Whenever I’m asked where I live and what I do, I answer with “I’m a teacher overseas.” The immediate response from people is “English? Peace Corps?” Teaching subjects other than English in remote villages is a pretty foreign concept to many people in the United States. I am a high school science teacher at the American School of Dubai where we are implementing the NGSS curriculum in a Standards Based Learning School. This is my tenth year of teaching, and my seventh year of teaching overseas. Before picking up and heading to the unknown, I taught at a high school with over two thousand students in Texas for three years. Often times I’m asked what differences there are between teaching in the states and teaching in a foreign country, and this might be the hardest question for me to answer. There is a misconception that teaching somewhere else in the world is drastically different than teaching right in your backyard, and it really isn’t. With that being said, please keep in mind that my perspective is from teaching in the Middle East. These differences will vary between regions of the world. Here are a few differences you might experience if you decide to pack up and move across the ocean.

Full-Time Lab Assistant

If you were to ask me the one reason that would keep me from teaching in the states again, it would be the loss of a lab assistant. As science teachers, such a large majority of our time is taken up by setting up and breaking down labs. If you didn’t have to do it yourself, could you find more valuable things to do with your time? I am able to spend more time troubleshooting lab ideas, planning the next unit, and grading the stack of papers on my desk. This is a luxury that no matter how long I keep my career overseas, I will never take it for granted. Walking in on a lab day and having my lab already set up is one of the most satisfying feelings. When I’m doing a lab that is a little more detailed, I can also book our lab assistant to be in the room with me to serve as an extra set of eyes.

Availability of Resources

One of the aspects of teaching overseas that isn’t as glamorous is the difficulty we experience when trying to obtain various materials for class. One resource I really wanted to get to start this year was whiteboards, and I started this search as soon as I touched ground in the U.S. at the end of last school year. At first, I was searching for shower board or something of the sort, then had to just search for whiteboards. The best I could find that was close to the size I wanted was 60cmx90cm, and it was a board that is meant to be hung on the wall. Can you imagine the kids trying to maneuver those around the classroom? I settled for a 60cmx70cm sticky whiteboard poster stuck to a piece of plywood and wrapped in duct tape. Needless to say, I’m regretting not investing in a box of them in the states as one of my checked bags. Your thought might be, “Why don’t you just order them?” This isn’t easy either. International orders can take up to 6 months to get here. Our orders for the following year must be finished in February and they’re still arriving piece by piece well into September. We are fortunate in Dubai to have a laboratory distributing company on speed dial, so our labs are always fully stocked. A prime example is when we did a gas collection lab last year and we didn’t have enough for two classes to do the experiment simultaneously. We were able to order these one day, and they were delivered as soon as that afternoon. This isn’t something you’ll find in any country, but as a high school science teacher, I absolutely love it.

“Unlimited” Budget

I say “unlimited” even though we do actually have a budget, but it’s big enough to where we don’t feel we are restricted by it. There are investigations that we are limited to because we can’t find the supplies in Dubai, but if it’s available, there’s never a question of if we can afford it. Last year we performed the lab with copper wire and AgNO₃. Instead of recycling the silver, we were able to give our students little vials to keep forever. I even had a student ask if she could come in and make more to make jewelry out of. I told her if she could show the stoichiometry for how much more she needs, she could make as much as she wants. Sure enough she was in my lab the next day ready to go. Can you imagine how much more you can do if you weren’t limited by a district budget?

Flexibility and Freedom with Curriculum and Planning

Most private international schools are not part of a larger entity. There are definitely some organizations that oversee a number of schools, for example GEMS and OSI. For the most part, international schools function as their own school which allows teachers more flexibility in planning. Our school adopted NGSS a couple of years ago, and this is our first full year of implementation. This did not come from a district office, nor did someone else write what we will be doing. We do, of course, offer the same experience in our classrooms that a student would get if they were next door, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t flexibility in what those experiences look like. We are standards based, and as a department chose what we put in as our standards in our gradebook. We do have a Director of Teaching and Learning who is involved in a lot of our decision making, but his role is only to make sure we are cohesive with other divisions and provide the best education we can to our students.

Availability of Professional Development for Secondary Science

One of the most frustrating parts about living overseas is the difficulty in finding quality professional development during the school year that is specifically catered to high school science teachers. There are several organizations overseas that offer professional development, but it’s rare to find something that is only high school science. Most conferences try to cater to a wide variety of educators and are located in other countries. A science teacher might find 2 or 3 sessions that are relevant to his/her specialty. Although most schools offer a professional development stipend ranging anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a couple thousand dollars, most of the professional development science teachers choose to do is during summer break in the states.

Class Sizes and Prep Time

Class sizes can vary just as they do in the states, but very rarely will you find science classes larger than 24. Most classes will average around 20-22, and you might find

some as small as 14 or 15. This is different for every school, but in the region I’m in, it seems like 25 is the cap in most schools. In the states, I taught 6 of 8 class periods, and one of my periods off was considered my lunch. There was very little time to collaborate, although I was fortunate to be in a school that valued collaboration and made sure my whole team was off at the same time. My schedule internationally consists of teaching 5 of 8 and a separate lunch. I can usually get all of my planning done during the school day and only have to take grading home in the evenings.

School Year’s Alignment with AP Timeline

This is something that is more relevant to the part of the world I live in. My school follows both the American holidays as well as the Muslim holidays. As of right now, the way Eid and Ramadan fall during the year, we are starting later and ending later. In future years, this will not be the case, as Ramadan and Eid move up 2 weeks every year. Because of the late start, the AP classes are extremely crunched for time to cover all of the material before May. Not to mention, since we end at the end of June, there is a lot of time with AP classes after the major exam has been taken. We have a high population of students who take at least two AP courses, and a significant amount of students who are taking three to four or even five AP classes. You can imagine the difference in their schedules after the exams as opposed to before. This causes our students to be under a lot of stress due to losing so much time at the beginning of the year to learn new material. We also have a travel week for students, along with a three week Winter Break and a two week Spring Break. A lot of schools in Far East Asia and South America start before most schools in the states, so you’ll find that this isn’t something you would experience in those parts of the world. Europe typically starts one week before the Middle East.

Standardized State Testing

Overseas, the only testing the students will experience at the high school level are the SAT and ACT. There is also a test called the MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) test that the students take every other year in order to show growth, but this is not something the students stress about. We don’t even prepare the kids for it in order to make the data more authentic and reliable. This test actually loses its validity after about grade 8 or 9 because of the level of questions being asked. As a high school teacher, I might lose one day of class a year with my 9th graders for this test. Other countries might have different tests, but if you’re teaching in a truly International or American school, your kids are normally exempt from taking the tests specific for that country.

