Instructional Software

Lesson Idea Name: Conducting Chemical Changes

Content Area: Physical Science
Grade Level(s): Fifth Grade
Content Standard Addressed: Students should be able to communicate information to explain the
differences between a physical change and a chemical change, including being able to plan and carry out an
investigation to determine if a chemical change occurred based on observable evidence.
Selected Technology Tool: Gizmos

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable and goesdirectly to the lesson):
1. https://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspDetail&resourceID=1060
2. https://el-gizmos.s3.amazonaws.com/materials/ChemicalChangesSE.pdf
3. https://el-gizmos.s3.amazonaws.com/materials/ChemicalChangesVocab.pdf

Type of Instructional Software:

☐ Drill and Practice ☐ Tutorial ☒ Simulation ☐ Instructional Game ☐ E-Books/E-References

Features of this software (check all that apply):

☒ Assessment Monitoring/Reporting
☒ Allows the teacher to create customized lessons for students
☐ Multi-user or collaborative functions with others in the class
☐ Multi-user or collaborative with others outside the class
☒ Accessible to students beyond the school day
☒ Accessible via mobile devices
☐ Multiple languages
☒ Safety, security, and/or privacy features
Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy Level(s):
☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☒ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☐ Creating
Levels of Technology Integration:

☒ Inf usion Level: Students may work at a higher Bloom’s Level, but they do not have any “Voice or Choice”
during the activity and most of the decisions are made by the teacher.

☐ Integration Level: We would like to see ALL lessons/activities reach this level. The project is student-driven.
Students have “Voice and Choice” in the activities, selecting the topic of study and determining the
technology tool to demonstrate mastery of the standard. The teacher becomes more of a facilitator.

☐ Expansion Level: The projects created are shared outside of the classroom, publishing student work and
promoting authorship. This could be reached by showcasing the project on the school’s morning newscast,
posting the project to the classroom blog, or publishing via an outside source.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL):
This activity supports the Universal Design for Learning framework, or UDL, by providing multiple means of
representation through media forms. Students will complete a virtual simulation regarding chemical changes.
Stall, 2021
 Instructional Software
When working through this simulation, students will have a “student exploration sheet” that walks the students
through the steps to complete this simulation. However, there is also a link to a video preview provided to the
students as well. Having both a written and an auditory explanation is inclusive to those with learning
preferences, as well as those who may have impairments. This simulation also supports the engagement
component in the UDL framework by allowing students to express autonomy. Gizmos allows students to engage
in a trial and error with the simulation, testing out ideas and theories they believe to be plausible.
Lesson Idea Implementation:
To first introduce the activity, students will first engage in a class recap about physical versus chemical changes
and be asked how we can determine these changes. After the initial discussion, students will be placed into small
groups with the vocabulary review sheet they will need for the Gizmo. Students will be asked to review the
vocabulary as a group and highlight any words the group is unfamiliar with. The class will then engage in a
review session about the vocabulary words they need help with prior to the simulation. This will conclude the
first day in completing this activity. Students will be instructed that outside of school, they need to be able to
access and familiarize themselves with the Gizmo and how the software works, noting any questions they may
have. This will include watching the video preview provided to them on the Gizmo page and completing the first
portion of the worksheet which includes answering some questions using their background knowledge.  The
next day, we will review student questions regarding the Gizmos software, and then students will individually
begin working on their Gizmo and completing the student exploration sheet, as well as taking the assessment. To
conclude the lesson, the class will engage in either a whole-group or small-group discussion about their findings
regarding chemical changes. The anticipated time to complete this activity will be about two and a half hours in
total, split into two days.

Instruction will be differentiated by providing both written instructions, as well as a video that details how to
operate the Gizmo. Students will also be explaining their answers both verbally in groups, as well as recording
their own notes throughout the simulation. Student learning throughout this simulation will be apparent
through recorded answers on the student exploration sheet, as well as assessment scores which will be reported.
Student assessment scores will then provide feedback as to whether or not an extension of time is needed to
master this content area, or if students are succeeding. At the end of the lesson, students will be able to
remember basic definitions of chemical change, understand and describe in their own words what a chemical
change means, apply a chemical change in the Gizmo and explain why they knew that would create a chemical
change, and analyze and differentiate between how to produce a chemical change versus a physical change, thus
achieving the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Reflective Practice:
This activity will have a positive impact on student learning as it will allow students to explore a regarding the
concepts being taught in class, so students are able to experiment with chemical changes on their own
and manipulate the variables. To further extend the lesson, students could be encouraged to create their own
virtual simulation or presentation showing a chemical change, as this would allow the student to make their own
choices regarding where they want their project to go. As far as other tools that could enhance this project, any
software such as Khan Academy or BrainPOP could provide supplemental materials to the student to enrich
their knowledge even further about the topic and could provide them with practice quizzes and games regarding
the topic.

Stall, 2021