Young Explorers Chemistry and Physics: Lesson One

So, we are officially in class!  My husband, Rob, is taking charge of the class, which runs concurrently with Chemistry. Today the kids are doing Flinn Scientific's Measurement Challenge.  Rob is catching up Anna and doing the volume, mass, and density calculations with Gen, who will help as class aide for the younger boys.  Does this sound familiar?  Co-op operates in a similar manner to your home-school classroom.  Rob want to emphasize data tables, careful notes, units, and a little math.  We're measuring and comparing densities to a bunch of materials: glass marbles, acrylic blocks, metal cubes, etc.

Apologia Chemistry: Tools

Another quick note about lab tools.  I try to do chemistry labs in microscale whenever possible, mainly because it’s both cheaper and safer.  These labs require microscale tools, such as toothpicks, disposable pipets, reaction plates or spot plates, q-tips, and cassette cases, which can hold pipettes.  I look for cassettes at thrift stores.  Plastic paint palettes can serve as reaction plates.  I buy craft sticks in boxes of 1000 and pipets in boxes of 500 from Amazon.

Young Explorers Chemistry and Physics: New Class

My husband, Rob, and I are in the midst of Chemistry.  We just added students to our Co-op class.  One of the moms has asked us to teach her younger students, too.  So, we’re adding Apologia’s Young Explorer’s Chemistry and Physics to the roster.  I love this book.  Two years ago, one of the siblings in my Physical Science class attended-but worked her lessons from Chemistry and Physics.  I used several of the lessons with the two Physical Science classes I was teaching at the time.  Right now, all of the kids are working on a Forensics Lab called Mystery Powders.  I mean everyone-even the seven and eight year old siblings.  The girls have already correctly identified all ten unknowns.  So, we’re going to start the first chapter in Chemistry and Physics and work on measurements and density.  Two of the girls have completed Flinn’s Measurement Challenge. While all of the other groups complete the White Powder Forensics Lab, the girls will get started on Density, Chapter One in Chem and Physics.   My goal is to make G., who is eleven, Rob’s aide because the other boys are seven to nine and will need help.  I’ve used this strategy before with Co-op groups where the age and ability range was great.  I like a challenge!  Stay posted.

Apologia Chemistry: White Powder Lab

The White Powder Lab is a great lab to do with common materials:  paint palette (reaction plate or spot plate), medicine droppers for a pipet, red cabbage indicator solution (or pool indicator solution), vinegar (instead of an acid), water, and iodine.  Be sure to include cornstarch as a powder because it’s the only one to react with iodine.  I used ten powders; this lab can be modified to include six or more, even fourteen to make it more or less challenging.

Apologia Chemistry White Powder Lab: Qualitative Analysis Scheme

We started the white powder lab, or this version, are versions of the Mystery Powder, White Powder, or Forensics Lab.  I began with a brief nomenclature review for several of the white powders: borax, glucose (corn sugar), sucrose (white sugar), cream of tartar, Plaster of Paris, Kosher salt, Epsom salts, baking soda, baking powder, and cornstarch.  Some of the powders are fine and others are more crystalline.  The first thing I did was review a few formulas and their names: sodium hydrogen carbonate or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts), calcium carbonate (plaster), and sodium biphosphate or sodium hydrogen phospate (baking powder).  We had just begun nomenclature and these were reasonable examples to try.  Next, I explained how the kids would perform the test with these reagents: universal indicator, phenol red, vinegar, water, and iodine.  The kids perform all of these tests on all of these powders.  The technique is to put a few grams into five wells of a reaction plate and then test each sample.  The key is to write detailed descriptions of any changes.  The kids perform these tests (say 10 drops of reagent on each sample of the powder) and make careful notes.  The next step is to identify these same chemicals numbered 1-10 as unknowns.  Be warned, the lab takes a long time.  Allow two-three hours.  We plan to do this lab over several class periods.  I like it because it introduces a qualitative analysis scheme, nomenclature, and lab practices.  The kids learn how important it is not to cross contaminate or pour materials back into their containers.  The kids feel like real scientists.  We had extra participants today join us!

Apologia Chemistry: Tips for Nomenclature

Flinn's Putting the Ions in Their Hands lab has a valuable ion formula chart.  Keep it close.
The first lesson is writing binary compound tutorial.  Binary means 'two', a cation, or positively charged ion, and an anion, or negatively charged ion.  Binary ionic formulas are made from a metal and a nonmetal or a cation and an anion.  Anions, such as Cl- are called chloride as opposed to Cl, chlorine, an element.

There are some common polyatomic ions: nitrate, phosphate, sulfate, carbonate, bicarbonate, acetate, ammomium, and hydroxide.  Learn these.

Lastly, is the Stock System.  Iron II, Iron III, Copper I, and Copper II are used extensively and may crop up on the ACT.

