Let’s get a coffee and you can tell me your story.

Let me explain why I don’t have my homework.

Our data might not look good, but wait till you hear what happened!

Just as our lives and various circumstances have a story, so do our laboratory experiences. Often the labs we do lack context but we expect students to buy in to the experiment without knowing the what, where, or why of the story. What makes this lab worth doing? What question(s) are we trying to answer? Why was someone exploring this in the first place?

When we fail to give our students the back story we are doing them a disservice. As they begin to explore the world outside our classroom (whether it is in the context of science or not), they will encounter data, ideas, interpretations that all have a story. As I am doing labs with my students this semester I have been reminded that students want to be part of the story. They want to know how their role is important in the larger context. As we frame our labs in this light, we are giving our students the opportunity to write the next few pages of the story. As they collect data that may be beautiful, we want them to be able to explain what that data means; tell a story. When they collect data that may be poor, we also want them to be able to explain why that happened; tell a story.

It is not enough for us to teach our students to be good data collectors; we must also teach them to do thorough analysis and reporting. As we teach them these skills, we are preparing them to be good story tellers. As they leave our classrooms they will be able to share with others not only the skills they have developed, but also know when, how, and why to apply them and how to interpret their results. This is one of the key ingredients to inquiry learning. As we approach the conclusion of our stories with our students this year, I hope you are seeing the fruits of your introduction, character development, and plot twists and that they lead you to a place where you can allow your students to write the next chapter in their story.

Upon sharing my array of apps with some future chemistry teachers, they asked why so many Periodic Tables?  My response was “Well not all periodic tables are the same”, upon which was followed by several blank stares…

Let me explain:  I currently have the following periodic table apps loaded on my iPad:

EMD PTE-  Merck KGaA - free

You tube video link: EMD PTE (free periodic table) app demonstration on iPad

Besides the fact that this is free, the app is useful for the ease of using the molar mass calculator and many other features. However, if your students are not familiar with the element symbols, they will have to do some scrolling through the symbols to locate their element.

EleMints– Mochi Development, Inc. free or $4.99

With this app, a simple zoom in allows many features to pop up for each of the elements including the elements name and several more common element information.  With even further expansion you are provided with the number of electrons found on each the different energy levels for that particular element. 

Another feature includes the capability to enter in a chemical equation and allow the Chemical Equation Balancer to help you solve and balance the equation.  Also, within the app is the link to its Wikipedia article showing both pictures of the element and the spectral lines for that particular element, which are great to project when studying electron diagrams.

Periodic Table of the Elements– by Kevin Neelands – free

Taken from the app store: This is a standard periodic table of the elements - a necessity for anyone interested in or even exposed [to] chemistry. However, the version differs in that instead of cramming all the information for an element into one little square, you can select a chemical attribute and have the entire chart color coded to plainly show how the different elements vary with regard to the selected trait. I have read the reviews for this app. One dated 2011, mentions that the electron configuration of Molybdenum is incorrectly shown as [Kr]5s²4d⁴ and asks that it be corrected to [Kr] 5s¹4d⁵. This has yet to be addressed.  I feel this is one that I will be removing from my iPad. 

The Periodic Table Project– by 3M Canada

This app was a collaborative project that was initiated by the University of Waterloo to celebrate the International Year of Chemistry in 2011.  Chem 13 News working with the Chemistry Dept. and the Faculty of Science asked for chemical educators to adopt an element and then represent it with an artistic flair. The periodic table is up to date and I am proud to say that one of my very own students had her artwork represented (Cadmium Cd-48).  I have the periodic poster hanging in my room and it’s great to point out to the students our own schools work and then point them to the app to read about how each of the elements are represented by the pictures shown. 

Periodictable.com– Website created by Mathematica, many contributions from Theodore Gray

Check out this website for some stunning pictures representing each of the elements.  I own the book so I currently don’t own the app. I mostly use the website instead.  I highly recommend you check out the stunning visuals. 

The Elements In Action by Theodore Gray– by Touchpress Limited

With this app, you get again the beautiful representations of the elements made famous by Theodore Gray, but in video form.  Clicking on the element provides you with a short loop of a video representing that element. 

Visual Chemistry Pro HD– by voi nguyen – currently $4.99 on iPad, coming soon to iPhone

This app has recently become one of my favorite apps with all that it has to offer. This App contains the following modules: (taken from itunes store)
1) Chemistry of the Elements 
2) Electrochemistry 
3) Glossary of Liquid 
4) Minerals 
5) Labtests Abbreviations 
6) Organic Compounds
7) Inorganic Compounds
8) Periodic Table
9) Videos

Clicking on an element provides you with common info but also includes a beautiful picture of the elements spectral lines, its configuration, general information such as the element’s applications, an “in the environment” section including its effects on the environment, common health effects, and finally how it is prepared.  Also included within this app is a dictionary including the elements, electrochemistry terms, minerals formulas, glossary of terms associated with liquids, and labtests abbreviations. 

Another feature involves videos of several chemical reactions including the balanced chemical equation, and model pictures of Inorganic and Organic compounds with information about each one.  This app has a lot to offer!  It is worth the money.

Chemio – A Student’s Chemical Reference– By AppBit Software, LLC - $1.99 iPad

This app offers a great periodic table but what makes it stand out is it provides my students with beautiful representations of the Bohr model for each of the elements and it also includes large diagrams showing the orbital diagram and electron configuration for each element. A molar mass calculator is also provided giving the compounds elemental percent composition and a solubility table is also included for reference purposes. 

Periodic Table– By Royal Society of Chemistry

Taken from the itunes store, this is truly a fact-filled, image-rich app representing the periodic table.  Of course, each element links to the great videos involving Professor Martyn Poliakoff.  The app is fully customizable and provides visual representations showing the trends of elements:

• density
• atomic radius
• electronegativity
• melting point
• boiling point
• first ionization energy
• supply risk

Information for each element includes:

• uses and properties
• history
• atomic data
• oxidation states and isotopes
• supply risk
• pressure and temperature data

My students love the professor and the videos and this app provides quick links to each of them.

So… as I said, “Not all periodic tables are the same!”

Others not listed include:

Nova Elements– used mostly by me as a chem lab activity instead of as a reference periodic table app but does provide info on each of the elements.

If I have left anything out, please let me know.  If you use these or any other periodic table app, I hope you will comment.

