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I Used an ACS Hach Grant to Attend BCCE
Are you interested in attending a chemistry conference this year but need financial support? Do you want to take a course at a local college but can’t afford it? Are you looking to finally get the...
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Reviewing the Periodic Table Using Mystery Puzzles
Last year, I wanted to create a fun way to review Periodic Table concepts with my students instead of using the same review worksheet I had students complete in the past. I personally enjoy Escape the...
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Especially JCE: October 2018
You’ve heard you can’t judge a book by its cover. However, with a Journal of Chemical Education issue, the cover can serve as a useful reminder. Editor-in-chief Norb Pienta’s editorial Illustrating the...
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Giving Students a Working Model to Explain Interactions Between Matter and Light
Students typically arrive in my chemistry class with little understanding of light. In spite of focusing on particle representations throughout the year students routinely struggle immensely with...
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3-Dimensional Assessments and Helping Students Develop the Necessary Skills
Recent efforts have recognized the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards as the most current research regarding what we know about teaching and learning of...
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There Is More to the Whoosh Bottle
When trying to convince our students of the pressure we are constantly under from the atmosphere, we typically resort to a favorite demo or two that demonstrates this idea with some sort of dramatic...
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Are Diamonds Forever? A Chemical Investigation
A diamond is forever…at least that’s how the advertising slogan goes. Many chemists know this saying is not entirely true, because diamonds are converted to graphite under normal conditions:C(s,...
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Take Home Labs
“What are we doing to help kids achieve?”A couple of years ago I was involved in a professional development program at Miami University called “Project TIMU”. As part of the inquiry program I worked to...
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Especially JCE: November 2018
Learning about ideas for your classroom and teaching can be a bit like getting a sip of water from a fire hose. They’re in various journals, blogs, magazines, conferences, social media, and colleagues’...
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JCE 95.11 November 2018 Issue Highlights
Increasing Authenticity of the Student ExperienceThe November 2018 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers. Topics featured in this issue include: liquid...
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Chemical Mystery #13: Bye Bye Blue!
This chemical mystery is very easy to perform. Figuring out how this trick is done is also easy...if you know your chemistry!The solution will be posted in a day or two.Safety: General
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Solution to Chemical Mystery #13: Bye Bye Blue!
In Chemical Mystery #13, the contents of a "magic" cup were poured over a blue-colored cleaner. As a result, the color of the cleaner immediately changed from blue to white. In another case, the color...
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Arguing Density
In an effort to implement the science and engineering practices of the NGSS, I have tried to introduce argumentation as a practice into my chemistry courses. Typically, my general level students will...
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Endo and Exothermic Demonstration
“What are we doing to help kids achieve?”This is a demonstration that dramatically shows an example of endo and exothermic processes in one reaction. It was developed by retired teacher Greg Presnall....
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Peer Editing
"What are we doing to help kids achieve?"There have been many blog entries about "Argument Driven Inquiry" at this site. I have witnessed first hand how this can be a powerful tool in the classroom....
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Creating an Inclusive Classroom in December
It’s December and social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram are replete with well-meaning teachers asking for Christmas-themed chemistry activities, labs, and...
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Pivot Interactives—A Resource All Chemistry Teachers Should Know About
This year, I was presented with an opportunity to join a small cohort of chemistry teachers that would implement, customize, and review interactive video-based lab investigations available from Pivot...
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JCE 95.12 December 2018 Issue Highlights
Promoting Engagement in Critical ThinkingThe December 2018 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers. Topics featured in this issue include: wetting modification...
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Introduction to Modeling Instruction: a distance learning course offered by AMTA
What are conceptual models? What is modeling? What is Modeling Instruction—what is it like for teachers? For students? How does it work? Why does it work? What (if anything) does it have to do with...
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Especially JCE: December 2018
Technology is a regular part of students’ lives. From the constant presence of smartphones to the use of online tools to prepare or submit homework to the automatic understanding of the phrase “google...
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