Global Awareness of the Students

If you were to ask your students tomorrow how many of them hold a passport, what would you predict your numbers would be? When I taught in Texas, several of my students had not ever left the state, let alone the country. A question I ask at the beginning of every school year at my school overseas is “Where did you go this summer?” I’m not the least bit surprised when the list includes multiple countries. Travel is a common thing for my students, which naturally makes them more aware of what’s going on globally. Often times, they are more in tune with what’s going on in the world than I am. Travel is even integrated into our school’s culture. At the 6th grade, students begin traveling to countries like South Africa, India, Cambodia, and Thailand to immerse themselves in a different culture and serve the people of different countries. At the high school level, we send our students on a wider variety of trips (around 30) in order to inspire our students to pursue their passions. For example, a group of students who are passionate about leadership recently went to Switzerland to attend a leadership retreat, and a group of students who are passionate about conservation went to Bali to dive and collect ocean pollution. You might not find these programs at every international school, but as the years pass, more and more schools are including a service component to their graduation requirement, which includes an international trip. You can imagine the global awareness of the students I teach.

A Pictorial Comparison Between Science Classrooms in the United States and Science Classrooms in the Middle East

Figure 1A - A science classroom/lab in the Middle East. No flame retardant desktops. This is meant to be a biology lab but serves as a chemistry lab. This is a view from an open window looking in. Notice the A/C units at the top of the room.

Figure 1B - Teachers’ children love to come in after school for fun little activities like this. Aprons and goggles are shipped in from the states. Notice that every single outlet can be turned off at it’s location. This is extremely helpful for safety reasons.

Figure 1C - Chem prep room. We distill all of our own water in this room. There are three prep rooms in this school, each connecting to two different labs.

Figure 1D - A classroom/lab. You can see a lot of Vernier equipment in this lab. Windows line the wall to the left. You see no desktop computers because every teacher has a laptop. This is also a one-to-one school. Students use their laptops daily in labs and lectures.

Figure 1E - A view from the instructor’s table. A fume hood can be seen in the back. Propane is used in the labs in this part of the world, which restricts us from some basic demos. A document camera is in the bottom right corner.

Figure 1F -Like in some US high schools, we have a department office with our own desks.

Figure 1G - The AP students are filling the science rooms with tiles. A handful are made every year.

Figure 2A - A view from my teacher’s desk in the U.S. from 8 years ago. There is a desktop computer and a document camera. Lab stations line the perimeter. No windows in this lab.

Figure 2B - A classroom/lab. Notice only two regular desks. The students sit at the lab benches for both lab and lecture. No document camera in this lab.

Figure 2C - Classroom Lab with desktop computers available for students.

Even though there are differences in teaching in a public high school in the states, and a private international school overseas, there is still one common theme. We are all serving as mentors to the next generation of our world. Kids are kids wherever you might be, and the best part of our profession is that we get to have a hand in their development. Lowell Thomson, who is currently working in Thailand also wrote the article, “Life As An International School Chemistry Teacher” and has great insight on teaching in Thailand. I encourage you to check it out if you’re questioning what it’s like to take this leap with an entire family. If you’re interested in exploring the world of teaching outside of your borders, I have provided a few tips and resources in the next section.

What to look for when choosing a school:

• For Profit vs. Not For Profit - When you’re deciding on a school to teach at, you’re going to want to research if it’s for profit, or truly not for profit. There is a big difference when it comes to budgets, benefits, and culture. Not for profit schools typically have larger budgets with better benefits for teachers. Some of these benefits could include flights, all-inclusive housing, and retirement plans. Most for profit schools will also offer these benefits, but at a much lower cost to them. You might also find that a not for profit school will offer more professional development opportunities.
• American vs. International - American schools will follow American curriculum most of the time, or some sort of international version of an American curriculum. A lot of the American schools overseas have adopted NGSS and Common Core, so you would be very familiar going in. International schools usually follow the IB Curriculum and require special training before teaching it. You can find international schools that accept teachers that have taught AP with no IB experience, but they typically are looking for experienced IB teachers.
• Local vs. Expat -  Some private schools will have a larger population of locals than others. I have experienced both types and loved both. The school I am currently at was founded by the expat community for children of families working in the oil business in the 1960’s, and it still prioritizes providing a quality education for American expats. Therefore, most of my students are North American with very few locals.
• Location - Before you choose a school, research the location. Get familiar with the cultural norms, the lifestyle you’ll take up, weather patterns, etc. Things like visa requirements, taxes, getting a driver’s license and buying a car are also important details you’ll want to know.

Placement Services

There are several services out there that can help you find what you’re looking for. When I first went overseas, I went in completely blind. In hindsight, I wish I would have known more about the teaching community that exists in the international world. As far as getting help finding a job, there are free agencies, and there are agencies that require a membership fee. In my experience, I recommend paying a little.

Search Associates - there is a fee to join this service, but your profile is active for three years after the payment. They will not accept payment until all of your documentation is complete. It’s a great place to consolidate all of your documents for schools to seek you out. There is a requirement of confidential references from both supervisors and parents. I used this service for my current job and was very happy with it. They have fairs all over the globe which require an entrance fee. These fairs are pretty intense, but very few people leave them without a job, so get ready to make a huge life-changing decision on the fly.

International School Search - this is similar to Search Associates in the sense that there is a fee, fairs, and a place to store documents for schools to see. The major difference I saw when doing my research is that you pay upfront as opposed to when your profile is complete, so there seems to be more of a commitment from the start.

Teach Anywhere - this is a free service. Although they are very diligent and you’ll have no problem finding a job, I’m not sure you’ll get exactly what you’re looking for. This is the service I used to find my first international teaching job.

Global Recruitment Collaborative - this is specifically for people who are already overseas at the schools within this group. This group was founded to create a network between reputable schools to help each other find quality teachers. If you’re not already in the international circuit, this isn’t going to be helpful for you.

Good luck on your journey if you choose to try the international route. Did I miss something you have a question about? Please let me know in the comments.~ Lauren

In January of 2017, Chad Hustings wrote a blog post, Isotopes, Nuts, Bolts and Eggs, about an activity some colleagues and I had shared in a workshop at BCCE in 2016. With encouragement from many ChemEd X readers that wanted to try the activity for themselves, I am sharing more details and a student handout.

Chad wrote: 

"Each group of students then received a bag of about 10 “isotopes” (eggs) and were asked to measure the mass of each (the eggs were numbered for accounting purposes).  Students discovered that about six of the isotopes “eggs” were the same mass, two were lighter and two were heavier. They were asked to put these in groups, to choose one isotope or egg from each group and look inside. Each of the eggs (isotopes) had the same number of black nuts but different number of the silver or non painted nuts.

Now here is where the background information started to kick in. The black nuts were analogous to protons and the silver ones were analogous to neutrons. Students were even able to take the “average” masses a variety of ways and discovered that the weighted average was most similar to their data.

This is the first isotope activity I have tried where the students can look inside the model that resembled the atom and find information that reinforced what an isotope actually is. Furthermore, the quantitative data forced them to examine beliefs about different types of averages and what the numbers really mean. This took a bit to set up but was inexpensive and can be used year to year."

A sample set of isotope eggs

Although this activity has gone through a number of iterations as we have tried it for about two years, we would like to hear feedback from those who try it. We welcome comments and suggestions for improvement. 

