Chemical bonding is a pivotal topic in chemistry classes that can be overwhelming for students and teachers alike - so much to teach, so many ways that it can be overwhelming! On November 4th, 2021, Nora Walsh shared her unit covering chemical bonding and naming in this ChemBasics Talk. You can view a recording of her presentation and access her materials including introductory and discovery activities, manipulative activities, practice problems, her favorite online teaching resources and more. This content was shared with the new teacher in mind but experienced teachers will find it helpful as well.
After the presentation, participants met in their choice of breakout rooms. This collaborative time is what makes a meeting like this much different than a typical webinar. It is a valuable opportunity to connect with other teachers and find and share new resources. To encourage sharing, this portion of the meeting was not recorded but teachers that attended the ChemBasics Talk have access to notes and links shared.
ChemEd X ChemBasics Talk Recording: Edited video of Nora's ChemBasics Talk - Chemical Bonding and Naming, ChemEd X Vimeo Channel (11/7/2021)
Access to Shared Materials
ChemBasics Chemical Bonding and Naming presentation slide deck - Links to all of the resources shared by Nora can be found within this slide deck.
Two of the activities that Nora shared in her presentation are published here on ChemEd X.
- The first was written by Nora herself, Using a Gallery Walk inquiry activity to guide students through naming binary ionic compounds with variable charges. This activity includes a gallery walk, as a guided inquiry experience harnessing real-life applications of several sets of related compounds to address many common misconceptions and lead students to discover the meaning of the Roman numerals when naming and writing formulas for ionic compounds that contain ions of variable charge.
- The second was written by Stephanie O'Brien, Naming and Formula Writing for Ionic Compounds Virtual Activity. This remote learning activity is a fun way for students to practice name and formula writing that will not be as boring as a worksheet full of practice questions.
During the breakout rooms, one of the participants recommended Inorganic Nomenclature, JCE Software that is available on ChemEd X. This is a drill-and-practice tutorial on naming simple inorganic compounds and writing chemical formulas consisting of multiple-choice questions.
Other ChemEd X content linked to chemical bonding and naming
Modeling the Concept of Ionic Bonding - Ben Meacham
When describing abstract concepts like chemical bonding, it always seems to feel far too easy for both teachers and students to resort to the “wants” and “needs” of atoms. After all, we understand what it means to want, need, or like something, so it often feels appropriate (and easier) to use a relatable metaphor or subtly anthropomorphize these atoms to accommodate our students’ current reasoning abilities. While predicting the types of bonds that will form and the general idea behind how atoms bond can be answered correctly using such relatable phrases or ideas, the elephant in the room still remains—do our students really understand why these atoms bond?
Reflections on Choice Boards in the Chemistry Classroom - Stephanie O'Brien
Stephanie O'Brien shares lessons learned and strategies for utilizing choice boards in chemistry classroom.
Mini-Project Sequence: Orange Peels and Polarity - Laura Wang
The author shares a series of resources she has created that are built around popping a balloon with an orange peel and the concept of polarity.
Intermolecular Forces and FLIR Cameras - Chad Husting
Infrared technology (FLIR Cameras) can be used to investigate intermolecular forces.
About Nora
Nora Walsh teaches on-level, honors and AP Chemistry at FJ Reitz High School in Evansville, IN. She has bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry from Emory University and a master's degree in secondary science education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She began teaching in Chattanooga, TN in 2004 and moved to Evansville in 2006 where she continues teaching at Reitz. She has been an AP Reader for the past 2 years, and has presented webinars for the American Association of Chemistry Teachers in the past. She is active on the AP Chemistry Teacher and National Chemistry Teacher Facebook groups, and enjoys sharing resources that other teachers find helpful. (You may be familiar with her document Write This, Not That on the AP Chemistry Exam). She also has a TikTok account that she uses for bite-size chemistry review (follow her @reitzchemistry).
Join us!
We hope you will watch the schedule and register to attend an upcoming ChemEd X ChemBasics Talk! After the presentation, we have a variety of breakout rooms before coming back together for a follow up discussion. Participants are sent notes and resources from group discussions that aren't shared more publicly. Attendance certificates are sent as well.
To find the schedule of future ChemEd X ChemBasics Talks as well as more recordings of previous Talks, see ChemEd X Talks, ChemBasics Talks - Schedule and Recordings.