IPC.8.B
The student is expected to develop and use models to balance chemical equations and support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction;
Knowledge and Skills Statement
Science concepts. The student knows that changes in matter affect everyday life.
Further Explanation
The coefficients in a balanced chemical reaction indicate how many of each substance is used or produced when the reaction proceeds to completion. The coefficient is multiplied by the subscript to determine the quantity of each element.
Supporting Information
Research
Bílek, Martin, Małgorzata Nodzyńska, Wioleta Kopek-Putała, and Paulina Zimak-Piekarczyk."Balancing Chemical Equations Using Sandwich Making Computer Simulation Games As A Supporting Teaching Method." Problems of Education in the 21st Century 76, no. 6 (2018): 779-799. https://doi.org/10.33225/pec/18.76.779
Summary: The aim of the research was to examine whether using computer simulations can help younger children to balance chemical equations before they start to learn chemistry by using the psychological theory of transfer. The obtained results proved that the balancing of the simple equation of reaction was mastered by over 50% of the children tested.