chalkboard with acids and bases written on it

Everything You Need to Know About How to Teach Acids and Bases

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Getting ready to teach acids and bases? Your students have probably heard these terms before, so I feel the best way to introduce this topic is to get them in the lab first. 

Each of these activities is not necessarily meant to represent a single day. Depending on the speed at which you teach, or how long your class discussions last, each topic could take .5 – 2 days. I’ve included how much time I spend on each as a guide, but feel free to modify it to your needs. 

Acids and Bases Lesson Plans

Total Duration: (11-16 days)

Note: a day refers to 45-50 minute periods

Topic & TimelineTasksDescription
IntroductionSoap LabI like to start ahead of time with this Soap Lab. The soap takes 4-6 weeks to cure, so I usually start the process two weeks before we start this unit. My students find the pH of their soap on the first day, during the inquiry lab below, and then regularly during the acid-base unit. When the soap is in a safe range (around 8) they can unmold it and take it home. 
Acid/Base Characteristics 

2 days		Inquiry Acid/Base Lab or Simulation

Post lab Discussion

Acids and Bases Notes

Practice		Have them test the pH of a variety of household products. If this isn’t possible, you can use an online simulation, like the pH Basics from pHet.
We discuss our findings as a class and then move on to notes to solidify our understanding of acids and bases. I encourage my students to ask questions during this time to make sure we’re all on the same page. Students then move on to group or independent practice with their newfound vocabulary.
Acid/Base Theories 

1 day		Acid-Base Theory Notes
 
Practice		Once your students have a basic understanding of what items are acids and which are bases, then you can move on to more in-depth discussions of how to define them at the particle level. I introduce my students to all of the acid-base theories on the same day. We compare and contrast these theories. My hope is that they understand that each model is valid but may have limitations.
Naming Acids and Bases 

2 days		POGIL – Naming Acids

Naming Notes 

Practice		I introduce naming acids and bases with the Naming Acids POGIL activity and follow it up with notes and practice. They just learn the rules for adding the prefix hydro- and the suffixes -ic and -ous. 
pH and Strength 

3 days		pH Notes 

Practice

pH and Neutralization Video

HS POGIL: Strong vs Weak Acids

TedEd Video

Strength Notes

Practice		I teach pH with notes and practice and incorporate it into a discussion of acid/base strength. I do not use the pH POGIL, but you certainly could. I refer back to the introductory lab and we discuss the different pHs of the household products we tested. If you were unable to do a lab like this, you can refer to the online simulation. There is also a more in-depth pH scale pHet simulation and acid-base solution (strength) pHet simulation which could be nice to present to the whole class. If you have easy access to computers I would definitely spend a day exploring these two simulations.
Conjugate Acids and Bases 

1 day		Conjugate Notes 

Practice		I do like to teach my students about conjugate acids and bases as an extension of acid-base strength. I do this just with notes and practice. A further extension could be adding in titrations and buffers. 
Optional: Titrations

 3 days		AP POGIL: Titrations

Titration Lab		Do you have burets? Then you can set up a titration! Yay for you! No burets? You can use a pipet and have students count drops. They won’t be able to complete calculations this way- unless you assign a volume to a drop…
Optional: Buffers 

1 day		Video + Discussion

Buffers Lab from Bramble Chemistry		For an extension, I introduce the idea of buffers to my students. I would show the video for a real-world example and then complete the lab. 
Review

1-2 days		Acid/Base Solutions Lab PracticalI like to review for the acid-base assessment with a solutions lab practical. I have a set of 6 solutions prepared for my students to test. I got this activity from my cooperating teacher in 2012!  Students choose 4 solutions to analyze and must perform 5 or 9 optional skills. They include things like finding the pH, finding the pOH, naming the acid or writing the formula, describing how to change the pH, discussing the strength of the acid/base, defining the conjugate acid/base, writing an example of a  neutralization reaction, etc. When complete they will have performed 20 skills. 
Summative Assessment 

1 day		Test

I have not linked anything to “practice” because it varies from year to year. I have collected a lot of practice pages since I started teaching. Sometimes I’ll create my own documents and sometimes I’ll use something a colleague has made.

Many of the notes I sell in my TPT store come with some practice problems. If you feel like your students still need more practice there are a couple of places I like to use:

I hope you found this helpful! If you’re looking for more chemistry lesson plans check out The Chemistry Particle’s Guide to Teaching High School Chemistry!

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