Balancing Chemical Reactions Lesson

About this resource

What's inside this resource

Balancing Chemical Reactions - This lesson package includes the lesson (student and teacher versions of the presentation), THREE worksheets with answers, one embedded video, and a student lesson handout as a document.

The lesson is interesting, applicable, and provides many opportunities for students to learn how to balance chemical reactions.

In order, the lesson covers:

An overview of the Law of Conservation of Mass
Review of Chemical Reactions
Rules for Balancing
Lots of examples and practice

Included in the lesson package is:

Google and Office versions of each resource
The teacher version of the presentation
The student version of the presentation
One embedded video
THREE student worksheet
Student lesson handout

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This lesson includes both Office and Google formats for ALL resources. The presentation is in PowerPoint and Google Slides while all documents contain Word and Google Doc versions.
Your resource is perfect for distance learning and integrates seamlessly with Google Classroom as I've included a link that will automatically create a copy of the resources and put them directly into your Google Drive with one click.
Purchase --> Open --> Click --> Assign to your students

Having both options allows you to use either without worrying about formatting issues as all the work has already been done for you. It safeguards you in case your department or school decides to go Google 100% and allows you as well as your students to access everything no matter where you are or what kind of equipment is being used.

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The student version of the presentation contains multiple blanks that need to be filled in throughout the lesson. These blanks are conveniently underlined and bolded on the teacher copy. I have found this to be the most effective means of keeping my students engaged and active without having them write everything out. This also leaves more time for discussion and activities.

Also, please visit my blog Teach With Fergy for my thoughts on teaching, learning, and everything in between.

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

Students will balance chemical equations by adding coefficients so the number of atoms of each element matches on both sides.
Students will apply the rule that only coefficients — never subscripts — may be changed to balance an equation.
Students will use a before/after atom-count chart to verify that a balanced equation is correct.
Students will balance twenty independent practice equations across two worksheets, ranging from simple two-element reactions to polyatomic-ion reactions.

Teaching tips

Use the blank student PowerPoint and matching Word handout for guided note-taking, then switch to the completed teacher deck to review answers together.
The teacher deck references a "Don't Break the Law" video on slide 2 — cue this video before the balancing-rules slides if you plan to show it.
Save Worksheets 1 and 2 for independent or homework practice, since fully solved answer PDFs are included for quick checking.

Skills covered

Chemical equation balancing — students add coefficients to equations such as Fe + H2SO4 → Fe2(SO4)3 + H2 so atom counts match on both sides.
Conservation-of-mass reasoning — students confirm atoms are neither created nor destroyed by counting elements before and after balancing.
Polyatomic-ion balancing — students balance equations where an ion such as NO3 or PO4 must be treated as a single unit, e.g. Pb(NO3)2 + KI → PbI2 + KNO3.
Error-checking — students distinguish valid balancing moves (adding coefficients) from invalid ones (changing subscripts or inserting mid-formula coefficients).

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

What's the difference between the two practice worksheets?

Each worksheet gives ten different equations to balance — Worksheet 1 includes reactions such as Fe + H2SO4 → Fe2(SO4)3 + H2, while Worksheet 2 moves into further reactions such as Ca3(PO4)2 + H2SO4 → CaSO4 + Ca(H2PO4)2 — and both are supplied as a blank practice PDF and a fully solved version.

How do the two PowerPoint versions differ?

The student version leaves key terms and numbers blank for students to fill in during the lesson (for example, "_________ change a subscript"), while the teacher version has the same nine slides fully completed, including a worked CH4 + O2 balancing example with a before/after atom chart.