The

Chemistry of Paintball
Grade: 11 & 12
Student Learning Objective:
After researching the different states of matter via textual analysis and group discussion, the students will be able to demonstrate their
understanding of the topic by correctly referencing/identifying the different states of matter in a personal experience.

Materials:

Access to States of Matter simulation for students who dont have computers/internet available at home.
Paintball: Chemistry Hits Its Mark article
Paper and a pen/pencil

Preparation for the Activities:

The teacher will prepare the students for this lesson by having them explore the interactive States of Matter computer simulation for homework
the night before. The simulation lets the students Watch different types of molecules form a solid, liquid, or gas. Add or remove heat and
watch the phase change. Change the temperature or volume of a container and see a pressure-temperature diagram respond in real time
(www.cpalms.org). This is a fun way to peak student interest and get them asking questions, which will make the textual research more
relevant and enjoyable. Students who dont have a computer or Internet access at home can spend a few minutes playing with the simulation
at the beginning of class.
Text Information:
Rohrig, Brian. Paintball Chemistry Hits Its Mark. ChemMatters. April 2007: 4-7.

Link to Text:
http://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/articlesbytopic/solutions/chemmatters-april2007-
paintball.pdf

Flesh-Kincaid Readability Level: 9.8

Order of the Lesson:
1. Introduction: Review of the States of Matter simulation
2. Before Reading Strategy: Picture Walk = uses pictures in a text to guide students in making predictions about the content of a text.

Guide the students to each picture, map, graph, etc. in the chapter.

Give students a few seconds to look at and analyze the picture, graph, and map.

Discuss what the picture, graph, map, etc. depicts.

Discuss what this could indicate about the content of the article.

Have each student write down their predictions on a sheet of paper.

3. During Reading Strategy: Jigsaw = helps students learn new material using a team approach. Students are responsible for becoming an
"expert" on one part of a lesson and then teaching it to the other members of their team. By doing this students receive all the needed
information, but they also have an in-depth knowledge of a certain section of the assignment.

Select a unit of study and divide the sections into however many students are in each group. The sections should not require more than 20-30 minutes to read.

Have each student take one of the sections. They are to read it and know it well.

Have all the "experts" of each individual section in the class meet together to discuss their ideas on that particular section.

After group discussions, each "expert" returns to his group and relates all the information about his particular topic.

4. After Reading Strategy: Knowledge Circle = a review strategy for small group discussion.

Students should be placed with five to six students in each group. Groups should sit on chairs and be as far away from other groups as possible.

The teacher should ask a question that has many answers so that all students will have a chance to answer. A time limit of two to five minutes should be given for
response time.

All groups are asked the same question. All students must participate and no student should be skipped. Begin in a certain direction and follow the same
procedure for all groups. Students may pantomime hints for other students who might be not know the answer, but they are not to give any verbal answers. One
student should serve as the recorder who writes all the answers of the group.

When time is up, recorders stop writing. Each group notes how many answers they have.

Place numbered columns on the board, one for each team. As you progress from group to group, one team member offers one answer for each turn. Write the
answer in the group's column. The group recorder checks off answers given by all groups that appear on the group sheet so that answers will not be repeated.

Award points for answers. The team with the most points at the end is the winner.

A team may challenge the answer of another team. If a team's answer is incorrect, the challenging team gets the points. If the challenger is incorrect, they lose the
number of points assigned to the correct answer.

Introduction:
The teacher will stimulate interest in the lesson and activate student background knowledge by reviewing the previous nights homework
assignments. The teacher will start by asking the students to share their experiences using the States of Matter simulation. They can talk about
one thing they learned, one thing they liked or disliked, and/or one thing they would like to learn more about.

CONTENT AREA STANDARD
Discipline: Chemistry
9th-12th Grade NGSSS with Link and Standard Written Out: SC.912.P.8.1 Differentiate among the four states of matter.