The theme for National Chemistry Week (NCW) this year is Chemistry Rocks!¹ During NCW, which this year will be held October 22 – 28, many chemical educators will be focusing on the chemistry of rocks and minerals. To prepare for NCW, I’ve been in the lab conducting tests on the chemical and physical properties of various geological samples. In my investigations I’ve found that hematite is a particular mineral that is easy to acquire and quite amenable to experimentation.

The chemical name for hematite is iron (III) oxide, and its formula is Fe₂O₃.² Hematite is the main constituent in iron ore,³ from which iron is extracted to make steel.⁴ The color of hematite varies depending upon the sizes of its constituent particles. Powdered or fine-grained hematite is red or reddish-brown,⁵ while larger stones may are steel-grey or black. In fact, fine-grained hematite on the surface of Mars is responsible the characteristic color of the red planet.^5,6

Hematite can be easily purchased quite inexpensively in the form of decorative beads at craft stores such as Michael’s or Jo-Ann Fabrics. I recently purchased some beads labeled “magnetic hematite” (MH), and “hematite luster cube stone” (HS). I ran some various tests on these beads to see if they did indeed contain hematite.

Figure 1

Figure 1: Beads sold as “hematite luster cube stone” (HS, left), and “magnetic hematite” (MH, right).

I decided to start by testing the density of each bead type. Sure enough, the densities determined for both MH (5.0 ± 0.5 g cm^-3) and HS (5.2 ± 0.4 g cm^-3)agreed with the density of hematite (5.26 g cm^-3)⁶ to within experimental error. However, I observed quite different magnetic properties for MH than for HS; the former displayed much stronger room temperature magnetism than the latter. Given that hematite is weakly ferromagnetic at room temperature,⁷ I decided to run some more tests to see if I could observe differences between the two types of beads. In the video below, you can view my investigations:

Thus, as far as I can tell, the beads sold as MH do not actually contain hematite. Rather, I think these beads are more similar to ceramic magnets such as strontium ferrite.⁸ While I’m not entirely certain that the HS beads contain hematite, they do seem to show some of the predicted properties of this mineral. Therefore, I do think the HS beads do contain some hematite.

I saw several types of beads, other than the ones reported here, sold at Michael’s and JoAnn fabrics that purportedly contain hematite. I’d enjoy hearing about it if you conduct some tests on other “hematite” beads. Also, if you decide to try out some of the experiments reported here during NCW (or any other time), be sure to let me know how things worked out for you. I’d love to hear if you have any interesting observations that I missed. I would also like to know if you have any suggestions for further experiments with these “hematite” beads. I look forward to hearing from you. Happy experimenting!

References:

1. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/outreach/ncw.html
2. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ed078p1326
3. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2012/174803/
4. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ed075p43
5. https://www.psi.edu/sites/default/files/newsletter/winter02/Winter2002.pdf
6. Interestingly enough, the theme for NCW in 2018 is “Chemistry is Out of this World!”: The chemistry of and in outer space. Therefore, the experiments reported herein would also be a good fit for NCW 2018.
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematite
8. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ed076p1205

Every day, one new peer-reviewed research article from any ACS journal will be selected to be freely available and remain open access for all to read. These articles are selected based upon recommendations by editors of ACS Journals and made available as a service to the global research community. Articles from 2014 forward are eligible for nomination. 

What does that mean for you? You might have a subscription to one ACS Journal, but only one. The Editors' Choice articles allow for extended access to content from all of the ACS Journals. If you do not have a subscription to any of the journals, I would encourage you to consider getting one, but in the meantime... you do not have to pay for a subscription to access these valuable articles. You don't even need to use any membership incentives that are offered with AACT or ACS membership (AACT and ACS members have access to 25 downloads of ACS Journal articles).

You can search by the name of the ACS Journal of your interest. Given that you are reading this ChemEd X Pick, I expect that you will be most interested in Journal of Chemical Education articles. There are several pages to explore. 

You can also sign up for E-Alerts that will inform you when the newest list of articles are announced. A couple of my most recent favorites:

Beyond "Inert" Ideas to Teaching General Chemistry from Rich Contexts: Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change (VC3)

Using Digital Badges for Developing High School Chemistry Laboratory Skills

I hope you will browse through all of the JCE articles that have been granted Editors' Choice status. If you have not previously been a JCE reader, I think that these articles will help you realize what you have been missing.

The authors of the recent Journal of Chemical Education article, PolymerDay: Outreach Experiments for High School Students, offer a collection of interactive polymer activities designed to be part of an all-day outreach event for high school students. For teachers that might use the activities on separate occasions and/or as part of their curriculum, the authors recommend an accessible resource to support that work.

Polymer Activities in JCE

Preview Image from JCE article: PolymerDay: Outreach Experiments for High School Students

Most of the experiments/activities can be conducted on a bench-top without special equipment.

If you are interested in using the ideas provided by the authors, do not neglect the supporting information which provides materials to help guide instructors.

This is an ACS Authors' Choice article and is open access to all.

acs_authorchoice.jpg

Last year I came across a report entitled Beyond Appearances: Students’ Misconceptions about Basic Chemical Ideas on the Royal Society of Chemistry’s website, and it has proven a wonderfully handy document to have around. The report is the work of Dr. Vanessa Kind of Durham University (formerly of The University of London) and briefly summarizes student misconceptions and possible pedagogical remedies in eleven different content areas. These content areas include:

1. States of matter
2. Particle theory
3. Changes of state
4. Distinguishing between elements
5. Compounds and mixtures
6. Physical and chemical change
7. Open and closed system chemical events
8. Acids, bases and neutralisation [sic]
9. Stoichiometry
10. Chemical bonding
11. Thermodynamics and chemical equilibrium

Some of the misconceptions were not surprising to me, especially in the first few sections, but there is no doubt that some teachers, especially new teachers, may be unaware that these persist in the minds of students. These include naïve ideas such as matter is continuous, water boiling produces hydrogen and oxygen, and particles expand when heated. In fact, I think this article shines most in the first seven sections, and in the section on stoichiometry. A review of these sections would help any chemistry teacher get their students off on a good foot. Notably, most of the pedagogical interventions include a heavy emphasis on the particulate nature of matter.

The sections on acid-base chemistry provided some misconceptions I had never considered, especially one that shows that the “continuous nature of matter” misconceptions creep up here because students perceive acids as singular “things” that cause harm. Another surprise was the revelation that some students view a large equilibrium constant as indicative of a fast reaction. While I have witnessed the misconception that a negative Gibbs Free Energy value indicates a fast reaction, I have not seen a student make the jump to the equilibrium constant, but that does not mean they haven’t done it without voicing it in class. This is a reminder to me to emphasize that “favored” or “thermodynamically favored” do not equate to “fast”.

The document is easy to read and includes extensive references if you want to do further research. Additionally, it is open access, which is great for teachers who do not have access to journal subscriptions.

I highly recommend reading each section as you plan for that particular unit and make sure to address each of the misconceptions in your teaching. Even if I don’t use the exact activities recommended, it helps orient my mind to the struggles my students might face before we get there.

