high school

TV and movie screens today offer us a desperate fight against crazy-fast zombies, a peek into celebrities’ lives where truth is often stranger than fiction, million-dollar game shows, and more. Can portraits of science compete?

Most students, and many of my (now former) colleagues, find stoichiometry to be one of the most challenging topics in a first year (and yes, even a second year) chemistry class. But my students and I have always looked forward to the challenge, and the fun. Certainly, stoichiometry means diligent work, and for some it means frustration.

This worksheet is intended to be used as a "Guided Instructional Activity" (GIA). Students read a statement that gives a either a conversion factor or a pair of related measures and then write the information as two equivalent fractions ("conversion factors") and as an equality.

This set of three worksheets are intended to be used as collaborative "Guided Instructional Activities" (GIAs). Two students cooperate to complete the steps of a stoichiometry problem, alternately doing parts of the process as they explain what they are doing and evaluate their partner's work.

The three "Guided Instructional Activities" in this activity are three cooperative learning pieces in which students are guided through the process of converting from one unit to moles (or moles to a unit) by the method of "unit analysis" (dimensional analysis). Students alternate steps in the process and evaluate the success of each step.

This worksheet asks students to do basic conversions of mass or molecules to moles and vice versa. The worksheet requires students to complete their work in a particular format and to inlcude number, unit, and chemical identity for each item in the "given," in each conversion factor, and in the answer.

This worksheet is intended to be used as a "Guided Instructional Activity" (GIA). It asks students to find the molar mass of selected elements and write the molar mass as two equivalent fractions ("conversion factors") and as an equality. In each representation, students are forced to give the numeral of the measure, unit, and identity of the chemical.

Given the amount of one reactant, students must use stoichiometry to find the ideal amount of the second reagent to use to create purple fireworks. The teacher ignites each groups' fireworks. Ideal mixture create little or no ash. Student assignment sheet with directions (and different initial amounts) plus teacher information and sample answers are included.