Students collect data about three chemical reactions (baking soda and vinegar; calcium chloride, baking soda and water; ammonium chloride and water) and determine if each reaction is endothermic or exothermic. Then, students determine which reaction would be the best to create a hot pack. Finally, students design, build, test and modify an original pie-warming device!

Students independently practice counting atoms in chemical formulas and review why we cannot turn carbon into gold! They demonstrate the law of conservation of mass by comparing the reactants and products of rust. Students model the reaction between baking soda and vinegar by cutting apart reactant molecules, building the products and creating a poster of this chemical equation!

Students differentiate between physical and chemical changes and learn the signs of a chemical reaction. Then, they plan and carry out an investigation and compare reactants (baking soda and vinegar) and products to determine if a chemical change has occurred. Students share their evidence for a chemical change with a claim, evidence and reasoning assessment.