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Editorial | November 2021 Broadening Participation in Chemistry
In this editorial, AACT Governing Board SOCED Representative Pamela Leggett-Robinson shares about her passion for broadening participation in chemistry so that all people, voices, and perspectives are given equal opportunity to contribute.
Resource Feature | November 2021 Pigment pH Puzzles
This article discusses an acid-base lab activity that can be completed in a virtual or in-person setting. The authors designed the lab so that students are first tasked with collecting and interpreting data. Then, using their scientific detective skills, the students determine the identity of various pigments in pH strips based on how they interact with several different solutions.
Tech Tips | November 2021 Get Jammin’ in Chemistry!
In this article, the author reflects on her use of Jamboard in the high school chemistry classroom. She shares tips and tricks for integrating Jamboard as an instructional tool for teaching both in-person and remotely. She also includes videos of Jamboard in action, as well as examples of graphics and templates that can be used in your own classroom.
Classroom Commentary | November 2021 Arousing the Spirit of Inquiry
Stories from the history of chemistry can serve as rich and stimulating complements to standard curricula in K-12 chemistry classrooms. Yet even when chemistry teachers have the curricular flexibility to build history lessons into their classes, students can often find this content dry or inaccessible. At the same time, fewer and fewer science centers and museums present content and artifacts on historical chemistry that educators can use to supplement classroom teaching. As ACS celebrates the 100th anniversary of the creation of its Division of the History of Chemistry, this essay reflects on the long-standing desire of chemistry teachers to weave history into chemistry classrooms, particularly by introducing students to the discipline’s material culture. This article highlights the work of the Science History Institute to share artifact- and image-driven stories from the history of chemistry on a digital platform.
Chemistry Fun | November 2021 Family Reunion Puzzle
In this activity, students will be challenged to solve a collection of anagrams—but with a twist! Given 27 ordinary words, students must remove one letter and then rearrange the remaining letters to form a chemical term. Additionally, the anagrams are grouped into 3 families, with all of the chemical terms in each family sharing a common property or theme.
Nuts & Bolts | November 2021 Real-World Chemistry Learning Opportunities Are Right outside Your Door!
How can we help students see the connections between various fields of study which are traditionally taught separately? With the Next Generation Science Standards in hand, and eyes newly opened to a multitude of resources, a chemistry teacher took his students to learn at a local wastewater treatment plant. It left a lasting impression.
Classroom Commentary | September 2021 An Opportunity to Get Involved!
Read about one veteran chemistry teacher’s 25-year experience with the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad Program (USNCO). He shares his experience, insight, and an overview of the wonderful program. If you’ve ever thought about getting yourself or your students involved, now is your chance to learn more!
Classroom Commentary | September 2021 Heterogeneous Chemistry Classrooms: Experiments in Desegregation
How do we create community in a diverse chemistry classroom? How can our classroom dynamics lead to greater social justice in chemistry? ACS Conant Award winner Shea Wickelson shares stories and ideas from her experience teaching de-tracked high school chemistry.
Editorial | September 2021 Culturally Responsive Teaching in Chemistry
AACT President Greta Glugoski-Sharp expresses her sincere thanks to the dedicated community of teachers for their extraordinary efforts and continued contributions to chemistry education throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As we embark on a new school year, she urges teachers to be inclusive in their teaching practices and shares strategies to help them incorporate culturally responsive teaching methods in their instruction.
Classroom Commentary | September 2021 Finding Your Leadership Potential in Chemistry Education
As the pandemic closed the doors of schools across the nation, educators from across the world adapted to reach students in an uncertain world. Through the author’s journey in search of new teaching strategies, she gained insights into the importance of leadership in education — even after 14 years of teaching. In this article, she suggests that each teacher has something important to bring to the educational community, and that the current situation demands that new leaders emerge to help all of us reach our most vulnerable student populations.
Resource Feature | September 2021 An Inquiry Activity: Mixture Separation Challenge
In this article, the author shares about her use of a hands-on inquiry activity to assess students’ content knowledge. The activity tasks small groups of students with developing and conducting an experimental procedure to separate a mixture provided by the teacher. Read the article to learn more and to access the activity for use in your own classroom!
Chemistry Fun | September 2021 Mole Mischief Puzzle
In this activity, students will analyze a collection of clues and attempt to determine the correct word that corresponds to each one. As a connection to chemistry, each of the answers contain the unit “mol” within the word.
