S

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Lesson Sample for Science, Grade 8

by Stacey Joyce
Acknowledgements & Copyright

The new BC Curriculum reflects a shift towards a concept-based, competency-driven

curriculum. The new curriculum is less prescriptive than before, allowing educators to be
creative and innovative in their design of learning experiences, and offering flexibility and
choice for teachers and students.

The new curriculum promotes higher-order thinking and deeper learning centred on the
‘Big Ideas’ in each discipline. Core Competencies related to Thinking and Communication
are explicit, and First Peoples’ Principles of Learning are integrated throughout.

Written by Stacey Joyce

Project Management by Sean Cunniam
Layout and Design by Farrah Patterson
Table of Contents

Overview...............................................................................4

Big Idea.................................................................................4

Learning standards (Content)............................................4

Essential question.................................................................4

Learning standards (Curricular Competencies)...............5

Core Competencies............................................................5

First Peoples Principles of Learning.....................................5

Quarks and Leptons Lesson Flow Chart............................6

Lesson Framework................................................................7

Introduction .........................................................................7

Cookie exploration .............................................................7

Dough exploration...............................................................8

Chocolate chips exploration (optional)...........................8

The atom as a cookie..........................................................9

Formative Assessment Opportunities...............................12

Reflection Opportunities...................................................13

Summative Assessment Options.......................................13

Resources............................................................................14

Card Sort Activity Cards – Cookie Cards........................15

Card Sort Activity Cards – Chocolate Chips..................16

Card Sort Activity Cards – Atom Model..........................17

Quarks and Leptons – Grade 8 Science 3

 Overview
The purpose of this lesson is to further explore the building
blocks of matter. Before this lesson, students would have
explored the kinetic molecular theory and early models
of the atom. Students should be comfortable with the
concept that the atom is made up of three subatomic
particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. This lesson
deepens their knowledge and understanding by
introducing them to the concept of fundamental
(indivisible) particles. Following this lesson, students
would continue to explore the nature of the
atom and how fundamental forces keep
the atom held together. Many possible
extensions or inquiries focused on the
particle model and fundamental
forces (e.g., exploring force carrier
particles or the other types
of quarks) could be further
pursued by students and/
or the teacher.

When developing this lesson, Big Idea

I first chose the concept that I The behaviour of matter can be explained by the
wanted to explore with students.
kinetic molecular and atomic theory.
The concept dictates the Big
Idea and learning standards.
Learning standards
(Content)
Atomic theory and models:

After choosing the content, • protons, neutrons, and quarks

I asked myself, “Why is this • electrons and leptons
content important?” My answer
focused on the importance
of fundamental particles as Essential question
the building blocks of matter. What are all the things in our world made of?
This helped me formulate the
essential question to help guide
student learning.

4 Quarks and Leptons – Grade 8 Science

Learning standards I chose the Curricular
Competencies after I had a
(Curricular Competencies) sketched out a framework for the
lesson. I made a rough outline of the
Questioning and predicting activities and strategies I felt would
be most effective with students
• Make observations aimed at identifying their own
— in this case, the foundational
questions about the natural world
idea is modelling. Knowing
that this lesson was focused on
Processing and analyzing data and information
analogies and models, I selected
• Construct and use a range of methods to the Curricular Competencies that
represent patterns or relationships in data, could be assessed in a naturalistic
way throughout this lesson both
including tables, graphs, keys, models, and
formatively and summatively at
digital technologies as appropriate
the end.
• Seek patterns and connections in data from their
own investigations and secondary sources

Applying and innovating The Core Competencies are

embedded within the Curricular
• Transfer and apply learning to new situations
Competencies and naturally
presented themselves as the lesson
took shape. Choosing the formal
Core Competencies list of Core Competencies was
one of the last things that I did for
Communication this lesson. Once the lesson was
• Connect and engage with others complete, I looked for the Core
Competencies that stood out as
• Acquire, interpret, and present information clear and significant opportunities
for students to develop their profiles.
Critical Thinking
Depending on the teacher’s
• Analyze and critique teaching style, other competencies
may be a better fit.
• Question and investigate

Because this lesson is

First Peoples Principles of Learning
predominately focused on Western
• Learning takes patience and time. science understandings and
research, I knew that First Peoples
• L earning is holistic, reflexive, reflective,
content would be integrated
experiential, and relational. through the First Peoples Principles
of Learning instead of through
direct knowledge and
understandings of
First Peoples.