Computer coding has been getting a lot of attention with the Hour of Code movement and President Obama’s recent “Computer Science for All” initiative. Just like it is no longer solely the job of the English teacher to teach language and communication skills, it is no longer solely the job of the computer science teacher to teach programming skills. According to code.org, 71% of new STEM jobs are in computer science fields but only 8% of STEM graduates major in computer science. Unfortunately, only 1 in 4 schools offers computer science. As STEM educators, we are on the front lines to bridge that gap. So how do we integrate coding into the chemistry classroom in a meaningful and time-efficient way? Here are some ideas to get you started that have been tested in my classroom:

1. Model 3D particles using VPython and Glowscript

If you use the AMTA Modeling Instructional materials (or even if you do not), you are probably familiar with using particle models to represent density. The only drawback of particle models is they are two-dimensional. Glowscript is a free integrated development environment (IDE) that uses the VPython language. With one simple line of code, students can create a hard sphere particle. They can then manipulate that code to change the size and position of their particle. Students can create many particles and ultimately change the density of their substance by either changing the size and/or spacing of their particles. This activity is great as an introduction to programming and it helps students develop spatial reasoning skills by using a 3D coordinate system. You can even program these particles to move!

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code2.png

2. Create all sorts of calculators using Python and Cloud9

Chemistry is a very math-heavy subject and requires students to use advanced problem-solving skills. Many times students can solve specific problems but have trouble generalizing the process. Coding a calculator allows students the opportunity to generalize functions they may have thought were simple.

Python is a very straight-forward coding language that allows for anyone to pick up the basics. As a teacher, I suggest spending some time on Codeacademy.com to learn the basics of variables, operands and if/then statements. You certainly do not have to complete the whole course to learn enough Python for this application. I have my students spend a class period on Code Academy to familiarize themselves with Python but I do not think that time is a necessity.

Additionally, Cloud 9 is a really nice IDE for coding many programming languages wherever there is internet.

I have students use Python to make mole calculators as well as stoichiometry calculators. The gas laws would also lend themselves well to a coding project. You could even replace a worksheet with a coding challenge if you are feeling short on time.

code3.png

code4.png

With IDE’s like GlowScript, Cloud9 and many others, coding is now accessible to everyone. My goal for next year is to have students coding chemistry apps. How are you helping to close the STEM gap?

Is the cover of the March 2016 issue (see photo) of the Journal of Chemical Education a familiar scene? It is to me. I’ve spent many hours surrounded by shelves full of books and journals, in all of their papery goodness. Paper was the mainstay of my undergraduate searches in the chemistry library, although computer searches (to lead me to paper) also played a role. Since then, the landscape has changed dramatically, with far-reaching effects on both students and educators.

This month’s special issue puts the focus on that chemical information and information literacy landscape, with “perspectives, practices, and programs of potential use to educators and librarians in higher education and high school,” (p 401) as Grace Baysinger’s editorial (full text freely available) states.

Information Literacy Needs

Exploring the Information Literacy Needs and Values of High School Chemistry Teachers begins with a definition of information literacy (IL), the “set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed information” (p 406). Are you “information literate”? Are your students? What role can chemistry educators play in helping their students to become information literate? How can educators be prepared for this role?

Zane and Tucci are interested in the answers to all of these questions. Their article describes the first steps in their quest to improve the IL component of a seminar connected to their college’s chemistry department, based on the needs of high school chemistry teachers. They surveyed members of the American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT) and New England Association of Chemistry Teachers (NEACT). The article’s figures summarize teacher responses related to the priority of IL in the chemistry curriculum, the use of specific IL skills in their curriculum, difficulties in implementing IL, and the types of information sources used by their students. From the results, many participants already include components of IL in their chemistry curriculum, although the main difficulty (can you guess?) is lack of time.

The authors conclude that more information is needed, including more input from chemistry teachers, particularly in IL instruction that is already being used. Do you integrate IL into your classroom already? What insights can you offer to others? 

Information Literacy Skills: Wikipedia Activity

Survey results from the Zane and Tucci article above show that websites are the top information source used by students in the chemistry curriculum. It’s probably safe to say that Wikipedia pops up as one of those websites from time to time. In Improving Information Literacy Skills through Learning To Use and Edit Wikipedia: A Chemistry Perspective, Walker and Li discuss facets of the resource: its chemistry content, how students can use it effectively, and how it can be a benefit to developing information literacy skills.

I like their recommendations for how Wikipedia can be useful, such as using it as an easy-to-understand first overall read on a topic, “an excellent way for a beginner to quickly see connections and the bigger picture” (p 511) and as a possible resource for identifying key papers for a topic, based on the Wikipedia article citations.

The second half of their article focuses on using Wikipedia as part of an editing project for students. Full involvement in the activity is intensive and is aimed at undergraduate and graduate levels, usually with support from librarians. However, the authors make suggestions for how a project with a smaller scope could also be implemented, which could be of use in the high school classroom. These include adding a small part to an existing article, adding citations, adding images, editing short sections, and correcting mistakes in existing articles. They suggest an instructor first learn about how the Wikipedia editing community works and to experience editing an article themselves.

What has your experience been with students using (or not using?) Wikipedia in the classroom?

For the entire issue, see Mary Saecker’s JCE 93.03—March Issue Highlights.

Share!

What are your thoughts on the March 2016 issue? If you see an article that sparks your interest, please share! You can comment on this post, or if you’d like to contribute an article or “Pick” of your own, submit a request to contribute, explaining you’d like to contribute to the Especially JCE column. Questions? Contact us using the XChange’s contact form.

What am I doing to help kids achieve?

How do I know when they are there?

What is the evidence?

  Fortunately, I am blessed to work with some fantastic people who, after a number of years, understand my nerdiness and have accepted it. A great colleague passed this along. I jumped on it.  If you go to this site on Etsy (Que Intersante. Where Geek Meets Art) you can get a great project for you kids for not too much money.  Essentially what this site sells are Crayon labels. They are not just ANY Crayon labels...they are labels that go on colored Crayons or pencils and, instead of having a name such as "orange", it has the chemical symbol or the compound or element that makes up that color. I got the labels. Next, I went to a local craft store, got a big box of 64 Crayons, some colored markers, a canvas and a hot glue gun. Thanks to coupons in the Sunday paper I did not have to spend more than $20. I had some kids that needed some extra credit. They transferred the labels onto the crayons and markers. They then hot glued the crayons and markers to the canvas (making sure the labels were showing of course). Now, whenever we are talking about transition metals or compounds with transition metals I can show them the board and say, "Here is how we get these colors in nature." Way cool project, cheap and easy.  Also, you wind up with a nice educational tool that you can refer to throughout the year.

