Chemistry

JCE 92.12—December 2015 Issue Highlights

Mary Saecker | Fri, 12/11/2015 - 12:05

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The December 2015 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers. Topics featured in this issue include: learning in the laboratory; understanding structure–property relationships; using ACS exams data; inquiry- and problem-based learning; foundation-level instruction; teaching physical chemistry; examining protein structure; interdisciplinary laboratory experiments; from the archives: chemistry and toys.

Put a Spark in Your Stoichiometry Lesson!

Tom Kuntzleman | Thu, 12/10/2015 - 14:40

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A description of a quick and easy lesson that is sure to add some spark into your next lesson on stoichiometry.

Concept Mapping as a Review Tool

Shannon Bowen | Thu, 12/10/2015 - 10:29

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It is the time of year that content exams loom large and student stress is high. A few years ago I decided to ditch the typical review packet for something else - an open ended, student led, collaborative concept mapping project and I am never going back to the old way!

December time with Debra

Sarah Kong | Wed, 12/09/2015 - 07:36

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This month I spoke with Debra Johnson who teaches a variety of science subjects, chemistry and AP chemistry among, them at North Muskegon High School in North Muskegon, Michigan. Below she tells us how inquiry works in her classroom. Let us know what it looks like in yours!

Vocabulary Instruction

Dan Meyers | Mon, 12/07/2015 - 11:02

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Late last school year at a staff meeting, teachers were informed that we were going to be coached and encouraged to introduce more vocabulary instruction to

A Quick and Dirty Stoichiometry Lab...Differentiation and Inquiry?

Chad Husting | Sun, 12/06/2015 - 19:10

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There is a traditional stoichiometry lab I have done before. It involves adding dilute hydrochloric acid to sodium bicarbonate, boiling off the fluid and then getting the mass of the sodium chloride. Students then can solve the percent yield for the sodium chloride based on the amount of sodium bicarbonate they use. It is not a bad lab. Something about having hot ceramic watch glasses with acid just makes me a bit nervous. I am not sure where I got this new lab, but it has been one that has evolved over the years It is quick, dirty, relatively simple and uses over the counter (mostly) materials.

Using Video Resources to Address Stoichiometry Misconceptions

Michelle Okroy | Thu, 12/03/2015 - 17:25

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Are students reflecting on what their calculated values indicate? This question constantly runs through the minds of chemistry teachers across the country. Recently educators have seen shifts in instruction that promote connections to real-world phenomena using conceptual depth in understanding.

Are We Asking the Right Questions?

Michelle Okroy | Sat, 11/28/2015 - 19:12

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“So what corners of the periodic table do I have to memorize in order to get an A on the trends quiz?” This was a question that was asked by one of my students at the beginning of our periodicity unit. For countless educators we teach chemistry because we have a passion for trying to understand the world from an atomic level. However many of our students have extrinsic motivators which result in attempts to find shortcuts to recall the material. If we want to avoid responses like the one stated above we have to identify if we are asking thorough questions when assessing our students.