This past July, I had the opportunity to present “Making Chemistry Visible With Magnets” at ChemEd 2019. Additionally, through the creativeness of some fellow attendees, particularly Katy Dornbos, Ariel Serkin, and Kristin Gregory, I gained some additional materials that have enhanced the presentation.
Editors' Note: See the recording of Doug Ragan's 2022 ChemEd X Talk related to this post.
In my presentation, I mentioned using 2-inch colored magnets purchased from FLINN Scientific to represent everything from subatomic particles to atoms for balancing equations, to showing molecular geometry and even representing the atoms of organic molecules by placing the colored circles on top of a superimposed structure of an organic molecule (figure 1).
Figure 1: Overlay of colored magnets on top of an organic structure.
The magnets that I purchased are available in several colors, blue, red, green, yellow, and white. In order to get carbon and hydrogen, I had to print out 2-inch circles, laminate them, cut them out and tape them to some of the magnets. However, after arriving home from ChemEd, I received a Twitter notification with an alternate way of creating my magnets. A link was provided with beautiful images (*PDF files can be found in the supporting information with a complete list of other colored images that can also be printed) showing labeled carbon atoms, sodium and chloride ions, to name a few. There are also water molecules (figure 2). A big thank you goes to Katy Dornbos for putting the time into designing these. Katy also introduced me to printable magnetic sheets that can be fed into any inkjet printer allowing these images to be printed easily.
Figure 2: Examples images of the water molecules that can be printed on printable magnet sheets. (K.Dornbos)
I purchased five sheets of printable magnet paper for a reasonable price after a quick Amazon search. Using Katy’s images, I printed 9 water molecules, 15 Carbon atoms, 15 Oxygen atoms, 15 Hydrogen atoms, multiple bars representing single, double, and triple bonds, and multiple sodium and chlorine atoms and ions.
With the addition of these new images, I plan to ask my students why tap water bends toward a balloon after it has been rubbed on a students head. This idea comes with a common misconception and I hope to fix that by showing them what happens on the particulate level with my water molecules. Next, with the water molecules, my students and I will discuss why ice is less dense than water and then show the arrangement of the water molecules representing ice, water, and steam.
I have many other uses for the magnets and will continue to update followers about how I use my chemistry magnets. I would also love to hear from you regarding how you are using these magnets to enhance your lessons. Please share what has worked or what may not have worked. I would love to hear what your students think of using them. You can follow me on twitter @dragan39 and I will be using the hashtag #chemmagnets to post pictures, ideas, etc.
Editor's Note: This post has been updated with a few related tweets - 8/2/21
At @ChemEd2019 @dragan39 shared magnetic atoms.
I want magnetic molecules too, so:5 printable magnetic sheets = $17
1 doc of water molecules, ions, atoms
120+ students to help cut them out= many magnetic molecules (and atoms)!https://t.co/rj6oP51e4ahttps://t.co/rrJgU2I8oM
— Katy Dornbos 🤸🏽♀️ (@KatyDornbos) August 1, 2019
No more pencil drawings! Assessing student models with @Classkick. Then students ask can we use the magnets? Me: absolutely! #chemmagnets pic.twitter.com/k8gVtQyW5h
— Doug Ragan (@dragan39) October 17, 2019
In honor of 🇨🇦 thanksgiving! It’s Tryptophan for #moleculemonday @aserkin #chemmagnets pic.twitter.com/bUCjrtbXbu
— Doug Ragan (@dragan39) October 15, 2019
Check out Ariel Serkin's post, Molecule Monday, for more ideas for highlighting specific molecules!
Today’s been kind of awful for a whole host of reasons, but I decided to get small magnetic whiteboards and printable magnet sheets to make some #chemmagnets for the Energizer lab and it made me really happy. pic.twitter.com/PrQUXUDRVO
— Heidi Park (@heidijpark) February 12, 2020
Check out our ChemEd X post Energizer Lab for more information about the activity and how to access other Target Inquiry activities. Heidi says that the cost "works out to about $4.55 per model ($3 for the whiteboard and $1.55 for the magnetic sheet)".
