Kristen Drury shares how she covers the new AP Chemistry Course and Exam Description Learning Objectives associated with atomic structure. 

Once one knows about Critical Pedagogy (with respect to Critical Thinking, as was covered in the previous blog), what does one do with that knowledge? Can we implement strategies that embrace Critical Pedagogy while teaching the content we need to cover? Are there ways to build criticality in our students while maintaining our requirements for classroom rigor?

The first unit in my sequence for AP Chemistry covers stoichiometry and reactions. The new AP Chemistry Course and Exam Description has identified Learning Objectives which need to be taught and practiced to ensure students perform well on the AP Chemistry Exam. I will identify and describe activities I use to teach students some of the Learning Objectives that I tie into this unit.

As teachers, we know how important it is for students to practice what they are learning and we are ever aware of the limited class time we have to provide those opportunities. We also know that our students have a full schedule of classes, are involved in extracurricular activities, work after-school jobs and may not have a strong support system and structure at home. That leaves us with the difficult question of “what do we do about homework?” 

The new AP Chemistry Course and Exam Description (CED) has been released and in effect for a few months now. Several teachers have asked me “Will you be changing your sequence to match the CED?”.