Gas Laws Inquiry-Based Lesson Plan

Course: Grade 11 Chemistry (SCH 3U)

Unit: Strand F – Gases and Atmospheric Chemistry

Length: 75 minutes

Curriculum Expectations:

F2. investigate gas laws that explain the behaviour of gases, and solve related problems;

F2.2 determine, through inquiry, the quantitative and graphical relationships between the

pressure, volume, and temperature of a gas

Learning Goals:

Students will:

 Investigate the relationship between the pressure, volume and temperature of a gas

 Understand how to utilize online simulations to conduct scientific inquiries

 Create relationship graphs based on predictions and observations

Lesson Format & Instructional Strategies:

Introduction/Hook Activity (10 min.):

‘Predict’ Stage

Students will be divided into groups of approximately 3 or 4. Each group will be given a scenario

and asked to predict what they think the outcome would be. For example, groups will be given

one of two possible scenarios:

 1. When travelling by plane, it is encouraged to be chewing food while ascending or

descending in order to prevent your ears from popping. Why do you think your ears pop

while the ascending/descending?

2. When cans of soda have been shaken or disturbed, it is advised to wait a while before

opening the can. Why do you think this is?

Each group will have approximately five minutes to come up with an explanation to their

proposed scenario. An additional five minutes will be allotted to having each student complete

the ‘Predictions Handout’. Here, students will use the handout to sketch what they predict the

graphs representing the relationships between the pressure, volume, and temperature of a gas

would look like.

Resources/Materials: Predictions Handout (See Appendix A)

Middle (35 min. total):

‘Observe’ Stage

Part 1 (20 min.): Students will carry out their own investigation to discover the relationships

between the pressure, volume and temperature of a gas using a PhET simulation.

Students must adhere to the following criteria while conducting simulation:

 A minimum of six data points for each variable investigating

 Zero cannot be one of the points

 Record both quantitative and qualitative observations

 Ensure the temperature stabilizes after a change before recording the value

Students will be given the freedom to collect and record their own observations and data. Thus,

they will not be given a pre-set observations sheet to fill in.

Resources/Materials: Simulation found at https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/gases-

intro/latest/gases-intro_en.html, class set of student Chromebooks/computers

Part Two (15 min.): Graphing Exercise

Students will graph their data on three separate graphs using Google Sheets (to be shared with

teacher through Google Classroom). Their graphs should meet the following requirements:

 Title

 Labelled x and y axes

 Appropriate units

 At least 6 data points per graph

 A line or curve of best fit showing the trend

Conclusion (30 min. Total):

‘Explain’ Stage

Part One (15 min.): Students will share with the class how their observations differed from their

initial predictions. With scaffolding from the teacher, they will explain why these relationships

occur. For example, when volume is constant, as temperature increases participles gain more

energy and begin moving faster. This increase in kinetic energy causes an increase in pressure

of the container.

The teacher will use the students graphs to introduce the Gas Laws equations: Boyle’s, Charle’s,

and Gay-Lussac's Laws.

Resources/Materials: Teacher PowerPoint presentation

Problem Solving Exit Ticket (15 min): Students will be provided three questions to apply their

understanding of the Gas Laws as a lesson consolidation. The questions will be submitted to the

teacher at the end of class as a formative assignment used to guide future instruction.

The three questions are as follows:

1. Consider a sealed glass bottle. If the bottle is thrown into a fire, what would happen to the

bottle and why? Which gas law represents this situation?

2. Why are the tanks that scuba divers use stored in the shade rather than the sun? Use a gas

law to explain your answer and incorporate a diagram to represent what happens to the

particles in this situation.

3. Why does it make sense that tire inflation alarms read ‘high pressure’ during the summer,

and ‘low pressure’ during the winter? Which gas law represents this situation?

the teacher can use this exit ticket to make appropriate adjustments for future lessons

before students practice working with equations. We should want to make sure that the students

understand these laws before proceeding.

References

Karamustafaoğlu, S., & Mamlok-Naaman, R. (2015). Understanding Electrochemistry Concepts

Using the Predict-Observe-Explain Strategy. EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science

and Technology Education, 11(5). doi:10.12973/eurasia.2015.1364a

Sunal, D. W., Wright, E., & Sundberg, C. (2008). The impact of the laboratory and technology

on learning and teaching science K-16. Charlotte, NC: IAP/Information Age Pub.
 Predictions Handout
Print out this handout and use the graphs to predict the relationship between each set of
variables. Without using the simulation, sketch what you think the graphs would look like. Note:
Be sure to label your x and y axes.
Volume-Pressure graph Explain your reasoning for the graph’s appearance

Volume-Temperature graph Explain your reasoning for the graph’s appearance

Temperature-Pressure graph Explain your reasoning for the graph’s appearance