Brain Breaks are powerful tools in education, supported by research showing improved focus, retention, community building, and reduced stress among students. When structured using chemistry principles, like in the Water Maze Race, brain breaks can also introduce or reinforce fundamental chemistry concepts.
Some metals and metal alloys undergo a transition to brittleness at cold temperature. This phenomenon likely contributed to the demise of the Titanic.
Describing the number density of molecules involved in chemistry demonstrations while presenting those demonstrations can help to convey concepts such as the small size of molecules and how the distance between molecules can vary during change of physical state.
Explore how small the stuff that makes up matter is and consider what those tiny particles are doing in this engaging activity.
This demonstration lays the foundation for what science is all about: proper experiments, properly carried out, properly interpreted.
Nora Walsh outlines the interactive notebook pages she uses for her unit on the Science of Matter. All of the documents and foldables are available for download.
This is the second blog post describing a classroom activity relating seawater chemistry to oceanic shipping. Included are questions that challenge students to apply conclusions drawn from observations to making predictions.
This is a simple small-scale distillation that can be used several different ways.
Did you know that sand can be converted into a mixture of gases that spontaneously ignites in air? The procedures involved are relatively simple to perform, spectacular to observe, and relate to a rich assortment of chemical principles.
What real world examples are made known to students when discussing freezing point depression? What about brinicles, also known as "Icy Fingers of Death"? A brinicle (from brine + ice) is a finger-like formation of supercooled brine solution that grows downward underneath sea ice. Intrigued? Cool (pun intended). Keep reading to find out more!
