Clover Color Chemistry
Tom Kuntzleman | Sat, 07/03/2021 - 16:07
Summertime means doing chemistry experiments with flowers found growing in the yard...
inquiry-based discovery learning
The Golden Drain -- A Stoichiometry Case Study
Josh Kenney | Sun, 06/20/2021 - 08:55
The Golden Drain is a case study developed by Sharma and Wolfgang where students work to uncover a company’s lost revenue due to the error of a new employee.
Teaching Chemistry With Case Studies
Josh Kenney | Tue, 05/25/2021 - 08:08
Case studies have been a staple of undergraduate and graduate education programs like medicine, law, and business, for many years. They let learners engage with simulated real-world situations, making the content more meaningful and connected to their future careers. As a valuable context-based learning tool, case studies are becoming more common in secondary science. Here, we'll explore the role that students and instructors play when learning with case studies.
Simple formation of metal mirrors
Tom Kuntzleman | Mon, 05/10/2021 - 09:57
Beautiful, metallic mirrors of copper or silver can easily be formed in test tubes. Simply add the appropriate metal salt to a test tube, and heat! These reactions should be performed in a fume hood.
Managing Student Collaboration with Kristen Drury & Stephanie O'Brien
Deanna Cullen | Mon, 04/26/2021 - 07:08
POGIL activities can be used to engage students in chemistry lessons through the use of student teams, effective models, and tiered questioning. Kristen Drury and Stephanie O'Brien presented in a ChemEd X Talk on April 21, 2021 and provided teachers with guidance on fostering student buy-in, student role formation, and POGIL implementation. Additionally, information was shared on how to assess students' participation in POGIL activities holistically and through individual examination of process skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem solving. You can watch the edited recording of their Talk here.
Context-based Chemistry: Benefits and Challenges
Josh Kenney | Tue, 04/20/2021 - 08:31
Context-based chemistry aims to make chemistry learning more meaningful for students. With an emphasis on inquiry-based activities, context-based chemistry improves student interest and motivation in chemistry by linking content to real-world situations. Though the idea has been around for over 20 years, researchers are still learning the best strategies for teaching context-based chemistry. Here, we will explore some of the benefits and challenges unearthed up until this point.
What Is the Pressure Inside a Bottle of Soda?
Tom Kuntzleman | Tue, 12/08/2020 - 13:01
What is the pressure inside a bottle of soda pop? Read this short article to find the surprising answer to this question, and also to learn how to do an experiment to answer this question for yourself!
A pedagogic field laboratory for professional development: Windows on the STEM inquiry classroom
Christopher Bauer | Sun, 10/04/2020 - 23:00
Come explore the “Fire and Ice” pedagogic field laboratory. Follow suggested pathways and perspectives, or blaze your own trails. Visit for 10 minutes or for hours.
Color Changing Coke and Mentos
Tom Kuntzleman | Wed, 09/02/2020 - 03:07
What's a better way to start the new school year than with some new experiments? Learn how to use a variety of color changing experiments to teach students about the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment, acids, bases, chemical and physical changes, and climate change.
Build a Boat Collaboration
Kristin Gregory | Sat, 08/08/2020 - 18:05
As many teachers are preparing to teach online, we are revisiting posts from the ChemEd X archives like this one that might be of help. The original Build a Boat challenge was used to help create a classroom culture of teamwork and growth mindset. The author has updated the Build a Boat activity by providing a modified slide show presentation specifically to help those teaching remotely this fall.