SCIENCE LESSON PLAN

TEACHER: Neerja Yadav- Dulalchan

DATE: 29/01/16

CLASS: Form 4
TIME: 1 hour
PERIODS: 1
UNIT: Cells
TOPIC: Diffusion
REFERENCES (exclude class text, include page numbers).

CXC Biology Chinnery and Glasgow

CSEC Biology Atwaroo Ali

PRE-REQUISITES

Knowledge: - 1. Students should know:

1. That cells are the basic unit of life.
2. That different reactions take place within the cell and that these cells need substances from
outside the cell to carry out these reactions.

Skill:- students should know how to:

1. Work and communicate effectively in groups.

MATERIALS & RESOURCES

For Teacher

For each group / student

MMP, Laptop, PPP

Textbook
Whiteboard / Markers, perfume, kettle

textbook, work sheet, diffusion props

made of Bristol board,
Beakers with cold water and hot water,
potassium permanganate crystals, stop
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watch, spatula, balloon, shoe box, vanilla

essence and block.

CONCEPT OR PRINCIPLE

Diffusion is the movement of particles from an area of high concentration to an area of low
concentration until evenly distributed. This process is necessary for the transport of the
substances that are needed for cells processes in our body and is also needed to remove unwanted
waste from cells to ensure the survival of the organism.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

Classification

Define the term Diffusion.

Cognitive( Remember)

Explain why diffusion can only normally occur

through liquids and gases.

Cognitive (Understand)

Explain how factors such as temperature speed up

diffusion.

Cognitive (Understand)

PROCESS SKILLS

During this lesson, students will be engaged in:

Identifying / formulating a problem

Designing and Planning an experimental procedure

Setting-up and executing experimental work

Observing and measuring

Recording of data and observations

Interpreting and evaluating data and observations

Communicating scientific ideas, observations and

arguments

Applying scientific ideas and methods to solve qualitative and quantitative problems
Decision-making based on examination of evidence and arguments
Extracting from available information data relevant to a particular situation

ACTIVITIES

Models: Social interaction ( group work and role playing), Information processing (concept attainment,
inductive thinking)
Introduction:
Activity 1
Teacher places students into groups and gives them a beaker with room temp water, potassium
permanganate crystals (purple dye) and a spatula.
Teacher tells students that they are going to place one spatula of the dye crystals into the beaker of
water. Before they do so the teacher tells students to write down what they think will happen.
Students then place the dye in the water, immediately start the stopwatch and write down their
observations. Students time how long it takes for the dye to become equally distributed.
Teacher asks students what they noticed.
Students say that the colour seemed to spread out from dark purple to light purple.
Teacher gets students to mimic the dye using the classroom as the beaker, the desks as the water and
themselves as the dye.
Teacher asks students what they think the crystals are made up of. (Teacher tries to get students to say
particles)
Teacher tells students that today they are going to learn about the process whereby these particles spread
out. A process called Diffusion.
Development:
Teacher asks students questions to get them to relate the amount of particles to the intensity of the purple
colour.
Students say the deeper purple means that more particles are present and the lighter purple means that
there are less particles.
Teacher gives students props to explain more concentrated and less concentrated and concentration
gradient.
Teacher shows students a beaker where the dye has been evenly distributed and asks students to
comment on what has happened.
Teacher then allows students to try to come up with a definition for diffusion.
Students share their answers and teacher gives a definite definition.
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Activity 2
Teacher then places the groups in different positions in the class, front, middle and back.
Teacher then sprays perfume in one corner of the classroom.
Students immediately start the stop watch and time how long it takes for them to smell the perfume.
Students then determine at which position in the classroom the perfume was smelt first and why.
Groups of students explain what they think.
Teacher asks students to place some dye on a solid block and notice what happened,
Students say that nothing happened.
Teacher asks why.
Teacher inquires why diffusion was easily observed through a liquid and gas but not a solid.
Teacher gets students to talk about spaces between particles as the reason.
Activity 3
Teacher asks students if diffusion is important to living organisms and why.
Students say yes because cells need certain substances to carry out processes.
Teacher asks students how these substances get into cells.
Teacher tells students to place some vanilla essence in a balloon, blow up the balloon and place it in a
shoe box. Students leave this balloon for a few minutes and write down what they think will happen.
Students smell the box the balloon was in and come up with an explanation in groups.
Teacher asks students to think of the balloon as a semi-permeable membrane and that diffusion can also
take place through membranes, such as those in the body.
Activity 4
Teacher gives students a beaker with hot water, asks them to place the dye in the beaker and to time how
long the particles take to diffuse.
Students compare results to activity 1.
Teacher tells students to once again mimic the movement of molecules.
Students state what was different from the first time.
Teacher explains how the energy of particles are increased.
Teacher tells students that diffusion is generally a slow process but can be sped up by different factors
such as increasing the temperature.
Consolidation:
Teacher shows a video on diffusion.
Students complete work sheet.
Teacher recaps main points of the lesson.

TEACHERS REFLECTION: I really enjoyed this class which was packed with interesting activities.
The students surpassed my expectations and were at a very high level. This taught me not to make
assumptions about students from any school. Students also enjoyed the diffusion activities and role
playing as particles. However, I could have given a situation or problem at the start of the lesson to
enhance the lesson and I could have been more specific with my questioning. This was one of my most
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successful lessons in my opinion thus far. At the end I really felt as though I had made a positive
difference in students where they understood the concepts easier.

TUTORS COMMENTS

Activity Sheet
Diffusion
Activity 1- Placement of Potassium permanganate crystals in water

What I think will

happen

What actually
happened

Time
taken/s

Reason

Activity 2- Spraying perfume in one corner of the classroom

Position in class

Front

Middle

Back

Time/s taken
to smell
perfume

Reason

Placing the potassium permanganate crystals on a solid block

Observation

Reason

Activity 3- Placing vanilla essence in a balloon.

Observation before Observation after

Reason

Activity 4- Placing the potassium permanganate crystals in hot water

Observation

Time/s

Reason

Fill in the blanks

1. Diffusion is the movement of ____________________ from a region of

_____________ _______________ to a region of _______________
______________ until evenly __________________.
2. The difference in particles between two regions is called the ______________
________________.
3. Diffusion cannot normally occur in solids because the particles that make them
up are very _______________ ________________.
4. Diffusion can occur through a liquid and ______ as well as a ______________
_______________ _____________ to deliver useful substances into cells and to
remove waste from cells.
5. Raising the _______________ can speed up diffusion because the particles
have more _______________ and so move _____________.