Resources: Class presentation and the handout.
Handout: Read and summarise the key science in terms of the history of the discovery of radioactivity. Describe and explain the properties of alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays in terms of penetration, ionisation and distance travelled. Apply knowledge to explore the uses of radiation in carbon dating and smoke detectors. Describe how losing an alpha or beta particle changes the structure of an atom.
What's the difference between alpha, beta, and gamma radiation? Reflect through discussion of the previous lesson. What have the students learnt about the types of radiation? Can they identify the differences in the types of radiation?
Use the handout to build understanding through the practice of the different types and specific properties of radiation. Ask the students to disseminate and share their responses. Lead a discussion on the positive uses of radiation as opposed to the negative portrayal in the media. Discuss the process of transmutation and the change from one element to another with beta decay. Produce a set of flashcards covering the properties of each of the types of radiation. Include distance, ionisation and penetration. Practice writing complete answers to problems that are set, include a recap of the question before you answer with facts or data to prove your answer. Think about the applications of radiation in medicine – is it just used for treating cancer, or are there other possible uses?
Career Film: This is Ruth Davey. Ruth works as an Experimental Rig Operator for National Nuclear Laboratory.
Expert Film: This is Michael Kurlak, who works as an Applied Radiation Physicist for National Nuclear Laboratory. Michael talks about radioactivity.
Ask the students read the historical context on the types of radiation and summarise their findings. The students can then summarise the 3 main types of radiation and their properties in terms of ionising power, penetration and distance travelled. Using ideas from the presentation, the students can apply their knowledge of the types of radiation to discuss carbon dating and smoke detectors. The students can start to explore how the atom changes after an alpha and beta particle has been released in radioactive decay. (This will be explored more in future lessons.)
Challenge Task: Ask the students to research Alexander Litvinenko. What happened to him? Why was no one else affected? How does this relate to the learning in the lesson?
Complete the summative quiz on the presentation to assess learning. The students can make up their own “What am I?“ questions to test their knowledge. Ask the question: We have learnt about the radiation in smoke detectors today. There are smoke detectors all around us. Should we be worried? The students can use this to summarise the unit's learning so far. Encourage the use of keywords.