Classroom Resources: Chemistry Basics

26 – 50 of 310 Classroom Resources

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  SI Units, Mole Concept, Measurements, Physical Properties, Density | Middle School, High School

  Animation: Units of Chemistry Animation

  This animation explores the importance of including units to communicate the value of measurements effectively. It presents definitions, units of measurement, and measuring tools for physical properties that are commonly measured or calculated in chemistry class: mass, length, temperature, volume, amount (moles), and density. This animation was featured in the November 2022 issue of Chemistry Solutions. **This video has no audio**

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  Limiting Reactant, Stoichiometry, Balancing Equations, Conservation of Mass, Conservation of Matter, Combustion, Conservation of Mass, Conservation of Matter | High School

  Activity: Animation Activity: Limiting Reactant

  In this activity, students will view an animation that explores what happens in a limiting reactant problem on the particulate level. Assembling a bike is used as an analogy to introduce the concept of limiting reactant, and then the balanced equation of the combustion of methane is used in four quantitative examples to show what it means for a chemical to be a limiting reactant. The concept of the conservation of mass is also demonstrated by calculating masses from the mole quantities of the reactants and products.

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  Colligative Properties, Boiling Point Elevation, Freezing Point Depression, Concentration, Solute & Solvent, Boiling Point, Freezing Point, Phase Changes, Molecular Motion, Graphing, Physical Properties, Heat, Temperature | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Simulation Activity: The Effect of Solutes on Boiling and Freezing Point

  In this activity, students will use a colligative properties simulation to investigate the effects of different solutes, and different amounts of those solutes, on the boiling point and freezing point of a solution. Students will see particle-level animations of boiling and freezing with different types and amounts of solutes, as well as graphical representations of the results of each trial.

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  Colligative Properties, Boiling Point Elevation, Freezing Point Depression, Concentration, Solute & Solvent, Boiling Point, Freezing Point, Phase Changes, Molecular Motion, Graphing, Physical Properties, Heat, Temperature | High School

  Simulation: Colligative Properties

  In this simulation, students will investigate the effects of different solutes, and different amounts of those solutes, on the boiling point and freezing point of a solution. Students will see particle-level animations of boiling and freezing with different types and amounts of solutes, as well as graphical representations of the results of each trial.

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  Interdisciplinary, Polymers | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Puzzling, Twisted Fibers

  In this activity, students will attempt to solve clues related to the chemistry of fabrics. Starting at the center of the maze, students will fill in each word suggested by the 20 given clues. Answering each clue correctly will help students solve the riddle provided at the end of the activity. This puzzle can be used in the classroom as part of the Fabulous Fibers theme celebration for 2022 National Chemistry Week.

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  Molecular Structure, Covalent Bonding, Molecular Formula, Review, Atoms | Elementary School, Middle School

  Activity: Atom Catcher Game

  In this activity, students will make several different molecules out of four types of atoms: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen in an online game. In order to be successful, the student must move a beaker on the screen to catch the correct type and number of atoms needed to form a particular molecule. Students can score points by making as many correct molecules as possible in a given amount of time.

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  Review, Periodic Table | High School

  Activity: Sudoku by the (Chemical) Numbers

  In this activity, students will first answer clues about fundamental chemistry concepts in order to determine the missing digits from a sudoku puzzle. After solving the clues, students must then use both logic and reasoning while following the rules of sudoku to solve the 9x9 puzzle.

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  Atoms, Model of the Atom, Atomic Theory, Matter, Elements, History, Introduction, Periodic Table | Middle School, High School

  Animation: Atoms: The Building Blocks of Matter Animation

  This animation explores the idea that everything is made of atoms, and that since atoms are so extremely small, even small objects contain vast numbers of atoms. Students will see several examples to illustrate this point. Then they will be given a brief overview of the evolution of how people thought about atoms from the ancient Greeks through Dalton. This animation was featured in the May 2022 issue of Chemistry Solutions. **This video has no audio**

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  Interdisciplinary | Elementary School, Middle School

  Activity: Discovering Entomology

  In this activity, students will first work in small groups on a card sort aimed to activate their prior knowledge about insects and attempt to match the name of several common insects with a corresponding scientific fact. Students will then watch a short video while answering several questions to discover more about the field of entomology.

