Encouraging and Supporting Community of Effort

The July 2017 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers. Topics featured in this issue include: artificial photosynthesis; developing laboratory skills through technology; using videos to enhance learning; smartphones in the laboratory; 3D printing as a teaching resource; exploring and understanding structure; making chemistry connections; research on inquiry; from the archives: elephant's toothpaste.

On the Cover: Artificial Photosynthesis

Artificial photosynthesis is a synthetic chemical process replicating natural photosynthesis to mass produce hydrogen as a clean fuel from sunlight-driven water splitting that separates water into its constituents, elemental oxygen and hydrogen. In both natural and artificial photosynthesis, an oxygen-evolving catalyst is needed to catalyze oxygen production from water. In the laboratory experiment, Facile Method To Study Catalytic Oxygen Evolution Using a Dissolved Oxygen Optical Probe: An Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory To Appreciate Artificial Photosynthesis, Genesis Renderos, Tawanda Aquino, Kristian Gutierrez, and Yosra M. Badiei present a simple approach for monitoring the catalytic oxygen-evolution reaction using a dissolved oxygen optical luminescent probe that can continuously measure the concentration of dissolved oxygen in aqueous solutions. The straightforward laboratory protocol allows students to relate fundamental topics such as thermodynamics, kinetics, redox and coordination chemistry, and catalysis to advances in current chemical research to help broaden their understanding of artificial photosynthesis. (Photograph courtesy of David Sullins Benson.)

Editorial

Stacey Lowery Bretz examines several articles that discuss Finding No Evidence for Learning Styles.

Developing Laboratory Skills through Technology

Using Digital Badges for Developing High School Chemistry Laboratory Skills ~ Naomi Hennah and Michael K. Seery (This article is available to non-subscribers as part of ACS Editors' Choice program.)

Development, Implementation, and Assessment of General Chemistry Lab Experiments Performed in the Virtual World of Second Life ~ Kurt Winkelmann, Wendy Keeney-Kennicutt, Debra Fowler, and Maria Macik

Development and Use of Online Prelaboratory Activities in Organic Chemistry To Improve Students’ Laboratory Experience ~ Jennifer L. Chaytor, Mohammad Al Mughalaq, and Hailee Butler

Using Videos To Enhance Learning

Customized Videos on a YouTube Channel: A Beyond the Classroom Teaching and Learning Platform for General Chemistry Courses ~ Jayashree S. Ranga

Contextualizing Learning Chemistry in First-Year Undergraduate Programs: Engaging Industry-Based Videos with Real-Time Quizzing ~ Sylvia Urban, Robert Brkljača, Russell Cockman, and Trevor Rook

Adopting Lightboard for a Chemistry Flipped Classroom To Improve Technology-Enhanced Videos for Better Learner Engagement ~ Fun Man Fung

Training Students To Use 3-D Model Sets via Peer-Generated Videos Facilitates Learning of Difficult Concepts in an Introductory Organic Chemistry Course ~ Ailen A. Gillette, Samantha T. Winterrowd, and Maria T. Gallardo-Williams

Smartphones in the Laboratory

Quantifying Protein Concentrations Using Smartphone Colorimetry: A New Method for an Established Test ~ Clifford T. Gee, Eric Kehoe, William C. K. Pomerantz, and R. Lee Penn

The Sound and Feel of Titrations: A Smartphone Aid for Color-Blind and Visually Impaired Students ~ Subhajit Bandyopadhyay and Balraj B. Rathod

3D Printing as a Teaching Resource

Three-Dimensional (3D) Printers in Libraries: Perspective and Preliminary Safety Analysis ~ Neelam Bharti and Shailendra Singh

3D Printing of Molecular Models with Calculated Geometries and p Orbital Isosurfaces ~ Felix A. Carroll and David N. Blauch

Studying Electrical Conductivity Using a 3D Printed Four-Point Probe Station ~ Yang Lu, Luciano M. Santino, Shinjita Acharya, Hari Anandarajah, and Julio M. D’Arcy

Rapid Access to Multicolor Three-Dimensional Printed Chemistry and Biochemistry Models Using Visualization and Three-Dimensional Printing Software Programs ~ Ken Van Wieren, Hamel N. Tailor, Vincent F. Scalfani, and Nabyl Merbouh

Exploring and Understanding Structure

Constructing Cost-Effective Crystal Structures with Table Tennis Balls and Tape That Allows Students To Assemble and Model Multiple Unit Cells ~ Catherine Elsworth, Barbara T. Y. Li, and Abilio Ten

Building the Periodic Table Based on the Atomic Structure ~ Mikhail Kurushkin

Addition to Orbital Battleship: A Guessing Game To Reinforce Atomic Structure—Recommendations on How To Organize Game Play of Orbital Battleship ~ Mikhail Kurushkin and Maria Mikhaylenko

Improving Translational Accuracy between Dash–Wedge Diagrams and Newman Projections ~ John M. Hutchison

An Inquiry Experience with High School Students To Develop an Understanding of Intermolecular Forces by Relating Boiling Point Trends and Molecular Structure ~ Melinda Ogden

Understanding Structure: A Computer-Based Macromolecular Biochemistry Lab Activity ~ Krystle J. McLaughlin

Combining Sustainable Synthesis of a Versatile Ruthenium Dihydride Complex with Structure Determination Using Group Theory and Spectroscopy ~ Christopher Armstrong, Jennifer A. J. Burnham, and Edward E. Warminski

Implementation of picoSpin Benchtop NMR Instruments into Organic Chemistry Teaching Laboratories through Spectral Analysis of Fischer Esterification Products ~ Kasey L. Yearty, Joseph T. Sharp, Emma K. Meehan, Doyle R. Wallace, Douglas M. Jackson, and Richard W. Morrison

Molecular Modeling of an Electrophilic Addition Reaction with “Unexpected” Regiochemistry ~ Katherine T. Best, Diana Li, and Eric D. Helms

Making Chemistry Connections

Understanding Photography as Applied Chemistry: Using Talbot’s Calotype Process To Introduce Chemistry to Design Students ~ Esther S. Rösch and Silke Helmerdig

Antonio de Ulloa and the Discovery of Platinum: An Opportunity To Connect Science and History through a Postage Stamp ~ Gabriel Pinto

Are Aqueous Solutions of Amphiprotic Anions Acidic, Basic, or Neutral? A Demonstration with Common pH Indicators ~ Jervee M. Punzalan and Voltaire G. Organo

Research on Inquiry

Decentering: A Characteristic of Effective Student–Student Discourse in Inquiry-Oriented Physical Chemistry Classrooms ~ Alena Moon, Courtney Stanford, Renee Cole, and Marcy Towns

Developing Students’ Scientific Writing and Presentation Skills through Argument Driven Inquiry: An Exploratory Study ~ Pınar Seda Çetin and Gülüzar Eymur

From the Archives: Elephant's Toothpaste

The demonstration fondly known as "Elephant's Toothpaste" is a perennial favorite. This issue includes Another Twist of the Foam: An Effective Test Considering a Quantitative Approach to “Elephant’s Toothpaste” by Franco Hernando, Santiago Laperuta, Jeanine Van Kuijl, Nihuel Laurin, Federico Sacks, and Andrés Ciolino. Additional activities and demonstrations that capitalize on the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide in past issues include:

Demonstration of the Catalytic Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide ~ Alfred R. Conklin Jr. and Angela Kessinger

A Modified Demonstration of the Catalytic Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide ~ Carlos Alexander Trujillo

Using Elephant’s Toothpaste as an Engaging and Flexible Curriculum Alignment Project ~ Daniel S. Eldridge

Using a Hands-On Hydrogen Peroxide Decomposition Activity To Teach Catalysis Concepts to K–12 Students~ Viktor J. Cybulskis, Fabio H. Ribeiro, and Rajamani Gounder

Exploring the Gas Chemistry of Old Submarine Technologies Using Plastic Bottles as Reaction Vessels and Models ~ Ryo Horikoshi, Fumitaka Takeiri, Yoji Kobayashi, and Hiroshi Kageyama

Oxygen Bleach under the Microscope: Microchemical Investigation and Gas-Volumetric Analysis of a Powdered Household Product ~ Fernando S. Lopes, Alexandre L. B. Baccaro, Mauro S. F. Santos, and I. G. R. Gutz

Reactivity of Household Oxygen Bleaches: A Stepwise Laboratory Exercise in High School Chemistry Course ~ Masayoshi Nakano, Haruka Ogasawara, Takeshi Wada, and Nobuyoshi Koga

Elephant's Toothpaste at ChemEdX

Harry Potter and the Elephant Toothpaste Potion ~ Tom Kuntzleman

Chemistree Holiday ~ Deanna Cullen

JCE Can Help Support Your Teaching Efforts

With over 94 years of content from the Journal of Chemical Education available, you will always discover something useful—including the articles mentioned above, and many more, in the Journal of Chemical Education. Articles that are edited and published online ahead of print (ASAP—As Soon As Publishable) are also available.

How can a student show what he or she has learned in a laboratory? The way that might first pop into your head is the lab report. It is a tangible, written record of an experiment’s results that can easily be marked for presence of procedure, data, analysis, etc. But what about the processes that occur during the lab itself? Some educators use practical exams in the lab as a way for students to demonstrate techniques they have learned. For example, Rhodes described how she used it in her high school chemistry classroom in A Laboratory Practical Exam for High School Chemistry (available to subscribers). In the July 2017 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education, Hennah and Seery discuss, as the title states: Using Digital Badges for Developing High School Chemistry Laboratory Skills (freely available to all as an ACS Editors’ Choice article).

Hennah and Seery’s work breaks a similar lab practical experience down into even more basic steps, with individual badges for three described techniques: preparing a standard solution, volumetric pipetting, and performing a titration. It begins with students watching exemplar videos of the techniques that can be viewed on the students’ schedule, as many times as desired (see article’s references 15–17 for video links). In the lab, instead of a standard written report, the work produced is digital. Students work in pairs. As a student demonstrates his or her lab skill, the partner records video with the demonstrator’s smartphone. This allows the video to later remain in control of the student being evaluated. Badge requirements also include the student orally describing what they are doing during the skill, adding a communication element to the experience. Afterward, the video is used for self-evaluation, peer review and discussion with his or her partner, and discussion with a teacher.

Overall, the authors report that students “acted in a more assured and purposeful manner,” including during later lab experiments that incorporated similar skills. They also noted a need for further work helping to develop student communication skills, saying, “pupils lacked the confidence and the vocabulary to clearly describe what they were doing and why they were doing it.”

