Flame Test Lesson Reflection

My lesson on flame tests was a huge success.  I used fireworks as an introductory attention grabber and asked the following questions:
1. What happens to atoms to cause them to release light?
2. Why do different fireworks burn different colors?
I allowed the students to discover the answer for themselves by guiding them through a series of flame tests and atomic spectra observation.  Followed by a sing-a-long about flame tests (I can't believe how well this went over with my juniors), I had my students conduct flame tests with unknowns. After successfully identifying the unkowns, they reflected on what they learned since their initial journal entries to the lesson opener. 

At the beginning of the experiment, their responses to the chemistry concepts were quite limited and incomplete.  However, as you can see from the attached student work samples, their conclusions reflected a growth in terminology and conceptual understanding.  I was very proud of them, and very pleased with myself.