The Trials and Tribulations of a Teacher During COVID Times!
Yvonne Clifford | Thu, 08/18/2022 - 07:34
Yvonne Clifford shares tips and ideas for making your high school chemistry course both interesting and rigorous.
reactivity
Generating explosive gases from sand
Tom Kuntzleman | Fri, 01/07/2022 - 12:16
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.
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.
Lycopodium Powder “Dragon Sneeze” Blocked with a Face Mask
Dean Campbell | Mon, 06/22/2020 - 08:20
The purpose of this variation on the “dragon’s breath” demonstration is to illustrate that face masks can diminish the movement of particles in the air, an important idea in public health.
Open Access to ChemEd X Resources - COVID19
ChemEd X Admin | Mon, 03/23/2020 - 11:42
Due to the COVID 19 crisis, ChemEd X videos and software is open access to all educators.
Oxidation Argumentation Activity
Stephanie O'Brien | Mon, 07/08/2019 - 14:19
I facilitate a working group of chemistry teachers in the New York area and we recently created our own activity surrounding the topic of oxidation. The goal of the probe was to force students to think about what the meaning of oxidation is, as well as to allow students to engage in the science and engineering practice of argumentation. This was an introductory lesson to my oxidation and reduction unit prior to students learning the terms oxidation and reduction.
Formative Assessment via Redox Reactions
Stephanie O'Brien | Wed, 04/24/2019 - 15:51
My district recently provided a professional development session focused on utilizing three dimensional formative assessments in the classroom. The ideas I learned in the session as well an an activity for students to engage in formative assessment are outlined.
Element of the Month - Sodium
Stephen Wright | Tue, 02/19/2019 - 12:45
In honor of the International Year of the Periodic Table: A familiarity with the chemistry of some of the elements more commonly encountered in everyday life is a valuable learning experience for all students. Sodium is the first in this series of elements to be discussed as part of the Element of the Month program. #IYPT
Relative Reactivities of Metals
Dan Meyers | Thu, 12/17/2015 - 14:37
Last winter I watched a webinar put on by ACS and AACT called "NGSS in the Chemistry Classroom." As a result of watching that webinar, I took an activity that had NGSS Science & Engineering Practices (SEP) integrated into it and tried it out in class. In this activity, students are required to develop their own procedures and data tables.