In preparation for our exam Thursday, the last skill we need to master is balancing equations. We balance equations because the law of conservation of mass tells us that matter can not be created or destroyed and that the sum of the mass of all the reactants of a reaction must equal the sum of all of the products. 

We also briefly discussed neutralization reactions, that are the result of mixing acids and bases together to form a neutral solution. Two of these reactions are featured in the video to the right.

We continued our study of acids and bases today by creating a Venn Diagram of the two types of solutions, using a card sort and our whiteboards. We added to our understanding with a video and discussion. Students also wrote conclusions for their labs from yesterday. 

Today's colorful lab had students investigating the pH of different household chemicals as well as creating their own color coded pH scale. We used red cabbage juice pH indicator to create our scale. The video to the right further explains pH and some photos of our lab are below.

Today Mr. Houde continued our investigation into the structure of atoms and their bonds to form molecules. We read from the selection attached below and began exploring something called the Octet Rule, which tells us that an atom will do whatever it can to get 8 valence electrons, even if that includes sharing or stealing electrons from another atom (which is how bonds are formed)

Mr. Houde took over class today and we read about the history of the atom as well as the best current model we have for the atom. Atoms make up everything around us and yet astonishingly they are mostly made up of empty space! 
If you want to explore more about atomic structure, check out this BUILD AN ATOM simulation in which you can build your own atoms!

As we continue our investigation into the Law of Conservation of Mass, today we used skittles to represent atoms that move around during chemical reactions. 

     We continued our exploration of the law of conservation of mass today by reading about Antoine Lavoisier, a french scientist who, along with his wife Marie-Anne, first described the law of conservation of mass, also known as Lavoisier's Law. Although a magnificent (and wealthy) scientist, Lavoisier could not escape the unrest of the French Revolution and was beheaded.
        In addition to reading, we also watched a video about the fundamental laws of chemistry that discussed Lavoisier along with many other early chemists who laid the foundation for our modern understanding of matter. 
         We finished up with some more molecular modelling. Today we made multiple molecules then "reacted" them to form new molecules. These activities are in the lab sheet attached below.

In the video today, Hank explained that Hydrogen (Row 1 on the periodic table) comes from the Greek words Hydro and Genesis (generated) which means Made From Water. Your task is to pick one element from each of the remaining rows           (rows 2-7 = 6 total elements) and figure out (and write out) how they got their names and submit that to Mr. Powell by email or in person.

Chemistry is a lot like potions class from the world of Harry Potter. And just like with Harry, sometimes we need to make notes on our instructions to get the best results. In class today students conducted an investigation into the law of conservation of mass. If you would like to try this experiment our lab sheet is attached below.

Today we continued modelling molecules with ball and stick models as well as began color-coding our own periodic tables. That's all the chemistry we'll get to before Thanksgiving because tomorrow we have a special activity to begin our holiday break.