Today is the first day of daylight savings time. Ouch. My students are sleep-walking, zombie-like creatures with a single obsession: the countdown to Spring Break. Their teacher is no different this morning. Tomorrow, I plan to change my attitude.

How can I engage my students (and myself) for the last half of the semester? I read recently that the human attention span in 2015 is 8.25 seconds, which is down from 2000’s 12-second span. Currently, we are just beneath goldfish, who can attend to one thought for 9 seconds. I’m not sure of the methods of the research study, and I maintain a level of healthy skepticism. However, I admit my thoughts often spring from topic to topic like a bubble gum machine bouncy ball.

I asked a sophomore, Jacob, to give me tips on keeping him focused in class. He replied, “When I’m sitting in class, I pick up my phone and start messing with it. I’m listening, but I need something to do. I really like the flipped classroom. The only time anyone really focuses on working problems is in class with you anyway. Oh, I like all the video clips you use in our lectures, too. The “Crash Course” guy is funny.”

From the mouths of babes, “I need something to do.” Here are my ideas:

1) Demonstrations: We began equilibrium today, and I used a “Blue Bottle” demonstration to introduce the idea of reversible reactions. My students opened their curious eyes for a few moments. Many made predictions on whiteboards. Some asked questions. A few gasped at the color changes.

Here are some links to simple demonstrations that do not require a ton of set up time:

• University of Washington Department of Chemistry: If you can’t find it here, it doesn’t exist. You’ll find a very long list of lecture demonstrations divided by content. The blue bottle experiment instructions were simpler and smaller scale here than on other more well-known sites.
• University of Washington Department of Chemistry: This site gives short video clips explaining the chemistry behind the demonstration as well as the demo. The clips are engaging, and they allow me to show phenomena outside of my school budget.
• Flinn Scientific Demos: Old Faithful. Nearly everyone knows Flinn’s tried and true demonstrations. 

2)Video Clips: As Jacob mentioned, I use lots of video clips during any teacher-centered time. The clips add dynamic visuals, new lab techniques, humor, and simply, a different voice to the lecture time.

Here are some links to clips my students seem to enjoy:

• ChemEdX has many, many pages of video clips on a really wide range of topics. The clips are short. They offer the perfect punch to reinforce an idea, grab interest, or give a moment of processing time. These do require a paid subscription to ChemEd X.

• Crash Course Chemistry: Hank Green offers 46 videos on chemistry content. He speaks incredibly fast, but his humor really engages the students. I show the videos as a 10 to 15 minute preview/overview of a new unit. I create viewing guides to help my students keep up with Hank’s pace.
• Bozeman Science: Similar to Flinn Scientific, Bozeman Science is tried and true. The short clips are complete with graphic organizers and slideshows. I use these in class, and the students use them as review for tests and quizzes.

3)Music: The fastest way to change the atmosphere of the classroom is to play music. Purposeful choices are excellent, but anything will work. Students respond to the style and tempo of the music.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• Theme days: Motown Monday, Twangy Tuesday, The Middle Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, Free Play Friday – I created short playlists for each day of the week, and I play the songs during class changes. The students come and go to music. It really helps set the tone for a positive class time.
• Mr. Rosengarten is funny, really funny. He has written and performed many, many chemistry songs and raps complete with music videos. No, he is not a professional rapper. Think of your chemistry teacher. Now imagine him rapping. Here are a few titles to get you interested:  “Rock Me Avogadro” and “For Those about to Dissolve: We Solute You.”
• Partner Discussion and Problem-Solving Time: During my second year teaching, a staff development meeting hit home to me. I didn’t often speak up about chemistry content in small group discussions for fear of making a mistake and being overheard by other groups. The instructor told us to never ask students to speak about content for the first time without providing background noise. Wow. I follow the advice. My students always have the safety of “noise” during their first formative conversations about a topic. I use Pandora stations for simplicity. Here are my go-to stations: John Mayer radio, Ed Sheeran radio, Colbie Calliat radio, and Jack Johnson radio.

4) Plickers: Jacob mentioned needing something to do. Plickers offers him the opportunity to show me what he’s been processing while fumbling with his phone and listening to me. I simply pose a multiple choice question, and the students hold up a personalized card indicating their individual answers. I use my phone and Plickers app to scan the room, and the app collects the answers and graphs the data for me. The website simultaneously does the same, and I can show the students the class’s data. The set-up is minimal.  Print the cards from the website. (10 seconds) Enter your students’ names. (5 minutes) Go to the “library” to create questions. (5 minutes)

Do you have games or other tools that get your kids excited about chemistry?  Share!

Each spring my Local Section of The American Chemical Society (ACS) hosts a rigorous two part exam as part of the selection process for the The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) IChO is an annual international competition for the world’s top chemistry students. Each year, nations from all over the world will send teams of four to compete for top honors. The ACS sponsors the Olympiad program and helps select and train students for the competition which is held in a different participating country each July. As part of the selection process, the ACS administers the National Olympiad Exam to more than 1,000 students. Twenty of the top scoring students are selected to attend the two-week Olympiad Study Camp held in June at the Air Force Academy in Colorado.  

When my students ask how they can prepare for the local competition I direct them to the website of released past exams and tell them to download and practice answering the questions. Each national exam is separated into three parts. Part I is a multiple choice test consisting of 60 multiple choice questions and covers a wide range of chemistry topics, and Part II is an eight question free response test covering theories and models. Parts I and II can be downloaded and practiced at home. Part III, on the other hand, is a lab practical. This is the part of the exam that is difficult for students to prepare for on their own. It is also the part of the exam that I have used to create some of the most engaging and fun lab challenges to use in my classroom. They provide authentic learning experiences for all my students, but also help those taking the exam prepare for the lab portion.

The lab practicals on the exams are presented as problems. No procedure is given. Students must use their chemistry knowledge and lab experience to devise a plan and solve the problem. I like this format as it integrated nicely with the Modeling InstructionalTM methods I use in my class. The best part is that the released exams come with lists of materials and equipment, helpful hints to the proctors, and solutions! My students respond well to the format.  They approach each activity like a personal challenge. They brainstorm and bounce ideas off each other. They try different things and report back to each other - collaboratively trying to improve the protocols they design.  

I plan on adapting and incorporating more of these challenges in both my first year and AP courses next year.  

