Common Questions About the AP Chemistry Exam
Kristen Drury | Mon, 02/04/2019 - 12:17
Answers to common questions about the AP Chemistry Exam format, content, and grading.
high school chemistry
National Periodic Table Day is Feb. 7th!
Doug Ragan | Sun, 02/03/2019 - 15:46
National Periodic Table Day is February 7th. Check out some of my favorite periodic table resources.
Largest Periodic Table - World Record Attempt
Deanna Cullen | Wed, 01/30/2019 - 11:42
The American Chemical Society Western Michigan Section is planning a special International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT) celebration to be held at Grand Valley State University in Michigan on October 19th. The highlight of the celebration will be the unveiling of the largest periodic table in hopes of setting a Guinness World Record. Schools and groups are invited to help with the IYPT project by making one of the 118 elements.
Boltzmann Bucks—Helping Students Conceptualize Entropy
Ben Meacham | Tue, 01/29/2019 - 16:43
If you are looking to go beyond using traditional, arguably misleading, definitions of entropy involving “disorder” and “messy bedroom” analogies, the Boltzmann Bucks game fits the bill. The game, pulled from a Journal of Chemical Education article, provides a wonderful opportunity for students to more accurately conceptualize entropy.
The Blue Butterfly Effect
Tom Kuntzleman | Mon, 01/28/2019 - 18:59
The June, 2018 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education contains an article that describes a simple, yet fascinating experiment that you and your students are going to love! It involves the use of butterfly wings from the genus Morpho.
Periodic Trends Guided-Inquiry Activity
Ann Baxley | Mon, 01/28/2019 - 14:41
Trends related to placement of elements on the periodic table are often taught using diagrams in a textbook. Students often memorize trends, but to get a true grasp of their meaning and what causes certain patterns is best understood when students create their own models and discuss the patterns with others.
Capping Off a Unique Redesign of the Laboratory Curriculum
David Frohnapfel | Wed, 01/16/2019 - 11:43
A few years ago, the faculty in our department at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania decided to switch to an atoms first approach to the General Chemistry course. We took advantage of this change to systematically redesign the first semester of the laboratory curriculum to be a true “laboratory course” that focuses on laboratory practices, techniques, and equipment rather than on chemical theory.
Career Profile: Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Dr. Nakita K. Noel
Nakita Noel | Tue, 01/15/2019 - 13:39
Read Dr. Nakita Noel’s career profile describing her background and her current position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Princeton Research Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials.
Josh Kenney is Teaching, Youtubing, and Researching Chemistry Education
Josh Kenney | Mon, 01/14/2019 - 14:53
I think that most people can recall someone whom we considered to be a great teacher. The kind of person who inspired us and motivated us to learn. As I started my career, I remember wondering what kind of teacher my students thought I was.
A “Science Reasoning Rubric” to Support Argumentative Writing
Dustin Williams | Fri, 01/11/2019 - 19:10
I put together a Science Reasoning Rubric that can be used for many writing prompts in a Chemistry class. It can be used whether a prompt is more suited toward a claim or an explanation. I like that the rubric can be used for lots of the writing tasks students will encounter in a Chemistry class. This means students get used to seeing it, and this consistency is helpful as students write explanations and claims throughout the year.