Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v4 - SHS 2

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• Describe the factors that affect the rate of chemical reactions.
• Analyse data from experiments on reaction rates.
• Discuss practical applications of reaction rates in everyday life in Ghana.

Lesson summary

This lesson introduces the concept of reaction rates, which is essentially the "speed" of a chemical reaction. Understanding this is crucial in our daily lives and in industry. Think about cooking: why does slicing yam into smaller pieces make it cook faster than cooking a whole tuber? Why do we refrigerate fresh fish or meat to prevent it from spoiling quickly? The answers lie in controlling the rate of chemical reactions. In this lesson, we will not only learn the theory but also conduct experiments, collect data, and analyse it like real scientists to understand the factors that control how fast reactions happen.

Lesson notes

2.1 What is the Rate of a Reaction?

Just like a car's speed is the distance it travels per unit of time (km/h), the rate of a chemical reaction is the change in the amount of a reactant or product per unit of time.

We can express it in two ways: The speed at which reactants are used up. The speed at which products are formed.

Formula: Rate = (Change in concentration of substance) / (Time taken for the change)

Evaluation guide

• Perform experiments to investigate the factors that affect the rate of reaction and
• analys e the data from the rate experiments.
• Experiential Learning :
• In small mixed -ability groups and using circus activities, design, and perform experiments to