When logged in, registered members of ChemEd X can access the student and teacher files of the Density Challenge that I adapted from Part III of the 2001 exam at the bottom of the post.

What am I doing to help kids achieve?

How do I know when they are there?

What is the evidence?

  From the looks of things, we are all in the same boat. Spring fever. I had two groups of students. Both are ending 3rd quarter, looking out a window at the first nice weather we have had in weeks. Most are already planning their spring break vacation and some have left early. Notice, not much talk about chemistry. The curriculum said it was time for stoichiometry for one group and specific heat for another. Just what the kids wanted to do (read with sarcasm).
  I pulled out an activity from an old friend, Bill Ignatz. The kids came in. My first question was, "Who wants to cook and eat smores in chemistry?" Hmmm...let's see...doing worksheets or eating chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers? No surpise 99% of the kids wanted smores and were more than willing to beat up the one percent who voted "no" (not to worry...I nipped that in the bud..don't want the classroom to turn into a political campaign rally...). Here is the deal, each student had to provide me the exact amount of money it would cost me to buy all the materials at the store. Now, for most of my students I am convinced they eat about five meals a day and weigh about 10 pounds. To them, a smore would be like drinking nectar from the gods. Quickly the questions started coming. "How many students?" 56. "What makes up a smore?" I provided the "balanced equation" for a smore. One large graham cracker, one marshmallow and two small pieces of chocolate yields one smore. "How many graham crackers in a box? How many pieces of chocolate in a bar? What is the cost per box and package?" Pretty soon, we had a real live stoichiometry problem. Although we did not use traditional chemicals, it tasted better and the students used the same types of proportions, factor labeling and thought processes to solve the problem. We also had a tutorial on using bunsen burners. They had to successfully set the burner on fire and not their lab partner. I am happy to say, they succeeded. Overall, the majority of the students nailed the number ($16.86) and showed their work. Thanks Bill Ignatz...I know what some of you are thinking. Eating in a lab? I cleaned everything and sprayed all the tables down with a 10% bleach solution before the lab. I know I went rogue but it was worth it....
  Next came another group of students who were doing specific heat. They were tired and so was I. We had just found the heat of fusion of ice so they knew how to use a calorimeter (FYI - cheap garage sale coffee pots are great sources for hot water). I showed them what the materials they had available, said I would provide a metal and they had to find the specific heat and ended with "Good Luck". This lab is all over the internet. Students quickly found a reasonable procedure. The day after they got the data I put a wide variety of metals on the board with their specific heats and told them that they may have one of them. One student said that her specific heat was similar to one but her sample appeared to look like another. Another student decided to also take the density of the material as a second way to identify the metal. A third student thought that his specific heat was similar to silver so I must have given him about 60 grams of silver (hmmmm.....not likely...). Overall, the majority of the students did well.
     To use a baseball analogy, we are rounding third and heading for home.  It is difficult to teach during great weather and when kids are starting to dream of summer.  This can be a great time to have the courage to try new things and ask new questions...and maybe have a smore or two...

Recently, I came across an article about self-healing concrete on the ACS Central Science open source journal website. Typically we think that the wear and tear of automobiles on the roads causes concrete roads to deteriorate, eventually causing potholes and requiring the use of patching. Regular maintenance, like patching, gets expensive over time. If we were to zoom in on a microscopic level we’d see microscopic cracks that allow in water, salts, and ice. Since ice has the ability to expand, the tiny little cracks will become big noticeable cracks.

Something interesting to note, according to the author’s reference of a Washington Post article, is that “concrete use is set to skyrocket, due to a building boom in countries like China, which used more cement from 2011 to 2013 than the U.S. used in the entire 20th century!” With this increased use of concrete being present, and the added carbon emissions during production, some researchers set out to create a biologically-based concrete that self-heals faster than normal (think bacteria). Apparently, concrete has the ability to heal itself but in an extremely slow manner.

The first example of bacteria used to induce self-healing properties comes from Professors Hendrik M. Jonkers and Erik Schlangen of the Delft University of Technology, in The Netherlands. They report a self-healing bioconcrete where “dormant bacterial spores contained in clay pellets germinate when cracks expose them to moisture. The microbes feed on calcium lactate to form limestone, sealing the cracks...in just 3 weeks…[and] gaps up to 0.8 mm wide.” The researchers have set out to develop a sugar-based component that would replace the expensive calcium lactate.

Neil De Belie, a structural engineer at Ghent University, in Belgium “packages bacterial spores in a melamine formaldehyde shell that has been able to make concrete that can heal small cracks up to 1 mm wide in 4 weeks. They’ve recently identified a limestone-producing bacterial strain that does not require oxygen, but instead uses nitrates.”

Thirdly, researchers are developing methods that involve hydrogels. The idea here being that hydrogels would water and nourish the bacteria, enabling them to live longer after germination. Plus, hydrogels do not need to be encapsulated, which make the concrete production process easier.

Additional research is being conducted with polymers; this research is still seemingly in its infancy.

Hopefully you’ll find some use for this article in your instruction whether it’s with properties of water, chemical reactions, or materials science.

Let’s get a coffee and you can tell me your story.

Let me explain why I don’t have my homework.

Our data might not look good, but wait till you hear what happened!

Just as our lives and various circumstances have a story, so do our laboratory experiences. Often the labs we do lack context but we expect students to buy in to the experiment without knowing the what, where, or why of the story. What makes this lab worth doing? What question(s) are we trying to answer? Why was someone exploring this in the first place?

When we fail to give our students the back story we are doing them a disservice. As they begin to explore the world outside our classroom (whether it is in the context of science or not), they will encounter data, ideas, interpretations that all have a story. As I am doing labs with my students this semester I have been reminded that students want to be part of the story. They want to know how their role is important in the larger context. As we frame our labs in this light, we are giving our students the opportunity to write the next few pages of the story. As they collect data that may be beautiful, we want them to be able to explain what that data means; tell a story. When they collect data that may be poor, we also want them to be able to explain why that happened; tell a story.

It is not enough for us to teach our students to be good data collectors; we must also teach them to do thorough analysis and reporting. As we teach them these skills, we are preparing them to be good story tellers. As they leave our classrooms they will be able to share with others not only the skills they have developed, but also know when, how, and why to apply them and how to interpret their results. This is one of the key ingredients to inquiry learning. As we approach the conclusion of our stories with our students this year, I hope you are seeing the fruits of your introduction, character development, and plot twists and that they lead you to a place where you can allow your students to write the next chapter in their story.