Nuts & Bolts | May 2021 Chemistry Experiments at Home
In this article, a teacher shares about how she successfully completed lab experiments with students while they were learning at home during the Covid-19 pandemic. The author describes how careful planning allowed her to provide students with all the necessary materials for each lab experiment. Additionally, she explains how lab set-ups can be easily modified with substituted materials, while still providing a valuable learning experience for students.
Editorial | May 2021 Emerging from the Pandemic … With New Teaching Tools, Strategies, and Inspiration
AACT President Jesse Bernstein reflects on the challenging 2020–21 school year, as he encourages teachers to learn from the experience and embrace their successes. He commends teachers for their versatility and inspiring teaching strategies they’ve followed throughout the year. He shares his hopeful outlook for the future, and encourages teachers to apply their new approaches in years to come.
Classroom Commentary | May 2021 The Value of Integrating Real-World Projects in Science
The author of this article pulls from her experience as both a teacher and a water specialist at a government agency to inspire readers to connect real-world science learning opportunities in the classroom.
Classroom Commentary | May 2021 A Green Opportunity: Recycling Agar from Diffusion Cubes
In this article, the author shares about a collaborative recycling opportunity that combined biology and chemistry. Prior to the COVID-19 shutdown, a chemistry teacher and an AP chemistry student worked together to develop a method for recycling a large surplus of pink agar that had been collected after its use in a biology diffusion lab. The science department worked together to develop a method to reuse lab supplies and promote sustainability.
Chemistry Fun | May 2021 Reviewing the Periodic Table and Periodic Trends
In this activity, students will use their knowledge of the periodic table and periodic trends to add fictional elements to a periodic table based on their properties. Once the elements are in the correct place they will reveal a hidden message. This review activity will help students prepare for a summative assessment such as a unit test or final exam.
In My Element | May 2021 Paying it Forward as a Chemistry Teacher
In this article, the author recalls how her early childhood encounters with chemistry left a lasting impression and inspired her to become a teacher. As she finishes her last months working toward obtaining a Master of Arts in Teaching focused in Chemistry Education, she is excited to pursue a career as a high school chemistry teacher in the near future.
Nuts & Bolts | March 2021 Chemistry Semester Exam Redesign
In this article, the author shares about her experience redesigning a traditional multiple-choice chemistry semester exam to an authentic assessment for her Honors Chemistry students. Motivated to create an assessment made up of more thought-provoking questions, and encouraged by the style of the AP chemistry exam, she shares example questions, grading rubrics and overall feedback related to the redesign and implementation.
In My Element | March 2021 Teaching is a Journey
The author describes her journey from the industrial lab setting to the classroom. Originally inspired to pursue a future in chemistry by her high school chemistry teacher, many experiences throughout her life have positioned her to thrive as an educator. Her journey has come full circle, and as a high school chemistry teacher, she now hopes to inspire bright minds to be life-long learners and to be excited about science.
Chemistry Fun | March 2021 "It's a Phase" Puzzles
In this activity, students will complete either a crossword puzzle or a word search puzzle for common vocabulary terms related to the topics of phase changes and heat transfer. This activity provides an opportunity for students to increase their familiarity with the terms that they will be expected to use when learning about thermochemistry.
Editorial | March 2021 Bringing Chemistry to Life through the Story of Madame Curie
AACT President-Elect Greta Glugoski-Sharp shares about her passion for teaching about the historical significance of important chemists — in particular, the great contributions of Marie Curie. She encourages teachers to integrate the important history of scientific pioneers, such as Curie and others, into their own teachings.
Tech Tips | March 2021 How to Use Online Forms and Surveys to Enhance Remote Learning
In this article, the author describes how the remote learning setting can be challenging for teachers. The inability to observe students’ body language and other types of real-time feedback can make it difficult to plan ahead and adjust lessons on the fly. With this in mind, the author shares some practical ways to use online forms and surveys to both engage students in remote learning and gain more real-time feedback on lesson comprehension.
Nuts & Bolts | March 2021 Remote Teaching Strategies that Will Outlast the Pandemic
In this article, the author reflects on four new teaching practices that he has successfully implemented in response to the current remote learning environment, and shares about how these strategies can continue to be valuable in the future.
Nuts & Bolts | March 2021 Beneficial Classroom Strategies for Teaching in a Pandemic and Beyond
Teaching during the pandemic has challenged teachers to find new ways to help students learn chemistry. In this article, AACT Middle School Ambassador Jennifer Smith describes several teaching methods that have been successful in her classroom. These strategies include weekly student check-in surveys, providing students with audio feedback, and creating video instructions for labs. All are easy-to-implement practices that teachers can leverage both during and after the pandemic