Science Lesson Planning Template
Overview and Context
Your name(s):
Grade level and school:
Title of lesson/activity:
Teaching date(s) and time(s):
Estimated time for lesson/activity:
Overview of lesson:
Context of lesson:
Sources:
Learning Goals and Assessments
Learning Goals and EEE+A
Connection
NGSS Performance Expectation
Learning Goal(s)
Type of Assessment(s)
Connection to Activities
Investigation question students
will answer:
Claim with evidence and
reasoning you hope students will
Adapted from University of Michigan, Elementary Teacher Education Program
Elizabeth Casolari
9th Grade Biology
Carbon Card Game
10/3/22 @ 1:14 pm
55 minutes
In this lesson students will be playing a card game with elements to
practice making bonds. They will be given a set of cards. Each card
has an element on it with lines to represent bonds. They will have
to combine the elements using the bond lines to build molecules.
The students are in the middle of a unit on energy and matter and
macromolecules and have previously learned about energy and
matter in chemical reactions and how energy is stored in food.
They have also learned about the types of macromolecules and
practiced breaking/forming macromolecules from small subunits in
the previous lesson. In this lesson, students will go a little further
and will now create macromolecules from elements. They will be
given elements as cards with each element allowing for a different
number and type of bond and they will use those cards to create
molecules.
Troy High School Biology Department. “Carbon Card Game.” Troy
High School Biology Department, 2022.
Zedan, Emily. “Daily Agenda Slides” Emily Zedan, 2022.
HS-LS1-6 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for how
carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from sugar molecules may combine
with other elements to form amino acids and/or other large carbon-
based molecules.
Students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of bonds,
macromolecules and energy by constructing large carbon-based
molecules from elements.
Students will be assessed on their ability to apply their prior
knowledge of macromolecules, energy, and bonds to construct
molecules. They will show their knowledge by submitting photos of
their molecules.
Students will be doing a carbon card game where they will use their
understanding of elements/bonds to create molecules which they will
then submit.
How do bonds form and elements combine to form larger carbon-
based molecules?
Claim: Larger carbon-based molecules are able to store more energy.
Evidence: Different elements have different abilities to form bonds.
page 1 of 4
generate: C-4, H-1, O-2, ect. The more elements with larger bond forming
capabilities, the larger the molecules can be and the more energy it
can have. More carbon means more bond options as it can form four
bonds, but more of elements like hydrogen and the molecule will be
smaller as it can only form one bond.
Reasoning: The types of elements used to create a molecule can
impact the size and energy of the molecule. Carbon atoms are able
to form more bonds (4) than other elements such as hydrogen (1)
and are thus able to store more energy. The more carbon and other
elements a molecule have the larger the molecule is and the more
bonds it has for energy storage. In comparison, molecules containing
a lot of non-carbon elements have less bond availability which means
less potential to store energy in those bonds such as oxygen which
only forms 2 bonds and nitrogen that can form 3 bonds.

Attending to the Learners

Anticipating student ideas,
including alternative ideas,
misconceptions, prior knowledge,
and prior experiences:
Making the content accessible to
all students, including how you are
setting high expectations for all
students, helping every student be
a doer of science, and working
toward structural equity and critical
consciousness. (If there are
individual children you need to be
sure to differentiate for, write that
here as well)
-There are a variety of bond options that students will be exploring
in this lesson and there may be misconceptions on how to interpret
those bonds and how they connect elements together.
-The students should all have previous knowledge and experience
with macromolecule structures, elements present in different
macromolecules, and the basics of how bonds break and form.
-All students are expected to use what they have learned previously
to participate with other students in playing the carbon card game.
-The students will work together in groups and help each other
create bonds between elements. They will have the ability to refer
to their previous assignments, confer with their peers, and ask the
teacher questions as they go through the activity.
-All students will submit the assignment by the following class
period with the exception of students with set options for extra
time.

Instructional Sequence

Materials: -Daily Agenda Slides with warm up question

-Carbon Card Game Worksheet (On Schoology)
-Carbon Card deck

Instructional Sequence

Steps for Engage Element

Time: 10-15 The teacher will: The students will:

min
-Greet the students for the day.
-Guide the students to open up their
-Open their iPad’s to complete the warm-
up question.
-Students will revise their CER if

Adapted from University of Michigan, Elementary Teacher Education Program page 2 of 4

 iPad’s and complete the warm up necessary and desired.
question: -Students will open up the Carbon Card
Game document and listen for
“Look back at Fridays Building instructions.
Macromolecules activity.

1.) What happened to the H and OH

of molecules when you formed
different macromolecules?

2.) If we were to break apart one of

the completed macromolecules,
what would happen to the water
molecule?”

-Discuss the CER grading: First time using

the rubric, there was a lot of great
improvement and answers. Since it is the
first one graded, there will be a chance to
revise using feedback to get full credit.
Due by the start of the next class period.

-Direct students to go to the Unit 1.3

Classwork folder and open, “Carbon Card
Game” document.

-Explain and Model the Carbon Card

Game:

1.) Take a minute for students to read

the instructions.

2.) Purpose: Practice using what you have

learned about bonds and elements to
create different molecules.

3.) Each group will get a playing set of

cards from the counter. Read the rules for
how to play the game and each round.
Each round will be slightly different so
read the instructions.

-5 cards per player, start with a

carbon with four single bonds. The goal is
to get rid of the cards in your hand and
complete the molecule (no bonds left
unsatisfied) or draw another card.

-lines are bonds and must match bonds

Adapted from University of Michigan, Elementary Teacher Education Program page 3 of 4

 together with no bonds unsatisfied. Can
use a double bond on a corner of two
single bonds.

-If no card to play then draw from the

pile, if the molecule finishes and no one
has won start a new molecule.

-Quickly show an example of a card with

single bonds and one with double bonds
and model how to connect them.

4.) Ask for Questions.

Steps for Experience Element

Time: 40 min The teacher will: The students will:

-Walk around the room to answer -Get into groups and complete the carbon
questions, and check student work and card game.
understanding.

Steps for Explain + Argue Element

Time: 0-5 min The teacher will: The students will:

-Check to see if students will need extra -Submit the carbon card game as a pdf
time the following day and remind on Schoology.
students to submit their work as a pdf on
Schoology.

Organizational/Management Considerations:

-Students have established table partner and groups that they will work with.

-If students are unable to finish in class, then they may need 10-15 minutes of the next class period to
finish their game.

Adapted from University of Michigan, Elementary Teacher Education Program page 4 of 4