Upon sharing my array of apps with some future chemistry teachers, they asked why so many Periodic Tables?  My response was “Well not all periodic tables are the same”, upon which was followed by several blank stares…

Let me explain:  I currently have the following periodic table apps loaded on my iPad:

EMD PTE-  Merck KGaA - free

You tube video link: EMD PTE (free periodic table) app demonstration on iPad

Besides the fact that this is free, the app is useful for the ease of using the molar mass calculator and many other features. However, if your students are not familiar with the element symbols, they will have to do some scrolling through the symbols to locate their element.

EleMints– Mochi Development, Inc. free or $4.99

With this app, a simple zoom in allows many features to pop up for each of the elements including the elements name and several more common element information.  With even further expansion you are provided with the number of electrons found on each the different energy levels for that particular element. 

Another feature includes the capability to enter in a chemical equation and allow the Chemical Equation Balancer to help you solve and balance the equation.  Also, within the app is the link to its Wikipedia article showing both pictures of the element and the spectral lines for that particular element, which are great to project when studying electron diagrams.

Periodic Table of the Elements– by Kevin Neelands – free

Taken from the app store: This is a standard periodic table of the elements - a necessity for anyone interested in or even exposed [to] chemistry. However, the version differs in that instead of cramming all the information for an element into one little square, you can select a chemical attribute and have the entire chart color coded to plainly show how the different elements vary with regard to the selected trait. I have read the reviews for this app. One dated 2011, mentions that the electron configuration of Molybdenum is incorrectly shown as [Kr]5s²4d⁴ and asks that it be corrected to [Kr] 5s¹4d⁵. This has yet to be addressed.  I feel this is one that I will be removing from my iPad. 

The Periodic Table Project– by 3M Canada

This app was a collaborative project that was initiated by the University of Waterloo to celebrate the International Year of Chemistry in 2011.  Chem 13 News working with the Chemistry Dept. and the Faculty of Science asked for chemical educators to adopt an element and then represent it with an artistic flair. The periodic table is up to date and I am proud to say that one of my very own students had her artwork represented (Cadmium Cd-48).  I have the periodic poster hanging in my room and it’s great to point out to the students our own schools work and then point them to the app to read about how each of the elements are represented by the pictures shown. 

Periodictable.com– Website created by Mathematica, many contributions from Theodore Gray

Check out this website for some stunning pictures representing each of the elements.  I own the book so I currently don’t own the app. I mostly use the website instead.  I highly recommend you check out the stunning visuals. 

The Elements In Action by Theodore Gray– by Touchpress Limited

With this app, you get again the beautiful representations of the elements made famous by Theodore Gray, but in video form.  Clicking on the element provides you with a short loop of a video representing that element. 

Visual Chemistry Pro HD– by voi nguyen – currently $4.99 on iPad, coming soon to iPhone

This app has recently become one of my favorite apps with all that it has to offer. This App contains the following modules: (taken from itunes store)
1) Chemistry of the Elements 
2) Electrochemistry 
3) Glossary of Liquid 
4) Minerals 
5) Labtests Abbreviations 
6) Organic Compounds
7) Inorganic Compounds
8) Periodic Table
9) Videos

Clicking on an element provides you with common info but also includes a beautiful picture of the elements spectral lines, its configuration, general information such as the element’s applications, an “in the environment” section including its effects on the environment, common health effects, and finally how it is prepared.  Also included within this app is a dictionary including the elements, electrochemistry terms, minerals formulas, glossary of terms associated with liquids, and labtests abbreviations. 

Another feature involves videos of several chemical reactions including the balanced chemical equation, and model pictures of Inorganic and Organic compounds with information about each one.  This app has a lot to offer!  It is worth the money.

Chemio – A Student’s Chemical Reference– By AppBit Software, LLC - $1.99 iPad

This app offers a great periodic table but what makes it stand out is it provides my students with beautiful representations of the Bohr model for each of the elements and it also includes large diagrams showing the orbital diagram and electron configuration for each element. A molar mass calculator is also provided giving the compounds elemental percent composition and a solubility table is also included for reference purposes. 

Periodic Table– By Royal Society of Chemistry

Taken from the itunes store, this is truly a fact-filled, image-rich app representing the periodic table.  Of course, each element links to the great videos involving Professor Martyn Poliakoff.  The app is fully customizable and provides visual representations showing the trends of elements:

• density
• atomic radius
• electronegativity
• melting point
• boiling point
• first ionization energy
• supply risk

Information for each element includes:

• uses and properties
• history
• atomic data
• oxidation states and isotopes
• supply risk
• pressure and temperature data

My students love the professor and the videos and this app provides quick links to each of them.

So… as I said, “Not all periodic tables are the same!”

Others not listed include:

Nova Elements– used mostly by me as a chem lab activity instead of as a reference periodic table app but does provide info on each of the elements.

If I have left anything out, please let me know.  If you use these or any other periodic table app, I hope you will comment.

Computer coding has been getting a lot of attention with the Hour of Code movement and President Obama’s recent “Computer Science for All” initiative. Just like it is no longer solely the job of the English teacher to teach language and communication skills, it is no longer solely the job of the computer science teacher to teach programming skills. According to code.org, 71% of new STEM jobs are in computer science fields but only 8% of STEM graduates major in computer science. Unfortunately, only 1 in 4 schools offers computer science. As STEM educators, we are on the front lines to bridge that gap. So how do we integrate coding into the chemistry classroom in a meaningful and time-efficient way? Here are some ideas to get you started that have been tested in my classroom:

1. Model 3D particles using VPython and Glowscript

If you use the AMTA Modeling Instructional materials (or even if you do not), you are probably familiar with using particle models to represent density. The only drawback of particle models is they are two-dimensional. Glowscript is a free integrated development environment (IDE) that uses the VPython language. With one simple line of code, students can create a hard sphere particle. They can then manipulate that code to change the size and position of their particle. Students can create many particles and ultimately change the density of their substance by either changing the size and/or spacing of their particles. This activity is great as an introduction to programming and it helps students develop spatial reasoning skills by using a 3D coordinate system. You can even program these particles to move!

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2. Create all sorts of calculators using Python and Cloud9

Chemistry is a very math-heavy subject and requires students to use advanced problem-solving skills. Many times students can solve specific problems but have trouble generalizing the process. Coding a calculator allows students the opportunity to generalize functions they may have thought were simple.

