December 2022 Xchange

The December 2022 Xchange highlights just some of the contributions that have recently been published on ChemEd X. We hope you will take a moment to check in and see what you may have missed. 

Nobel Laureate Crossword Puzzle 1901 - 1909 This Nobel Laureate crossword puzzle focuses on prizes awarded between 1901 and 1909. Learn and revisit some historical chemistry, terminology and background on key historical figures in this field.
	Using CER to consider claims on social media Exploring science claims found on social media helps students practice applying the claim, evidence, reasoning framework.
Data-Driven Laboratory Activities: Density Find out how laboratory activities can be used as the starting point for scientific model development rather than as the endpoint, or verification, of concepts presented in lecture. This post deals with density.
	Surprising Shrinking Styrofoam Stick: Using the Gas Laws to Get a Square Peg into a Round Hole Polystyrene foam sticks with a square or rectangular profile will not fit into a round target hole (e.g., the opening of a soda bottle) at room temperature. However, they do contract sufficiently in contact with liquid nitrogen to fit into the hole and produce a simple demonstration of Charles’s Law. Many other polymer foams do not shrink under these conditions, but still provide opportunities to discuss and explore their structure and chemistry.
A Demo A Day II: Demonstrations and Props Used in My Environmental Chemistry Class Short descriptions of demonstrations and props that Dean Campbell has used while teaching his collegiate Environmental Chemistry course. Many of these examples are also suitable for use in high school and collegiate General Chemistry courses.
	Will a Watched Pot Ever Boil? A Simple, but Effective, Chemistry Lab: Constructing a Heating Curve of Water This lab guides students through taking data and constructing their own heating curve for water. It requires no special equipment, is low prep, is safe, and can even be done at home for homeschool or distance learning. Even though the lab activity itself is relatively simple and straightforward, the concepts still engage students in higher level thinking and gives them important practice with laboratory techniques and forming hypotheses.
Creating an Inclusive Classroom in December December is a busy time for many educators as we try to wrap up content before a long break and maybe incorporate fun activities into the curriculum. There are concerts, field trips, projects, presentations, and even variety shows to “celebrate the season.” However, schools trying to get into the “holiday spirit” may unintentionally create an environment where students and teachers feel excluded. (Published December 2018.)
	Using Visual BCA Tables to Teach Limiting Reactants Looking for a better way to teach stoichiometry? Melissa incorporates particulate models into BCA tables. (Published April 2017.)
ChemEd X Call for Contributions ChemEd X invites practitioners in the chemical education community to share their experiences, knowledge and the resources they use in their classroom and laboratory.

We hope you enjoy the content mentioned here and other content at ChemEd X. If you find ChemEd X content useful, please consider purchasing a subscription to help support ChemEd X using our online store. In addition to supporting the free content we make available, you will also get access to our complete video collection and other titles to help in teaching and learning chemistry. If you would like to contribute content, begin with the contribute page. For other questions or comments, please use our contact form.