Quarks and Leptons – Grade 8 Science 5

Quarks and Leptons Lesson Flow Chart

Big Idea
Introduction
Core Competencies Students discuss the
essential question and
share their thinking.

Core Competencies
Cookie Exploration
Curricular
Students dismantle and
Competencies categorize the parts of a
cookie. Transition to the
card sort activity.

Cookie Dough Modelling Chocolate Chip Modelling

Students mix and match card Students investigate
ingredients to investigate difference in chocolate chips.
possible combinations. Transition to card sort activity.

Core Competencies The Atom as a Cookie

Curricular Students use the card sort
Competencies activity to compare and
relate the patterns in cookie
Content ingredients to the patterns in
atoms with subatomic particles.

Core Competencies
Curricular Summative Assessment
Competencies Students create an infographic or
presentation of their choice that
Content
communicates their understanding
of the essential question.

6 Quarks and Leptons – Grade 8 Science

 Once I had the topic, Big Idea, and Content and Curricular Competencies, I sketched out the
framework for this lesson (see flow chart, page 6). In each step of the lesson, I considered
how I would integrate formative assessment strategies to provide a solid foundation
for the summative assessment at the end. The lesson flow chart maps out both the
activities of the lesson and the new curriculum underpinnings (Big Ideas, Core and
Curricular Competencies, and Content learning standards). The flow chart is
intended to help the teacher visualize the lesson through the various lenses
when considering their delivery and formative assessment strategies. Very
different from previous curriculums, the Content learning standards are no
longer the dominant factor in the lesson plan and don’t appear in the
flow chart until the end.

Lesson Framework
Introduction
The essential question, “What are all the things in our world made of?” is intended to serve as the
hook to engage students’ creative and critical thinking skills. The question can be posed in a variety
of ways (e.g., to the class at large, in small groups, through journal entry). Students should have an
opportunity to discuss their answers and to share ideas. Depending on the class, the teacher may
need to guide the discussion to encourage students to question on a deeper level and incorporate
their knowledge of elements and atoms. The teacher may choose to break this lesson into two class
periods: the cookie modelling on day one and the content transition on day two.

As an extension, the teacher may wish to introduce historical ideas of what comprises matter such
as the concept of earth, wind, air, and water as the four fundamental elements.

Students should not try to definitively answer the essential question at this stage. The intention of the
introduction is to place students in an inquiry mindset and have them generate questions to explore
as they proceed through the lesson.

Cookie exploration
The atom is too small to be seen and explored. The foundation of this lesson is to provide students
with a concrete analogy of atoms through the exploration of a chocolate chip cookie. The
intention is that students will find patterns in the building blocks of the cookies and then transfer and
expand their learning to the atom.

To facilitate development of the interpersonal and communication Core Competencies, students

should work in pairs or small groups. The teacher provides a chocolate chip cookie (a soft cookie
is easier to dismantle) to each group. This activity is predominately exploratory, and the teacher
should focus on asking questions rather than directing actions.

Quarks and Leptons – Grade 8 Science 7

Sample questions

• What is a cookie made of?

• Can you see the parts?
• How do you make a cookie?
• How can you change the flavour of a cookie?
• Does it matter what you use to make a cookie?
• Do all cookie recipes turn out well?
• Does combining any set of ingredients always produce edible food?

The learning intention of this activity is to have students collaboratively develop and communicate
their understanding that large things (i.e., the cookie) are made up of smaller parts. Students should
have sufficient background knowledge to generate a list of simple ingredients.

There are a variety of implementation strategies for this activity. The cookie can be physically
separated into the simple parts of chocolate chips and cookie dough. This is an engaging hands-
on activity that should spark student interest. Students then consider the dough and the chocolate
chips separately.

Dough exploration
The dough can be further separated into its constituent parts, but not mechanically as they
cannot be seen or touched. A set of cookie ingredient cards (i.e. card sort) facilitates students’
understanding of how building blocks combine to make up matter. The teacher may choose to use
guided steps or a more open-ended inquiry for this activity depending on their specific class make-
up and learning intentions.

As an extension, students can sort the ingredients into “wet” and “dry” categories. This extra
classification of building blocks can be mirrored with the division of fundamental particles as quarks
and leptons.

