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51 – 75 of 213 Articles

Simulation | September 2018 States of Matter and Phase Changes
In this simulation, students will participate in a 10 question quiz. Some questions will challenge students to analyze data to identify the correct state of matter for a specific sample, and then connect the chosen state with an animated particle diagram. In addition, students will examine the behavior of particles in an animated sample as they undergo a phase change, and must correctly identify the change that occurs.
Classroom Commentary | September 2018 Reflections of an AP Chemistry Exam Reader
This article describes a chemistry teacher’s experience as a Reader for the AP chemistry exam. She shares some reflections, pointers, and insights to help guide other AP Chemistry teachers in hopes of helping them prepare their students to achieve mastery on the exam.
Nuts & Bolts | September 2018 Designing Effective Multiple-Choice Items in Chemistry
Multiple-choice questions are frequently used in both formal and informal assessments in order to determine if students have mastered specific learning objectives. This article discusses the characteristics of multiple-choice items as well as some guidelines for writing them. It is possible to design multiple-choice items that emphasize conceptual understanding and critical thinking skills. The creation of high-quality assessments can provide useful information about student learning and help teachers make important decisions about instruction.
Chemistry Fun | September 2018 Chemistry Basics Crossword Puzzles
In this activity, students will complete a crossword puzzle by solving each clue that is related to a fundamental chemistry topic.
Tech Tips | May 2018 Experimenting with Electronic Lab Notebooks
The author describes her efforts to implement and effectively use electronic notebooks to capture lab work in regular, advanced, and AP chemistry classes.
Tech Tips | May 2018 Use Moodle to Score Lab Calculations Instantly
One of the greatest time demands for chemistry teachers is the assessment of lab work. With a little bit of preparation, you can program Moodle (a widely available and free learning management system used by many schools) to correct students’ lab calculations and provide immediate feedback. The author walks through an example using a simple stoichiometry exercise used with his 11th grade general chemistry students.
Resource Feature | May 2018 Embracing Chemistry in the Elementary Classroom
This article discusses why it's important for K-5 teachers to overcome the fear of teaching chemistry, and gives some simple suggestions on how to start.
Chemistry Fun | May 2018 Hazard Symbols
In this activity, students will familiarize themselves with common hazard symbols and their meaning.
Editorial | May 2018 Refresh and Refocus through Reflection
Jenelle Ball reflects on both her school year and her time as the AACT Governing Board President. She highlights some newly-implemented and improved member benefits as well as some particular resources that she valued this year. She hopes all teachers will take time as the school year comes to an end to also reflect on their lessons learned and refocus for the future.
Nuts & Bolts | May 2018 Using Learning Progressions to Improve Scientific Modeling in Chemistry
This article describes how to use learning progressions to transform your existing modeling activities to help students construct and use models as a generative tool for predicting and explaining phenomena. In the process, the models become a learning tool, rather than just a means to illustrate understanding.
Classroom Commentary | May 2018 The AP Chem Exam is Over - Now What?
This article discusses a short course in computational chemistry, designed for AP Chemistry teachers and students, primarily to be used for chemistry enrichment following the completion of the AP Chemistry exam.
Nuts & Bolts | May 2018 Strategies for Teaching SPED and EL Students in the Chemistry Classroom
The article explores several different strategies for teaching EL and SPED students in the high school chemistry classroom.
Simulation | May 2018 Reaction Rates
In the May 2018 simulation, students investigate several factors that can affect the initial rate of a chemical reaction, including concentration, temperature, surface area of the reactants, and addition of a catalyst.
Chemistry Fun | March 2018 Laboratory Equipment Memory Game
In this activity, students will play a modified version of the classic Memory Game in order to help them identify common laboratory equipment by name. This activity provides an opportunity for students to increase their familiarity with the laboratory equipment that they will be expected to properly use.
In My Element | March 2018 My Long, Circuitous Route to Teaching Chemistry
The author shares his journey from liberal arts, to the sciences, and back to the chemistry classroom.
Nuts & Bolts | March 2018 21st Century Skills in High School Chemistry
This article discusses the changing trends in science education, with a focus on the need for implementing 21st century skills into the science curriculum, and some techniques for doing so.
Simulation | March 2018 Chemical Reactions and Stoichiometry
In this simulation, students practice classifying different chemical reactions, balancing equations, and solving stoichiometry problems.
Classroom Commentary | March 2018 Part II: Rethinking Common Practices in High School Chemistry
This article is Part II of a series that aims at rethinking common practices in the high school chemistry curriculum. The first article in this series was published in the November 2017 issue. This article describes the shortcomings with the “5 Reaction Types” classification scheme and provides an alternative organization to the study of chemical reactions.
Classroom Commentary | March 2018 The Science Coaches Program in Action
This article describes the very successful Science Coaches partnership between a third-grade teacher and a Ph.D. chemist, who is also her father. The authors offer insight and tips for making the best use of a Science Coach partnership, or any science visitor to your classroom.
Resource Feature | March 2018 Teaching Beyond the Cookbook
Inquiry lab experiences provide students with a wider context for understanding the material presented in the classroom while improving student engagement and giving them a more authentic science experience. If you want to include more aspects of inquiry in your laboratory experiences, but lack the time and money to test brand new labs, this article provides specific tools and ideas for adding inquiry experiences to your own labs.
Resource Feature | March 2018 Recasting Chemistry Labs with Forensic Themes
This article discusses several examples of how forensic scenarios can be added to tried-and-true chemistry labs. The author also provides several example lab activities for the audience to use in their own classrooms.
Editorial | March 2018 The Importance of Outreach
AACT President-Elect Sherri Rukes shares thoughts about her experience doing outreach in the chemistry teaching community. She is an enthusiastic promoter of chemistry across all grade levels, and encourages others to follow a similar path.
Editorial | November 2017 Lone Ranger, No More!
AACT Governing Board member Jenny Bishoff shares her experience connecting with other teachers of chemistry and encourages members to get involved.
Nuts & Bolts | November 2017 Integrating NGSS and STEM in the Classroom
As an educator interested in sharing your love of science with your students, how do you incorporate the NGSS and STEM in your classroom? The answer is simple. STEM and NGSS are inherently intertwined, which makes the implementation of NGSS easier. Here is a step-by-step process for how to integrate NGSS and STEM in your chemistry classroom.
Nuts & Bolts | November 2017 TMI (Too Much Information) in Science
In an age when information comes at us at breakneck-speed, how do we help our students deal with science outside the confines of their standard curriculum — and think critically about alternative arguments to questionable research data?