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
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.
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.
Improvisation in the Classroom
Stephanie O'Brien | Sat, 01/12/2019 - 17:10
I recently attended a workshop at my state conference about improvisation techniques to use in the classroom. As a teacher we are challenged to constantly adapt our pedagogical techniques to meet the needs of our learners, and this workshop provided some new strategies to do just that.
Immobilization of Lactase Enzyme on Alginate Beads - A Quick Test
Andrea Amato | Mon, 01/07/2019 - 18:18
I came across an interesting Journal of Chemical Education article that explains how it is possible to crosslink sodium alginate, leading to the formation of calcium alginate beads. Calcium alginate beads are hydrogels and one of their uses is to immobilize enzymes in their structure. I thought it would be cool to immobilize some lactase enzyme onto calcium alginate beads and investigate its ability to hydrolyze lactose.