What misconceptions do you find most inhibit your students’ learning? Do any surprise you more than others? Happy Reading!

What are we doing to help kids achieve?

   I have to admit that I was inspired by Tom Kuntzleman's blog entry about how we should stop trying to get kids interested in chemistry. I believe the spirit of what he was trying to say is that it is important to try to motivate students and a good way to do that is to meet them where they are at. Why not let them study those concepts that interest them the most? Many times I feel torn, as I am sure other teachers do. Yes, I want students to be able to pick concepts that interest them but I am also bound by the state to teach to a set of standards. Is there a way to meet in the middle?

     I was approaching a unit in which students use physical properties of mixtures to separate out substances. There are many activities I could use that can teach to the standards. I was trying to decide which to pick but then I thought about what Tom said...why not let the students pick? Here is what I did. I had two lab options that deal with separation techniques. One lab is is designed for students to do a simple distillation of grape or cherry soda and they separate out the flavoring. The other lab used paper chromatography in an attempt to determine if red-40 food dye was present in a specific type of candy.  About two-thirds of the students did the distillation and the rest did the chromatography. It was up to them which lab to do. Next, I wanted each of the groups to understand the other process that they did not pick. One group from each topic was asked to present the lab or "teach" it to the other groups who did not do the lab.

     Here is what I discovered as a teacher. First, it was a little crazy having two different labs going on at the same time in the same room but it was not impossible. Good pre labs with short videos can do much to prepare the students. Second, I think students for the most part genuinely appreciated the idea that a teacher would actually let them choose and that they got to examine drinks and foods that they use often. I also was pleasantly surprised by some of the presentations. Many students can explain ideas much better than I can. It was nice experience to witness as a teacher.

    Overall, I think I would do it again. I cannot say that I have sufficient quantitative data to support that this is a superior method of teaching. I can say through qualitative data that it did support a culture in the classroom in which students who investigated items of interest showed a bit more enthusiasm. In other words, they looked like scientists who where kind of enjoying their job. I'll take that.

     Do you have a lesson or activity that really reasonates with students? Would love to hear from you. Don't be afraid to post something......

Chemical education researchers often use concept inventories to assess the depth of conceptual understanding their students have about a variety of topics. These inventories are normally multiple-choice documents. The authors of these inventories are careful in choosing distractor answer choices based upon common misconceptions and faulty knowledge that students generally have. Besides informing the instructor of common misconceptions and other gaps in understanding, these inventories can also help determine the value of specific interventions designed to address those common misconception.

preview image 2017 Talanquer JCE article

In reading the recently published JCE article, Concept Inventories: Predicting the Wrong Answer May Boost Performance, I was reminded of a variety of ways to encourage students to reflect on their answer choices for a longer time period. We can ask students to rate their confidence in their answer choice or to assess the rightness of their answers. Additionally, Talanquer suggests providing students with a prompt that asks them to predict the choices that uninformed students will incorrectly choose as the correct answer. Using any of these added treatments is intended to encourage deeper analytical reasoning and reflection as they choose their answers and possibly encourage deeper understanding of the content. 

If you read my last blog post you heard discussion of putting together a practical and useful professional development opportunity for chemistry teachers. It is a conference for teachers, by teachers. My goal is for every presenter to bring in one idea that they find useful in their classroom; One good demo, one good lab, one good original idea about how to do something that we are all doing to begin with.

Figure 1 - Magnesium metal inside a copper wire cage.

While working on the schedule I came across a presentation from three years ago that was absolutely fabulous and truly had an impact on my classroom. It reminded me of why we really need to have professional development presented by classroom teachers who are practicing what they preach every day. Many of us are familiar with the Molar Volume of Hydrogen Gas lab. It was on the required lab list for AP Chemistry for many years and I can find versions of it that date all the way back to Chem Study in 1962. Every version seems to take a strip of magnesium and put it into a small cage of copper wire and insert it into a gas collection tube (Figure 1). Six molar HCl is then reacted with the magnesium. A little twist to this procedure was suggested by an amazing teacher, Werner Willoughby, formerly of San Pedro High School in Los Angeles. He presented the idea of using 12 M HCl (only handled by the instructor) and instead of wrapping the magnesium into the cage of copper wire to simply fold it over and place it in the gas collection tube and let friction keep it in place (Figure 2). Since the acid is so concentrated it reacts almost instantly and provides two great benefits. One is that it does not require a cage of copper that may or may not keep the magnesium in place. Second is that it reacts so quickly it allows for multiple trials in one class period. This saves me a great deal of time! I run after school labs so that I can have a two-hour block of time. I have to do this twice a week to accommodate all the students enrolled in my class. Now I have one less week that I have to stay after school and force the students to stay after school.

Figure 2 - Magnesium metal held in place by friction.

Now I don’t want you to think that the purpose of this blog post is only to describe this technique because it is not. The main purpose is to point out how important continuing education is for teachers and the importance of it being provided by other teachers. I am very confident that all of you reading this have at least one trick you have come up with that I have not thought about. Why not get out there and attend an AACT, BCCE, Biennial, ChemEd or NSTA style meeting and help share your passion and your expertise with others. Every year I organize this meeting I come home with at least one great idea. I have never failed to learn something at every major conference I attend.

Celebrating the Value of Chemistry

The October 2017 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers. Topics featured in this issue include: geochemistry in action; research on effective teaching and study approaches; keeping education and chemistry relevant; communication and writing; spectroscopy; chromatography; synthesis; teaching resources; mining the archive: chemistry rocks!

Cover: Geochemistry in Action: Watch a Dripstone Grow!

Nature beautifies the ruins of an aging concrete bunker with brilliant white stalagmites. Although the chemical composition and morphology of these formations is equivalent to those found in limestone caves, the chemical process creating them is different and much faster. In Geochemistry in Action: Watch a Dripstone Grow!, Bertram Schmidkonz makes use of this phenomenon to grow dripstone in an innovative lab experiment activity, which is more chemically realistic than the well-known dripping salt solution demonstration. Because a simple acid-base reaction is involved, this novel approach provides teachers with an opportunity to connect basic chemistry concepts to a geochemical feature, engaging the interest of students with its real-world context. This article and others in the issue can help you communicate the value of chemistry in our everyday life during National Chemistry Week, being celebrated October 22-28, 2017, with the theme "Chemistry Rocks!". For example, see articles on:

Geochemistry

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for Qualitative Analysis of Metals in Simulated Martian Soils ~ Curtis Mowry, Rob Milofsky, William Collins, and Adam S. Pimentel

Water Quality Monitoring of an Urban Estuary and a Coastal Aquifer Using Field Kits and Meters: A Community-Based Environmental Research Project ~ Hun Bok Jung, Felix Zamora, and Nurdan S. Duzgoren-Aydin

Bird’s-Eye View of Sampling Sites: Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles To Make Chemistry Fieldwork Videos ~ Fun Man Fung and Simon Francis Watts

Outreach

Exploring Matter: An Interactive, Inexpensive Chemistry Exhibit for Museums ~ Steven Murov and Arnold Chavez

