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Editorial | November 2026 Under Construction: Teaching the Teenage Brain
AACT High School Ambassador Carmen Foschino shares strategies she’s continuously developing to help keep students’ attention and overcome barriers to participation.
Classroom Commentary | November 2026 An Early Second Career Teacher’s Approach to Increasing Student Engagement
A retired Army officer and second career teacher describes successes and struggles as he works to increase student engagement in his chemistry classes.
Chemistry Fun | November 2026 cRazY ComPoUndS

Students identify element symbols from element names that are provided. Then they rearrange the symbols to spell a word that answers a given clue.
Classroom Commentary | November 2026 A Culture of Safety: The Lessons Behind the Near-Misses
After a chemical engineering career steeped in lab safety, a chemistry teacher recounts the minor accidents of her early classroom years and how preparation prevented them from escalating. She offers advice so new teachers can build a safe lab from Day 1 and avoid learning the hard way.
Nuts & Bolts | November 2026 To Cheat or Not to Cheat: Can Teachers Tip the Scales?
Cheating can happen in any classroom. In this article, the author shares strategies that have helped reduce opportunities for academic dishonesty during written in-class exams, along with practical tips and anecdotes from her own experiences.
In My Element | November 2026 Class Is in Session. Grab an Oar.
A lifelong educator shows that a lifetime of expertise, a little courage, and a couple of friends, can lead to unexpected and fulfilling ways to share a love of science after retirement.
Advice Column | November 2026 Dear Labby: Carbonated and Confused
An AP Chemistry teacher asks how to prevent a higher temperature decomposition reaction from occurring while allowing the lower temperature decomposition to proceed.
Classroom Commentary | September 2026 Extended Feature: The 2026 AP Chemistry Debrief
Seven AP Chemistry Readers share examples of mistakes and misconceptions observed in student responses during the 2026 AP Reading. They also offer suggestions for improving performance on the AP Chemistry exam.
Classroom Commentary | September 2026 Literature Connections in Chemistry
A chemistry and physics teacher creatively blends his passion for literature into unique and meaningful chemistry lessons and assessments.
Tech Tips | September 2026 Engineering in the Chemistry Classroom
A veteran teacher describes how she uses engineering challenges as an engaging way for chemistry students to apply both scientific concepts and engineering design processes by collaborating to solve authentic problems. These activities can transform traditional laboratory experiences into meaningful STEM learning opportunities.
Editorial | September 2026 President’s Message: Goals for the School Year
AACT Governing Board President, Shannon Smith, shares her goals for the school year and encourages teachers to make meaningful changes while also being kind to themselves.
Advice Column | September 2026 Dear Labby: Puzzled by Proper Disposal
Labby answers a question posed during the recent webinar, "Creating a Culture of Safety in the Laboratory Environment" about state-specific guidance for lab chemical disposal.
Nuts & Bolts | September 2026 Beyond the Classroom: Building Student Engagement Through Chemistry Clubs
A chemistry teacher reflects on her journey in starting a chemistry club. Quotes and highlights from multiple AACT ChemClub advisors are given throughout the article.
Chemistry Fun | September 2026 Element ID
Students apply their knowledge using a periodic table to solve clues and identify elements based on their properties and everyday uses. After correctly identifying each element, students will use their answers to reveal a secret message.
Tech Tips | May 2026 Computational Chemistry in the High School Classroom

In this article, the author describes his use of computational chemistry, highlighting benefits of using various methods when teaching high school chemistry. He suggests several options that can be easily implemented by teachers with minimal training.
Advice Column | May 2026 Dear Labby: Colorfully Confused
A teacher requests an explanation for the strange color changes that occur while diluting copper(II) ion solutions.
Nuts & Bolts | May 2026 Culturally Responsive Teaching Might Not Be What You Think It Is!
A teacher discusses her experience using culturally responsive teaching practices to help students better connect with chemistry content. She describes several strategies that have both improved her lessons and increased her students’ cultural awareness and sensitivity.
Classroom Commentary | May 2026 Clifford and Kitty Hach: A Legacy of Supporting Chemistry Education
Thanks to the vision and dedication of Clifford and Kitty Hach, and the ACS-Hach Programs that are administered in their honor, high school chemistry teachers can seek funding for a variety of ways to improve the educational experience for students.
In My Element | May 2026 How Industry Experience Builds Extraordinary Teaching Competencies
In this article, a former professional research scientist shares how his training and career bolstered skills and competencies that he later found essential to his success as a new high school chemistry teacher.
Chemistry Fun | May 2026 Scientist Scramble

Students review the contributions of scientists that they have learned about throughout the chemistry curriculum. They will solve clever clues and unscramble words to reveal a secret message.
Editorial | May 2026 USNCO – What is it and How Can it Help my Students?
AACT Governing Board President Amiee Modic talks about her time volunteering as a mentor for students participating in the United States National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO). She outlines a variety of ways that teachers and students can get involved in the program.
Tech Tips | March 2026 Building Better Bonds
A teacher discusses how he has incorporated 3D printing into his teaching practice as he works to better meet the needs of his students. Driven by the limitations of traditional tools, in both cost and availability, he outlines his own learning journey that has allowed him to begin designing and using custom 3D-printed learning materials and lab equipment to meet specific student needs.
Editorial | March 2026 What I Learned as the Parent of an AP Chemistry Student
AACT President-elect Shannon Smith shares insights she gained as an AP Chemistry teacher after watching and supporting her daughter during her journey as an AP Chemistry student.
In My Element | March 2026 From Acid Rain to Ethanol
A teacher shares how her elementary and high school teachers prompted her interest in science, and how teachers and college counselors later helped to open her eyes to her many options and choices in studying chemistry. Her high school summer work experience at a quality control laboratory allowed her to connect the chemistry concepts she studied at school with a real-life context, a strategy that continues to inform her teaching practice.
Chemistry Fun | March 2026 Don't Say It! (Gases)
In this activity, groups of students will play a game to review and practice explaining key terms related to gases and gas laws. One at a time, students will attempt to get their teammates to say the designated term, while trying to avoid saying any of the prohibited words during the explanations.