Chocolate chips exploration (optional)

The chocolate chips can be further broken down as well. The exploration of the chocolate chips
is specific to the modelling of protons and neutrons. Different types of chocolate chips are used to
simulate different types of subatomic particles. Chocolate chips are easily identified as “one type
of thing,” but there is great variety. Students will explore the foundational building blocks that are
combined in different ways to produce different results (i.e., dark chocolate, white chocolate).

The teacher provides students with a variety of chocolate samples (e.g., high percent cocoa,
low percent cocoa, white chocolate [no cocoa]). Students should make observations about
the chocolate samples and be able to share their thinking with what makes them the same
and different. Depending on which Curricular and Core Competencies the teacher is focusing

8 Quarks and Leptons – Grade 8 Science

on, students could be asked to record, chart, document, or discuss their observations. (A set of
chocolate chip ingredient cards facilitate this exploration.) It is likely that many students will not be
familiar with the ingredients of chocolate, so the cards are simplified.

The key understanding from this activity is for students to be able to communicate how the ratio of
base ingredients can alter the final product. This concrete model will be the basis for understanding
how the different combinations of quarks form different particles.

Sample questions:

• What is chocolate made of?

• Can you see the parts?
• How do you make chocolate?
• How can you change the flavour of chocolate?
• Does it matter what you use to make chocolate?
• How is it possible for different types of chocolate to be made from the same basic
ingredients but still taste differently?
• What are other examples where you can see this pattern?

The atom as a cookie

After cookie activities have been completed, students should have a strong understanding that
the type and amount of a base ingredient results in the properties of the final product. The teacher
may choose to link back to the introductory discussion based on the essential question as a segue
from the concrete to the abstract. Students should be familiar with the three subatomic particles
(proton, neutron, electron) and the basic structure of the atom. There are a variety of decisions to
be made regarding the teaching of the content (quarks and leptons). The teacher may choose
to have the formal content before the modelling activity, or after. As well, the teacher may wish to
formally present the information, or they may prefer to have students independently research or
discover the information in another way.

The intention of this lesson is to introduce students to the idea of fundamental (indivisible) particles
– quarks and leptons – as the basic building blocks of all matter. (Force carrier particles are not
considered at this level). This lesson has students explore only two types of quarks — up and down
— and only one type of lepton — electrons. The particle model of matter is significantly larger
and more encompassing than the quarks and leptons. The teacher and/or students may choose
to delve into the topic in much more detail, past the intentions of this lesson (some suggested
resources are included at the end of this lesson).

Quarks and Leptons – Grade 8 Science 9

A set of particle cards facilitate the modelling and understanding of the basic building blocks of
matter by students. The cards can be used by themselves or in conjunction with the chocolate chip
and cookie cards. The teacher may also provide students with a word list to sort as well, including
any additional terms they deem applicable. The cookie to atomic model is not an exact 1:1 model,
but the cards can be used to effectively model aspects. Some teachers and/or students may find
the concept easier to understand when the cards are used in parallel as in the example below.

Example:

Atom Cookie

Chocolate
Nucleus Electron Dough
Chips

Example:

Nucleus Chocolate Chips

Protons Neutrons Dark Chocolate White Chocolate

Up Quark Up Quark Cocoa Powder Cocoa Butter

Up Quark Down Quark Cocoa Butter
Down Quark Down Quark

Example:

Fundamental Particles Cookie Ingredients

Quarks Leptons Wet Ingredients Dry Ingredients

Up Quark Electron Eggs Flour

Down Quark Neutrino Vanilla Extract Sugar
Charm Quark Muon
Strange Quark Tau
Top Quark
Bottom Quark

10 Quarks and Leptons – Grade 8 Science

As an extension, the teacher may want to include the charge of the quarks on the cards. Students
should already know and be familiar with the charge of electrons, protons, and neutrons. The
simple addition and subtraction of quark charge can be used to reinforce the idea that quarks are
the fundamental building blocks that stack together to form protons and neutrons.

Formative assessment through questioning and observation by the teacher should play a large
role in ensuring that students have developed an understanding of the building blocks of matter.
The teacher should pay close attention to the correct use of the hierarchy of the cards or terms
used by students. The goal of this lesson is for students to understand that the matter we see
around us — from the stars to seaweed — is all made from different combinations of
the same fundamental particles. The teacher should be able to both observe (card
placement) and hear students (discussions, questions) clearly communicating
their knowledge and understandings. The framework of this lesson provides a
solid foundation for a large variation in the depth of content that would
be dictated by the needs and desires of the class.