Chemistry Science Investigation: Dognapping Workshop, An Outreach Program Designed To Introduce Students to Science through a Hands-On Mystery ~ Timothy J. Boyle, Jeremiah M. Sears, Bernadette A. Hernandez-Sanchez, Maddison R. Casillas, and Thao H. Nguyen

Addressing an Overlooked Science Outreach Audience: Development of a Science Mentorship Program Focusing on Critical Thinking Skills for Adults Working toward a High School Equivalency Degree ~ Nicole L. Gagnon and Anna J. Komor

Demonstrations

A(nother) Modification of the Ammonia Fountain Demonstration ~ Ben Ruekberg and David L. Freeman

Illustrating the Basic Functioning of Mass Analyzers in Mass Spectrometers with Ball-Rolling Mechanisms ~ Ryo Horikoshi, Fumitaka Takeiri, Riho Mikita, Yoji Kobayashi, and Hiroshi Kageyama

Editorial

Norbert J. Pienta writes about Reflecting on Journal Traditions and Policies on the Way to the Future in this month's editorial, with particular attention to current Journal policy about prior publication and tools for open access

Research on Effective Teaching and Study Approaches

Unpacking “Active Learning”: A Combination of Flipped Classroom and Collaboration Support Is More Effective but Collaboration Support Alone Is Not ~ Martina A. Rau, Kristopher Kennedy, Lucas Oxtoby, Mark Bollom, and John W. Moore

Differential Use of Study Approaches by Students of Different Achievement Levels ~ Diane M. Bunce, Regis Komperda, Maria J. Schroeder, Debra K. Dillner, Shirley Lin, Melonie A. Teichert, and JudithAnn R. Hartman

Keeping Education and Chemistry Relevant

Hydration of Decorative Beads: An Exercise in Measurement, Calculations, and Graphical Analysis ~ Rebecca A. Hill and Christopher P. Nicholson

Evaluating the Relevance of the Chemistry Curriculum to the Workplace: Keeping Tertiary Education Relevant ~ Nur Yaisyah Bte Md Yasin and Ong Yueying

Independent Synthesis Projects in the Organic Chemistry Teaching Laboratories: Bridging the Gap Between Student and Researcher ~ Valerie A. Keller and Beatrice Lin Kendall

Heightening Awareness for Graduate Students of the Potential Impacts of Nanomaterials on Human Health and the Environment Using a Theoretical–Practical Approach ~ Nathalie F. S. de Melo, Leonardo F. Fraceto, and Renato Grillo

Communication and Writing

A Project Provides an Opportunity: Multiple Drafts of an Introduction Require Students To Engage Deeply with the Literature ~ David J. Slade and Justin S. Miller

Do It Right! Requiring Multiple Submissions of Math and NMR Analysis Assignments in the Laboratory ~ David J. Slade

Spectroscopy

Demonstrating Basic Properties of Spectroscopy Using a Self-Constructed Combined Fluorimeter and UV-Photometer ~ Eivind V. Kvittingen, Lise Kvittingen, Thor Bernt Melø, Birte Johanne Sjursnes, and Richard Verley

Using Myoglobin Denaturation To Help Biochemistry Students Understand Protein Structure ~ Yilan Miao and Courtney L. Thomas

General Chemistry Laboratory Experiment To Demonstrate Organic Synthesis, Fluorescence, and Chemiluminescence through Production of a Biphasic Glow Stick ~ Adam L. Pay, Curtiss Kovash, and Brian A. Logue

Spectroscopy 101: A Practical Introduction to Spectroscopy and Analysis for Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratories ~ Lucas A. Morrill, Jacquelin K. Kammeyer, and Neil K. Garg

Circular Dichroism of G-Quadruplex: a Laboratory Experiment for the Study of Topology and Ligand Binding ~ Josué Carvalho, João A. Queiroz, and Carla Cruz

Chromatography

What Is in Your Wallet? Quantitation of Drugs of Abuse on Paper Currency with a Rapid LC–MS/MS Method ~ Patrick D. Parker, Brandon Beers, and Matthew J. Vergne

Complete LabVIEW-Controlled HPLC Lab: An Advanced Undergraduate Experience ~ Douglas J. Beussman and John P. Walters

Isolation of Biliverdin IXα, as its Dimethyl Ester, from Emu Eggshells ~ Steven Halepas, Randy Hamchand, Samuel E. D. Lindeyer, and Christian Brückner

Synthesis

Chemical Upcycling of Expired Drugs: Synthesis of Guaifenesin Acetonide ~ Homar Barcena and Katarzyna Maziarz

Two Approaches to the Synthesis of Dimethyl Fumarate That Demonstrate Fundamental Principles of Organic Chemistry ~ Brian E. Love and Lisa J. Bennett

Synthesis of trans-4,5-Bis-dibenzylaminocyclopent-2-enone from Furfural Catalyzed by ErCl₃·6H₂O ~ Mónica S. Estevão, Ricardo J. V. Martins, and Carlos A. M. Afonso

Straightforward Preparation Method for Complexes Bearing a Bidentate N-Heterocyclic Carbene To Introduce Undergraduate Students to Research Methodology ~ Alberto Fernández, Margarita López-Torres, Jesús J. Fernández, Digna Vázquez-García, and Ismael Marcos

Teaching Resources

Radius Ratio Rule Rescue ~ Anna Michmerhuizen, Karine Rose, Wentiirim Annankra, and Douglas A. Vander Griend

Learning Laboratory Chemistry through Electronic Sensors, a Microprocessor, and Student Enabling Software: A Preliminary Demonstration ~ Qing Zhang, Ly Brode, Tingting Cao, and J. E. Thompson

Development and Use of an Open-Source, User-Friendly Package To Simulate Voltammetry Experiments ~ Shuo Wang, Jing Wang, and Yanjing Gao

Adapting and Modifying the Apparatus for Students To Accurately Determine the Freezing Point of a Solvent and Solution ~ Shirong Li, Jianzhong Guo, Kewang Wang, Lin Chen, Daodao Hu, and Yunshan Bai

Comment on “Calculating the Confidence and Prediction Limits of a Rate Constant at a Given Temperature from an Arrhenius Equation Using Excel” ~ Pascal Pernot

Reply to “Comment on ‘Calculating the Confidence and Prediction Limits of a Rate Constant at a Given Temperature from an Arrhenius Equation Using Excel’” ~ Ronald A. Hites

Mining the Archives: Chemistry Rocks!

