Chemistry Resource!

One of the best resources is from Jon Bergmann.  His site is loaded with resources.  Take a look!  I just realized many of you won’t know who Jon Bergmann is.  Sorry.  A flipped classroom has teens do loads of work outside the class.  Students are expected to read, take detailed notes, and watch videos in preparation for class.  The class consists of labs, practice, and minimal lecture.  This model can work for a Co-op.  Our Co-op meets twice a week for 90 minutes.  Many meet once weekly for 90 minutes.  My kids take tests, read, and finish practice problems outside of class.  Our class has many labs; but it isn’t strictly flipped.  Teens must be motivated (or threatened) to watch the videos, complete many questions and worksheets before every class.  If your kids are highly motivated, a flipped class might work.  A colleague of mine taught Biology as a flipped classroom successfully.  It was a sink or swim type of class.

Here  is a sample unit for Electrochemistry.  Here and here, and here are samples for Nomenclature from Jon Bergman’s files.  The videos and worksheets are useful regardless of your opinion about flipped classrooms.

Nomenclature Dice

 A member of the Chemistry teacher group on Social Media posted ion dice templates to print on card stock.  The kids roll the cation or positive die and anion or negative die, then write and name the compound.  The teacher who supplied the dice template uses them with this POGIL Nomenclature Activity.

Acid Nomenclature

 The kids are learning how to name binary and ternary acids.  Here is acid nomenclature practice.  Here is a POGIL, Naming Acids and the answer key.  Below is a video I made during COVID explaining how to name acids.  Below is the song I use to help kids name binary and ternary acids, which a colleague gave me.  I hope these materials help!

Ionic and Covalent Quiz Follow-up

 I sent home Ionic and Covalent Quizzes.  Each kids rolled different combinations of atoms to name ionic and covalent compounds.  Below is Joe’s ionic and covalent quizzes.  Some of the kids had to make corrections.  I reviewed work individually and told them to re-roll more combinations of ions and atoms.  In a few cases, the kids need to use their Ions to build the compounds before they could write and name them.  The kids were allowed to use the ion chart and Greek prefixes.  I was testing their ability to name binary compounds.  BTW the kids upload their quizzes to Google Classroom.  I take screenshots and load them into Jamboard to grade them.  

Chemistry on a Budget: Beanium Isotope Lab

Beanium is a budget-friendly, isotope lab.  I have a tub of mixed beans dedicated to the Beanium lab.  If you have loads of left-over candy from Halloween, try Candium instead.  (There is no way extra M&Ms, Skittles or Reese’s pieces would be leftover in my house.)  Beanium teach kids about the average atomic mass of atoms in elements.  Below is a virtual Beanium lab video, which might help your kids better understand the lab.  During COVID lockdown I taught Chemistry remotely and made this Beanium slideshow.  The kids did the lab remotely, too (I sent home Chemistry kits with bags of beans. Yes, it was every bit as frustrating to teach as you can imagine.). But, the slideshow has sample calculations.  Beanium is another inexpensive and worthwhile lab to tackle.

Shop Good Will!

 Do you shop Good Will online?  Below are several images of different educational lots available right now.  Good Will stores across the nation post lots here.  Be sure to check the shipping before you bid.  I always check the shipping weight.  I don’t like it when the store grossly inflated the shipping weight or surcharges.  Below are examples from current listings at Good Will.

Chemistry: Electron Configuration Activities

Let me share several resources I use to teach electron configurations.  Have you heard of Electron Configuration Battleship or Hog Hilton?  Here is the slideshow I use to explain electron configurations.  

Let me explain the slideshow because the first several slides are from the DC Metro, which I  as an analogy for how electrons occupy orbitals and the General Rules for electron configurations.

#1.  People try to sit as close to the door as possible.  Electrons occupy the orbitals closest to the nucleus. The Aufbau Principal (See the General Rules.) applies to how electrons occupy orbitals according to increasing energy.  I explain that the negative electrons are attracted to the positive protons in the nucleus.

#2.  Two strangers sit as far apart as possible.  Electrons are negative and repel each other.  Two electrons in the same orbital have an opposite spin.  You may see two strangers sitting on the same bench turned away from each other on the Metro.  There is some tension.

#3.  Each person sits in a different bench (with a maximum of two seats to a bench) until there is a rider in each bench.  Only then, do strangers sit next to strangers.  Each orbital holds two electrons.  Electrons occupy each orbital one at a time until the sub level has at least one electron in each orbital.  This is my explanation for Hund’s Rule (See General Rules.).  

