AP Chemistry Exam Review Ideas
Kristen Drury | Thu, 04/11/2019 - 07:54
The AP Chemistry Exam is getting closer. What will you provide your students to review for the big day?
AP Chemistry
Gibbs Free Energy Analogy
Kristen Drury | Thu, 04/04/2019 - 08:37
A common topic in chemistry discussion groups and forums is about the use of the terms “spontaneous reaction” versus “thermodynamic favorability”. This is a new activity for chemistry students who struggle with the correlation between changes in enthalpy, temperature, entropy, and the Gibbs free energy of a system; which relies on an analogy that most students will be familiar with.
Reflections of an AP Chemistry Exam Reader
Kristen Drury | Tue, 03/05/2019 - 06:24
Let me share some tips I learned reading the Advanced Placement Chemistry Exam in Salt Lake City, Utah.
How I Fell in Love with PES
Melissa Hemling | Mon, 02/25/2019 - 19:28
Like many AP Chemistry teachers, I was not fond of teaching Photoelectron Spectroscopy (PES). Surprisingly, I fell in love with teaching PES in AP Chemistry this year after I made an old-school change.
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.
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.
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.
Why I Am Attending ChemEd 2019
Kristen Drury | Fri, 01/04/2019 - 08:19
I am already planning for my trip to Illinois in July to attend ChemEd 2019! Let me tell you why I want to attend.
Examining VSEPR though the Cross Cutting Concept of Patterns
Stephanie O'Brien | Sat, 12/15/2018 - 16:23
In an effort to align an old VSEPR lesson to NGSS, I told my students that we were going to look at the data available from the real molecules on the pHET simulation we were using and specifically look for patterns. Finding patterns is a cross-cutting concept; one of the three dimensions of NGSS.
Pivot Interactives—A Resource All Chemistry Teachers Should Know About
Ben Meacham | Fri, 12/14/2018 - 11:31
As a teacher, having the freedom to create or edit something within my instruction based on the needs of my students is incredibly important to me. So, when I found out the activities in Pivot Interactives are completely customizable, I was thrilled.