Lesson Plan

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Lesson Plan
Grade: Date: 25/02/2026
Subject: Physics
Lesson Topic: understand that a quark is a fundamental particle and that there are six flavours (types) of quark: up, down, strange, charm, top and bottom
Learning Objective/s:
  • Describe what a fundamental particle is and why quarks are classified as such.
  • Identify the six quark flavours and their electric charges.
  • Explain the generation grouping of quarks and the charge difference between up‑type and down‑type quarks.
  • Apply quark composition to determine the net charge of simple hadrons such as the proton and neutron.
Materials Needed:
  • Projector or interactive whiteboard
  • Slides with quark flavour table and charge diagram
  • Handout summarising quark properties
  • Whiteboard and markers
  • Clicker or polling tool for quick checks
  • Sample exam‑question worksheet
 Introduction:
Begin with a quick poll: which particles have you heard of that make up atoms? Recall that atoms consist of a nucleus of protons and neutrons, which themselves are built from smaller constituents. Today we will uncover those constituents – quarks – and the six flavours they come in. By the end of the lesson you will be able to list each flavour, state its charge, and explain how quark combinations give protons and neutrons their overall charge.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑now (5'): Students answer a Kahoot question on known sub‑atomic particles (check prior knowledge).
  2. Mini‑lecture (10'): Define fundamental particles and introduce quarks using slides (concept introduction).
  3. Interactive table activity (12'): In pairs, students fill a blank table with quark flavours, symbols, charges, generations, and masses (data recall).
  4. Generation & charge discussion (8'): Whole‑class dialogue linking up‑type vs down‑type charges and generation grouping (concept consolidation).
  5. Hands‑on charge calculation (10'): Using the completed table, students compute the net charge of a proton (uud) and a neutron (udd) on a worksheet (application).
  6. Formative check (5'): Exit ticket – one‑sentence explanation why a proton is positively charged (assessment).
Conclusion:
Summarise that quarks are elementary particles existing in six flavours, each with a characteristic charge, and that their specific combinations determine the charge of hadrons. Ask students to write an exit ticket stating the charge of a proton using quark charges. For homework, assign a short worksheet to match quark flavours with their masses and to answer a practice exam question on quark composition.