There’s a few ways to get physical and chemical changes to be more engaging, but I will say it’s not easy. Kids find this topic super boring, especially by the time they get to high school. I find that many of my students come to my class with the half truth that physical changes can be undone, and chemical properties can’t be undone. Well, once we start talking about equilibrium reactions all of that becomes untrue.
Issues with Physical and Chemical Changes
I try to correct this (and get through the lesson) quickly. To do this, I combine the lessons on physical and chemical properties and physical and chemical changes. I like to do a quick lecture describing the general difference between properties and changes. We decide that the properties are adjectives and the changes are verbs. This usually gives the students a good starting place. Then we talk about specific examples of physical and chemical properties, and the same for physical and chemical changes. I make sure to describe a chemical change as a chemical reaction. In a chemical reaction bonds old bonds are broken and new bonds are formed. I’m not sure why lower grade teachers have been half-truthing students in about this. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation, but it’s something I need to correct very quickly.
I use this worksheet to help students distinguish physical and chemical properties as well. It’s a little juvenile for high school, but trust me, this works. I have used it as a bulletin board in the hallway. But I’ve also printed it at 80% and just had the kids put it in their interactive notebooks. Either way, getting the kids too describe themselves as if they were a chemical, really helps us to distinguish physical and chemical properties and changes as we move on. Click here to get a free copy sent to your email inbox.
Use Interactive Notebooks in High School Science
I teach my lesson using what I call Baby Notes. In essence, it’s guided notes that my students put into a composition notebook. The idea is that my students will build a textbook throughout the year that may have some cards or other manipulatives inside it. We don’t spend a lot of time on building the notebooks. I have a lot of unpopular opinions about interactive notebooks that you can read about.
I especially like these notebooks for the “question cards.” I’ve been doing this for a few years now, and they’ve slowly been added to the Baby Notebooks as my teaching has evolved. Students glue in tiny little pieces of paper that resemble worksheets. Then they have space to answer the questions in the notebook’s pages. It acts as a midpoint assessment, and my students can easily cover the answers and redo the questions for study practice. Honestly, my students are usually pretty pumped about these question cards. I think they like the fact that they are tiny because it doesn’t feel like a lot of work.
Physical and Chemical Changes Card Sort
Then I choose one of a few different activities that I have created over the years. The first is a card sort. I love card sorts and you can read more about that here. In this card sort, students literally pick up the cards and move them to a corner of their desk into the categories “physical property,” “chemical property,” “physical change,” and “chemical change.” I keep a laminated set in my classroom and have my students write the results of this card sort in their notebooks.
I’ve also printed these for students to stuff into their notebooks using a folded paper envelope. Once they complete the task, they copy down their results so they have an answer key. This is another way that my students can study when they go home. I find that many of my students need to be taught how to study, and these card sorts can act as flashcards.
Playing Spoons in High School Science Classroom
Of course, this card sort activity can be used as a game of spoons. My kids LOVE to play spoons with the card sorts. Essentially the kids need to collect three of a kind from the deck of all the cards in a fast moving game that resembles musical chairs. Once a student has gotten their three of a kind they reach into the center and grab a spoon. There is one fewer spoon than there are students, so the mad rush for spoons results in somebody missing out. They are the checker, who decides if the “winner” truly had three of a kind. A spoon is removed and the game is repeated. I will usually take the “loser” and create a new “loser’s circle” to start a new game. Of course, I don’t call it that – but do what works for your class.
Digital Activity for Physical and Chemical Changes
Lastly, this card sort activity has been converted to a digital format. (Insert unladylike grunt here…) I created a Google Slides presentation where my students can pick up small boxes and move them to a pre-sectioned part of the slide. It has a similar feel to the paper card sort. Kids can even duplicate the slides to have an answer key to redo their assignment. Although, I usually will just copy the answer key into their presentation after they’ve submitted it so they have it.
Physical and Chemical Changes Pixel Art Digital Activity
I’m not a humongous fan of the digital card sorts. I mean, I like them, but it doesn’t have the same feel as the physical cards. They aren’t manipulated the same way, and I feel like it loses the kinesthetic aspect. So of course, I created a pixel art activity. Now these, things? I’m obsessed! It’s a pre-programmed Google Sheet that tells the students immediately if they are right or wrong. As they answer the questions, a hidden image is revealed. Mine are all themed to reveal animals. My students have decided that it is a competition to figure out what the animal is and then spoil it for the rest of the class. Teenagers are fun…
So yes, making physical and chemical changes more engaging has been a challenger, but it’s one that I have come to enjoy. I usually decide which activity to use depending on the general vibe of my class. I believe it’s always a good idea to switch things up and give the students what excites them. It’s also a great idea to have a few different activities going at once, because then you can offer them a choice in the matter. And we all know that student choice can be a huge pain in the neck for us, but it’s good for them.
Student Choice Activities for Physical and Chemical Changes
And before you go, I want you to know that I didn’t create all of these activities at once. They’ve slowly been developed over a few years. Which is how it should be done. During my first year, I did a Google search and used a free worksheet. My second year was the card sort. Third was spoons. Fourth was digital card sort and fifth was the pixel art. I’m fairly certain that I’m finished sprucing up physical and chemical changes to make it more engaging. Well, at least I hope so – I’d like to move on to something new. Though I’m sure something new will come to me eventually!
