I assigned three periodic trend projects, located here in the slideshow. The first periodic table arrived in my email box this morning. I asked the student how he organized the Pokémon into families and periods. I got a a series of answers which left me confident he understood the concept of trends and still baffled on the subject of Pokémon. I shared a bit of Dom’s explanations. Take a look.
Here is the Organic Nomenclature slideshow I’m using tomorrow for class. The kids are working on quizzes, labs, and projects. I’m introducing new topics in class.
Which is better, Zoom or Meet? I use Zoom for class because all of the kids were familiar with Zoom. I like the whiteboard with an iPad. However, Zoom is limited to 40 minutes. Frequently, we stop and restart a second meeting during class. The other issue is using Slideshows from Drive. Normally, Slideshows are easy to present with an iPad. On Zoom? Not so much. Google Meet uses the Jamboard app as a whiteboard. You can share the screen in Meet and toggle back and forth between apps. Any Slideshows open are easy to present with an iPad. However, the kids need to have both the correct Jamboard open. I find Meet and Jamboard are fine for a tutorial. For class, I want to send the kids one code, wait for everyone to arrive, and start class. Which is better, Meet or Zoom? The answer is a live class in person.
Since the COVID Quarantine began over a year ago, I’ve been teaching class remotely. Initially, I used videos and digital materials asynchronously. Since Fall, I’ve used Zoom for class twice a week with an iPad. My husband uses Zoom with a laptop. Zoom on the iPad allows me to use a stylus with the whiteboard. You can write on the whiteboard with a laptop; however, you write with a mouse unless the laptop has a touch screen.
When my husband and I work with a student individually, we use Google Meet on iPad with the Jamboard app. Actually, we usually use two iPads, one with the Google Meet call running, and the second with the Jamboard activity we annotate. Yesterday, I worked with three kids simultaneously. I shared a Jamboard and slideshow with reference sheets through Google Calendar, which has the app and can attach files from Google Drive. Yesterday afternoon, the kids worked on the problems in Jamboard. I checked back and forth on their progress and made corrections. Below are pix from the Jamboard lesson. I teach at the dining room table so I can spread out the textbook, iPad, notepaper, and reference sheets.
I just ran across this Periodic Trend Guided Activity. I like for my kids to create models. Not everyone wants the mess or aggregation. Try the guided activity instead.
I like the kids to make 3Dmodels of periodic trends. This post has three videos with examples of periodic trend models students have made. Here are examples of the periodic trend graph and another model made with straws. Here is the Periodic Table of Pasta from the Exploratorium and Flinn’s Plotting Trends. Hope these are useful.
Good Will online has several lots of fossils. When you run a search on the site, put in the word, ‘fossils’, rather than ‘fossil’. Otherwise you will see 21 pages of Fossil watches.
Good Will has several VR sets online, including the Encyclopedia Britannica VR set and Google Daydream. I buy used equipment frequently, especially when I’m unsure whether or not the equipment will prove useful.
Module 8 in Apologia Chemistry has Lewis dot diagrams or structures useful to predict the molecular geometry, part of VSEPR theory. Here is a video introduction regarding molecular geometry. TEKS has help with Electron Configurations and Lewis Dot Diagrams. I added slides to Molecular Structures slideshow I’m using for class. Hope these resources prove useful.
Are you familiar with the GLOBE program? There is a new project, the Community Trees Challenge 2021. The project dovetails well with the Young Explorers Botany textbook. Follow the link to review the projects. Here is the program overview. You do NOT have to join GLOBE to use any of the materials, such as building a clinometer to measure tree height. Take a look!
I put together a Slideshow collecting links and samples for the various periodic trend activities I’m assigning. BTW the kids have a transparency sheet, straws, and clay in their Chem kits to plot trends.
One of the social media groups posted different ideas for periodic table projects. The pix below are sample ideas the teacher posted. These periodic table projects involve periodicity, or Periodic Trends, a topic discussed in Module 9 of Apologia Chemistry. Take a look at the rubric for Periodic Table of Cereals. The kids develop their own periodic table with trends for cookies: Marvel characters, cereal, coins, cookies, etc. Fun, right? I hope the project resonates with the kids.