How have you evaluated your students’ lab skills?

Orbital BattleshipRemix

The September 2016 Especially JCE column highlighted an Orbital Battleship game that helped to teach electron configurations. The authors offer an addition in this issue; see Addition to Orbital Battleship: A Guessing Game To Reinforce Atomic Structure—Recommendations on How To Organize Game Play of Orbital Battleship. They share ways that the game can be modified, based on feedback from teachers and students who have tried the game since then. These include a recommended rule change to keep students engaged throughout the game, along with a more effective way to organize tournament-style play. If you’ve tried the game with your students, have you made any modifications to fit your classroom?

More from the July 2017 Issue

But wait, there’s more! Mary Saecker collects the rest of the issue in her JCE 94.07 July 2017 Issue Highlights. There are additional articles related to the use of technology in the lab, along with more ways that teachers have used videos to teach.

How have you used Journal resources? We want to hear! Start by submitting a contribution form, explaining you’d like to contribute to the Especially JCE column. Then, put your thoughts together in a blog post. Questions? Contact us using the ChemEd X contact form.

     Let's face it. Science teachers love to geek out with nerdy science wear (See "Nerdy Science Shirts" if you do not believe me). It is difficult not to. When my kids see my newest periodic table shirt of Star Wars characters that I got for father's day and say, "You are crazy" my (and probably your) response is "What's your point?" So...you can imagine my excitement when I just happen to be in downtown Asheville North Carolina on vacation during a craft fair. I can't say I get excited about handmade soaps and candles but when I saw a science sign it got my attention. I met an amazing young lady by the name of Megan Lee. Megan was watching a show about Nicola Tesla. She was so impressed that afterwards she decided Nicola needed an "emblem". She made one, put it on her Etsy site and the rest is history. The response was great and an idea was born. Nicola was the first of many emblems.  Megan said she is not sure if she is a nerd who loves art or an artist who embraced her inner geek. Either way, her stickers, posters, t-shirts, flashcards and designs are super cool. I have informed my family that it is now a one stop shop for dad for gifts for birthday's and holidays. I knew Megan must be great when my thirteen year old son who rarely communicates sent me some of her science drawings. He thought they were fun...but he did not know the site they came from. Now I know. If you want to embrace your inner nerd with a t-shirt or buy some amazing science stickers and cards to pass out to students...check out Megan's work...you won't regret it.

Chad Hustings blogged this past school year about building his own Hoffman apparatus for each group of students. I have been using a Hoffman apparatus that had been purchased by my district before I began teaching there over 20 years ago to demonstrate electrolysis of water, but providing each student group with the ability to perform an electrolysis themselves is a powerful activity. I have used a different version of a homemade Hoffman apparatus previously, but after reading Chad's blog post, I decided to use a version closer to his. To save time, I chose to use batteries rather than building power sources from old parts like he did. I encourage you to read Chad's post because I have decided not to duplicate his explanation or references here. I hope you will find the worksheet and teacher notes I am posting to be useful follow-up materials to his original post.

In a previous blog post, I shared a book Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction, by Dr. Peter Atkins. For my summer reading I wanted to get back to reading some chemistry non-fiction. I did, however, diverge from my original plan to read Eric Scerri's The Periodic Table: It's story and significance. Instead. "Four Laws That Drive the Universe" (with an alternative title of The Laws of Thermodynamics: A Very Short Introduction) became my next book as I so thoroughly enjoyed the writing style of Peter Atkins. The Kindle Version is only $6.15 and worth every penny in my opinion.

My purpose here isn't to summarize the content so much as whet your appetite for the book itself. After reading it, I was struck by  a few things. First, the idea that I have forgotten SO MUCH from my college physical chemistry  courses. And while this was but a brief refresher, it served the purpose of reigniting my interest in physical chemistry. Second, as a teacher we often focus on pedagogical discussions - but reading content-specfic books such as these are just as critical (if not more so) to keep our knowledge of chemistry content strong and current. And lastly, there is a vast amount of chemistry related non-fiction out there ready to be devoured. It just doesn't happen to get the popular press coverage of some other subjects and texts.

As you would imagine, Atkins starts his discussion in Chapter 1 with the concept of temperature and the zeroth law of thermodynamics. "The zeroth law establishes the meaning of what is perhaps the most familiar but is in fact the most enigmatic of these properties: temperature." He then delves into Boltzmann distributions and their relationship to temperature. Later, he actually laments the use of temperature when he wrote, "…Beta is a more natural parameter for expressing temperature than T itself."

The natural progression to the first law begins with the following start to Chapter 2: "The first law of thermodynamics is generally thought to be the least demanding to grasp, for it is an extension of the law of conservation of energy, that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. That is, however much energy there was at the start of the universe, so there will be that amount at the end. But thermodynamics is a subtle subject, and the first law is much more interesting than this remark might suggest." It is writing such as this that makes the reading more enjoyable than my memory of physical chemistry texts from college.

Chapter 3 takes the reader through the development of the second law of thermodynamics, suggesting it is, "…notoriously difficult, and a litmus test of scientific literacy." After introducing entropy, Atkins sets the stage for using the steam engine for a brute force discussion of the second law as such, "All our actions, from digestion to artistic creation, are at heart captured by the essence of the operation of the steam engine." I mentioned earlier I didn't intend to summarize the text. Rather, I wanted to share why the writing appealed to me. And here is the beginning of the last paragraph of Chapter 3: "The steam engine, in its abstract form as a device that generates organized motion (work) by drawing on the dissipation of energy, accounts for all the processes within our body." Maybe it's my love of trains and the steam engine, but I love this sentence.

Chapter 4 brings forth a discussion of free energy. Given that this topic is a constant struggle for my students, I'm grateful for the additional detail of this chapter compared to most textbooks. Atkins uses diagrams throughout his text that augment each topic.

The last official chapter begins with the following introduction to the third law of thermodynamics:

I have introduced the temperature, the internal energy, and the entropy. Essentially the whole of thermodynamics can be expressed in terms of these three quantities. I have also introduced the enthalpy, the Helmholtz energy, and the Gibbs energy; but they are just convenient accounting quantities, not new fundamental concepts. The third law of thermodynamics is not really in the same league as the first three, and some have argued that it is not a law of thermodynamics at all.

Atkins then dives into the concept of absolute zero. Two of my favorite lines in the book are within this chapter. First, "The challenge, partly because it is there, is to cool matter to absolute zero itself." I smiled at the reference to George Mallory and his reason for climbing Mt. Everest: "Because it's there." And second, "At this point, however, the wolf inside the third law hurls off its sheep’s clothing."

He finishes with a brief conclusion, ending with the following: "What I have sought to cover are the core concepts, concepts that effectively sprang from the steam engine but reach out to embrace the unfolding of a thought. This little mighty handful of laws truly drive the universe, touching and illuminating everything we know." And with that, one last reference to the steam engine.

A short "Further Reading" section is given, and I'm drawn to "The Second Law" as an opportunity  to gain even more depth.

What are you reading this summer? Any suggestions?

Teaching Science: Liability and You!

I.    Safety Issues in Doing Science!

So here I am at my first teaching assignment in a rural school district several decades ago. This was long before OSHA had the HazCom or Lab Safety Standard. Long before there was access to Internet resources and oh yes- need I say using slide rules? Even though the principal assigned me a study hall for my first science lab (no sink, one electrical outlet, no eye protection, etc.), he expected me to carry out a chemistry curriculum including lab activities. Being new and naïve but very excited about teaching science, I enthusiastically embraced and did the deed. Then something happen. One day I was preparing diluted sulfuric acid from concentrated acid for a lab activity. My lack of appropriate safety training surfaced quickly. Remember that AAAW approach to diluting acids – Always Add Acid to Water? I had never heard of it in all my years of academic preparation and did the reverse. The glass cylinder I was using shattered from the sky-rocketing increase in temperature as I added the water to the acid. I had my acid baptism resulting with huge burn holes in my clothing and skin. Not being totally clueless, I did have on safety goggles that saved my sight. It was at that point that I realized how poorly I had been trained in safety and had nightmares for a while about having done this in front of students and blinding them or myself. Fast forward over the decades I became a missionary on safety in trying to reach out to innocent neophyte and veteran science teachers about making their classrooms safer. Here I am decades later serving as the Chief Science Safety Compliance Adviser for the National Science Teachers Association. My mission has not changed! We have made much progress but we have many more miles or kilometers to go relative to raising teacher and administrator awareness of increasing lab safety and keeping both out of harm’s way relative to legal issues.  

As we all know, research and general educational practice clearly indicates that students learn science best by doing it – not just reading about it. Hands-on, process and inquiry based science is the key to understanding science. Unfortunately, this is a double edged sword for science teachers in that doing science has its potential hazards and resulting risks. Unfortunately, I found that out the hard way as I noted. Science laboratories, classrooms and field work sites can be unsafe places to teach and learn. If a student gets hurt while doing an activity in the lab, in the field or even at home if it was a teacher’s assignment, there is potential shared liability for both the teacher and the school. This would occur if legal initiatives were undertaken by the parents or guardians of an injured student. Most science teachers believe they would be held harmless when it comes to these types of law suits. Unfortunately, in most instances, teachers will be exempt from held harmless laws or statutes when it comes to their failure to meet “duty of care.”