Python is a very straight-forward coding language that allows for anyone to pick up the basics. As a teacher, I suggest spending some time on Codeacademy.com to learn the basics of variables, operands and if/then statements. You certainly do not have to complete the whole course to learn enough Python for this application. I have my students spend a class period on Code Academy to familiarize themselves with Python but I do not think that time is a necessity.

Additionally, Cloud 9 is a really nice IDE for coding many programming languages wherever there is internet.

I have students use Python to make mole calculators as well as stoichiometry calculators. The gas laws would also lend themselves well to a coding project. You could even replace a worksheet with a coding challenge if you are feeling short on time.

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With IDE’s like GlowScript, Cloud9 and many others, coding is now accessible to everyone. My goal for next year is to have students coding chemistry apps. How are you helping to close the STEM gap?

Brian Greene is not only one of the foremost theoretical physicists/cosmologists, but he also has a talent for explaining some of the most difficult and abstract concepts in physics to those outside of his field.  He is author of three best-selling books that I had chosen as "Picks" in the past: "The Elegant Universe" (1999), "The Fabric of the Cosmos" (2004), and "The Hidden Reality" (2011), and I still consult them. As you surely know, the big thing in physics recently is the announcement that the existence of gravitation waves, predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity a hundred years ago, has been experimentally confirmed by a pair of incredibly sensitive interferometers. Somebody might ask you to explain this.  It could be a student, or it could be somebody at a cocktail party who found out that you are a scientist, and therefore expects you to be an expert. In such a situation, you are likely to wish that you had read an understandable yet accurate explanation by somebody who writes physics in English. You will find just the thing you want in this article in the most recent Smithsonian magazine. 

A smartphone can be used in a remarkably simple and inexpensive way to teach your students about absorption spectroscopy and Beer’s Law. In short, light reflected off of colored construction paper is passed through a sample and detected by an RGB application on a smartphone. The materials and setup are so simple that students can easily construct several “spectrophotometers” that can be used in a variety of experiments in your classroom. When using the system students learn some basic ideas about the processes involved in a working absorption spectrometer. Excellent results can be achieved; my students routinely obtain absorbance vs. concentration data sets with linear fits of R² = 0.98 or better.

The video below describes how to set up an iPhone for use as a “spectrophotometer”. Below the video you can find further helpful tips (not covered in the video) on how to set up your own “smartphone spectrophotometer”. For example, the further tips describe how to use an Android instead of an iPhone in the experiment.

Let me know if you use this experiment in your classes. I’d love to hear about any experiments you conduct in your classroom using this set up.

Further tips:

1. This blog post and the video above describe some aspects of the following publication in the Journal of Chemical Education: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5b00844. Several other details, as well as a student worksheet, can be found by accessing the publication link.

2. Any application that can detect average R, G, and B values in real time will work. As stated in the video, the application “Colorometer” works well on the iPhone. Further information regarding this app can be found at the following link:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/colorometer/id509865412?mt=8.

Two applications that work well on an Android are:

a. “Colorimeter”, (comes with a nominal cost). See: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.colorimeter

b. “Colormeter Free”. See: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vistechprojects.colormeterfree&hl=en

3. Because the light detector is an RGB analyzer, it is pedagogically most straightforward to limit the color of background construction paper to be red, green or blue. A color wheel (see below) can be used to help determine the background color of construction paper to be used. To do so, choose the color on the color wheel that is opposite the color of the solution to be analyzed. This “opposite color” is called the “complimentary color”. Since red is the compliment of green, if a green colored solution is to be analyzed, then red construction paper should be used as the background. It may be that the appropriate complimentary color is not red, green or blue. In this case, simply choose a color that closely matches the complementary color. For example, even though orange is the compliment of blue, we have successfully used a red background to analyze blue samples, because red closely matches orange.

color wheel

4.  As an alternative to colored construction paper, light from a computer screen can be used as a light source. To do so, access the following link on the computer:

http://academo.org/demos/wavelength-to-colour-relationship/ .

a. For blue light, set the wavelength to 440 nm.

b. For green light, set the wavelength to 510 nm.

c. For red light, set the wavelength to 680 nm.

5. It is useful to use drinks that can be bought at the grocery store for stock solutions from which the standard solutions can be made. As seen in the video, we have used Fruit Punch PowerAde Zero as a stock solution of 95±5 x 10^-6 M Red Dye #40. We have also used Blueberry Pommegranate Gatorade as a stock solution of 12±1 x 10^-6 M Blue Dye #1. Using these solutions as “stock”, we often find the concentration of Blue Dye #1 in Mountain Berry Blast PowerAde to be 4.3±0.5 x 10^-6 M and Red Dye #40 in Strawberry PowerAde Zero to be 4.5±0.5 x 10^-6 M. 

What am I doing to help kids achieve?

How do I know when they are there?

What is the evidence?

  Each year we work on specific heat of materials and the heat of fusion of ice. These are two labs that are typical for most chemistry classrooms. Most of the experiments involve a simple calorimetry experiment that uses a styrofoam cup and provides generally good results. There tend to be a couple of key ideas with all of these experiments. First, temperature is NOT the same as heat. Temperature is the average kinetic energy of a system and heat is the flow of energy from one system to another. Students (mine at least) get confused with this idea. Also, in both experiments, heat either flows out or into the water in the calorimeter. We know the specific heat, change in temperature and the mass of the water so we can solve for the heat. However, the heat had to come from somewhere, like a hot metal or go somewhere, like into the ice to change the phase. Common mistakes year after year have been confusing which mass is used in the heat equation. Typically, students confuse if they should use the mass of the water, ice or metal.

  A couple of years ago I had the privilage of attending an American Chemical Society Conference in Dallas. The American Modeling Teachers Association did a presentation on modeling the idea of heat. First, they provide the analogy that heat is like money. Just as a person places money in different accounts, heat can be placed into different accounts and can be transferred from one account to another (it is represented as bar diagrams). It can be used to change temperature, thermal energy, or used to change the phase of a system. Also, heat can be stored in the "chemical energy" account which involves breaking and forming bonds. Students represent the heat in bar charts both before and after the change that occurs. An important step in the process is to identify the "system" (like ice, water or a piece of metal) and to see if heat is flowing in or out of the system and then to identify which account it would be in. Students also draw this in their energy diagrams. This method is different than traditional methods of teaching heat and the process I have shared here is the bare bones. The AMTA does a wonderful job of going into much more detail.