#4.  The George Forman Exception Rule.  Each person has a unit address, just as each electron has a unique address or electron configuration, including its spin.  I point out that even two identical twins sharing a bedroom have two different addresses at the same house because they have different first names.  I bring up George Forman who named all of this sons George Forman and his daughter Georgina.  This is my intro to the Pauli-Exclusion Principle (Yup, see the Rules.) and the idea of four quantum numbers as an electron’s address.

Hey!  The Metro analogy works for me.  We live close enough to DC that most kids have been on the Metro. My own understanding of Quantum mechanics is limited.  However, in Chemistry we need to understand how these rules for electron configurations govern how electrons occupy orbitals dancing around the nucleus.  Let me explain the ‘hive’ slide.  I tell the kids that the electrons dance around the nucleus much like bees dance around a hive.  Bees dance to communicate.  The electron orbitals are wave functions.  Mainly, I explain that the orbitals are the likely regions electrons occupy and leave it there. We look at the shapes of these orbitals.   Once I explain the rules, we try Hog Hilton and practice writing electron configurations.  

Ionic and Covalent Quizzes

 My kids are doing two, take-home quizzes.  I wrote the cations and anions on tiny blocks using ChemKate’s Ionic Dice activity.  The teens are making ten compounds, writing the formulas, and naming the ionic compounds.  One of my students, Artie, helped with the video below.  The first photo has the ions I used—all common ions we’ll use all year.  The second quiz is covalent molecules.  I made a h kid a second set of dice for the nonmetals.  The kids roll two nonmetals and then roll two dice.  The last photo has one student’ s two quizzes.  Not all of the covalent molecules are valid compounds.  I want to know if the kids can name molecules.

The students may use Flinn’s Ion Chart and the Ion kits.  The teens may use the table (p.91 in Apologia Chemistry) for the covalent molecules.  Most of my students don’t need any of these aids; however two kids do.  BTW I don’t quiz on polyatomic ions; The kids learn the common polyatomic ions through repetition.  

Take Home Lab Challenge!

 I have learned my lesson.  Never try to schedule class on a holy day of obligation.  I thought everyone would attend Mass during the evening vigil or evening Mass.  Nope.  The only kids who made it to class didn’t need the extra instruction.  We meet Tuesdays and Thursdays.  There are going to be conflicts.  The next holy day of obligation is December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  I’m planning a lab challenge for the kids to take home and do.  The first lab challenge is this Film Canister Rocket Challenge.  There are four levels to the challenge.  I like level two; the canister must launch at least one meter in under two minutes.  Oriental Trading has 12 film canisters for $2.47 with free shipping.  

Another challenge is Science and Art with Acids and Bases or Flinn’s Chromatography Challenge.   These labs dovetail well with Colorful Lather Printing or Tie Dying.  Some of my kids love art.  The kids liked the Hand Warmer Challenge lab.  My plan is for them to do the lab, create a video demo, or produce an art piece.  Additionally, they’ll need to explain the underlying chemistry, ideally in the video or in a written paragraph.  I might have the kids construct the grading rubric for the project.  BTW the kids usually create tougher rubrics than I write.  We’ll make plans tomorrow for December 8th.

Paper Chromatography: Pens

One of the Physical Matter labs we're starting Thursday is paper chromatography.  (HST has detailed instructions for candy chromatography.)  In another life, I was a Chemistry adjunct at a small college.  The college kept a drawer full of different, black pens, specifically for paper chromatography labs.  I'm doing a similar lab using these instructions.  Inks are proprietary formulas; the results are interesting.  

Chemistry on a Budget: Conductivity Lab

 Let me add some details to the conductivity lab.  I had to remember where I first saw this lab idea.  The original lab is from Prentice Hall Chemistry Chapter 7, Section 7.2, Solutions Containing Ions.  Here is the student lab.  (The lab has instructions to make a simple conductivity meter.  NB bubbles around the wires indicate the solution is conductive.). We’re testing bath tints, Alka-Seltzer, sucrose solution, ammonia, alcohol, peroxide, citric acid, salt, and vinegar—all solutions.  The kids copy the chart pictured below.  The teens use the conductivity pens and pH paper to measure both conductivity and pH of solutions.  I added pH for two reasons.  One, the Bath tints mini-lab calls for pH.  The second reason is make sure all of the kids are familiar with test strips and pH.  Every year, one or two kids haven’t tested pH and do not know what it measures.  The kids submit the data table and explain how ionic and covalent solutions differ. This is probably more than enough information.  The kids should start the labs Thursday.