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Balancing redox reactions doesn’t have to feel like a guess-and-check process. Once students master oxidation numbers, they can follow a clear “script” to keep every atom, charge, and electron on cue—even in acidic solutions like Fe²⁺/MnO₄⁻ → Fe³⁺/Mn²⁺. This article shares a student-ready, color-coded, animated PPT and a step-by-step routine (LEO/GER, electron equalization, H₂O/H⁺ balance) that turns messy equations into solvable scenes.
What happens when chemistry and illusion collide? In The Disappearing Rainbow, a simple acid–base demonstration transforms into a spellbinding performance. With a single pour, colorless liquids bloom into a vibrant rainbow—then vanish in an instant. Now, with the arrival of the “Assassin’s water bottle,” this classic demo gets a modern twist that makes the magic easier (and cleaner) than ever.
The August AP Teach session focused on beginning a new school year with a review of student performance on the 2025 AP Chemistry exam. Jennifer Cambre shared ideas for how to interpret and analyze the data from the Instructional Planning Reports.
In the July 2025 AP Teach session, experts walk through the features of the online Desmos graphing calculator.
Check out summaries and video clips from past APTeach sessions you may have missed, along with information about upcoming meetings from the academic year 2025-2026!
Grading can feel tricky when school policies and student expectations don’t quite match—especially when students assume turning in all their classwork should equal an A. To bridge that gap, I created the HELP system, which lets students earn extra “HELP points” through things like going beyond the required work or scoring above the benchmark on tests. These points act as a kind of currency that students can redeem to recover from a low quiz score or a missed assignment. The system keeps students motivated, gives them ownership of their progress, and turns grading into more of a growth experience than just a final judgment.
Lead Contributor, Sarah English, outlines how she uses Canva (free for educators) to capture student ideas and misconceptions.
In this blog, AP Exam reader Michael Farabaugh breaks down common misconceptions and mistakes from the 2025 AP Chemistry Exam.
This post offers a case study of magnesium citrate used as a pharmaceutical. How does adding a dry white powder to water form aqueous magnesium citrate? To understand what occurs requires students to name chemical compounds, balance chemical equations, calculate theoretical yields, limiting and excess reagents, and use elemental percentage composition. A student question set is available as a resource.
In this, the second installment of "Five for the First", Nora Walsh shares five simple activities for the first few weeks of school to help build her classroom culture.