  Here is the good news....since I have started using this method, I have had fewer students confuse the masses and the materials that are being heated and cooled in the equation for heat. The equation is definately symbolic and by physically drawing where the heat is stored, the flow of energy in or out of a system and where the energy ends in a bar diagram, students make a strong connection between the symbolic, the model and the lab that involves an extremely abstract concept such as "heat". Do all of my student "get" it? No. However, many more seem to be making the connections with this method than prior methods. If you also have students who struggle with this concept, I would encourage you to check out this method. I think it is a keeper....

Take a look at previous ChemEd X posts about Energy Bar Charts.

http://www.chemedx.org/article/modeling-approach-energy-storage-and-transfer

http://www.chemedx.org/blog/cross-discipline-discussions-energy

It’s review season for AP courses! I have a love/hate relationship with the date of the AP Chemistry exam. On one hand, it’s SO early. On the other hand, because it’s the first exam, my students actually study for it (compared to later in the AP exam season when students are like, “I’m done. I don’t care anymore.”).

All of the students who take the course are required to take the AP exam in the spring. I don’t want to get on a rant here, but short story: I want my students to learn how to want something. Concurrent enrollment (CE) makes it (almost) too easy to earn college credit (when, dare I say it, it may not be warranted?). All in all, I see too many students who are afraid to take the AP exam because they have been conditioned to be perfect, and not brave (ok, this is just one hunch of mine…I know there are other factors). Not every student will earn a 5, nor do all students deserve a 5. I don’t know about you, but I learned a ton in classes over my life even when I did not earn an A. And the second time, the third time, the fourth time I encountered that content again, I improved. Looking at the long term, as some of my students pursue a career in science, they need to get that the best scientists not only know their stuff, but are ALSO brave. And taking the AP exam is showing bravery in a way, because I do not write nor grade the exam. Are there inherent issues in one 3ish hour exam determining the fate of college credit awarded? Yes. But if a student does not earn a 5, is it worth it for the experience and practice? Absolutely.

I digress - I’m sorry for that rant, but it needs to be said. Anyways, all of my students take the exam. So we prepare.

Where do I find inspiration?

• I talk to people. I have collaborated with some awesome friends through the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation the last two years for resources and support (How do I grade this response with the rubric?).

• I stalk...troll...whatever…. people on ChemEdX/Twitter. (For instance, here's Adrian Dingle's blog post on his review musings: https://www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com/apreview2016/)

• I attend webinars. There are a variety of webinars to help give teachers ideas. For instance, here are some upcoming American Association of Chemistry Teachers Webinars.

What do I do with my students?

1. There are lots of review books available for students to use. My students purchase David Hostage’s review book after doing some research and getting advice from friends. Over spring break (in Colorado it’s the end of March), they complete one of the practice exams. Really, no review book is 100% “updated” to the new exam.

2. In my classroom, throughout the second semester we have been hitting multiple choice questions pretty hard. This is my second year teaching AP Chemistry. My first group and second group are very different, and this year’s group struggles a lot more with multiple choice compared to last year’s group. So once a week, we have taken about 20 minutes out of class to practice multiple choice. They get 5-7 minutes to answer a question and then we check/go over problems right away. Here is a sample of what my students do. I’m trying to have students not only be reflective when we check and do an error analysis, but also be reflective as they work as they annotate what they are guessing. Where do I get questions? I get a lot from Aaron Glimme’s awesome site and his problems of the day. I find the questions pretty good - not quite as challenging as the ones on the exam, but kind of a nice gear up and review. As I get closer to the AP exam, I’ve been taking questions from the 2015 exam exclusively (and keep the 2013 and 2014 exams pristine).

3. We do full length practice exams. Back in January, my 20 students and I got out our calendars and set aside a Saturday morning full length practice exam - we met this past Saturday and had a potluck breakfast (I ATE SO MANY BAGELS!). This was advised at the APSI I attended at the University of Tulsa (which was great), and now I feel like I get the rationale better. I mean, why not just do a practice exam over a few days in class? The test is not just content, but can you persevere to do your best when you are just plain exhausted after 3 hours. Doing this on a Saturday helps students practice that aspect. We will do one more full length practice exam on a Thursday after school (which I had planned to split up over 4 class periods, but standardized testing is going on…). This second practice exam will occur two weeks before the AP exam. After each practice exam, students complete an error analysis and set goals for the next time (Example: “I was in the high 3 range...I want to shoot for a 4”).

4. The week before the AP exam, we take a collective step back. I am on my students’ collective behinds from early August until mid-April. The week before the AP exam, they have had 2+ full practice exams under their belts. The week before the exam in class, they may either work on their own personal goals (work through review books, old tests, etc) or submit topics for me to hold review seminars in class. Even though I’m writing a whole blog article about reviewing, spoiler alert: I actually HATE/DREAD/DESPISE reviewing for tests in class. I (almost) always choose the wrong topics from my data. I love this seminar approach, because my students tell me it’s way more helpful (argh- I’ve spent many many hours trying to craft the perfect review lessons). Even if only 2 or 3 students do most of the review seminar proposing, many students participate and find value because they realize that they should be asking those questions. Here’s what the sign up looked like last year to get an idea of how you might do this if you like the idea. I hear that this approach is like training for a marathon where you back off a tiny bit the week before...but I hate running so I have no clue.

Ok, so these ideas just come from two years of teaching this course… and I’m sure that there are SO many more awesome things out there! Please share!

Do you…

• Have a review book you recommend?

• Have an activity or a series of things you do over time (like my multiple choice review) that students have found success?

• Any other recommendations?

Please post them below!

                While attending a professional development session last year I was introduced to the Talk Science Primer, developed by the Inquiry Project and TERC. Although the research and sample population targeted educators and students grades three through five, I decided to review the material to analyze if it had any value in a chemistry classroom.

According to the Talk Science Primer there are seven elements of academically productive talk:

1. A belief that students can do it

2. Well-established ground rules

3. Clear academic purpose

4. Deep understanding of the academic content

5. A framing question and follow-up questions

6. An appropriate talk format

7. A set of strategic “talk moves”

                After reviewing the research as well as the resources provided with the Talk Science Primer, it was apparent that this instructional approach could be used in any classroom, and not just in science. Immediately, what I found to be essential to my instructional approach was the set of “talk moves” identified from the Primer. I have always felt comfortable allowing various talk formats to occur throughout an instructional period however I struggle with the transition of opening up a conversation to the entire class, as opposed to a few individuals. What I realized from reviewing the Talk Science Primer is that the teacher talk moves, the manner in which questions are carefully selected, can increase student participation, explication, and reasoning. Although you never know the direction the discussion may go, I have found that you can plan the types of questions you expect by reviewing your students’ misconceptions and prior knowledge. If all of the elements of academically productive talk are in place, as described by the Talk Science Primer, then your students are ready to have a meaning discussion with the teacher in the facilitator role as opposed to a lecturer.