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  Graphing, Interdisciplinary | High School

  Activity: Insect Investigators

  In this activity, students will learn that insects can be used as a tool in a criminal investigation to predict the time of death of a person or an animal by a Forensic Entomologist. Students will analyze and graph multiple data sets related to the life cycle of a blow fly in order to better understand how the blow fly can be used as evidence in an investigation.

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  Interdisciplinary, Graphing | Middle School, High School

  Simulation: Graphing

  In this simulation, students will be introduced to good graphing techniques and how to interpret data presented in a graph. They are introduced to the TAILS acronym (Title, Axes, Intervals, Labels, Scale) to help them remember how to set up a graph and the concepts of line of best fit, positive and negative correlation, and interpolating and extrapolating. Then students complete a six-question quiz on these topics.

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  Chemical Properties, Physical Properties, Chemical Change, Physical Change, Mixture, Chemical Structure, Chemical Change, Culminating Project | High School

  Project: Analyze a Family Recipe

  In this project, students will select a family recipe, or a favorite recipe to investigate. They will analyze several of the ingredients in order learn more about the chemistry of each one, as well as their purpose in the recipe. Additionally, students will examine several ingredient interactions to learn more about the chemistry of cooking.

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  Elements, Periodic Table | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Chemistry Kakuro Puzzle

  In this activity, students will use both math and logic to solve a chemistry themed kakuro puzzle. This puzzle differs slightly from a traditional kakuro by first requiring students to use a periodic table to find the atomic number for each element symbol appearing in the puzzle. Using the atomic numbers as starting clues, students then fill-in the empty squares with numbers 1-9 that sum to the value of the clue, but without reusing any digits. This activity is a fun challenge for students, and provides the opportunity to strengthen logic and reasoning skills.

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  Graphing, Interdisciplinary | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Simulation Activity: Graphing

  In this activity, students will use a simulation to learn good graphing techniques, as well as how to interpret data presented in a graph. They will take a quiz in the simulation, and then have an opportunity to put their graphing skills to work and generate their own graph using sample data.

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  Heat, Temperature, Specific Heat, Law of Conservation of Energy, Enthalpy, Calorimetry, Exothermic & Endothermic, Balancing Equations, Chemical Change, Measurements, Mole Concept, Dimensional Analysis, Culminating Project, Interdisciplinary, Review, Graphing, Observations, Chemical Properties, Physical Properties | High School

  Project: Handwarmer Design Challenge

  In this project, students will use their knowledge of thermodynamics to design a handwarmer for a manufacturing company that can maintain a temperature of 30-40°C for at least 5 minutes and is designed for the average human hand. Students will create a final product after rounds of testing and an advertising poster that summarizes the results of their testing and promotes their design.

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  Density, Observations, Inferences | Elementary School, Middle School, High School

  Activity: Animation Activity: Density

  In this activity, students will view an animation that explores density on the particulate level. There are opportunities to make qualitative and quantitative comparisons between substances.

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  Periodic Table, Review, Elements, Subatomic Particles, Model of the Atom, Atomic Mass | Elementary School, Middle School

  Activity: Periodic Table Challenge Game

  In this activity, students will play an online game that quizzes their knowledge about the atomic structure of the first 20 elements on the periodic table. Students will be asked to identify different elements based on information related to subatomic particles, placement on the periodic table or from a provided Bohr model. This game has several options for students to choose from, and can be used to review content, or as a formative assessment.

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  Review, Periodic Table, Physical Properties, Subatomic Particles, Electron Configuration, Covalent Bonding, Ionic Bonding, Naming Compounds, Molecular Geometry, VSEPR Theory, Lewis Structures, Chemical Change, Limiting Reactant, Stoichiometry | High School

  Activity: Chemistry Review Escape Room

  In this activity, students will work collaboratively to apply their chemistry knowledge in order to “escape the room.” They will work to solve four clues that span a plethora of topics ranging from Atomic Structure all the way up to Stoichiometry. These four clues will point them to four chemical reactions to conduct on a small-scale basis that will correspond with a four-digit combination to a lock. This engaging activity is not only fun for all students but also allows for interactive and collaborative review.

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  Separating Mixtures, Physical Properties, Mixtures

  Video: Ingenious Video 9: The World’s Smallest Water Treatment Plant Comes in a Packet

  About 800,000,000 people worldwide – that’s almost one in ten, more than the population of the U.S. – don’t have reliable access to clean water. Using a technology first developed to reuse dirty laundry water, scientists have developed a water treatment plant the size of a teabag. Inside, a potent chemical triple-threat removes microbes, heavy metals, silt and dirt to produce clean, safe water one bucket at a time.

