Teacher Monitoring Guide
Grade 8 · Cycle 7 · Week 2 — Reaction Types &
Conservation
Learning Goal
Students will classify chemical reactions by type (synthesis,
decomposition, single and double displacement, combustion), balance
equations, and apply conservation of mass to verify atom counts.
Station Checkpoints
Station 1 — Hook & Phenomenon
Look for: Students connecting the phenomenon to prior knowledge and
generating testable questions
Common misconception: Products of a reaction are completely new
substances with new atoms — reinforce that atoms are rearranged, not
created; the same atoms appear on both sides of a balanced equation
Station 2 — Investigation / Data Collection
Look for: Accurate data recording and identification of emerging
patterns in the evidence
Common misconception: Balancing an equation means adding coefficients
anywhere — clarify the rule: only coefficients (not subscripts) may be
changed, and only to balance atom counts
Station 3 — Sense-Making
Look for: Students revising their model based on evidence collected
during investigation
Common misconception: Complete combustion and incomplete combustion
produce the same products — compare CO2 + H2O (complete) vs. CO + soot
(incomplete) and connect to air quality and engine efficiency
Exit Ticket Monitoring
| Score Range |
Interpretation |
Next Step |
| 18–23 pts |
Meeting target |
Extend with synthesis question |
| 10–17 pts |
Developing |
Small group re-teach at day start |
| 0–9 pts |
Needs support |
1:1 intervention before next station |
MTSS Tier 2 Supports
For students scoring below 10 pts on the exit ticket: use the sentence
frames below during the next class's hook.
- "I notice that _____ because _____."
- "The evidence shows _____, which means _____."