II.    Getting a Handle on Hazards/Risks!

If a student gets injured doing a science laboratory activity, there are potential legal implications for the science teacher and school as previously noted. How can teachers and school administrators better protect themselves from student/employee injuries and litigation? One great resource is the National Science Teachers Association’s Safety Advisory Board’s safety issue paper titled Liability of Science Educators for Laboratory Safety. In the Introduction of the paper, it notes the following about “duty of care:”

“The breach of a particular duty owed to a student or others may lead to liability for both the teacher and the school district that employs that teacher” (Ryan 2001). As such, science educators must act as a reasonably prudent person would in providing and maintaining a safe learning environment for their students.”¹

The message here is science teachers and administrators must maintain safer working environments at all times for students. In efforts to help science teachers and administrators address this issue, the position paper contains a section titled Declarations. The following are a few areas noted and summarized that teachers and administrators should embrace to help keep students, the teacher and the school out of harm’s way when doing science activities:

1. Develop and implement comprehensive safety policies with clear procedures for engaging in lab activities. These safety policies should comply with all applicable government health and safety codes, regulations, ordinances, and other rules established by the applicable oversight organization.
2. Ensure that all safety policies, including those related to safety training, are reviewed and updated annually in consultation with school or district science educators.
3. Support and encourage the use of laboratory investigations in science instruction, and share the responsibility with teachers to develop and fully integrate these activities into the science curriculum.
4. Become knowledgeable of and enforce all legal codes and regulations to ensure a safer learning environment for students and educators. Particular attention should be given to means of hazard prevention, including reasonable class sizes to prevent overcrowding in violation of occupancy load codes or contrary to safety research; replacement or repair of inadequate or defective equipment; adequate number or size of labs, or proper facility design; and the proper use, storage, disposal, or recycling of chemicals.
5. Understand that the number of occupants allowed in the laboratory must be set at a safe level based on available legal standards, size and design of the laboratory teaching facility, chemical/physical/biological hazards, and students’ needs. Require teachers to develop, maintain, and implement chemical safety plans.
6. Support teachers of science by obtaining materials and resources from government sources and professional organizations that will inform and educate teachers about safe laboratory activities, safety procedures, and best practices in the teaching of laboratory-based science instruction.
7. Review existing insurance policies to ensure adequate liability insurance coverage for laboratory-based science instruction.
8. Provide teachers with sustained, comprehensive training in lab logistics—including setup, safety, management of materials and equipment, and assessment of student practices—at the time of initial assignment and before being assigned to a new exposure situation. This includes storage, use, and disposal of materials and chemicals; use of personal protective equipment; engineering controls; and proper administrative procedures. To ensure ongoing safety, annual training should be provided to keep teachers well informed about changes in safety procedures.
9. Support the decisions of teachers to modify or alter activities in a safe manner or select safe alternative activities to perform in the science classroom/laboratory.
10. Maintain adequately supplied, properly equipped, and safe facilities for performing lab instruction by conducting annual facilities audits.
11. The safety issue paper lists other means of providing for a safer learning site relative to initiatives on the part of the school administration and governing body.  

In addition to this critical resource for science teachers and administrators, the NSTA Safety Portal² has other essential safety issue papers for consideration.  The titles include:

• Eye Protection and Safer Practices FAQ  
• Safer Handling of Alcohol in the Laboratory  
• Tips for the Safer Handling of Microorganisms in the School Science Laboratory (PDF
• Managing Your Chemical Inventory (PDF)
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
  • Part 3
• Field Trip Safety (PDF)
• Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (PDF)
• Duty or Standard of Care (PDF)
• Overcrowding in the Instructional Space (PDF)
• Safety in the Science Classroom, Laboratory, or Field Sites (PDF)
• Safety Acknowledgment Form for Working with Microorganisms (PDF)
• YouTube and Other Public Posting of Science Demonstration Videos (PDF).

III. In The End!

Remember as a science teacher, you not only have the duty to instruct students to learn science, but also duty of care to make sure it is safer for students to do the science activities. Prepare for a safer experience by doing a hazards analysis, a resulting risks assessment and the safety actions needed.  Also remember to continuously monitor/adjust for safety to keep all out of harm’s way and the court room!

Two final notes – If you are as concerned as I am about making it safer for yourself and your students, please join me as the NSTA Safety Blogger at: http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2016/06/13/welcome-to-the-nsta-safety-blog/.  It is a free subscription and also provides my monthly commentary on safety.  The best part is you can ask any questions on safety in the lab or field to which I personally answer.

The second note is I tweet once a day – 5 days a week – on the latest current information about science lab safety – new regulations, incidents, lawsuit, and much more.  Join me at Twitter@drroysafersci.

Have a safer day!!

Dr. Ken Roy

Director of Environmental Health & Chemical Safety

Glastonbury Public Schools (CT-USA);

Chief Science Safety Compliance Adviser/Safety Blogger

National Science Teachers Association (NSTA);

Safety Compliance Officer

National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA);

Safety Committee Member/Chair Emeritus

International Council of Associations for Science Education (ICASE)

References

1 - Liability of Science Educators for Laboratory Safety; Position Paper, National Science Teachers Association, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America: http://www.nsta.org/about/positions/liability.aspx (accessed 8/4/17).

2 - National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Safety Portal: http://www.nsta.org/safety/. (accessed 8/4/17).

Note: The photo represents poor chemical management - Using a fume hood for chemical storage. - unacceptable and an OSHA violation that can result in a fine. 

In the August 4th issue of Science Magazine, author Mary Soon Lee shared a review of a periodic table that contains haiku for each element. There is an interactive periodic table you can click on; it was easily viewable in the mobile version of the article. This would be great when wanting to include interdisciplinary components or when reaching students whose interests include poetry. Students could be instructed to devise their own haiku for an element using properties that are specific to that element. You can share new haiku using their suggested hashtage, #ChemHaiku. Here are a couple of Mary Soon Lee's element haiku. 

Hydrogen, H

Your single proton fundamental, essential.

Water. Life. Star fuel.

Nickel, Ni

Forged in fusion's fire, flung out from supernovae.

Demoted to coins.

What are we doing to help kids succeed?

    "Huh?"
    "Is this a prank call?"
     "Who is this?"
     "This is the first time I have heard from a teacher since my child was in sixth grade. I really appreciate your call."
     "Thanks for the call.  Can I tell you about my child?...."

      A couple of years ago I was asked to be a mentor teacher to a new teacher. We sat in on what seemed endless meetings for first year teachers. Frank Forsthoefel told a story about his young daughter. His daughter's teacher called home to talk to her...before the first day of school. He mentioned the positive impact it had on both him and his daughter. A light turned on. What would happen if I called home to everyone of my students BEFORE the first day of school? Suppose I just wanted to introduce myself, convince them that chemistry is not impossible, answer any questions and, yes, tell them that even though I am technically an "old" teacher I love chemistry and helping kids learn. I also wanted to try to convince them that I do NOT have a meth lab in my basement. Here is the routine...

     "Hi. My name is Chad Husting. I have your son/daughter next year in chemistry. My goal is to call students and parents before the first day of school and introduce myself. I love teaching kids and chemistry. If you or your child ever have a question or problem, please do not hesitate to call me...the sooner the better. I know that just the word chemistry is scary for some. I hope to make the class fun but also challenging. I am really looking forward to a great year. Have a great rest of the summer."

     The responses, as shown above, are varied. Most people screen their calls and when they see a number they do recognize let it go to voice mail. Some responded with an email which was encouraging. Some were totally caught off gaurd because I am pretty sure that not many high school teachers do this. The last year I tried this I had one of the best years ever with students. I really want to send a message. I don't care if you like me or hate me, I want you to know I honestly care about your well being and want you to learn. That's it. You would think this would be a no brainer. After all, school is a caring place where adults help kids grow and learn. However, the teenage brain is a funny thing. They do not always get the memo.

     So far I am about half way through my class list. It is kind of like jury duty. I really dread it but always feel better afterwards. I had a great discussion with one parent who was a single parent trying to raise several kids. He/she was doing the best they could but needed some help. It was hard to keep track of all the things each of the kids were doing in school. Would I mind calling if I started seeing any problems in the classroom with his/her child? Of course I would.

     That response was rare and about one out of fifty. But it was one more than if I had never tried. Maybe...just maybe...that might be the one student who gets the idea that people care and uses that to pay it forward and help others. Maybe that's a great way to start the year.....

Teaching Chemistry from Rich Contexts

The August 2017 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers. Topics featured in this issue include: visualizing the chemistry of climate change; environmental chemistry; chemistry education for medical preprofessionals; tools for learning and student engagement; training laboratory teaching assistants; biochemistry; forensic chemistry; nanoparticle experiments; materials science; resources for teaching; from the archives: climate change.

On the Cover: Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change

Striking changes to earth’s climate are increasingly visible in scenes such as the shrinking and disappearance of glaciers. Superimposed on the cover photograph of a calving Alaska glacier is the iconic Keeling curve, showing how atmospheric CO₂ levels have increased over the past 60 years. Chemical substances act as control variables for many of our earth systems, yet the chemistry at work in climate change and other threatened earth systems receives little attention in undergraduate chemistry courses or programs. In the article, Beyond “Inert” Ideas to Teaching General Chemistry from Rich Contexts: Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change (VC3), Peter Mahaffy, Thomas Holme, Leah Martin-Visscher, Brian Martin, Ashley Versprille, Mary Kirchhoff, Lallie McKenzie, and Marcy Towns provide an exemplar for introducing students in general chemistry courses to a set of core chemistry concepts (isotopes, acids−bases, gases, and thermochemistry) through rich contexts drawn from climate science literacy. (This article is available to non-subscribers as part of the ACS Editors' Choice program.)

For additional environmental chemistry content in this issue, see:

Social and Environmental Justice in the Chemistry Classroom ~Grace A. Lasker, Karolina E. Mellor, Melissa L. Mullins, Suzanne M. Nesmith, and Nancy J. Simcox

Campus as a Living Laboratory for Sustainability: The Chemistry Connection ~ Timothy Lindstrom and Catherine Middlecamp

Using Beads and Divided Containers To Study Kinetic and Equilibrium Isotope Effects in the Laboratory and in the Classroom ~ Dean J. Campbell, Emily R. Brewer, Keri A. Martinez, and Tamara J. Fitzjarrald

Understanding Our Energy Footprint: Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory Investigation of Environmental Impacts of Solid Fossil Fuel Wastes ~ Michael Berger and Jillian L. Goldfarb

Improving Student Understanding of Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis via GC/MS using a Rapid SPME-Based Method for Determination of Trihalomethanes in Drinking Water ~ Shu Rong Huang and Peter T. Palmer

Is the Total Concentration of a Heavy Metal in Soil a Suitable Tool for Assessing the Environmental Risk? Considering the Case of Copper ~ David Fernández-Calviño, Paula Pérez-Rodríguez, Juan Carlos Nóvoa-Muñoz, and Manuel Arias Estévez

Paper-Based Heavy Metal Sensors from the Concise Synthesis of an Anionic Porphyrin: A Practical Application of Organic Synthesis to Environmental Chemistry ~ Jutamat Prabpal, Tirayut Vilaivan, and Thanit Praneenararat

Chemistry Education for Medical Preprofessionals

In the Editorial this month, Norbert Pienta discusses The Role of Chemistry Education for Medical Preprofessionals.Other material on the topic of education in healthcare includes:

