Science Practice: Developing and Using Models

Welcome to the second installment of our (Re)Bootcamp series! In this post, three teachers share entry points into their larger pedagogical frameworks.  If you have wanted to try new approaches to teaching your content but feel overwhelmed by the idea of overhauling your entire curriculum, check out these "sample-size" activities! 

Would you like to take a walk with me through the chemical winter wonderland of snowflakes? Well, we chemists know that the stunning six-sided symmetry of snowflakes (Figure 1) results from repeated arrangement of water molecules into a hexagonal crystal structure (Figure 2).

I am always looking for fun, engaging and hand-on activities that I can use in my inclusion chemistry classroom.

This year, I tried something different with my course progression - instead of doing chemical quantities first and teaching students to convert from grams to mole and then move into stoichiometry, I began with mole to mole stoichiometry and BCA tables.

Sometimes we have a topic that needs a refresh, and I hope when you’re searching for fresh ideas those searches lead you to ChemEd X! What I love doing is taking an activity that is really great, and using it in my own way with a personal twist.

Molecular geometry is a center piece to a student’s understanding of intermolecular forces. Unfortunately, many students don’t have the special skills to “see” the geometry without a model kit. We use a model kit in our laboratories, but there are not enough of them nor are there funds to purchase more. The students are unable to use thes

Heating and cooling curves are important visuals for chemistry students to understand when they are studying phase changes and thermal energy.

One of my goals for my chemistry classes at the beginning of the year is to start with an engaging activity that is hands on and minds on. I hope for an activity that will meet the kids where they are at. I try for an activity that will not only engage them but try to set the tone for the year. I think I may have stumbled upon something t

At the end of our unit on chemical bonding, I wanted to provide an opportunity for students to apply the various topics from the unit into one culminating lab that was practical to execute and challenged their current understanding of the material.

In Chemical Mystery #19,¹ a yellow liquid is poured into a test tube, and the liquid turns red. When a white sold is added to the red liquid in the test tube, the liquid turns blue.