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  Molecular Structure , Polymers, Interdisciplinary, Chemical Properties

  Video: Ingenious Video 10: Oversexed Moths are Ruining Apples for Everyone

  Codling moths may look harmless, but their larvae wreak havoc in orchards, burrowing into fruit and eating them from the inside out. Pesticides have always been the solution to the old “worm in the apple” problem, but pesticides kill all the insects in the field, even the good ones. Instead of pesticides, farmers may soon use pheromones, those scented chemical messages animals release at mating time. Spreading synthetic, species-specific pheromones keeps male codling moths from finding females to mate with. No mating means no eggs, no larvae, and no more bad apples. Scaling up agricultural pheromones has proved difficult, but innovative approaches to pheromone production (using yeast cells) and distribution (with the help of customized weather stations) are starting to make it happen.

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  Separating Mixtures, Physical Properties, Mixtures | High School

  Activity: Ingenious: The World's Smallest Water Treatment Plant Comes in a Packet Video Questions

  In this activity, students will answer questions while watching the video The World’s Smallest Water Treatment Plant Comes in a Packet from the Ingenious series produced by the American Chemical Society. Each episode investigates a different topic related to how leading-edge chemistry is taking on the world’s most urgent issues to advance everyone’s quality of life and secure our shared future. This episode investigates the global shortage in accessing clean water. Using a technology that was first developed to reuse dirty laundry water, scientists have developed a water treatment plant the size of a teabag that contains a chemical triple-threat—it removes microbes, heavy metals, silt and dirt to produce clean, safe water.

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  Molecular Structure , Polymers, Interdisciplinary, Chemical Properties | High School

  Activity: Ingenious: Oversexed Moths Are Ruining Apples for Everyone Video Questions

  In this activity, students will answer questions while watching the video Oversexed Moths are Ruining Apples for Everyone from the Ingenious series produced by the American Chemical Society. Each episode investigates a different topic related to how leading-edge chemistry is taking on the world’s most urgent issues to advance everyone’s quality of life and secure our shared future. This episode investigates how the larvae of codling moths wreak havoc in orchards—burrowing into fruit and eating them from the inside out. Scientists are developing synthetic, species-specific pheromones as an alternative to pesticides. Pheromones are scented chemical messages that animals release at mating time and can help to prevent male codling moths from finding females to mate with. No mating means no eggs, no larvae and no more bad apples!

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  Stoichiometry, Balancing Equations, Predicting Products, Chemical Change, Mole Concept, Dimensional Analysis, Measurements, Chemical Change, Culminating Project | High School

  Project: Chemical Reaction Soda Bottle Boat Race

  In this project, students will design and build a soda bottle boat with the goal of having the fastest boat to get to the other end of the rain gutter racetrack. Students will have to complete stoichiometric calculations to determine an appropriate amount of “fuel” (baking soda + vinegar) to power their boat.

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  Heat, Physical Properties, Physical Change, Molecular Structure, Monomer, Polymers | High School

  Activity: Ingenious: The World Has a Receipt Problem Video Questions

  In this activity, students will answer questions while watching the video The World has a Receipt Problem from the Ingenious series produced by the American Chemical Society. Each episode investigates a different topic related to how leading-edge chemistry is taking on the world’s most urgent issues to advance everyone’s quality of life and secure our shared future. This episode investigates the process of thermal printing on receipts, and the limitations related to the paper that currently prints using leuco dyes. This heat-sensitive ink appears when it reacts with an acid developer embedded in the paper. Scientists are working to develop a new kind of thermal receipt paper, that can use the same printers, however it offers many additional benefits and potential uses.

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  Heat, Physical Properties, Physical Change, Molecular Structure, Monomer, Polymers | High School

  Video: Ingenious Video 7: The World has a Receipt Problem

  The receipts you take home from the store – or stuff in your bag, or lose in your car -- employ a printing method that’s been around since the 1970s. Thermal printing involves heat-sensitive inks called leuco dyes that show up when they react with an acid developer embedded in the paper. Not only do these inks fade easily, but receipts that use them aren’t recyclable, and could even be dangerous to your health. Taking a cue from a failed experiment, scientists are developing a new kind of receipt paper that will use the same thermal printers without leuco dyes. Instead of acid developers, this paper is coated in reflective microspheres that collapse under heat, allowing regular ink underneath to show through.