Dialysis, Albumin Binding, and Competitive Binding: A Laboratory Lesson Relating Three Chemical Concepts to Healthcare ~ Jennifer P. Domingo, Mohammed Abualia, Diana Barragan, Lianne Schroeder, Donald J. Wink, Maripat King, and Ginevra A. Clark

Threaded Introductory Chemistry for Prepharmacy: A Model for Preprofessional Curriculum Redesign ~ Benjamin S. Barth and Ehren C. Bucholtz

Teaching Analytical Method Transfer through Developing and Validating Then Transferring Dissolution Testing Methods for Pharmaceuticals~ Irene Kimaru, Marina Koether, Kimberly Chichester, and Lafayette Eaton

Determining the Ibuprofen Concentration in Liquid-Filled Gelatin Capsules To Practice Collecting and Interpreting Experimental Data, and Evaluating the Methods and Accuracy of Quality Testing~ Nial J. Wheate, Michael G. Apps, Hazer Khalifa, Alan Doughty, and Alpesh Ramanlal Patel

Tools for Learning and Student Engagement

A Learner-Centered Grading Method Focused on Reaching Proficiency with Course Learning Outcomes ~ Santiago Toledo and Justin M. Dubas

Pen-Enabled, Real-Time Student Engagement for Teaching in STEM Subjects ~ Sylvia Urban

Supplemental Learning in the Laboratory: An Innovative Approach for Evaluating Knowledge and Method Transfer ~ Melissa D. Carter, Sarah S. Pierce, Albert D. Dukes III, Rebecca H. Brown, Brian S. Crow, Rebecca L. Shaner, Leila Heidari, Samantha L. Isenberg, Jonas W. Perez, Leigh Ann Graham, Jerry D. Thomas, Rudolph C. Johnson, and Aren E. Gerdon

Training Laboratory Teaching Assistants

Aligning Perceptions of Laboratory Demonstrators’ Responsibilities To Inform the Design of a Laboratory Teacher Development Program ~ Aishling Flaherty, Anne O’Dwyer, Patricia Mannix-McNamara, and JJ Leahy

Transforming a Traditional Laboratory to an Inquiry-Based Course: Importance of Training TAs when Redesigning a Curriculum ~ Lindsay B. Wheeler, Charles P. Clark, and Charles M. Grisham

Biochemistry

Promotion of Spatial Skills in Chemistry and Biochemistry Education at the College Level ~Maria Oliver-Hoyo and Melissa A. Babilonia-Rosa

Site-Directed Mutagenesis Study of an Antibiotic-Sensing Noncoding RNA Integrated into a One-Semester Project-Based Biochemistry Lab Course ~ Timea Gerczei

Investigating Enzyme Active-Site Geometry and Stereoselectivity in an Undergraduate Biochemistry Lab ~ Saeed Roschdi and Theodore J. Gries

Forensic Chemistry

A Case-Based Scenario with Interdisciplinary Guided-Inquiry in Chemistry and Biology: Experiences of First Year Forensic Science Students ~ Sarah L. Cresswell and Wendy A. Loughlin

A Forensic Experiment: The Case of the Crime at the Cinema ~ J. M. Valente Nabais and Sara D. Costa

Nanoparticle Experiments

Seed-Mediated Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles of Controlled Sizes To Demonstrate the Impact of Size on Optical Properties ~ Julie A. Jenkins, Terianna J. Wax, and Jing Zhao

Carbon Dots: A Modular Activity To Teach Fluorescence and Nanotechnology at Multiple Levels ~ Susan N. Pham, Joshua E. Kuether, Miranda J. Gallagher, Rodrigo Tapia Hernandez, Denise N. Williams, Bo Zhi, Arielle C. Mensch, Robert J. Hamers, Zeev Rosenzweig, Howard Fairbrother, Miriam O.P. Krause, Z. Vivian Feng, and Christy L. Haynes

Synthesis of Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots ~ Mikhail Shekhirev, John Goza, Jacob D. Teeter, Alexey Lipatov, and Alexander Sinitskii

Materials Science

Preparing, Characterizing, and Investigating Luminescent Properties of a Series of Long-Lasting Phosphors in a SrO–Al₂O₃ System: An Integrated and Inquiry-Based Experiment in Solid State Chemistry for the Undergraduate Laboratory ~ Yan-Zi Ma, Li Jia, Kai-Guo Ma, Hai-Hong Wang, and Xi-Ping Jing

Volcano Plot for Bimetallic Catalysts in Hydrogen Generation by Hydrolysis of Sodium Borohydride ~ Anais Koska, Nikola Toshikj, Sandra Hoett, Laurent Bernaud, and Umit B. Demirci

Lithium Ion Battery Cathode Materials as a Case Study To Support the Teaching of Ionic Solids ~ Paolo Coppo

Resources for Teaching

Teaching Simulation and Computer-Aided Separation Optimization in Liquid Chromatography by Means of Illustrative Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets ~ S. Fasoula, P. Nikitas, and A. Pappa-Louisi

Construction of Inexpensive Vortex Mixers ~Ben Ruekberg

Pericyclic or Pseudopericyclic? The Case of an Allylic Transposition in the Synthesis of a Saccharin Derivative ~ Stephanie R. Hare and Dean J. Tantillo

Reply to “Pericyclic or Pseudopericyclic? The Case of an Allylic Transposition in the Synthesis of a Saccharin Derivative” ~ Custódia S. C. Fonseca

From the Archives: Climate ChangeIn the cover article, Beyond “Inert” Ideas to Teaching General Chemistry from Rich Contexts: Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change (VC3), Peter G. Mahaffy, Thomas A. Holme, Leah Martin-Visscher, Brian E. Martin, Ashley Versprille, Mary Kirchhoff, Lallie McKenzie, and Marcy Towns emphasize the critical importance of teaching students about the chemistry at work in climate change. Examples of past articles in JCE on the topic of climate change that can help support this effort include: 

Assessing Student Knowledge of Chemistry and Climate Science Concepts Associated with Climate Change: Resources To Inform Teaching and Learning ~ Ashley Versprille, Adam Zabih, Thomas A. Holme, Lallie McKenzie, Peter Mahaffy, Brian Martin, and Marcy Towns

General Chemistry Students’ Understanding of Climate Change and the Chemistry Related to Climate Change~ Ashley N. Versprille and Marcy H. Towns

Updating a Student-Generated Ice-Core Data Plot Exercise for Courses Investigating Climate Change Topics ~ Edward Maslowsky, Jr.

Using the Socioscientific Context of Climate Change To Teach Chemical Content and the Nature of Science ~ Charity Flener-Lovitt

A Simple, Student-Built Spectrometer To Explore Infrared Radiation and GreenhouseGases ~ Mitchell R. M. Bruce, Tiffany A. Wilson, Alice E. Bruce, S. Max Bessey, and Virginia J. Flood

ConfChem Conference: A Virtual Colloquium to Sustain and Celebrate IYC 2011 Initiatives in Global Chemical Education: Visualizing and Understanding the Science of Climate Change ~ Peter G. Mahaffy, Brian E. Martin, Anna Schwalfenberg, Darrell Vandenbrink, and Darren Eymundson

Climate Change: A Demonstration with a Teaching Moment ~ Steven Murov

Climate Change and Its Effect on Coral Reefs ~ Ralph E. Weston Jr.

Understanding the Greenhouse Effect: Is Global Warming Real? An Integrated Lab-Lecture Case Study for Non-science Majors ~ R. Brzenk, A. Moore, M. J. Alfano, P. T. Buckley, M. E. Newman, and Frank M. Dunnivant

Chemistry’s Contributions to Our Understanding of Atmospheric Science and Climate ~ Vicki H. Grassian and Elizabeth A. Stone

Available at ChemEdX:

Chemical Connections to Climate Change ~ Tom Kuntzleman

Resource to Help You Combat Climate Science Denial ~ Tom Kuntzleman

Look to JCE for Many Rich Teaching Contexts

With over 94 years of content from the Journal of Chemical Education available, you will always meaningful content—including the articles mentioned above, and many more, in the Journal of Chemical Education. Articles that are edited and published online ahead of print (ASAP—As Soon As Publishable) are also available.

The ACS Committee on Chemical Safety has released the 8th edition of "Safety in Academic Chemistry Laboratories. The publication provides advice for first- and second-year university students. Free access is available in PDF format at www.acs.org/SACL. Those who prefer a hard copy can purchase it through the ACS store.  

What does it mean to be scientifically literate? Defining this concept reminds me of a Supreme Court case in 1964 when Justice Potter Stewart was asked to explain why he felt the adult film involved in the trial lacked enough obscenity and should therefore be protected under free speech. In his response, he famously concluded, “I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that.”¹ Though a number of credible institutions, scientists, and authors have taken aim to define science literacy since the term was coined in 1958, it is likely that the majority of science teachers would align themselves with Justice Potter’s reasoning by claiming, “I know it when I see it, and that person is not scientifically literate.” However, unlike the court’s struggle to define what is obscene under U.S. law, those who understand science and routinely apply its practices can at least agree on a few of the most vital characteristics of being scientifically literate; even without a universal definition. Though we may recognize its presence, teachers, scientists, and policymakers still disagree on the most practical and effective methods for developing this skill in our students. Herein lies our challenge as science educators—what can we do in the classroom to create experiences for our students that involve the understanding and appreciation of the most valuable traits associated with being scientifically literate?

To offer potential solutions for this unique challenge, science educators should consider their ability to answer these three questions:

1. What does it mean to be scientifically literate?
2. What common knowledge, skills and traits does a scientifically literate person have?
3. Why should anyone strive to be scientifically literate?

Go ahead and try it. If you really take the time to think about these questions, you will quickly realize the answers are not obvious. If you are like me, you constantly want to go back and change your answers after giving it more thought. Is it not a bit odd that even scientifically literate people, such as yourself, struggle to feel confident in generating meaningful answers to these questions?

The purpose of this article is to help science educators better understand the concept of science literacy that is at the very heart of how we navigate through our world. More specifically, my motivation for writing this is to help science educators with three things:

1. Be more confident in answering those three pesky questions.
2. Increase your ability to convince colleagues and students the importance of being scientifically literate.
3. Develop an awareness of practical classroom activities that promote science literacy so that your own creativity can be utilized to design activities specific to your culture, experience, interests, and diversity of students.

If accomplishing those three goals can at least help get the ball rolling toward having meaningful conversations about developing science literacy in our students, then let’s do it.

What does it mean to be scientifically literate?