Make your own magnetic boards for Ss use #BestofChemEd @dragan39 pic.twitter.com/nSnQ2T60sG
— Kristin Gregory (@KristinGregory7) July 27, 2021
Doug presented about his magnets as part of Best of ChemEd hosted by AACT. Members of AACT can view the recording and download Doug's files HERE.
NGSS
Modeling in 9–12 builds on K–8 and progresses to using, synthesizing, and developing models to predict and show relationships among variables between systems and their components in the natural and designed worlds.
Modeling in 9–12 builds on K–8 and progresses to using, synthesizing, and developing models to predict and show relationships among variables between systems and their components in the natural and designed worlds. Use a model to predict the relationships between systems or between components of a system.
Matter and its Interactions help students formulate an answer to the question, “How can one explain the structure, properties, and interactions of matter?” The PS1 Disciplinary Core Idea from the NRC Framework is broken down into three subideas: the structure and properties of matter, chemical reactions, and nuclear processes. Students are expected to develop understanding of the substructure of atoms and to provide more mechanistic explanations of the properties of substances. Chemical reactions, including rates of reactions and energy changes, can be understood by students at this level in terms of the collisions of molecules and the rearrangements of atoms. Students are able to use the periodic table as a tool to explain and predict the properties of elements. Using this expanded knowledge of chemical reactions, students are able to explain important biological and geophysical phenomena. Phenomena involving nuclei are also important to understand, as they explain the formation and abundance of the elements, radioactivity, the release of energy from the sun and other stars, and the generation of nuclear power. Students are also able to apply an understanding of the process of optimization in engineering design to chemical reaction systems. The crosscutting concepts of patterns, energy and matter, and stability and change are called out as organizing concepts for these disciplinary core ideas. In the PS1 performance expectations, students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in developing and using models, planning and conducting investigations, using mathematical thinking, and constructing explanations and designing solutions; and to use these practices to demonstrate understanding of the core ideas.
*More information about this category of NGSS can be found at https://www.nextgenscience.org/dci-arrangement/hs-ps1-matter-and-its-interactions.
"Matter and its Interactions help students formulate an answer to the question, “How can one explain the structure, properties, and interactions of matter?” The PS1 Disciplinary Core Idea from the NRC Framework is broken down into three subideas: the structure and properties of matter, chemical reactions, and nuclear processes. Students are expected to develop understanding of the substructure of atoms and to provide more mechanistic explanations of the properties of substances. Chemical reactions, including rates of reactions and energy changes, can be understood by students at this level in terms of the collisions of molecules and the rearrangements of atoms. Students are able to use the periodic table as a tool to explain and predict the properties of elements. Using this expanded knowledge of chemical reactions, students are able to explain important biological and geophysical phenomena. Phenomena involving nuclei are also important to understand, as they explain the formation and abundance of the elements, radioactivity, the release of energy from the sun and other stars, and the generation of nuclear power. Students are also able to apply an understanding of the process of optimization in engineering design to chemical reaction systems. The crosscutting concepts of patterns, energy and matter, and stability and change are called out as organizing concepts for these disciplinary core ideas. In the PS1 performance expectations, students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in developing and using models, planning and conducting investigations, using mathematical thinking, and constructing explanations and designing solutions; and to use these practices to demonstrate understanding of the core ideas."
Students that demonstrate understanding can develop models to illustrate the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the atom and the energy released during the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.
*More information about all DCI for HS-PS1 can be found at https://www.nextgenscience.org/dci-arrangement/hs-ps1-matter-and-its-interactions and further resources at https://www.nextgenscience.org.
Students that demonstrate understanding can develop models to illustrate the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the atom and the energy released during the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.
Assessment does not include quantitative calculation of energy released. Assessment is limited to alpha, beta, and gamma radioactive decays.
Emphasis is on simple qualitative models, such as pictures or diagrams, and on the scale of energy released in nuclear processes relative to other kinds of transformations.