Apologia Chemistry: Day One Activities

Update: We took a graphing calculator quiz, the math pre-assessment, a Periodic Table quiz, and an introduction to the names of equipment.  Wooooo!  It just takes time to go over all of the answers.  For the graphing calculator quiz, I posted data and instructed them to put the data into L1 and L2, graph the data, and calculate the regression.  Yeah!  With a little help, all of the kids could do it.

I’ve taught Chemistry for over 20 years.  So, I have a few ideas about how to begin the class.  I’m open to new ideas; there are some activities that work year after year.  The intro activities are all lumped into a category called Day One.  This year, we began with graphing and experimental design. Now, we’re starting Chemistry.

Day One includes a Math assessment,  Safety Contracts, a safety quiz, measures, the names of chemical equipment, Accuracy and Precision Lab, It’s All About Density Lab, and The Koolaid Lab.

Day One can last two weeks.  This week, I want to do some assessment.  First, I plan to see if the kids can graph a set of data with the graphing calculator, calculate the equation of the line, and produce a regression.  Next, the kids made Periodic Table Cards as a summer assignment.  I’m going to give them  Periodic tables with symbols only to see how many elements they learned by making the cards.  I need to go over the names of common lab equipment.  After, I’ll review, do a practice quiz, and finally test them on the equipment.  As an aside, I let kids retake any quiz or test.  In fact, I retest some material until they achieve mastery, usually 85% or better.  Because we use the elements so often, I need 90% mastery on about 60 elements.  I doubt I’ll finish everything this week.  I will keep you posted.


Sorry for not posting photos last week.  I was so involved teaching 16 kids how to graph with a TI83/84, I forgot to take photos.  I took a few today as the kids were taking their graphing calculator quiz.

Apologia Chemistry: Graphing Calculator Lesson 2

Update!  Yes, we finished the M&M lab, graphed the data in a histogram and practiced several data sets!   Whooooo!  This seldom happens!  We finished the planned lessons.


The Chemistry class meets Tuesdays and Fridays this year.  Tomorrow, my husband, Rob, and I are doing another combined Chemistry and Statistics class to introduce experimental design and how to use the graphing calculator.  

First, we're using this graphing exercise to see if the kids can enter the data into the STAT function, turn on STAT PLOT, set the range, graph the data (depth and average temperature), calculate the linear regression, and overlay the line of best fit over the scatter plot data.  In other words, see if they remember our lesson from Tuesday.  Maybe.

Next, Rob and I are going to do this Statistics and Probability Lab with M&Ms.  He and I have 15 small cups of 50 gram samples of the candies, from a party-size bag of regular M&Ms.  Most of the M&M labs use individual bags of candies for each student.  The party-size bag was cheaper; so we weighed 50 g. samples before class.  

We decided to have a quick discussion about experimental design, hypothesis, and controlled variables before the lab.  Basically, the kids are going to predict which color M&M candy is the greatest percent in the candy sample (alternate hypothesis) or the percentages of each color are the same (null hypothesis).  This article explains how two companies produce M&Ms varies slightly by company. The percentages by color are in this article--for milk chocolate candies!  

We are going to give each child a cup with 50 grams of candies.  They will count the number of each color candy and calculate the percentage of each color in the cup.  Next each table of three kids will pool the data.  Finally, we'll pool and calculate the class data.  Next Tuesday, Rob is going to do two other exercises with the Statistics class, such as sampling with replacement and outliers.  Once we have the class data, the kids are going to graph it in the graphing calculators and produce histograms--bar graphs by color.  Yeah!  

What does this have to do with Chemistry?  Very little.  However, it will allow a brief discussion of experimental design and introduce the kids to the graphing calculator.

Human Biology: Respiration and Plans

Two of the four students were absent today.  We did go over respiration today with questions about JFK's premature baby who died shortly before he was assassinated.  We started with a review quiz on the skeleton.  Andrew listed all the bones in the skeleton he knew and Anna added more.  Anna studies.  Andrew knows more than 50 bones; Anna has 100 or more memorized.  We went through respiration and the kids finished by making organs from Sculpey clay to bake.  We could only go so far missing two students.  Next week, we plan to spend two hours doing a bunch of labs.  In two weeks we'll read and quiz on the skeleton, major muscles, and major respiratory organs.