While a whole list of definitions could be given, I would like to provide one formal and one informal definition of science literacy which encompass what many of us likely think of when we attempt to explain this concept.

National Academy of Science²: Scientific literacy is the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes required for personal decision making, participation in civic and cultural affairs, and economic productivity.

Physicist Andrew Zwicker³: Scientific literacy is about looking at the world around you, taking in information…a bunch of facts…and seeing what type of conclusions you can draw as opposed to having a conclusion and looking for facts that fit the conclusion you already have.

What common knowledge, skills, and traits does a scientifically literate person have?

With working definitions in place, it would be useful to look at the most frequently mentioned characteristics associated with being scientifically literate. Such characteristics have been categorized under seven different dimensions that represent more of a theoretical framework in which scholars would expect to be useful or valuable.⁴

One of the most valuable takeaways I have from the list above is the role of content knowledge. Though it is important, it only represents a small fraction of the whole concept. And yet, if there is one thing the current state of science education appears to value and perpetuate more than anything, it is content knowledge. How hypocritical and ironic is it of me, as a science teacher trying to develop science literacy, to primarily focus on content knowledge as my benchmark for this skill set? In doing so, our students often leave our classrooms with the mindset that their scientific worth is based solely on their ability to recite scientific facts. However, our profession is slowly starting to move away from this mindset with the inclusion of frameworks such as NGSS and pedagogical approaches that value scientific practices like Modeling Instruction^TM, POGIL, Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI), Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER), and the inclusion of the seven science practices in AP.

Why should anyone strive to be scientifically literate?

As science teachers, we are used to selling ideas to our students. This is not a bad thing. We do it because of our passion for science and learning. After all, it is not an easy task to convince thirty 17-year-olds that they should be excited to perform titrations, learn about Atomic Theory, or investigate the properties of ionic and covalent bonds. However, it is incredibly important that we are capable of getting our students to understand the positive impact of being scientifically literate can have on the rest of their lives.

To make the justification a bit easier to comprehend, the National Acadamies Press has considered a wealth of information on science literacy to propose four broad rationales as to why science literacy is important and necessary: the economic rationale, the personal rationale, the democratic rationale, and the cultural rationale.⁴

What are some practical things we can do in the classroom that are intentionally designed to develop science literacy?

Today, teachers have unprecedented access to activities and ideas developed by others to help improve lessons on a variety of science topics. However, after spending hours sifting through the internet exploring journals, blogs, videos, and independent teacher websites, surprisingly few practical resources that would help teachers scaffold lessons on science literacy appear to exist. Nearly everyone seems to weigh in on the theoretical grounds for why science literacy matters but rarely do these same people offer meaningful experiences that we can implement in our classrooms to develop the very skills they deem so important. This is where I want to help change that.

One of the most inspirational and exciting ideas I came across was proposed by Diane Miller and Demetra Chengelis Czegan at Seton Hill University in their 2016 article published in the Journal of Chemical Education²². Their central theme was to develop a series of assignments that would provide both science and nonscience majors opportunities to engage with real-world issues while specifically targeting skills that are essential to science literacy. More precisely, the series of assignments would eventually “culminate with asking students to consider information on a current, controversial topic from a variety of resources and construct a rational and supported argument.” I was blown away by the simplicity and overall creativity of the assignments presented in their paper. While I cannot display their work, they provide copies of the assignments and grading rubrics in their supporting information and I highly encourage everyone to read their work. However, since their framework is incredibly adaptable, I have created an example assignment (below) that reflects their work.

**The list of resources and the assignment itself can be found below in the supporting information

Full disclosure: I thought of this scenario, found the necessary resources, and decided on a student product all within a span of 45 minutes. My point is that anyone can think of a potentially controversial argument, find creative ways for students to explore information on the subject, and suggest a student product that assesses their ability to utilize many of the skills involved in science literacy. In fact, this example assignment addresses content knowledge, understanding of scientific practices, identifying and judging scientific expertise, epistemic knowledge—four of the seven dimensions of science literacy. Not to mention it helps students develop their argumentative and writing skills.

While I could suggest other similar assignments, I would like to leave you with some resources that may help in the creation of quality instructional lessons on science literacy.

• Project 2061 (https://www.aaas.org/program/project2061): A long term research and development initiative focused on improving science education so that all Americans can become literate in science, mathematics, and technology. They provide a wealth of information such as science literacy concept maps, teaching guides for special topics in science, and professional development resources for science literacy.
• Literacy Tool (http://literacytool.com/): They provide a wonderful “Science Literacy Tool” that functions as an educational web-platform helping curious people discover, understand, and explore scientific contents. Some of the features that the Science Literacy Tool provides are pretty cool and it is totally free! This is driven by a small group of scientists and developers with a great passion for communicating their expertise and inciting new ideas.
• SciMathMN (http://www.scimathmn.org/stemtc/resources/science-best-practices/literacy-science): One of the things I loved most about this website is that it intentionally addresses planning and instruction of science literacy by offering some tips and examples.

I hope that this article helped provide you with new insights on the topic of science literacy and inspired you to create your own lessons on the topic. Personally, I have so much more to learn on the subject but I am already excited to start implementing activities that will help develop the skills that our students will undoubtedly benefit from for the rest of their lives and see the world through an entirely different lens.

If you have any ideas for promoting science literacy in the classroom, please share them! Thank you for reading this and feel free to comment or reach out to collaborate.

Works Cited

¹"I Know It When I See It."Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Aug. 2017. Web. 09 Aug. 2017.

²"National Science Education Standards" at NAP.edu."National Academies Press: OpenBook. Web. 09 Aug. 2017.

³ TEDxTalks. "Scientific Literacy Is Necessary | Andrew Zwicker | TEDxCarnegieLake."YouTube. YouTube, 03 June 2015.

⁴ Science Literacy: Concepts, Contexts, and Consequences. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Available at: https://www.nap.edu/catalog/23595/science-literacy-concepts-contexts-and-consequences

⁵ National Science Board. (2016). Science and Engineering Indicators, 2016. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation. Available at: https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2016/nsb20161/uploads/1/nsb20161.pdf

⁶ OECD. (2013). The PISA 2015 Draft Science Framework. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/Draft%20PISA%202015%20Science%20Framework%20.pdf

⁷ Norris, S.P. (1995). Learning to live with scientific expertise: Toward a theory of intellectual communalism for guiding science teaching. Science Education, 79(2), 201-217.

⁸ Ryder, J. (2001). Identifying science understanding for functional science literacy. Studies in Science Education, 36(1), 1-44.

⁹ Feinstein, N.W., Allen, S., and Jenkins, E. (2013). Outside the pipeline: Reimagining science education for nonscientists. Science, 340(6130), 314-317.

¹⁰ National Research Council. (2012). A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Committee on a Conceptual Framework for New K-12 Science Education Standards, Board on Science Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

¹¹ Pella, M.O., O’Hearn, G.T., and Gale, C.W. (1966). Referents to scientific literacy. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 4(3), 199-208.

¹² Shen, B.S.P. (1975). Scientific literacy and the public understanding of science. In S.B. Day (Ed.), Communication of Scientific Information (pp. 44-52). Basel, Switzerland: Karger

¹³ Durant, J.R., Evans, G.A., and Thomas, G.P. (1989). The public understanding of science. Nature, 340(6228), 11-14.

¹⁴ DeBoer, G.E. (2000). Scientific literacy: Another look at its historical and contemporary meanings and its relationship to science education reform. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37(6), 582-601.

¹⁵ Shamos, M.H. (1995). The Myth of Scientific Literacy. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

¹⁶ Lehrer, J. (2010). The truth wears off: Is there something wrong with the scientific method? The New Yorker, Dec. 13, 52-57.

¹⁷ Norris, S.P., Phillips, L., and Burns, D. (2014). Conceptions of scientific literacy: Identifying and evaluating their programmatic elements. In M. Matthews (Ed.), International Handbook of Research in History, Philosophy and Science Teaching (pp. 1317-1344). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer

¹⁸“Neil deGrasse Tyson: Future Economy.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 22 Sept 2012. Web. 10 Aug 2017. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXbZEjyFmF4

¹⁹ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 Edition, Wind Turbine Technicians, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/wind-turbine-technicians.htm (visited August 10, 2017).

²⁰ OECD. (2012a). Assessment and Analytical Framework. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/PISA%202012%20framework%20e-book_final.pdf [August 2017].

²¹ Rudolph, J.L., and Horibe, S. (2015). What do we mean by science education for civic engagement?

Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 53(6), 805-820.

²² Miller, A. D.; Chengelis Czegan, A. D. Integrating the Liberal Arts and Chemistry: A Series of General Chemistry Assignments to Develop Science Literacy. J. Chem. Educ.2016, 93 (5), 864-869. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.5b00942

Reading about a new idea for the classroom can sometimes spark connections to ideas that you already have in your teaching toolbox. The August 2017 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education triggered potential links for me—like stringing beads in a row.

In this case the beads were literal, from the article Using Beads and Divided Containers To Study Kinetic and Equilibrium Isotope Effects in the Laboratory and in the Classroom (available to subscribers) by Campbell, et al. Rather than beads with holes, the suggested materials are actually collections of “airsoft” pellets of two different weights, small plastic spheres that you can purchase in sporting goods departments, along with plastic Petri dishes. You modify a dish’s divider, then use it as a “shaker” as you observe how many of the pellets move from one side to the other to show reaction progress. Shaking can be slower, to represent a lower temperature, or faster, for a higher temperature.

Based on the title and abstract, this isn’t something that I would have thought to integrate into a high school classroom, since as the authors state, “Kinetic and equilibrium isotope effects are typically covered in upper-level courses in the chemistry curriculum.” It would be just one more thing to cram into an already packed schedule. But, the piece does adapt its visual pellet model to also illustrate the different activation energies when a reaction is catalyzed vs. uncatalyzed, which I would be more likely to use.

The authors do suggest that the isotope effect activity could be used at less advanced levels and offer ideas for doing so. The handouts included in the online supporting information provide clear background information about isotope effects and how they relate to the environment—connections that show students how chemistry is actually used to figure things out on our planet and beyond. The article describes how to use the models “to illustrate how water isotopic distributions can be used to estimate how the earth’s temperature has varied over time” as well as “to explain the history behind some of the current conditions on the surface of Mars.” It also has an intriguing idea for using multiple shakers at an outreach event to make a model that represents ice layers that could form over the years as ocean temperatures change.