Quarks and Leptons – Grade 8 Science 11

Formative Assessment Opportunities

CURRICULAR COMPETENCY POSSIBLE ASSESSMENTS

Make observations aimed at identifying their own • Student-generated questions during the
questions about the natural world opening discussion
• Student observations made during the
opening discussion
• Students explain their thinking when dividing
up the cookie parts
• Observations of chocolate chip differences
• Questions and observations about how
chocolate chips can be different and similar at
the same time

Construct and use a range of methods to • Observations of card sort layouts

represent patterns or relationships in data, • Informal questioning of students as they work in
including tables, graphs, keys, models, and digital pairs with the card sort idea
technologies as appropriate
• Suggestions of other analogies or models that
could be used to model building blocks

Seek patterns and connections in data from their • Observations of card sort layouts
own investigations and secondary sources • Informal questioning of students as they work in
pairs with the card sort idea
• Student connections to background
knowledge

Transfer and apply learning to new situations • Observations of card sort layouts
• Informal questioning of students as they work in
pairs with the card sort idea
• Generation of new analogies and/or models

CONTENT POSSIBLE ASSESSMENTS

Atomic theory and models: • Informal questioning of students as they work in

• protons, neutrons, and quarks pairs with the card sort idea
• electrons and leptons • Listening to discussions between students
• Use of concept-based “clicker” questions
• Think-Pair-Share responses based on specific
and focused questions by the teacher
• Observations of card sort layouts

12 Quarks and Leptons – Grade 8 Science

Reflection Opportunities
Students may reflect formally (e.g., science journal, edublog, freshgrade) or informally (e.g.,
discussion) on the content and activities in this lesson. The teacher or students may choose to:

• Compare and contrast the idea of “fire, wind, earth, water” to “quarks and leptons” as
building blocks of matter
• Comment on how this new information fits in with understanding the world
• Consider the validity of this information knowing quarks and leptons have never been seen
or touched

Summative Assessment Options

Formal assessment of the Curricular Competencies and Content learning standards is through a
student-created infographic. Students are tasked with the creation of an infographic that clearly
communicates their learning and understanding of the fundamental particles and a rudimentary
knowledge of the standard model (particle physics). The instructions should be very open-ended to
encourage creative and critical thinking Core Competencies. Teachers can provide, or co-create
with students, the criteria that will be assessed and allow them maximum creative freedom.

Possible assessed learning outcomes

• Model of the atom including representation of protons, neutrons, and electrons
• Understanding of the term “fundamental”
• Representation of quarks and leptons
• Modelling of protons as two up quarks and a down
• Modelling of neutrons as two down quarks and an up
• Connections to prior content
• Connections to the cookie (or other) analogy

Possible student choice alternatives to an infographic

• Screen cast
• Poster
• Digital video
• TV or radio interview
• Press Release presentation

Quarks and Leptons – Grade 8 Science 13

Possible extensions
For students wanting to challenge themselves, the teacher can have them create their own
analogy to compare with the building blocks of matter. Students can then present their analogies
to their classmates.

Possible adaptations
For students with higher learning needs, the teacher can provide an infographic template or
framework that guides and prompts them for the required information.

Resources
http://particleadventure.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlv06lSAC7c&list=PLAPjAbosOdYgTeS2L4XiKvirIaKD_ODdv
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMgi2j9Ks9k&index=2&list=PLAPjAbosOdYgTeS2L4XiKvirIaKD_ODdv
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0KjXsGRvoA&index=3&list=PLAPjAbosOdYgTeS2L4XiKvirIaKD_ODdv

14 Quarks and Leptons – Grade 8 Science

Card Sort Activity Cards – Cookie Cards

FLOUR BAKING SODA SALT

BUTTER SUGAR EGGS

VANILLA COOKIES COOKIE DOUGH

EXTRACT

Quarks and Leptons – Grade 8 Science 15

Card Sort Activity Cards – Chocolate Chips

COCOA COCOA BUTTER SUGAR

POWDER

CHOCOLATE
CHIPS

16 Quarks and Leptons – Grade 8 Science

Card Sort Activity Cards – Atom Model

ATOM NUCLEUS ELECTRON

PROTON UP QUARK DOWN QUARK

NEUTRON UP QUARK DOWN QUARK

Quarks and Leptons – Grade 8 Science 17