November 2025 Xchange

The November 2025 Xchange highlights just some of the contributions that have recently been published on ChemEd X. We hope you will take a moment to check in and see whatyou may have missed.

This month’s spotlight: The VisChem Express Mini-Institute. Join a one-day, fully online, immersive workshop that brings chemistry to life through dynamic particle-level animations and research-informed instructional strategies. Participants gain access to a rich collection of free VisChem resources and connect with a nationwide community of practice. Sessions run from September 2025 through August 2026, and eligible teachers can earn a $500 stipend. Learn more and apply.
AP Teach Sessions Notes and Updates (2025-2026) Bookmark this page! Check back often to see updates, recordings, and slide decks from this year's AP Teach sessions.
	Ramping Up the Disappearing Rainbow with the Assassin’s Water Bottle What happens when chemistry and illusion collide? In The Disappearing Rainbow, a simple acid–base demonstration transforms into a spellbinding performance. With a single pour, colorless liquids bloom into a vibrant rainbow—then vanish in an instant. Now, with the arrival of the “Assassin’s water bottle,” this classic demo gets a modern twist that makes the magic easier (and cleaner) than ever.
The Use of Chemistry Videos as Participation Grades and Formative Assessment What if the key to better chemistry review wasn’t more class time—but less lecturing? In this article, Sarah English shares how creating short, targeted videos transformed her exam prep process and helped her meet students where they are. With printed notes, embedded questions, and thoughtful accountability, Sarah's flipped classroom approach turned passive review into active learning—and made her teaching life a lot saner.
	Modeling Classic Atomic Theory I: Where do Element Masses Come From? What if your students derived the periodic table’s masses before they ever learned about moles? This piece reframes “classic” atomic theory as a data-driven approach to building O:C ratios, uncovering the law of definite proportions, and explaining why oxygen’s relative mass is 16 when carbon's is 12. The result is a historically grounded, quantitative model of Dalton’s ideas that makes atomic theory feel discovered—not delivered.
2026 CLC Innovators Program Announcement The Chemistry Laboratory Curriculum (CLC) Innovators Program is now accepting applications for the 2026 cohort! This program offers institutional teams from across the U.S. the chance to participate in a week-long summer institute and ongoing virtual support meetings during the 2026-2027 academic year.
	AP Teach - Relieving the Boredom of Review: New Strategies for Problem Sets and Using Labs to Drive Instruction At our October meeting, teachers shared creative ways to make practice more engaging and meaningful. Kristen Vanderveen demonstrated a movement-based station activity for gas laws, while Sue Biggs presented her Molar Mass of a Gas lab that blends instruction with review and reflection.
ChemEd X Call for Contributions ChemEd X invites practitioners in the chemical education community to share their experiences, knowledge and the resources they use in their classroom and laboratory.

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