Adding a Bead to the String

The association of beads and kinetics in the title brought to mind one of the JCE Classroom Activities that I most enjoyed testing and using with workshop groups: Putting UV-Sensitive Beads to the Test by Terre Trupp, a high school teacher (available to subscribers). It uses UV beads that appear white under regular light conditions, but turn a different color when exposed to UV light, and begins by baking them in the oven to flatten them into small disks. One part of the activity focuses on how temperature affects their color change. The results usually surprised participants, who predicted that disks placed over hot water would change color more quickly and have a deeper color. It is actually the opposite, with those results seen using cold water. A final portion of the activity uses the disks to test the effectiveness of various sunscreens, a real world connection. Over the years I’ve switched from swabbing the sunscreen on the disks directly, which makes it more difficult to check for a color change, to placing the beads in a zip-seal plastic bag, laying it flat, then spreading or spraying the sunscreen on the outside top of the bag. Students can then peek inside the bag, leaving it flat, to observe the resulting color.

One More Bead

Still loving the idea of using beads to illustrate chemistry concepts? Bring them into a unit on acids and bases. High school teacher Alice Putti describes the use of beads in Petri dishes to teach the concepts of ionization of strong vs. weak acids and diprotic vs. monoprotic acids in JCE Classroom Activity #109: My Acid Can Beat Up Your Acid (available to subscribers). Once again, the beads are easy to find, using pony beads from craft stores to make models that will last for repeated use over the years.

More from the August 2017 Issue

Mary Saecker collects the rest of the issue in her JCE 94.08 August 2017 Issue Highlights. There are multiple articles related to the environment and climate change.

How have you used Journal resources? We want to hear! Start by submitting a contribution form, explaining you’d like to contribute to the Especially JCE column. Then, put your thoughts together in a blog post. Questions? Contact us using the ChemEd X contact form.

When you incorporate non-traditional pedagogies and grading systems into your classroom like Modeling Instruction and standards-based grading, you need to be concerned about buy-in from students and parents. Implementation without buy-in leads to frustrated students, parents and most of all teachers. I have saved myself from this frustration by establishing a growth-mindset classroom culture from day one. Here are my tips for building a classroom where students feel comfortable to fail.

Change the way you praise students

If you haven’t heard the buzzword “growth-mindset” yet, check out Carol Dweck’s book “Mindset.” I also encourage you to watch Angela’s Duckworth’s TED Talk on grit. Creating a growth-mindset classroom culture starts with the teacher. After reading Carol Dweck’s book, do some reflecting on how you praise your students. I was certainly one who fell into the trap (and still do if I’m not careful) of praising students for being “smart” instead of praising the problem-solving process. I used to say things like “wow, you solved that problem so fast! Good job!” or “you must be good at math, you are picking this up quick.” These compliments might be true, but they teach students that if you do not pick up a new concept quickly, you aren’t a good learner. In reality, if a student is learning, he or she is a good learner. I now make a conscious effort when I praise students to say things like “wow, I really like how you thought through that problem. I would not have solved it that way, that is awesome!” or “I love how you kept working on this problem, even though it was difficult for you. I bet you feel a lot more confident now with this type of problem now!” It is especially important to praise students when they get something wrong the first time but correct it. Giving students the label “failure” does not build responsibility. Recovering from a failure builds responsibility. That leads to my next tip.

Normalize making mistakes

Nobody likes to be wrong, but mistakes are a vital part of learning. Students often come into your classroom thinking the goal is to get the right answer, not to learn. This often leads to a fear of being wrong or making mistakes. I normalize mistakes in my classroom using a few techniques. The first thing I do on day one is tell students that we are all going to make mistakes in this class and that is how we learn. I say this a lot. Students probably get sick of hearing it but I need it to sink in. I also have a banner at the front of my room with the quote “confusion is ignorance leaving the brain” and a poster that says “there is no learning in the comfort zone and no comfort in the learning zone.” I point to these visuals often to remind students that confusion and discomfort are not a bad thing. For a little humor this year, I added a large poster of Grumpy Cat that originally said “I had fun once, it was awful” and now says “I learned something once, it was awful.” I want my students to know that feeling frustrated and confused is normal. Learning isn’t always fun and sometimes it is really hard! The goal is to push past the confusion and come away with a new skill. Finally, I own it when I make mistakes (which is often). I use the term “not yet” on my standards-based grading scale so I often say things like “looks like I would get a ‘not yet’ on the learning target ‘I can number problem sets correctly!’” It is important for students to know that you make mistakes too!

Ask a lot of questions, give few answers

This last piece may be something you already do but it is critical to building a growth-mindset classroom culture. We have all heard the question, “is this right?” from a student. Your classroom culture is built on your answer to this one question. I never answer this question with “yes” or “no.” My answer is always “I don’t know, why don’t you show me what you did.” This puts the focus back on problem solving skills, not correct answers. It also helps students realize that the job of the teacher is not to be the keeper of the correct answers. After a student explains their reasoning to me, I still do not answer the “is this right question.” I do one of three things:

1. Ask a follow-up question to either solidify the student’s understanding or lead them in the right direction if their problem solving is incorrect.

2. Ask “are you confident in your problem solving?” When the student answers “yes” I reply, “then you don’t need me to tell you if it is right.”

3. Walk away. I usually only do this if it is a student who asks me this question often and needs to learn to take risks.

It can get exhausting to answer questions like this and it is really tempting to just tell a student “yes, that is correct.” If you are consistent, your students will eventually stop asking “is this right” and will start immediately explaining their problem solving process when you stop by their desk.

The bottom line with buy-in is if your students buy in, your parents will buy in. Once students realize the freedom that comes from being able to make mistakes and correct them with impunity, they will rise to whatever bar you set for them.

photo of Mindset

You can easily find Mindset for sale on Amazon or other sources.

Two years ago, I saw a post here on ChemEd X about popping a balloon with an orange peel--and from this seed grew one of my favorite weeks of the school year.

I teach chemical bonding in a pretty traditional way (especially compared to the Modeling Instruction approach I use at the start of the school year), so while students are usually able to execute certain tasks -- drawing Lewis dot structures, for example -- the application of these tasks has been pretty limited, making it difficult for students to contextualize them, and especially for students with learning differences to do more than struggle to memorize a set of steps.

To address this issue, I’ve been working to make my curriculum more project-based, and to fold in more lab skills such as experimental design. While my chemical bonding unit is not a full-on PBL unit, starting last year, I have added in a final week of the unit that is a project-based application of the concept of polarity. It’s a nice way to generate buy-in, to revisit important concepts, and to practice (for the students and for me) some of the structures and skills of a traditional project-based learning unit: context first; NGSS skill-building; and student agency.

We start the unit watching the video of the balloon popping and do a QFT Task that you can find in the Supporting Information below (adapted from The Right Question Institute). Students have a LOT of questions about the video, and I ask them work in small groups to generate as many questions as they can, without judgment. It’s interesting to see which groups come up with the most questions -- it’s not always the kids I expect! Next, they categorize the questions and then pare those down into questions they are most interested in as a table. But I end up only collecting one “priority question” from each table. I write these up as a class list that we revisit towards the end of the week.

After watching the video, I remind students of the concept of polar and nonpolar bonds that they have learned previously, and ask them to apply this to the observations they make of the behavior of oil and water in terms of “how many drops fit on a penny?” Sometimes students have done this lab before, but I try to add new nuance to it by introducing the concept of intermolecular forces. For the next few days, students explore molecular polarity and intermolecular forces through simulations, diagrams, and even “traditional” worksheets. Students make posters modeling the interactions of polar and nonpolar substances, which I use to formatively assess their understanding, before we come back to the balloon pop scenario. By asking students to connect the more traditional instruction of content to the balloon pop scenario, I can build motivation as well as retention.

Rather than telling students what substance in the orange peel causes the pop, I task students with generating their own experiments. Students spend a day generating experimental plans using a template called the Balloon Lab Design Proposal (that you can find under Supporting Information below) in small groups; by completing the background section of the plan, students apply their knowledge of polarity to generate a molecularly-grounded hypothesis. This is also an opportunity for me to assess students' understanding of polarity.  

In the last section of the mini-unit, students also use the limited materials list to come up with their own experiment. Students sometimes test the peels of different fruits; the juice versus the peel of a given fruit; extracted limonene versus extracted citric acid; balloon size; and more. Sometimes their experimental questions connect to polarity and sometimes they don’t; for my purposes, I don’t really care! This section of the mini-unit focuses on skills in experimental design -- generating appropriate variables and controls, procedure-writing, and more. I want all my students to have access to the experiment; regardless of how well they understand polarity, they can engage in the experimental process.

The whole first page of the experimental plan sheet, plus the procedure-writing, usually takes a class period. I collect students’ worksheets at the end and give feedback in the evening so that they can have more fleshed-out procedures. The next day, students receive their sheets back for updating, creating data tables, and writing rationales before they can get supplies. I warn neighboring classrooms that things might get a bit noisy -- students have a lot of fun popping balloons, and even those whose experiments don’t result in pops (such as those using lemon juice) usually get to use some limonene to get some balloon pop satisfaction. This is a nice lab to do on a Friday afternoon, as you might imagine!

The final stage of the sequence involves coming back to polarity. Students make and present posters showing their experimental plan, results, and explanation of those results in terms of polarity. This is an opportunity for students to review the key content (or learn it for the first time) in both generating the poster and hearing it from classmates during the share out. Audience members complete a feedback form (you can find the Balloon Polarity Lab Presentation form under Supporting Information). This template ensures that there is not a lot of redundancy in the presentations. I give a group grade for the posters but follow up with a traditional quiz to hold students individually accountable. 

I like this mini-unit because it provides multiple access points for students to learn about polarity and to practice scientific skills, and is engaging enough that students still talk about it as a memorable unit even after they leave my class. It’s more than an “end of unit project”, because students are still learning and incorporating new content, but it doesn’t mean a complete overhaul of unit-planning during a busy time of the school year. I plan to replicate this structure in the fall, with units I can’t make project-based completely.

"What are we doing to help kids achieve?"

     The call for ideas on classroom culture really got me thinking. What is the very first impression that I want to make on students? Do I want to pass out a bunch of papers about the syllabus, rules and policies? Do I want kids to be thinking and acting like scientists? Deep down inside, my hope is always for the second idea. I decided to steal an idea I got from master chemistry teacher Linda Ford at an local ACS meeting. Linda introduced a group of teachers to the "Miracle Fortune Teller Fish". The fish is a small piece of red plastic shaped like a fish. A person takes the fish, places it on their hand and depending how it moves or curls, it predicts your "fortune". So on day one of class, I passed this out to the students, demonstrated the fish and asked, "How does this work?". Their "homework" was to take the fish home and collect their own data that would support or refute how they think their fish works and to write a paragraph with their data that supports their answer.