Celebrate National Chemistry Week 2017: Chemistry Rocks! with geochemistry resources in past issues of JCE, such as:

Geology-Inspired Chemistry Laboratories

Chemistry and Art in a Bag: An Easy-To-Implement Outreach Activity Making and Painting with a Copper-Based Pigment ~ Anne C. Gaquere-Parker, N. Allie Doles, Cass D. Parker

Synthesis of Copper Pigments, Malachite and Verdigris: Making Tempera Paint ~ Sally D. Solomon, Susan A. Rutkowsky, Megan L. Mahon, Erica M. Halpern

Copper Metal from Malachite circa 4000 B.C.E. ~ Cris E. Johnson, Gordon T. Yee, and Jeannine E. Eddleton

Analysis of Copper-Bearing Rocks and Minerals for Their Metal Content Using Visible Spectroscopy: A First Year Chemistry Laboratory Exploration ~ A. M. R. P. Bopegedera

Experimenting with a Visible Copper–Aluminum Displacement Reaction in Agar Gel and Observing Copper Crystal Growth Patterns To Engage Student Interest and Inquiry ~ Xinhua Xu, Meifen Wu, Xiaogang Wang, Yangyiwei Yang, Xiang Shi, Guoping Wang

Quantitative Determination of Iron in Limonite Using Spectroscopic Methods with Senior and General Chemistry Students: Geology-Inspired Chemistry Lab Explorations ~ A. M. R. P. Bopegedera, Christopher L. Coughenour, Andrew J. Oswalt

Minerals and Crystals

Exploring Solid-State Structure and Physical Properties: A Molecular and Crystal Model Exercise ~ Thomas H. Bindel

Celebrating the International Year of Crystallography with a Wisconsin High School Crystal Growing Competition ~ Ilia A. Guzei

The Growth of Large Single Crystals ~ Carl D. Baer

How Does Your Garden Grow? Investigating the "Magic Salt Crystal Garden" ~ JCE staff

Salt Crystals-Science behind the Magic ~ Charles F. Davidson and Michael R. Slabaugh

Crystal Growth in Gels ~ Steven L. Suib

Using Silica Gel Cat Litter To Readily Demonstrate the Formation of Colorful Chemical Gardens ~ Masatada Matsuoka

At ChemEdX,

Investigations of Hematite beads: A Experiment for National Chemistry Week ~ Tom Kuntzleman

Chemistry Rocks!—Resources for National Chemistry Week, the Classroom, and Beyond ~ Erica Jacobsen

News & Announcements

Save the dates! 25th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, July 29–August 2, 2018, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana ~ Steven M. Wietstock, Cathrine Reck, and James Parise

Chemistry Always Rocks in JCE

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.

In preparation for the National Chemistry Week (NCW) theme of “Chemistry Rocks!”, I have been testing various decorative beads for the presence of certain minerals. Several beads of this type are available at craft stores such as Michael’s and JoAnn Fabric. You can read about my testing of decorative beads for the presence of hematite here.

I decided to test some other decorative beads that are sold as “pyrite nugget” (Figure 1). Given the name, I figured it was likely that these beads contain the mineral pyrite (or iron pyrite). I have found that testing these beads for the presence of iron pyrite is another potential activity fitting with the “Chemistry Rocks!” theme.

Bead Gallery "pyrite nugget" beads

Figure 1 - Bead Gallery's pyrite nuggets 

The chemical formula for iron pyrite is FeS₂. Because it is similar in appearance to gold, iron pyrite is also known as fool’s gold. However, iron pyrite (Density = 5.0 g mL^-1) is easily distinguished from gold (Density = 19.3 g mL^-1) on the basis of density. Indeed, I measured the density of the pyrite nuggets to be 5.0 ± 0.1 g mL^-1, consistent with the nuggets being comprised of iron pyrite and not gold. Thus, a very simple NCW activity would be to have students determine the density of these beads and compare to the known densities of iron pyrite and gold.

While the density of these nuggets is consistent with them containing pyrite, I nevertheless decided to further test the pyrite nuggets for additional evidence that they did indeed contain FeS₂. I pulverized the beads and placed the resulting powder in the flame of a blow torch. This was done to see if I could detect a pungent odor, indicating the production of SO₂(g) by pyrite oxidation at high temperature:¹

4 FeS_2(s) + 11 O_2(g)à 2 Fe₂O_3(s) + 8 SO_2(g)

A pungent odor was easy detected, so it is advisable to carry out this experiment in a hood or very well ventilated room. I also tested the burnt residue for the presence of Fe₂O₃, which is much more strongly attracted to a magnet than FeS₂. In yet another test, I placed the powder in a blow torch and plunged the hot material into water containing a small amount of base² and phenolphthalein indicator. This was done to test for the production of H₂SO₄ in the reaction between iron pyrite, oxygen and water at high temperature:³

4 FeS₂ + 15 O₂ + 2 H₂O à  Fe₄(SO₄)₆ + 2 H₂SO₄

You can see how I carried out these tests in the video below:

As you can see in the video, I was able to collect a lot of evidence that the “pyrite nuggets” do indeed contain FeS₂. If you have any ideas for experiments to conduct during NCW, please share them with me in the comments. I would love to hear what kinds of things you are doing in the lab. 

Happy experimenting!

1. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja01203a007

2. Water was prepared by adding 2 – 4 drops of 0.1 M NaOH and phenolphthalein to 200 mL of water.

3. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed086p216  -  Reaction of FeS₂ with water and oxygen to form acid.

     I will cut to the quick. My daughter, Claire, attends Marian University in Indianapolis. One of her friends is Catherine Bell. Catherine is an amazing art student who is trying to make a few bucks while she is in college. She started her own company in which she customizes clothes or shoes for people. She has a website, an Etsy site and a Facebook page. Claire happened to mention Catherine's work. I asked her if Catherine could paint the periodic table on some white Converse high tops. I got an inexpensive pair of shoes and sent them to Catherine with a few bucks. Catherine then did an incredible job painting them. I now have a custom pair of Periodic Table high tops.

   Catherine had no idea that I write a blog for chemistry teachers until I just contacted her asking for permission to include links to her accounts. Here is what I can say about her work. She did a great job. She is a nice person trying to make her way through school. She does not charge nearly enough in my opinion. Want to treat yourself and really rock with some serious custom chemistry swag? Just give Catherine a blank canvas and an idea....she will do a great job. Hmmmm....I wonder is she could help me with a periodic table lab coat???????

“’Yes, as Ma would say, enough is as good as a feast,’ Laura agreed.”

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House book series jumps back onto my “to read” list roughly once a year. These Happy Golden Years is one of my favorites from the collection, and the above quote from its pages sprang to mind as I read the October 2017 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education.

The article that spurred the thought was one that appealed to me because of its simplicity, its use of items that one could easily find already in the lab or in local stores, and its connection to typical topics students encounter early on in a first chemistry course. Although the lab itself is easily taken on by students new to chemistry—“enough”, the resulting richness of learning outcomes provides the “feast.”

In Hydration of Decorative Beads: An Exercise in Measurement, Calculations, and Graphical Analysis by Hill and Nicholson (available to JCE subscribers), students hydrate small spheres made of superabsorbent polymers. I’ve had luck finding them at craft stores such as Jo-Ann Fabric (use one of their often available online coupons) in the floral department, sold in small bags as “water gems.” The authors suggest coloring the dehydrated clear and colorless spheres with permanent markers so they are easily visible in water, but they can also be purchased in a variety of colors.