                The Talk Science Primer has transformed discussions in my class, however it hasn’t been without its challenges. Students may not be acclimated to discussions not led by the teacher so there may be some initial resistance. Also they may be concerned about whether or not the perceived correct answer has been identified as a result of the discussion. Even with these concerns, it is crucial to stay true to the Primer and support your students with specific norms that will allow their discussions to be engaging and successful. In addition it is just as important to be supportive of the students as they may be working through this discussion process for the first time.  

                The Talk Science Primer reaffirms the importance of engaging dialogue in all classrooms as well as how to create an environment that supports facilitated discussion. It has revolutionized my class environment and I encourage everyone to review the material to determine if it can be applied in your class as well.

Goals for productive discussions

Talk Science Primer

I wonder how many of the ChemEdX readers are also members of AACT? The American Association of Chemistry Teachers has been a long time coming and is in its second year of operation now. It is currently being supported by the American Chemical Society and is a separate, and much more affordable, membership than ACS. One year of membership is only $50 and includes a subscription to Chem Matters Magazine.

For many years there have been national organizations for physics, biology, and math teachers. While there were many local organizations for chemistry teachers there was not a national organization. I think it is kind of logical that ACS would be a wonderful group to help get AACT off the ground. It truly came to life in the summer of 2014 when the first members joined at the BCCE in Michigan. To me it seemed time for a group focusing on chemistry teaching since NSTA was not truly catering to chemistry teachers and I even quit attending NSTA National Meetings since I did not find the sessions very appealing to me and what I was trying to learn. ACS has provided a staff of about five people to help get AACT going. They have been quite active at all the national meetings and are very responsive to inquiries that I have sent them. I think they are truly doing some good work. Maybe the best way to illustrate this is that one of the original staff was so excited about what they were seeing done that it made them miss teaching so much they actually left ACS and went back to a classroom!

I encourage all of you to check out the resources that are available at their web site (www.teachchemistry.org) for all levels of chemistry teaching. This last week there was a webinar about reviewing for the AP Chemistry exam. By having a national group with many members it is possible to deliver this type of support and do it in a timely manner. The review was very well timed for the upcoming AP exam. There are plans for future national meetings and the possibility of local sections developing.  There are sections of the web page devoted to chemistry teaching at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. College faculty are encouraged to join in also. When it comes down to it we are all on the same mission and should support each other. I think we can make AACT into anything we want it to be. It is time for us to get behind our new teachers, to support each other, and help each other transition into the most excellent teaching force that we can be.

I am a founding member of AACT and proud of it. I am also currently running for President of AACT. Any of you who are current members, I would appreciate your support and vote. If you are not currently a member please consider joining today. Voting officially opens on April 11 at noon EST. You can see all of the candidates for every open position on the AACT website along with a short bio of each.

As always you can follow all my NErDy adventures on Twitter @morganchem

What am I doing to help kids achieve?

How do I know when they are there?

What is the evidence?

  O.K...maybe "love" is a bit strong. But I am strongly enamored with "Atomsmith Classroom". Here is the evolution of this affair...I first stumbled upon Atomsmith at Chem Ed 2015. Totally loved the way you could pop up a number of molecules on the big screen and move them around. They had really cool stuff like showing and modeling phase changes with water. They demonstrated the ability to show quantum orbitals in which you can see all of the clouds combined and then separate the electron clouds into individual orbitals. I was all set to jump in feet first and then my heart sank...they had it on everything but chromebooks (which is what we use at my school). The presenter suggested that I contact the good people at Atomsmith. They have been working on an online version that runs on chromebooks.

  They contacted me after a few weeks and I signed up for a new online version. It was rather basic but good. I had to send a few emails to figure out all of the buttons and functionality. Most of the problems were user error on my part. The people at Atomsmith were extremely patient and responsive to any and all questions. So here is the scoop on the online version.

  The molecular models are great. It was fantastic to be able to work on molecular models in class, have kids draw something on paper and then pull it up on Atomsmith Classroom. It is a bit tricky when it comes to finding the models but they are working on a search function.

  The quantum orbitals are amazing. A person can view the orbital notation on one screen, see all of the orbitals combined on another screen and then move a "slider" to separate the electron clouds into their individual orbitals. Bottom line, it really helps to take the symbolic orbital notations and connect them with models of electron clouds in a way that I have never before been able to do.

  Finally, there is a "reaction model". First, I did a combustion reaction in class. Next, I pulled the reaction up on "Atomsmith Classroom" and hit "load the model". On another screen it had models of all of the reactants and the approximate energy of the reactants. As you move the "slider" the reactants get closer and at the peak of the activation energy you can see the bonds break and form and the energy change in a way that shows the products. We just started thermochemistry and this has been absolutely invaluable. I have been able to model "energy going in" and "energy going out" in a way I have not ever been able to do in the past. If you are a modeler, you will probably drool over this.

  I have barely touched on many aspects of the online program. The people at "Atomsmith" are constantly adding things and trying to improve it. It costs me about $10 for a years subscribtion and so far it has been worth it. I am not sure what the future holds for Atomsmith Classroom but this is a tool I would highly recommend that you check out.

  Word of caution. I never review or get anything "free". This is something I saw and decided to check out. Also, for some teachers a subscription of $10 might be a deal breaker. I get it. When you start adding up all of the out of pocket expenses, it is tough. Here are some options. First, I have a "goggle rental". If kids forget their goggles, they can run to their lockers or rent a pair for $1. All of the money eventually goes to charity or school supplies for the kids. I would count this as a school supply. Finally, I know a teacher who makes a giant poster tree at the beginning of the year and has "leaves" of items she needs (tissues boxes, dry erase markers, etc...). She always has this up for open house and it seems to be successful. Either way...."Atomsmith Classroom" is one tool I would strongly recommend looking into. If there is enough interest, send me a comment. I'll try to post a short Youtube video tutorial at some point. In the meantime, check out the Atomsmith Classroom website for lots of information, including suggestions for teaching and learning the curriculum that the website supports.

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