     The next day students were placed in lab groups. We took some time to talk and brainstorm about what makes good teams and then they were to share their "fish" ideas with the others in their group. After their conversations, they could keep their original idea or revise it.

     I was pleasantly surpised with the results. Some students searched for the answer on the internet. I explained that this was a great idea and research is always important in the scientific method but that data is always required. One student thought that it had something to do with moisture. He placed his in the fridge and it did not move. Next, he placed his hand in ice water, then removed it and placed the fish in his hand the fish quickly curled. He concluded that the temperature was about the same but his hand had more moisture. Others placed their fish on warm and cold paper towels. One girl placed the fish on different parts of her body such as her arm, hand, knee and elbow. Every time the movement of the fish was different but she reasoned that she had the same fortune so that the fish movement must not have anything to do her fortune, otherwise it would move the same each time nomatter where on her body she placed the fish. Several students thought they had the correct answer but then revised their ideas based on experiments by other students. Throughout the process, I tried to stress that it was okay if they did not have the correct answer as long as they could use the scientific method to help find the correct answer.

     The answer is that the fish is effected most by moisture. The best part of this activity is NOT when students get the perfect answer....it is when they develop an attitude of curiosity and experimentation that will hopefully continue throughout the year.  Thanks Linda....

For this month's blog post, I was asked to share a bit of a narrative about my life as an international school teacher. So consider this fair warning: If you came looking for a direct connection to chemistry and/or related pedagogy, this month will be a bit different.

First, for some back-story. I was a public school teacher in California for six years, followed by 7 years in a small school district near Seattle, Washington. In 2006, I had a precocious toddler in the house and a wife that had wanderlust. I got certified as a SCUBA diver in 2005 and for our winter holiday in 2006, we were lucky enough to be on a cruise on the western Caribbean with stops in Mexico and Belize. I was out for a day of diving at Turneffe Atoll and had an amazing day underwater. As my "six-pack" boat of divers was headed back to the cruise ship my mind began to wonder. What if…?

I arrived at my cabin to wash my SCUBA gear and said - only half joking -  to my wife, Devin, "You know, we could just let the cruise ship leave without us and stay here in Belize." She had studied South East Asia as a minor in college, so she had something else in mind. "You know, Lowell, if we lived in Thailand you could go diving all the time too." So the wheels were put into motion. A friend of mine had just moved to Ecuador to teach at an international school, so I emailed him for some guidance. As I returned home from holiday, I started putting together my CV and cover letter - asking my supervisors for letters of recommendation. In February I hit the International School Service (ISS) Job Fair in San Francisco hoping to get hired by an international school - preferably in Thailand. Job Fairs like this are a whirlwind of activity and a roller coaster of emotions. You spend a morning queueing in line for interviews, followed by about two days of interviewing, all with the hopes of scoring second interviews and job offers. Since chemistry teachers are in high demand, I ended up with a few offers and chose to move to Thailand to teach at International School Eastern Seaboard. It's a small school near a major industrial zone in the province of Chonburi, about 90 minutes southeast of Bangkok.

My son started kindergarten there and my wife became a substitute teacher and an IB Exam Invigilator. And so my journey of teaching in the Diploma Programme within the IB became reality. We spent three years at this school in Thailand before feeling like it was time for a change. And while I signed up for a job fair in Bangkok in January, 2010, I ended up getting hired after a few Skype interviews with the American International School of Bucharest. Eastern Europe, here we come!

We spent four years on Bucharest - enjoying the four seasons, after three years in the heat and humidity of Thailand. My son started third grade in Bucharest, and my wife became the elementary book room manager and an assistant in the library. Four years later we decided to explore a new part of the world - only to end up back in Thailand at my current post: International School Bangkok. It is the largest of the international schools I've worked at, with about 1750 students this year. I teach four classes of IB Chemistry Higher Level, and one introductory chemistry course.

Without getting too personal about my own finances, I can say that international school teaching is a great way to go for teachers. Most international schools pay round-trip economy air-fare to your home of record each summer, provide fairly good health insurance coverage, and in some cases even pay into a retirement fund. Additionally many international schools also provide a housing allowance - the size of which depends on the cost of living in the nearby city.

The advantages of international schools vary by individual, but certainly the opportunity to travel and see the world is by far the most common reason teachers move overseas. Smaller class sizes are typical, along with fewer teaching periods in your schedule. As an example, I average about 20 students per class right now, teaching 5 of 8 class periods. This is certainly less than my average of 30-35, teaching six of eight class periods at my last public school in the U.S. That being said, the pressures are different as well. So I still work just as many hours - if not more - marking IB assessments. I really feel for my U.S. colleagues that have large class sizes to go with that role.

I now have a network of friends at various international schools on six continents. (I've yet to know anybody that teaches in Antarctica!) Due to the wonders of modern technology, I can keep in touch with many of them through Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, through Twitter (find me @ThomsonScience) I've managed to build a network of chemistry teachers and scientists around the globe as well. So when I'm traveling and people ask me where I'm from, it's actually a very difficult question. My passport says U.S.A. but my home address says Thailand.

There are some drawbacks to this lifestyle - which will also vary per individual tastes. Being far away from friends and family is certainly high on the list of issues with this lifestyle. I also truly miss my American sports. Of course the internet helps - but it's not the same as being able to call your friend up and hit a game on a Saturday. I no longer pay into social security, so saving for retirement is now almost exclusively my own responsibility. I say "almost" here, because a few international schools will pay into something like a 401k, or similar investment tool. But the defined benefit of a state retirement system from my public school teaching days will be quite small since I jumped between states and only have seven years in Washington.

The big question I often get asked is, "How do I get a job at an international school?" The first place to start is one of the many recruiting agencies for international schools. The two biggest are ISS and Search Associates. There are a number of smaller organizations as well. These recruiting agencies are hired by schools to help with their recruiting. As such, they typically hold multiple job fairs each year - starting earlier and earlier each year. These job fairs happen around the globe, from Bangkok to London to Boston to San Francisco to Dubai. At these job fairs, teachers sign up for interviews and schools can contact applicants that meet their qualifications. Interviews are had, jobs are offered and lives are changed forever.

And with many institutions interesting in saving costs, Skype interviews have become very popular lately - with my last two job offers happening after Skype interviews. The timeline for recruiting begins in September, and really picks up steam from November to February - with most hiring completed by the job fairs at that time. So if you're in a public school in the U.S you might even be able to have a job before resigning at your current school. The difference once you go international: There are no union protections, no tenure - and you must give notice to leave in June in order to attend job fairs and find a new job for the fall.

So if you're still reading and want more information, drop me a note in the comments. I'm happy to answer any clarifying questions you have if you are interested in taking the plunge.

And regardless where you teach around the globe, I hope you have a wonderful year with your students.

The following blog post is adopted from a talk I gave at MACUL 2017 titled, “Building a Blended Culture in a Secondary Science Classroom.” A copy of the original slides can be found in the Supporting Information at the conclusion of this post.

During my first year of teaching (in Indianapolis, IN), I was inspired by some research I had read as well as some other teachers in the Indy area who were flipping their classes. I was at a small parochial school where parental and administrative support for technology inclusion was present. My principal outfitted me with the tools I needed to “flip” my classes and record tutorial videos. Things went pretty well. It was a learning curve for many but I also had good feedback from students and parents.

When I moved to Michigan and began teaching in my current district, I was met with pushback from parents and students alike. Some of the reasons included:

• Not enough money for paper copies;
• Restricted or no tech/internet access at home; and,
• Students not used to watching videos for homework.

As a result of pushback, I abandoned my flipping preparation during my second semester. However, I saw the value in this type of pedagogy and decided to re-instate the practice the next school year. I gradually began creating a library of tutorial videos using the Touchscreen PC in my classroom, HoverCam, and Google HOA. I was also able to purchase Camtasia 8, using a district foundation grant, and a WACOM Intuos tablet. Not all students utilized the videos; typically, the most motivated students would access the tutorials.

Beginning in the 2015-16 school year, I had the privilege of participating in my district’s High School Blended Learning Pilot. Each staff participant received an Acer Chromebook as well as a Chromebook cart (Lenovo machines) for their classroom use. Then, beginning in the 2016-17 school year, every district educator received a DELL Chromebook. I also had the opportunity to participate in a middle school science grant pilot called “Gizmos.” I was the only high school science teacher in the pilot.

Notice the change in terminology above: flipping versus blended. When I started out, “flipping” was the buzzword. You give students tutorial videos to watch for homework and tackle the assignments in class where you are able to assist students and differentiate where needed. Great concept. Blended learning is much more broad such that we are utilizing face to face and online methods for a more effective strategy. Flipped classroom is just a “small” learning tool that can be utilized within the blended pedagogy. My approach in the classroom combines face to face (lecture, problem solving) with online (Gizmos, PhET), tutorial videos (flipped lessons), and hands-on (labs).

A lot of the things I shared above relate, in part, to how I have traveled the blended journey. Now to share about building the culture. I don’t have a ton of answers on how to build a strong culture. I am still working on it with the help of some of my blended colleagues. And, I think I will have an “easier” time with it this upcoming school year since I am teaching more upper level courses with students who may be more motivated to learn than they were as freshmen. However, here are some roadblocks and concerns I have discovered in the last couple of years that can make blending a challenge:

• Student responsibility - students must choose if they will watch the videos, attempt the assignments, and seek assistance willingly.
• Helicopter parents
• My school doesn’t have a “whole school” culture - not all staff use a Google Site effectively or utilize their Google Classroom, perhaps clinging to tradition with a fear of change or apathy toward change.
• Assessment data is easier to obtain but requires initial input and development
• District-wide or building-wide training is available but few teachers in our building can coach, let alone taking the time for training isn’t easy because...
• Training is ANOTHER thing to do

So, here are some questions for you. Feel free to comment on them in the comments below.

1. What are some challenges that you’ve encountered in building a blended learning culture?
2. What are some of your anxieties related to building a blended learning culture?
3. What are some successes that you’ve encountered in building a blended learning culture?

