handling acids and bases. After
about 3 minutes have the students share what they think they
could do. (make sure they mention or help them come up with
gloves, extra clothing, pants not shorts).

Ask the students if they have ever had vinegar on something

they ate before. Can they remember what it tasted like? Tell the
students that vinegar happens to be an acid and that all acids
taste sour. Ask the students if they had ever ended up getting
soap in their mouth some how. Inform the students that soap is
actually a base, and like soap, all bases taste bitter. Have the
students come up and try a sour skittle and some dark chocolate
if they want to try something sour and something bitter.
Write on the board Acids and bases are corrosive and Acids =
sour, bases = bitter.

Wrap up with the students. Ask them what one property of both
acids and bases are and what is one property of each?
 What is an acid/base? (7) (8)
Teacher Notes: Listening to the student’s responses. Going around during the
Assessments/ pair discussion and checking off a student on the checklist if you
Differentiation notice that they understand the learning objective.
Learning Activity #2 Ask the students if they have ever heard of litmus paper. Wait 35 min
and see what the students answer and if nothing is correct
explain to them that litmus paper is a strip of red or blue paper
that can be used to determine if a substance is an acid or a base.
Explain to them that if red litmus paper turns blue then what you
dipped it into is a base. And if blue litmus paper turns red, then
what you dipped it into is an acid. Write on the board “blue 
red = acid, red  blue = base.” Ask them to refer to the board if
they ever have trouble during the next activity. Hand out the
handout with the different liquids names written on it.
There will be stations set up around the classroom with different
chemicals/liquids/mixtures and litmus paper at each station.
Students will be instructed to go around the classroom in groups
of three testing each liquid with a red litmus paper and a blue
litmus paper (one per group) and determining if the substance is
an acid or a base.
The liquids will be:
1. vinegar
2. tums dissolved in water
3. lemon juice
4. cola
5. ammonia
6. orange juice
 7. dish soap in water
8. milk
9. coffee
10. Baking soda
11. Borax
12. Salt water

The students will be given 3 minutes at each station to test the

liquid and write down their results on the sheet they were given.
After they are done at all stations the students will be given time
to share their answers with people from different groups.
The note pages will be handed in at the end of class.
What indicator results show if a substance is an acid or a base?
(9)
Teacher Notes: Observing the students at each station while they work. Having a
Assessments/ conversation with individual students about their answers to
Differentiation their experiments. Listening in to their conversations while they
share answers. Marking on a checklist if you notice that a
student’s understanding is in line with the learning objective.
Checklist will have the class list on it.
Learning Activity #3 Red Cabbage Juice Indicator
Gather the students around the back table. Tell them that we
will be making our own indicator to tell if something is an acid or
a base and will be testing it on some of the substances we
already tested with the litmus paper. This is something you can
do at home!
Here are the steps:
1. Place about 2 cups of red cabbage in a blender, cover it with
boiling water, and blend it.
2. Filter out the plant material to obtain a red-purple-bluish
colored liquid. This liquid is at about pH 7. (The exact
color you get depends on the pH of the water.) 15 min
3. Pour about 50 - 100 mL of your red cabbage indicator into
each 250 mL beaker.
Test the liquid by adding vinegar, tums, ammonia, and cola to
different samples of the solution. Ask the students what colour
means the substance is an acid and what colour means the
substance is a base. Have the students record the steps down in
their binders and to record the colours that show for acids and
bases. Tell them that this is something they can do at home if
they want to.
What indicator results show if a substance is an acid or a base?
(9)
Teacher Notes: Listening to the student’s responses to the questions proposed
Assessments/ to them. Making sure their answers are in line with the learning
Differentiation objective.
Closure Time
Consolidation of With the students at their desks ask them to put their thumbs 3 min
Learning: up or down in response to the following questions. If the
students agree with the statement they will put their thumb up,
if they disagree they will put their thumb down.
Ask them if
 1. vinegar is a base?
2. tums are an acid?
3. lemon juice is an acid?
4. Cola is a base?
5. ammonia is a base?
6. orange juice is an acid?
7. dish soap in water is a base?
8. Milk is an acid?
9. coffee is a base?

Feedback From
Consolidation of learning.
Students:
Feedback To Students Tell the students what a great job they did today!
Transition To Next Next lesson Mrs. Harding will be teaching you guys, so I hope
Lesson you enjoyed your lessons from me!

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