ANCHOR STANDARDS FOR READING, WRITING, LISTENING, and SPEAKING
CCSS Anchor
Standard
Addressed:
K-12 CCSS
Anchor
Standards
with Link and
Standard
Written Out:

Reading

Writing

Listening and Speaking

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1

Read closely to determine what

the text says explicitly and to
make logical inferences from it;
cite specific textual evidence
when writing or speaking to
support conclusions drawn
from the text.

Write narratives to develop real or imagined

experiences or events using effective technique, well-
chosen details and well-structured event sequences.

Prepare for and participate

effectively in a range of
conversations and
collaborations with diverse
partners, building on others'
ideas and expressing their own
clearly and persuasively.

Corresponding
Before, During
and After
Strategies

Evaluation
Using
Formative
Assessment

During Reading:
Using a jigsaw strategy, the
students will be randomly
assigned a specific state of
matter (solid, liquid or gas) to
research while reading the text.
They will spend 15 minutes
becoming an expert on that
state of matter. Then they will
spend 5 minutes sharing their
research with fellow experts on
the other states of matter.
Together they will discuss what
each of them found by citing
specific evidence from the text.

During Reading:
While the students are reading
the text, the teacher will
circulate the classroom,
monitor student progress, and
answer any questions. As the
students share their research
with each other, the teacher
will assess understanding by
listening to the conversations
and providing clarification
when needed.

After Reading:
The students will be divided into knowledge circles
(groups of 5-6) and asked to think about a personal
experience they remember that involved solids,
liquids, and gases. Students will have 5 minutes to
write a paragraph about their personal experience.
Then they will be given 10 minutes to discuss their
experience with the other group members. They will
record each others answers by making a bulleted list
of details about each experience or plotting a
sequence of events.

Before Reading:
During the picture walk, the
students will listen as the
teacher helps them identify
significant visuals (pictures,
diagrams, graphs) within the
text. The students will analyze
the imagery and discuss what
they think the imagery may be
suggesting about the text. They
will share (clearly explain) their
own predictions, and listen to
the predictions of their peers.
This activity should take 15
minutes to complete.

After Reading:
During the group discussions, the teacher will read
the students written records about their
experiences, and provide feedback about how clearly
and accurately their experiences relate to the lesson.
The teacher will ask appropriate probing questions if
more elaboration is needed.

Before Reading:
The teacher will facilitate the
students predictions about the
text by guiding them through
the class discussion. The teacher
will help the students identify
the most important imagery,
provide needed clarity, and
answer any questions.

Estimated Time: This lesson will span the entire 50-minute duration of class (bell-to-bell). Depending on how quickly the students progress
throughout the lesson or how much the teacher wishes to elaborate, an extra class period may be needed to finish any activities or discussions.

English Learner Strategies: Scaffolding, modeled reading, surveying text features, making predictions, reading, writing, listening, speaking.

Hess' Level of Cognitive Rigor Matrix:

Creative: Level 3 Students will
1. Synthesize information within one source or text
2. Develop a complex model for a given situation
3. Develop an alternative solution

Rigor Explained to Show Meeting this High Level of Cognitive Rigor:
Students will conduct research on the states of matter using the text1, and provide alternative examples3 that model (demonstrate) the states of
matter in real-life2.

Reference Information for Hess' Level of Cognitive Rigor Matrix:
http://static.pdesas.org/content/documents/M1-Slide_22_DOK_Hess_Cognitive_Rigor.pdf
2009 Karin K. Hess: Hess Cognitive Rigor Matrix, khess@nciea.org

The Gradual Release Model

About the scaffolding technique called the Gradual Release Model (I do it, We do it, You do it):

I do it: explicit teaching (explaining what they need to do)

We do it: guided practice (where you provide support by doing the activity with them)
You do it: independent practice (when the students practice the skills they learned on their own)

Gradual Release Model for the Strategies in this Lesson

Before Reading:

During Reading:

After Reading:

I do it:
The teacher will use the
direct-teach method to
show the students how
to survey text features;
specifically the visuals
found within the text (a
picture walk). The
teacher will facilitate the
surveying by specifically
identifying the most
significant visuals for the
students to focus on.
Then the teacher will
clearly explain to the
students how to analyze
a visual and form a
prediction. The teacher
will model the process of
surveying text features by
analyzing the first visual,
making a prediction, and
explaining the thought
process behind it (a think
aloud).
We do it:
The students will
participate in a class
discussion (guided
practice) by helping the
teacher analyze the
remaining visuals within

I do it:
The teacher will clearly
explain the jigsaw strategy
to the students, and
directly assign one of the
states of matter to each
student. The teacher will
correctly demonstrate how
the students will conduct
their research using an
example from the text that
is unrelated to the
assigned topics (so as not
to give away answers).
We do it:
The students will practice
by beginning the research
on their assigned topic,
while the teacher
circulates and provides any
necessary scaffolding.
You do it:
After the teacher has
circulated the classroom at
least once, the students
are then allowed to
complete the rest of their
research independently.
They are given the
opportunity to share their
research with peers who
were responsible for

I do it:
First, the teacher directly
assigns each student to a
group (knowledge circle),
and clearly defines the
expectations for
participation within the
group. The teacher explicitly
tells the students what the
writing prompt is. The
teacher will use his/her own
example to demonstrate for
the students how to write
their paragraph, how to
create a written list of
details, and how to plot a
series of events.
We do it:
The students will apply the
new information to their
own personal experiences
through a facilitated writing
practice. The teacher will
read the students written
responses and provide any
necessary clarification,
feedback and scaffolding.
You do it:
The students will each share
their personal experience
with their group and clearly
explain how it relates to or

the text, and discussing

what they think the
imagery may suggest
about the text (make a
prediction). The teacher
will provide any needed
guidance and
clarification, or probe the
students to elaborate on
their thoughts.
You do it:
Throughout the class
discussion, the teacher
will give the students a
chance to practice
surveying, analyzing, and
predicting as they each
share/explain their
thoughts aloud to their
classmates.

Strategies and Links:

Before Reading: Picture Walk

During Reading: Jigsaw
After Reading: Knowledge Circle

researching different
states of matter. This
provides the students with
more opportunities for
practice by demonstrating
their research process and
learning from their peers.

represents the different

states of matter. They will
individually write about the
experiences of their peers
by either making a bulleted
list of details or plotting a
sequence of events.

Reflection:
Each activity in the lesson is intended to help the students proceed through the complex organization and structure of the text, and support their
comprehension of the text at (at least) a level three applied reading level. During the picture walk activity, the students are required to survey the
text features, specifically the pictures/imagery within the text, and use those visuals to develop a progression of ideas or draft meaning about the
text. The jigsaw research activity, along with appropriate scaffolding from the teacher, helps guide the readers through the organization and
structure of the text, and allows the students to express what theyve learned by explaining their interpretation of the text to other classmates.
They also get to listen to their classmates point of view and interpretation of the text. The knowledge circle activity also allows students to express
their point of view, and promotes a deeper understanding of the learned concepts through a creative, personalized application of those concepts in
a new context. During each activity, the teacher is providing the necessary scaffolding by modeling each activity beforehand, facilitating group
discussions, answering questions, and using appropriate questioning strategies when needed.

Objectives Connection:
This lesson plan is designed to teach students how to identify and differentiate between the different states of matter, while also facilitating their
literacy skills in reading, writing, language and communication. This is achieved by the progression of class/group activities before, during and after
the text reading that is designed to maintain student interest throughout the entire learning process. The picture walk helps students develop their
surveying and communication skills, while getting them to think deeper and make connections between real-life pictures and abstract academic
concepts. The jigsaw research helps students develop their reading and language skills, while also facilitating a deeper understanding of the text,
because at the end of the activity they are responsible for teaching other students about what they read. The knowledge circle helps students
develop their writing and communication skills, while also facilitating a higher level of cognitive rigor. By having them apply newly learned
information to a personal experience, the students become intrinsically motivated, while demonstrating their ability to synthesize information in
order to develop a complex, creative, alternative scenario.