This was my first week of classes. It is the beginning of the 30^th year that I have been a high school teacher and the 28^th straight year I have been in the same physical classroom. Shockingly, all of those in the same school (yes I meant it to sound that way). In a previous post I wrote about the demonstration that I use on my first day of class called the Ira Remsen Demonstration. This time I would like to describe the first lab that I do every year with my chemistry students. It is a short and simple lab and maybe that is why it works so well for me. We seem to always get stuck with short periods our first week and I need to plan shorter than usual lessons. I also like that this lab gives the students a chance to go around the room and meet each other.

My first experiment involves measuring the density of water. Each group of two kids is assigned a specific volume of water from 10 to 100 mLs on the tens. They simply measure the mass of an empty graduated cylinder and then add the water and find the mass again. Once they have their data they go around the room and find another group that has one of the volumes that they need and get the data from them and record their names. Once complete they generate a graph of the data and answer a few simple questions. The whole procedure can be completed in about 20 minutes.

Now while this seems very simple there are several facets I want to point out. One is that we have an influx of new 9^th and 10^th grade students each year. We are a magnet and do not have a specific feeder school and it allows for the newer students to meet new people. It also does not require any specific previous skills. We introduce the balance, graduated cylinder, units for measurements, density calculations, and graphing in a very short period of time. Finally it is a relatively easy lab for students to make up if they check in late.

I do not believe that this is an original idea in any way but I am very happy with the way I have worked it up and how it serves me as an early lab.

With the start of the school year quickly approaching or having already started for others I wanted to take this chance to update a few resources regarding some periodic table websites and apps for you and your students. 

The first is a new site entitled Periodic Table of Tech and as the name suggests as you hover over each element, a popup opens to provide you with information about the elements role in the tech world and then you can click on the pop up to read more about it. Such as did you know where Google Chrome gets its name?

Chromium (Cr)

In industry, chromium is used to create rust-resistant stainless steel. But chromium also has virtual applications — it’s the namesake of the world’s most popular web browser. Google Chromeowes its newfound fame to the Chromium Project, an initiative that ensured everyone’s favorite internet application would be fast, safe, reliable, and accessible.

This site reminds me of a few infographics from Compound Interest regarding the use of elements in a smartphone. Regarding the Periodic Table, did you know Feb 7 is National Periodic Table Day?  ou can click the link here to read all about it and take a look at some great periodic tables from Compound Interest.

 If you are looking for periodic tables with less information to print out for your students, then I recommend this site (Printable Periodic Tables) from ThoughtCo. .  I use this site quite often depending on what amount of information on the periodic table I want to provide for my students. Some teachers may prefer to give students periodic tables with names of the elements printed on them while others may not depending on the particular topic(s) they may be covering. If you are looking for a Periodic Table with a large amount of details, then I recommend the website www.ptable.com. 

In regards to apps for the Periodic Table, I would recommend again the EMDPTE app or the eleMints app on the app store. Both of those apps are free. Another great Periodic Table is the Periodic Table app from the Royal Society of Chemistry. Also, if you are looking for some other chemistry apps then check out the Eight great apps for chemistry teachers article from the Royal Society of Chemistry. Well, I hope you and your students find these helpful and If you have any other great chemistry apps, Periodic Table apps, or websites then please share.

In 2015, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) published a research report entitled Public Attitudes to Chemistry.¹ I was surprised by the public’s lack of interest and enthusiasm for chemistry reported therein. Two-thirds of those surveyed reported negative or neutral feelings towards chemistry! The lackluster appeal that chemistry holds in people’s imagination was perhaps best encapsulated in this quote by a survey participant:

“[There’s] nothing really relating to humanity about it. I don't think it has many positive or interesting connotations. I think the interesting things about science, which [have] quite high prestige, are things relating to physics and space exploration…I think chemistry has quite boring connotations, it's just numbers, lab work, tests, things like that.”

Based on the findings in the report, it is no wonder that the RSC implored chemists to “identify windows of opportunity and ‘hooks’ to capture the public imagination” and “generate ideas to ‘inspire’ the public about chemistry”.

The results of the RSC survey reflect the dreary look I often see on the faces of several of my chemistry students at the beginning of each semester. Because my teaching philosophy assumes that both quality and quantity of learning increases with interest in subject matter, I have spent years exploring ways to engage my students in chemistry (of course fire, explosions, and color changing reactions are certainly helpful). I have recently begun using an approach that I have found to be quite fruitful, albeit counterintuitive: I don’t try to get my students interested in chemistry. You read that right. I don’t try to interest my students in chemistry. Rather, I get to know the hobbies and interests of my students. Then I work to demonstrate how chemistry relates to those activities.

Let me give an example of how this works. In my second semester general chemistry class, my students complete a small research project during three laboratory sessions. I meet with students individually to discuss project ideas. During this meeting I do not ask students what it is about chemistry that they find fascinating. Instead, I ask students to tell me about themselves. I ask questions such as: What do you like to do for fun? What do you want to do when you graduate from college? What movies do you like? What kinds of food and drink do you enjoy? What aspirations do you have? Once I get a feel for the kinds of things a student enjoys (and often after a quick online search for ideas on Google, the Journal of Chemical Education, or ChemEdX) I begin to learn how chemistry is related to – or can be used to investigate – one or more of their interests. Given the fundamental nature of chemistry, connecting chemical experimentation to a wide array of subjects usually isn’t too difficult. Next, the student and I discuss various ways chemistry is related to a chosen interest and how we might conduct experiments to learn more.

For instance, during one meeting this past year I had a student remark that she loved drinking coffee. I had no idea about the chemistry of coffee, so quickly typed “chemistry of coffee” into the Google search bar. Andy Brunning’s infographic on “The Chemistry of Coffee”.² immediately turned up. Reading through the graphic with the student, we learned that the content of chlorogenic acids in coffee beans drops as they are roasted. Thus, it seemed to me that the pH of coffee beans might increase as they are roasted. So I suggested the student try out a simple kinetic study: Buy some coffee beans, roast them for various periods of time, brew the resulting beans, and test the pH of the resulting brews. So that’s what she did. After roasting for various times, then grinding and brewing the beans, she found that the longer the beans were roasted, the lower the pH (Figure 1). This was exactly the opposite of what we expected! This led to further tests, experimentation, literature searching, on-line searching, and learning (the results of which, sadly, are beyond the scope of this article).

coffee.png

Figure 1 - Color of beans (top row) and brews (bottom row) of beans roasted for: (L to R) 6 minutes, 12 minutes, 25 minutes. Corresponding pH values: 6 minutes = pH 8, 12 minutes = pH 7, 25 minutes = pH 5. Experiment and photos by Bethany Balcer.

While doing these projects, several students become “hooked” on the process of using chemistry to investigate phenomena. Students will often work more than double the required time on their projects. Occasionally, students will continue researching their project long after the completion of class. As a result of these investigations, my students and I have studied the chemistry of LEGO^® bricks, shampoo, teeth, glow sticks, bananas, and contact explosives. We’ve looked at how the cloud forms when dry ice is placed in water, how stunt people safely light themselves on fire, why dead batteries bounce higher than fresh ones, the effect of snake venom on hemoglobin, and the effect of temperature on the bend of a pole vault pole.

This method of attracting students to chemistry reverses the paradigm I have used for years. I used to spend a lot of time dreaming up stories, experiments, and explanations that involve chemistry to share with my students. I would investigate “real-life” topics, and then explain to my students how chemistry relates to whatever applications I chose to study. However, I am finding that showing how chemistry pertains to what my students are alreadyinterested in may be a more successful way to draw my students to appreciate chemistry. I have also noticed that sharing results of past student investigations during lectures not only piques my students’ interests, but also inspires my students to embark on chemical investigations of their own. Hearing stories of past students’ work empowers my current students to recognize that they, too, can use chemistry to investigate a topic of their own choosing. Finally, certain projects have taken on a life of their own, with multiple “generations” of students working on the some general project over the course of several years!

To pull this off, I continually work to tune in to the interests of my students, and I routinely scour the literature to ascertain how chemistry relates to these topics. You might surmise that this requires substantial effort on my part, and you would be correct. But I’m okay with that. Doing so allows me to continually learn new and exciting things about chemistry and other areas of science, which I happen to thoroughly enjoy. I would argue that we chemistry teachers should constantly envision captivating and coherent ways to show how chemistry is relevant to activities that students find fascinating. We should continually be asking ourselves “where’s the chemistry in that?” For example, take the previously mentioned survey participant who stated that “the interesting things about science…are things relating to physics and space exploration”. This individual is probably unaware that Venus has clouds comprised of sulfuric acid droplets,³ or that the mantles of Jupiter and Saturn contain liquid, metallic hydrogen and helium.⁴ He likely isn’t aware that lighter chemical elements are produced in the nuclear reactions within stars, and that heavier elements are formed during supernova explosions.⁵ Perhaps he has never observed one of the numerous explosive chemical processes that power spacecraft.^6,7 He is unaware of the intimate ways that chemistry is embedded in space exploration.

Indeed, chemistry is everywhere. It is next to impossible – even for us chemistry teachers – to know every way that chemistry applies to our lives. Nevertheless, if we learn and share the ways that chemistry connects to our student’s interests, I believe it will go a long way in helping them to appreciate the beauty and appeal of our discipline. As I like to say, “Look! It’s in the sky! It’s in birds! It’s in planes! It’s CHEMISTRY”.⁸

REFERENCES

1. http://www.rsc.org/globalassets/04-campaigning-outreach/campaigning/public-attitudes-to-chemistry/public-attitudes-to-chemistry-research-report.pdf

2. http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/01/30/why-is-coffee-bitter-the-chemistry-of-coffee/

3. Krasnopolsky, V. A.; Parshev, V. A. Chemical composition of the atmosphere of Venus. Nature292, 610 – 613.

4. Stevenson, D. J. Metallic helium in massive planets. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 105, 11035-11036 and references therein.

5. Norman, E. B. Stellar Alchemy: The Origin of the Chemical Elements J. Chem. Educ. 71, 813–820.

6. Bowman, W. H.; Lawrence, R. H. Space Resource. Chemical Rocket Propellants. J. Chem. Educ. 48, 335–337.

7. Eliason, R.; Lee, E. J.; Wakefield, D.; Bergren, A. Improvement of sugar-chlorate rocket demonstration. J. Chem. Educ. 77, 1581–1583.

8. Kuntzleman, T. S. National Chemistry Week: A Platform for Scholarship. J. Chem. Educ. 92, 1588–1585.