Paul, ten, is also studying Acids and Bases in his science program. I set up a household chemical lab. He tested a variety of chemicals with pH paper, cabbage powder dissolved in water, and litmus red and blue strips. The chart has Paul make a prediction before he begins the test. Take a look.
Beyond Benign Flame Test Lab uses colorful flame candles, which are available at Walmart, Amazon, Party City, etc. My Chemistry class also completed the calculation used to determine the energy changes with the Flinn Flame Test Lab. Below are a few pix from one student’s lab.
Good Will online has a Molymod Organic Molecule Set just listed with a fixed shipping price. This set has the instruction sheet with the color code for the atoms. Below is the listing photo.
Would you like some virtual labs? Here is a virtual lab with a series of videos from the same teacher who created the virtual flame test lab.
I have a host of materials for the acid-base module. The first lab the kids do is Household Acids and Bases, similar to Experiment 10.1, common Household Examples of Acids and Bases. Do a scavenger hunt for common acids and bases: baking soda, salt, lemon juice, clear soda or seltzer water, shampoo, dish detergent, apple juice, Epsom salts, ammonia, etc. This lab has a chart. I instruct the kids to make a prediction before they test. The kids have pH paper in their chem kits. HST sells litmus paper and universal indicator. Use clear solutions whenever possible. Dry chemicals, such as salt or baking soda, must be dissolved in water before testing with pH or litmus paper. Test the pH of water, especially if your water is extremely hard. Below is a video explaining Experiment 10.1 with loads of household chemicals.
Last year, when my Chemistry class abruptly went remote, I made a series of videos. The class was not meeting by Zoom or Google Meet. Instead the kids watched videos and conferenced with each other over FaceTime. So below is a another video, showing how to write polyatomic ions and interpret their respective molecular geometry.
Last year, I made a YouTube video introducing Molecular Geometry. My Chemistry class abruptly switched to remote instruction. I hope this video helps. BRW, I added the video to the recent slideshow.
The Chemistry class is working through electron configurations and started Lewis Structures. The following topic is Molecular Geometry, located in Modules 7 and 8. I made a slideshow and built several models, including PH3 below, with a VSEPR model kit. The beige oval is an unshared pair of electrons. The kids will practice drawing the molecules and predicting the shape of the molecule using this VSEPR chart.
I’m almost ready to teach my Chemistry Co-op about molecular models. Good Will online has Molecular Models frequently on their website. I would bid on this set; however, I have a large box of models, including a VESPR model already.
Our friends, all home-schoolers, field-tested the Hot Wheels Rocket Car Science kit successfully. I took photos and a video today with the results. I think the Hot Wheels Car requires some dedication to trouble shoot the kit successfully. First, the baking soda and vinegar must react for 20 seconds without the baking soda clumping. It’s important to assemble the two parts quickly, to see the vinegar and baking soda foam, and to allow 20 seconds—not 30seconds, for CO2 to build up to provide enough pressure. This is the type of project patient teens can demonstrate at Science Camp. If you can find the Hot Wheels kit for $10 and have the patience to do several trials, this is a great toy—with some science.
I posted about Flame Tests last month. We are finally performing flames tests this week. The kids are going to watch a video with flame tests, burn the colorful flame candles, and do the energy calculations for the different wavelengths for each element. This process is infinitely easier in person. Wish me luck!
Consumer Science labs encompass toothpaste, soda pop, shampoo, Alka-seltzer, and baking soda. I like the Neo/Sci Investigation kits, largely for the lab ideas and data recording sheets. Several manufacturers have science web sites for kids: Arm and Hammer, Alka-Seltzer, Mrs. Stewart’s Liquid Bluing Crystal Garden, and 20 Mule Team Borax Crystals.
I like for my kids to perform science tests, such as Measuring the pH of Soaps and Shampoos. (HST sells litmus paper and pH strips.). Another idea is to test Laundry Detergents or Dish Soaps. Kids need to determine controlled variables: the same cups, water temperature, quantity of stain, etc. You can ask kids to think about the economics of the different detergents or dish soaps, too. Does the best cleaning substance have the best price? Should you make Homemade Laundry Detergent? Here is an article about HE washers and homemade detergents. Look at all of the practical implications for your science experiments.
