1. Home
  2. General

General

Comparing household chemicals

ACCT Admin | Wed, 08/12/2020 - 14:41

In "Comparing household chemicals" students discover the effects of using different types of household chemicals and determine if they are really all so different. This formative assessment targets the question “What are the effects of using and producing different matter types?” This is important because students should understand the types of products they are using. If they are buying something that says it is a cleaner for the bathroom, why does it sometimes have the same compounds in it as a cleaner for the kitchen. If students can recognize this, then they can be better consumers and not have to buy two different products knowing that the chemicals are the same.

Salt vs. Sugar – A Dissolving Problem

ACCT Admin | Wed, 08/12/2020 - 13:51

This formative assessment looks at two household chemicals (table salt and sugar) and compares their properties while looking at how they dissolve in water. The “Salt vs. Sugar” formative assessment explores students’ thinking about the question “How does structure influence reactivity?” The main idea that is being targeted is for students to think about what is happening at the molecular level during the solution process. This activity is important for students because it helps create a context for what some of the vocabulary and concepts mean by providing tangible examples of these concepts (such as the concept of saturation).This formative assessment looks at two household chemicals (table salt and sugar) and compares their properties while looking at how they dissolve in water. The “Salt vs. Sugar” formative assessment explores students’ thinking about the question “How does structure influence reactivity?” The main idea that is being targeted is for students to think about what is happening at the molecular level during the solution process. This activity is important for students because it helps create a context for what some of the vocabulary and concepts mean by providing tangible examples of these concepts (such as the concept of saturation).

How strong of acid is Vinegar (Acetic Acid)?

ACCT Admin | Wed, 08/12/2020 - 13:19

In “How strong an acid is vinegar?” the students explore the nonlinear relationship between the concentration of a weak acid and the pH of the solution. This formative assessment targets the question “how does structure influence reactivity?”  Students need to understand the behavior of strong and weak acids to comprehend phenomena like buffering capacity.

Mt. St. Helens 40 Years Later: Getting More from Soda Volcano Demonstrations

Dean Campbell | Sun, 05/17/2020 - 18:00

Potential enhancements to soda-based demonstrations of volcanic eruptions are described. Depending on the specific demonstration setup, outgassing of carbonated sodas can represent low-viscosity lava flows or more violent production of pyroclastic materials. These simple demos can be used as stand-alone experiments or in concert with other activities.