Chemistry Lesson: Methane Combustion & Climate
Lesson Plan
1 hour 30 minutesGrades9, 10, 11, 12Chemistry
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Written by Greta Stacy
About this lesson
Students learn to balance combustion reactions and consider the impact of the CO2 emissions from these reactions on the climate. Students investigate careers in the green energy sector.
Inquire: Students share what they know about “burning” reactions and define the term “combustion reaction.”
Investigate: Students use a PhET Simulation to learn how to balance combustion reactions and may complete a stoichiometry problem as a challenge.
Inspire: Students explore career options as Energy Auditors or Home Performance Consultants.
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Everything you need to teach it
How to edit these materials (video)Teaching tips
Suggestions
- This lesson could be taught as part of a unit on balancing chemical equations.
- Make it Local: Connect the lesson to local issues. Is your community near a coal plant, a major highway, or an area affected by wildfires? Use these local examples as the initial phenomenon.
- Emphasize the "System": Use the crosscutting concept of Systems and System Models to help students see how a chemical reaction (combustion in an engine) is part of a much larger Earth system (the carbon cycle, the water cycle, and climate).
- Inquiry Over Lecture: Resist the urge to simply lecture on balancing equations. Let students struggle with the models in the "Investigate" phase; this struggle is where deep learning about the conservation of atoms occurs.
Prerequisites
- Students will need computers to access the PhET Simulation.
- Students should have a basic understanding of atoms, molecules, and chemical formulas.
- Students should be familiar with the concept of the periodic table of elements.
- Basic math skills are helpful for understanding the ratio concepts in balancing equations.
Differentiation
- Students can use model kits to explore balancing equations alongside, or instead of, the PhET Simulation.
- For Struggling Learners: Provide a step-by-step guided worksheet for balancing equations with pre-drawn models. Offer a word bank for key terms (combustion, hydrocarbon, greenhouse gas). Focus on the primary reaction of methane.
- For English Language Learners: Use visuals extensively—videos, diagrams of the greenhouse effect, and images of molecular models. Pair them with supportive peers. Provide sentence starters for discussions and written conclusions (e.g., "The graph shows that...", "The combustion of methane produces...").
- For Advanced Learners: Challenge them to balance the combustion of more complex molecules like sucrose (C12H22O11) or to model incomplete combustion, producing carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon particulates (soot).
- For Advanced Learners: Students can further investigate the chemical differences between various greenhouse gases in terms of their global warming potential (GWP) using this self-paced lesson.
- For extension or further discussion, here are more resources on green careers related to this lesson:
- The following lessons/resources can be used to help address questions students may have about removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere:
- Science Lesson: Carbon Sequestration
- Science Lesson: Carbon Removal Technology
- For an NYC connection: Carbon Quest
From the scientist review
This lesson engages students in balancing combustion reactions and understanding CO2 emissions’ contribution to global climate change. Key terms are clearly defined, and sources are cited appropriately throughout. All chemistry and climate science are presented accurately. A great strength of this lesson is its detailed description of the greenhouse effect, including how it is different from a greenhouse. This lesson is recommended for teaching.
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About the teacher writer
Greta Stacy
Education Specialist
Greta Stacy holds a Bachelor of Chemistry from Smith College, a Master of Teaching from Hamline University, and a Graduate Diploma in Chemical Engineering from the University of Limerick. She has nine years of experience teaching chemistry, science, and mathematics for grades 9–12. Greta holds a Minnesota 9–12 Chemistry teaching license, UK Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), Irish Teaching Council registration, and certifications in International Baccalaureate Chemistry and Advanced Placement Biology.
