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Lesson to determine the relationships between acid strength, Ka, pH, Molarity, and percent ionization

Kristen Drury | Tue, 05/18/2021 - 06:26

After teaching the concepts and calculations for acid and base strength, concentration, percent ionization, and pH I noticed many of my students were struggling to make meaningful connections between these calculations.This lesson was created to strengthen the understanding of the relationships between these concepts and skills.

JCE 98.05 May 2021 Issue Highlights

Mary Saecker | Sat, 05/15/2021 - 08:54

The May 2021 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers. Topics featured in this issue include: teaching biochemistry, assessment, learning to think like a scientist, environmental chemistry, forensic chemistry, surface chemistry, solution mixing, organic chemistry laboratory experiments and activities, computer-based experiences, research on promoting student success, from the archives: systems thinking.

A Manipulative Paper Tool for Teaching Simple Organic Nomenclature: Part 2, IUPAC Naming of Major Classes of Organic Compounds

Melanie Harvey | Tue, 05/04/2021 - 21:20

To help introduce students to organic nomenclature in a way that clearly summarizes the patterns that exist in the IUPAC system, a series of paper tools were developed. The paper tool in this activity can be used to introduce the IUPAC naming of major classes of organic compounds. These paper tools are easy to print and distribute to every student each semester.

What do you want to know about your students' chemical thinking? Categorizing chemistry formative assessments

Scott Balicki | Mon, 05/03/2021 - 07:57

In order to teach chemistry effectively, we must ascertain what our students are thinking about chemistry and make a decision regarding what to do with what we learn. Formative assessment questions provide a useful lens into students' minds regarding what they are thinking about chemistry. Let us consider then, how categorizing formative assessment questions could help us plan out our classes more deliberately, in order to better design purposeful written formative assessments that align with our curricular goals. 

Kasi: A Multi-Sensory Modeling System

Doug Ragan | Fri, 04/30/2021 - 06:26

Doug Ragan has been working with the Alchemie team -- founded by a former chemistry teacher, Julia Winter -- for a number of years. They have been working over the last year on a new project, named Kasi, which delivers sound-based feedback to students as they learn with tactile pieces on a magnetic whiteboard. The goal is to build an accessible learning system that helps ALL students learn, and is particularly important for those with visual impairments.

ACS Division of Chemical Education International Travel Award

ChemEd X | Tue, 04/20/2021 - 14:11

Interested in Chemical Education? Want to attend an international conference? Did you know that the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society (DivCHED) funds a Travel Award each year? The Chemical Education International Travel Award is in support of a division member who presents and fully participates in an international chemical education conference held outside the U.S.