JCE abstract - Hyrdration of Decorative Beads

JCE Abstract Figure – Reprinted with permission from Hydration of Decorative Beads: An Exercise in Measurement, Calculations, and Graphical Analysis. Rebecca A. Hill and Christopher P. Nicholson. Journal of Chemical Education, 94 (10), 1517-1521. Copyright 2017 American Chemical Society.

Students begin with a comparison of different ways to measure water volume using devices with different levels of accuracy. They then collect mass and volume data for dehydrated spheres. After an assigned amount of hydration time in a hot water bath, the spheres are remeasured. A variety of heating times are assigned, so the class data set can later be used for graphical analysis practice. While the idea is simple, the list of skills that students practice is long—measuring liquid volumes, measuring masses, calculating the volume of a sphere, calculating an average, calculating standard deviation, using significant figures, and generating a graph of data with a spreadsheet program.

I liked the opportunity for students to consider reasons why variations arise in the data when comparing their results to others in class. The authors mention a few possibilities, such as not removing drops of water from the spheres before weighing, along with the fact that some of the spheres hydrate somewhat oddly, making volume calculations difficult. It's also a low waste lab. The spheres can be reused if they are not damaged while hydrated. Or, the hydrated spheres can be crushed into smaller pieces and used in potted plants or gardens.

Once you have the polymer spheres, you can also use them for other activities. I have done make-and-take outreach where students compare spheres before and after hydration, observing beads placed in snack-size zip-seal plastic bags. They then scoop a cup of hydrated spheres and add a seed—will the seed eventually germinate? What makes the spheres useful for germination? I also recently saw a video of the spheres heated in a hot pan to show a Leidenfrost effect that I would like to recreate.

More from the October 2017 Issue

Mary Saecker collects the rest of the issue in her JCE 94.10 October 2017 Issue Highlights, including multiple items for National Chemistry Week 2017, with its geology theme “Chemistry Rocks!”

How have you used Journal resources? We want to hear! Start by submitting a contribution form, explaining you would 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.

Video tutorials are paramount to learning for many students and adults. Personally, I relish in being able to solve a problem after watching the solution on YouTube. Whether it's rebuilding and greasing a hub on my bicycle wheel, respoking a rim, replacing the lock actuator in my minivan, or observing a new woodworking technique that I want to take back to my shop and try; YouTube videos are really helpful. For this month's post, I wanted to share a few resources that I provide students in my chemistry classes. Perhaps you have used them and have found them helpful. Or not. Either way, I hope you are able to utilize some of the resources for the betterment of students' chemistry comprehension. Check out the following YouTube Channels and let me know what you think. What are some YouTube channels you are subscribed to? Do students find the material in those channels helpful?

For a library of chemistry tutorial videos, check out my website.

YouTube Channels

Dan Meyers (my YouTube channel)

Tyler DeWitt

Ben's Chem Videos

Bozeman Science

Veritasium

When it comes to student laboratory/apparatus setup, one thing is sure to help—visuals. However, many of us suffer from a disorder that makes all our test tubes resemble things we wish they didn’t. In addition, it is often hard to find that perfect image using the trusted Google search. However, it turns out there is a free and incredibly easy tool that allows you to assemble and customize almost any chemistry related setup you wish. Say hello to Chemix!

As described by its developer¹,

I use this intuitive app at least a couple times a week.  Sometimes it is just to capture an image of a beaker half full of water so that I can more easily draw particle diagrams on the board, while other times I use it to add clarity to my worksheets, labs, or assessments. 

Figure 1 - Sample question from an assessment of mine that Chemix helped improve

As a chemistry teacher, I strongly recommend you take five minutes to explore the awesome features of this useful tool. For Google Chrome users, you can easily add it as one of your Chrome apps so that you don't have to go to the website each time you want to make a diagram.

Figure 2 - Sample Chemix image I made that displays some of the apps cool features.

Check out this demo for a brief glimpse of how powerful this little tool can be. I should mention that this demo was from 2009—Chemix can do so much more now!

¹ Chemix developer website: http://micron.me.uk/2015/12/01/chemix/

I recently stumbled upon a free App for the iPad that I plan to introduce to my students during our upcoming organic unit. This is just the first topic that I am using the app for. There are many more uses for the App in a number of units. If you don't have iPads in your classroom, there is also a ChemTube3D website offering similar functionality. 

As described on the "About" page, ChemTube3D is an app that

"…contains interactive 3D animations for some of the most important organic chemistry reactions covered in school, college and undergraduate degree courses. The 'Structure and Bonding' section contains some information about types of bonding with an interactive window providing a 3D visualization. The 'Organic Reactions' section contains some information about each reaction mechanism, followed by an interactive reaction scheme…"

Figure 1 - Menu items available for "Organic Reactions"

Figure 2 - Menu items available for "Structure and Bonding."

Screenshots from the "Simple S_N2 reaction" animation.

Diagram 1 - Showing the mechanism with some curly arrows. Clicking on the reaction arrow in the reaction diagram below the model will generate an animation of the nucleophilic attack, formation of the transition state, then the products.

Diagram 2 - Showing the transition state. The animation described above is great - but each step can be shown as a static image as well.

Diagram 3 - Showing the products of the substitution, with the sterochemistry inverted. This example is obviously not chiral, but the animation certainly allows students to consolidate their understanding of how this would matter for a chiral molecule.

MORE TO EXPLORE

What is not shown above is a brief animation of the process, from reactants to products - showing the transition state along the way. The real benefit that I can envision is the ability to move the models around on the screen and see the stereochemistry of the S_N2 reaction. The inversion of the chiral carbon has always been difficult to show. Some textbooks, for example, use a diagram of an umbrella being inverted to show the stereochemistry but I have always found that analogy to be lacking a bit. With this app, my students will be able to manipulate an actual reaction and see the inversion themselves.

The variety of reactions is quite large - and certainly inclusive of most of the organic mechanisms I will be teaching in IB Chemistry. And the content available within "Structure and Bonding" is quite large as well. It also includes atomic and molecular orbitals with lots of examples, stereochemistry, and shapes of some molecules based on VSEPR.

Have a look at ChemTube3D and let me know what you think.

A quick look through the reference sections of several of the chemistry education resources that I have in my home office confirms that the Journal of Chemical Education (JCE) is well respected and valued by our community. Most of the chemistry education resources I have used over the years have cited JCE articles. Little did I know in the early years of my career that many of the demonstrations, strategies, lesson ideas and pedagogy that I learned about while attending science education conferences in Michigan were actually first published in JCE. At some point, I became more familiar with the resource, but only in print form until about 2000. The ability to search the archives of JCE on my computer has been a game changer. Usually, given a choice, I will pick a print version of the written word. However, the ability to dig into the archives of over 93 years of material is priceless.