Next week, my plan is to do a tidal volume lab, CO2 and bromothymol blue, nursing assessment, Boyle's Law lab (for respiration, pressure and volume in the lungs.), a muscle lab, etc.

Look at the organs!

Apologia Chemistry: Day One

The Chemistry Co-op is beginning school with graphing and learning how to graph with a graphing calculator.  This week, my husband, Rob, and his Statistics class are combining with my Chemistry class to learn how to graph.  I had six or so graphing calculators and bought more this summer.  A few of the kids have graphing calculators.  I bought an emulator for my iPad, too.  (The link has an online graphing calculator.)  I teach Chemistry kids how to use a graphing calculator for exposure--usually NOT the first week!  Rob's statistics class uses the graphing calculator all year; he struggles with the graphing calculator.  His Stats class is on notice to learn how to enter data, graph, and create regression models this week.

Today, Rob and I had the kids graph data on paper: title, axes, units of measure, axes labeled with appropriate scales.  Then, we entered the same data into the graphing calculators and calculated regression models.  Not a pretty process.  This site has instructions to make a scatter plot in the STAT function.  We entered data into the Stat table to create scatter plots and plot the linear regression for each data set.  Not pretty.  By the end of class, several of the kids could enter the data, graph, calculate the regression, and express the equation of the line.  Next time, I'm starting with a data set and will ask the kids to enter the data, plot, graph, and create the regression model.   Then we'll all do some M&M statistics and learn how to express a two part hypothesis: Null and Alternate hypothesis.

We'll be trying the free emulators and report back how well they function.

All of the kids finished their Periodic Table Cards!  Yeah!  Next week, I'm doing a Periodic Table pre-quiz to see how well they know the elements after making the cards.

Below is a photo of the graphing data.

Human Biology: Digestion

We are continuing Human Biology through September.  Once the Co-op and lessons begin, all of us will be swamped.  (I have Chemistry class to teach and a home-schooler to teach all of her classes.). Today, we are working through Digestion, beginning with a quiz: list the major organs, their functions, and tracing food through the digestive system.  Literally, we go through the major topics in the chapter.  My husband had Post Infectious Irritiable Bowel Syndrome (PIIBS)  after he had the flu last March.  The gastrologist did some studies and recommended probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus LA5, Bifidobacterium, several strains).  I used my husband to explain resident colonies of bacteria in the large intestine.  BTW, the probiotics seem to work.

I assigned a load of anatomy coloring pages to work through in Respiration and Digestion.  The kids have two versions.  Arrrrgggh!  Every time I make an anatomy coloring assignment, I have to page through everyone's individual book to make the assignment.  Arrrrrgggghhhhh!

One of the kids presented his virus project.  Here is a photo of Wilkie's virus, Rotavirus.

Apologia Chemistry: Summer Prep

This past summer, I contacted all of my students and gave them a summer assignment: Periodic Table Cards.  I've been reminding and checking on the kids all summer.  It looks as though everyone has nearly completed their cards.  We'll see next week.

Human Biology

We met this morning and discussed infectious diseases, took an immunity quiz, and heard a presentation on Ebola.  I love infectious diseases.  We did a tour of Chapter 7 in the textbook.  Basically, I asked questions about the topics to see if they read.  Then we discuss interesting aspects of different diseases.  For example,  TB was called Consumption; one of our favorite saints, St. Therese de Liseaux, died from TB.  We talked about the bioethics of testing the Ebola and HIV vaccines in Africa.  The kids understand that large pharmaceutical companies test vaccines in Africa to avoid litigation.  I like to bring up a topic, such as Mad Cow Disease and have the kids think about how the prions were transmitted.  These informal discussions are fun to monitor.

We are continuing class through the end of September.  After September, the work load from Co-op and independent studies becomes substantial.  Next week, the kids are reading Chapter 9, Digestion.  There will be a quiz of digestive organs, their functions, and a question tracing a bolus through the digestive system out the rectum.  We spent a few minutes tracing the digestive system at the end of class.  The kids know quite a bit about digestion already.  I’m hunting for fun activities.

Apologia Young Explorers Human Anatomy: Skeleton

I was in Lowe’s and Michaels this week.  Both have skeletons available.  The prices range from $18-30.  Amazon has smaller skeletons from $12.99.  When I teach Human Anatomy or Human Biology, I have the kids memorize the names of the major bones.  I also ask them to determine if the Halloween skeleton is accurate.  While it’s absurd that Halloween supplies are available in August, home-schoolers can take advantage and buy an affordable skeleton model.