Our class made element cards before class began and have tested on the Periodic Table.  It really helps to make and name the cards in order to memorize their names and formulas.  Module 3 in Apologia Chemistry has detailed explanations.

Yes, I use the cheesy red cat and blue ant to emphasize cations are positive and anions are negative.

Update: Today's class is all about learning nomenclature!

Apologia Chemistry: Module 3 Ionic Formula Lab

Once the kids do the lab, I have them learn how to mix compounds, make solutions, react, and write the formulas.  We're really doing single replacement reactions.  I use a small scale lab from Prentice Hall with the chemicals I have on hand.  The kids make up 1M solutions and then drop 5-10 drops of each and record a reaction.  Then the kids write the formulas of the resulting products.  Fun!
Update:  We took another class to repeat the lab and write the formulas.

Module 3: Ionic Nomenclature

Putting the Ions in Their Hands is my weapon of mass instruction to teach how to name ionic compounds.  Really.  Here are some practice worksheets.  The key to learn how to name and write ionic formulas is to practice.
Ionic formula writing worksheet and key
Lots of ionic formula writing practice

New NSTA reviews published!

Microbes: Microbes

Who Made My Lunch Series: Lunch

NSTA: Picture-Perfect Science Lessons Grades 3-6

I Review material for NSTA frequently and received a catalog of their publications.  In it was ‘Picture-Perfect Science Lessons’, which uses children’s literature to frame inquiry- based science lessons.  It’s more of a manual for either elementary teachers or librarians.  The local libraries all have Maker spaces.  So, I was curious.  The science and inquiry tools are sound.  For example, Chapter 4 describes BSCS 5E Instructional Model, a great tool to use to create science lessons.  The manual includes a variety of types of lessons in physical, life, and earth sciences.  For example, Chapter 8, Rice is Life, includes books about rice, germination activities, and a small Journal.  Mystery Pellets, Chapter 10 includes owl pellet dissections, relevant word sort Cards, and food webs. There are loads of ideas for activities: letters to conservation groups, building instruments, even making a ‘fortune-teller’.  Fun!  See if your library has a copy.  This book would be a great supplement to science lessons at Co-op.

Apologia Chemistry: Resources

I ran across AACT, the American Association of Chemistry Teachers.  They have some great resources, such as Three Station Gas Law Lab.  Yes, I already have scads of labs—but I’m always looking for labs which can be performed at home or in a Co-op setting with everyday materials.  Take a look.

Apologia Chemistry Module 1: Measures

Update: After the lab, we spent time reviewing metric prefixes, SI units, significant figures, with examples and practice.  My husband, Rob, leads the math exercises.  I like to do a few problems together, assign problems to work individually, check answers, and finally, explain problems most of the kids missed.  With this method, we can hone in on which students need more help individually.  After class, Rob spent 20 minutes teaching A.

Yes, we’re still in Module 1, Day One.  For my classes, Day One can last a month.  My goal is to introduce a host of skills.  Tomorrow’s class we’ll finish Flinn’s Reaction in a Bag.  The kids observed a change in temperature and we didn’t have any thermometers.  We’ll repeat the lab and measure temperature changes. ( BTW, the phenol red in the lab is the same indicator solution used in many pool kits.  The lab calls for 10 mL and small samples of chemicals are available through Home Training Tools.). Here’s the overview of tomorrow’s lesson.

Lesson Thursday

1. Check Koolaid, Cards, Density, Accuracy Lab, Safety contracts, emails, student names, notebooks, Concepts maps Module 1, and Reaction in a Bag.
2. Finish Reaction in a bag with thermometers. Show them how to use digital thermometers.
3. Conversions WS
4. Greek prefixes
5. Sig. Fig. WS
6. Precision vs Accuracy
7. Job of Zero
8. Degree of Accuracy
9. Koolaid Lab example: degree of accuracy with mass and cup of sugar.
10. Practice Sheets
11. Check sci fair ideas
12. Null and Alternative hypotheses
13. Controlled, confounding, and independent variables
14. Review WS, Lab, Problem solving note-keeping and digital records.
15. Notebook Guidelines:  organize information into tables, concept maps, list, include title, name, and date, each value has units of measure and a label, such as mean, median, and mode, or sugar, water, Koolaid.

Apologia Chemistry: Reaction in a Bag from Flinn

Today we discussed ideas for Science Fair.  To be continued.  Then we spent 30 minutes with Flinn's Reaction in a Bag.  I like this lab because it uses three chemicals: phenol red solution, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), and calcium chloride (ice melt--check the bag).  The reaction takes place in a plastic ziplock baggie.  We double bag the reaction in a giant gallon bag and cover the table in newsprint because we are meeting in the Maker Space at the library.  You may want to replicate these precautions in your kitchen.  When we experimented at home, the labs took place either in the garage or basement.  The kids have a chance to combine these and make observations.  The materials are simple, but the results are dramatic.  Cool!