Many readers have access to JCE through a university subscription. Of course, some individuals purchase a personal subscription. Others have access to 25 downloads of ACS Journal (including JCE) articles, as part of a benefit for their membership to ACS and/or AACT. Norb Pienta, Editor in Chief of JCE, and I took part in a recent AACT webinar about JCE in response to their new agreement with ACS Publications allowing that member benefit. The AACT moderator, Kim Duncan, pointed viewers to directions for members to access JCE articles using their member benefit. Norb Pienta outlined a brief history of JCE and highlighted current content, including the first two "Special Issues", "Advanced Placement Chemistry" and "Polymer Chemistry Across the Curriculum" (to be published before the end of 2017). I shared how I have used JCE as a resource in my own high school chemistry classroom. I pointed out several representative articles to not only show the breadth of the material available, but to bring attention to the value of the "Supporting Information" linked to many of the manuscript types. Knowing that many chemistry teachers are short on time, I highlighted sources that recommend specific JCE articles. We closed the webinar by fielding and answering questions of participants. You do not need to be an AACT member to view the webinar or access a document summarizing the resources and articles mentioned in that recording. 

If you follow ChemEd X on a regular basis, you know that Erica Jacobsen pens a monthly feature, Especially JCE, and Mary Saecker shares Issue Highlights of every issue along with additional related materials from the archives. Note that if you are using ACS Journal downloads from a member benefit, articles that are designated as Editors’ Choice or AuthorChoice will not count against the 25 available downloads. Articles labeled as editorials, Editors’ Choice or AuthorChoice are open access to everyone.

If you find a JCE article of special interest to you (no matter when it was published), I encourage you to write a short review and share it with our readers. See our Contribute page for more information about submitting your work. 

If you are interested in an individual subscription to JCE, precollege teachers can purchase web access for $65 per year.  Individual Subscription Form

If you watch the webinar and have additional questions, please feel free to use the comment field below.

    What are we doing to help kids achieve?

     Recently there were many entries written about "Classroom Culture".  Here is one more idea that I accidently stumbled on...

     My students and I were doing a lab that introduced the basic concepts of how to use a Bunsen Burner. This lab preceded a typical flame test lab. During the bunsen burner lab a particular student burned through a whole pack of matches. Lighting matches were tough for some students. This student was a pro. He made me a bit nervous. I had to reiterate to only use the matches to get the burner lit. No problem for him. I also said that if he sets his partner or himself on fire....he gets points off his lab. Most students knew I was joking...not expecting anyone to set their partner on fire. Him.....not so sure.

     Then came the flame test lab. In my best and most menacing teacher voice I had to tell this student directly that he was not to place his hand in the burner (no kidding) while the burner was on. I had to tell him twice. We were almost at the "third strike" and the bell rang. He seemed upset that I was so restrictive. He wanted to argue about the "fairness" of it all. We were not off to a good start.

      On day three we were doing a POGIL activity. My problem child was helping a struggling student. He was not just doing a great job. He was doing a fantastic job. He was probably helping this student more than I could have. It was kind of the dream situation. This is exactly what a teacher would love to see students do.... help other students who honestly need the help. It was the ideal group situation. I immediatly wanted to give hime a congratulatory "high five".

    I had something possibly better than a "high five". Our school has just implemented a reward system called "soar" tickets. Students get "soar" tickets for doing something good. They write their name on the ticket. A ticket is chosen at the end of the week from all the tickets collected throughout the school. The person whose name is on the ticket wins something. The "something" is usually a gift card to a nice place for food or better yet...ice cream. I gave him a ticket. "What's this?" I explained about the ticket. I think he was a little shocked. I also tried explaining to him that it is not "him" that has upset me in the past. It was his actions. Setting himself on fire is not a cool thing to do (no pun intended). On the other hand, I wanted to reward him for such a great job supporting his classmate and encourage him to keep up the good work. It really changed the dynamics of our relationship in a positive direction.

     Do you have a great reward system of some sort? Let me know....imagine what would happen if we spent more time providing authentic rewards for a job well done instead of negative reprimands. Might just start an educational revolution. That is the kind of fire I would love to see students and teachers start.......

What are we doing to help kids achieve?

     Some of my classes are working on a unit that involves percent composition, empirical and molecular formulas and hydrates. Those topics have similarities and can be tied together. As we start percent composition it is nice to do a quick demonstration to get the students attention. Food seems to be a great way to get any teenager's attention (See Percent Composition of an Oreo Cookie). Solving for the amount of sugar in a piece of chewing gum is also a simple method to demonstrate percent composition.

     First, I ask if any students want to chew sugary gum in class (a line quickly forms). Students take the mass of the gum ("pre-chewed" gum) and start chewing. We discuss the ingredients in the gum. The gum contains mainly gum base and sugar. I introduce the idea of percent composition as they chew the gum. Students learn that they are "extracting" sugar from the gum. The extraction is "finished" when the flavor is gone (about 10 minutes). The mass of the "chewed" gum is much less than the "pre-chewed" gum. The difference is the amount of sugar. A nice feature is that the label usually contains the amount of sugar for every piece of gum (theoretical amount). The amount of sugar (experimental) divided by the whole amount, the "pre-chewed" mass, times 100 is the percent of sugar in the gum. Students are usually surprised at how much sugar is in a piece of gum and how close their results are to the mass of sugar on the label. We then have a general discussion about cavities and percent error.

     It is not uncommon for students to get within about 10% error from the actual value on the label. This is a nice, easy, quick demonstration to introduce a concept that we typically do each year.  Do you have a method that works for you?  How about posting a comment below.......

Other related ChemEd X posts:

Material Science, Percent Comp and Copper

Hydrate Labs, Microscale Chemistry and Cage Fighting....

Hydrates Take 2

"What are we doing to help kids achieve?"

First, I do not work for Atomsmith. I do not ask for or get any free stuff from them. It might sound like I do. But, I just really like ther resource. There has been numerous mentions about Atomsmith in this forum (Why I think I love Atomsmith..., New online tool: The Atomsmith Classroom Online and An Interesting Way to look at Reactions....). So what exactly is Atomsmith and why am I writing about them again?

• Essentially, Atomsmith is a really cool online modeling tool for students and teachers. Students can examine models, reactions, do "live" reactions, look at physical constants and more. So what are some more cool features?
• Atomsmith shows orbital notations and adjusts energy levels for the exceptions that do not fit the Aufbau diagram.
• They have introduced a history timeline that includes a wide variety of people who contributed to atomic theory and those who were against it (a new one for me). You can even see models of famous atomic theory experiments.
• They have a section about news items concerning molecules and compounds.
• The reaction lab is amazing. Students can watch models of a double displacement precipitation reaction. Try drawing this out on a whiteboard.
• The activities for students are good and keep getting better. They might be considered "flipped assignments" but instead of videos, students can manipulate models. They have a great pace and format. Not too much or too little information.
• Many of the models and reactions support and compliment demonstrations or microscale experiments.
• Atomsmith is affordable for teachers and students.
• Finally, Atomsmith has a great staff. Many times when I have contacted educational tech companies I have gotten the impression that they are tech people who are trying to break into the educational market. Atomsmith staff seems to consist of educators who are using technology to help students. They speak and know the lanquage of teaching.

My only problem with Atomsmith... They have been adding new material and features at a fast pace and I either miss it or have to rethink what I am doing. Bottom line, check out Atomsmith. You won't regret it.