Apologia Chemistry: Fireworks and Elements

I’m taking a break from shoveling out the basement to get ready for Co-op Chemistry in a couple weeks.  The kids have a summer assignment to create a set of Periodic Table elements.  I’m determined to get more work out of the kids.  One assignment that dove-tails we’ll with the elements are Fireworks and Tattoos. The article is from ChemMatters, a magazine published for high school chemistry students by ACS, the major chemical society.  Sometimes, I assign the questions in the teacher’s guide; other times I incorporate risk assessment and writing.  For Tattoos, I have the kids make a list of pros and cons.  Then I ask them to write a paragraph: Should you get a tattoo?  Explain.  
Even the most reluctant student writes volumes on this topic.  This is a great opportunity to use Claim-Evidence-Reasoning or CER.  A kid might claim that a tattoo is safe, cite a passage in the article, and go on to support their reasoning.  So, this year, I’ll use Tattoos and Fireworks to introduce CER and get the kids to write.

Apologia Chemistry: Fall Prep Resources

Chemistry Co-op is meeting this fall at my house.  I’m going to miss the huge screen tied to the desktop computer in the Maker Space.  I’m going to figure out how to use a jump drive with my TV.  But most of the time I can pair by LCD projector with the laptop.  Our WiFi broadcasts down to the basement or outside to the garage.  Sometimes, I just want a static image—actually often, I use the huge TV like a poster.  So, I bought Old school overhead transparencies for Chemistry.  (Prentice Hall Transparencies are good, too. Transparency packages from General Chemistry textbooks designed for high school are best for Apologia. Don’t pay more than $10. ). I bought my overhead projector at www.shopgoodwill.com for less than $25.  It’s hard to find poster sets with electromagnetic waves, periodic tables, etc.  It used to be a nightmare to locate replacement bulbs for the projectors.  Amazon has loads.

This year, I’m going to be much more in tune with the struggles parents have to provide Chemistry at home.  Once I gut my basement, I’ll test the projector and post pix.

Apologia Chemistry: Fall Co-op Prep

My husband and I both teach Co-op classes.  Tuesday, we submitted room requests for fall to the library.  After three years using the Maker Space twice a week for Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, we are no longer permitted to teach Chemistry or Biology.  Such a shame.  The problem was the class meets two days a week for two hours-with prep and clean-up.  People complained the Maker Space wasn’t assessable.  People used the copier, visited the fish tank, browsed shelves, and asked about the class (during class) all the time.  But, the Space was not available for people to eat lunch or spread out their copies—not STEM.

So, we are going to teach at my house this fall.  Yes, we have explored a number of alternate sites.  We have a large basement with a utility sink, outlets, and all my shelves of equipment.  Fortunately, I have taught out of my house before.  Our former church allowed Biology (not dissections—held off site at a park) but not Chemistry.  One year, I taught Physical Science and Chemistry concurrently at my house: kitchen, dining room table, den, and garage.  We plan to teach in the basement and use the dining and breakfast tables for tests.

My husband and I are going to share the basement.  So, we bought four six foot folding tables and five folding chairs at Walmart.  We have some chairs on hand.  Two of the tables had scrapes on the surface.  The manager reduced the price on those two tables ten percent.  Chemistry gets the damaged  tables.  We are working on whiteboards, too.  Classroom white boards are usually porcelain and magnetic.  They’re designed for heavy use.  Melamine dry erase boards with an aluminum frame are much cheaper than porcelain.  Melamine white boards are harder to mount and can stain if not cleaned every single time.  I have used the melamine boards in my garage and for VBS.  I plan to buy a $50 board instead.  I’ll let you know how it works.  In the mean time, I need to reorganize the basement (shovel out), check the WiFi connection downstairs, look for a screen for the LCD projector, and jump for joy!  I won’t have to pack and haul lab equipment to the Maker Space!  I bought old fashioned Chemistry transparencies.  I hope the whiteboard or wall works as a screen.  My  computer might be large enough for eight kids.  

The Co-op setting probably better mirrors the classroom situation for many of you.  I’ll keep you posted as we adapt.