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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.
Classroom Commentary | March 2026 A Glowing Obsession
This article highlights different ways a teacher uses antique glass as an engaging phenomenon in chemistry. She shares her experiences in connecting the phenomenon with nuclear chemistry topics such as radioactive isotopes, radioactivity, and radioactive decay, and in revisiting the phenomenon when teaching the electron structure of atoms.
Editorial | November 2025 Remember that Great Idea about…?
AACT Governing Board DivCHED Representative, Laura Trout, proposes a simple system teachers can adopt to help them consider and use more of the ideas they encounter during professional development.
Nuts & Bolts | November 2025 Why Metacognition is Important and How I Find Time to Include it
The author presents three different strategies for developing metacognitive skills (awareness of one's own thinking processes) and discusses how she uses them in her own classroom while providing tips for other ways to use them.
Chemistry Fun | September 2025 Lab Equipment Card Sort & Scavenger Hunt
In this activity, students will match clues to the glassware, tool, or equipment that is best designed to be used in the described manner.
Classroom Commentary | September 2025 Spectroscopy Puzzles
In this article, the author shares about his experience developing a high school level elective science class that combines organic chemistry and spectroscopy to investigate forensic chemistry in a meaningful way.
Editorial | September 2025 Sometimes You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know!
AACT President Amiee Modic encourages teachers to model curiosity by staying open to learning. She describes her experiences at some recent chemistry education conferences and offers tips for teachers looking for new learning opportunities beyond the classroom.
Classroom Commentary | May 2025 Teaching Chemistry through Art
In this article, the author shares how combining art and chemistry through culturally relevant lesson plans increased student engagement. She reflects on the chemistry concepts covered, the unit’s structure, and the impact on her students.
Editorial | May 2025 Reflecting Back and Looking Ahead
AACT President Martin Palermo advises fellow teachers to spend their summer reclaiming their time, reflecting on their experiences, connecting with their purpose, building a support network, setting boundaries, and fostering curiosity to reignite engagement.
Editorial | March 2025 Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
AACT Governing Board President-Elect Aimee Modic advises teachers on best practices for selecting classroom resources, including choosing vetted materials, testing in advance, and personalizing content.
Tech Tips | March 2025 Using Conditional Formatting in Spreadsheets to Create Engaging, Interactive Lessons with Instant Feedback
In this article, the author explores how he uses spreadsheets featuring interactive activities and instant feedback to enhance high school chemistry learning. He reports that his students became more engaged with the material, and at the same time gained essential spreadsheet skills.
Editorial | November 2024 Opportunities for Growth Through Engagement in Summer Research
AACT Governing Board SOCED Representative Don Warner emphasizes the benefits of summer research for students and teachers, highlighting programs, like ACS Project SEED, that foster personal growth, professional connections, and innovative teaching practices.
Classroom Commentary | November 2024 From the Classroom to Capitol Hill
A chemistry teacher shares her experience as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, detailing her journey from the classroom to Capitol Hill. She reflects on the fellowship’s impact and her contributions to education policy, and encourages other STEM teachers to apply.
Resource Feature | September 2024 Enhancing Student Self-Awareness of Learning Progress in High School Chemistry
A veteran high school chemistry teacher shares how implementing a year-long strategy using ongoing lab examples enhanced students’ self-awareness, allowing them to reflect on progress, correct misconceptions, and take ownership of their learning.
Editorial | September 2024 Extending Collaboration Beyond Chemistry
AACT President Martin Palermo emphasizes the importance of collaboration outside chemistry educators. Interacting with teachers from other disciplines can enrich one’s teaching practices, reduce isolation, support professional growth, and enhance student learning experiences.
In My Element | September 2024 From Lab Coats to Lesson Plans
The author shares his career transition from work as a pharmaceutical chemist to teaching high school chemistry. During his 1,000-mile journey, he discovered a passion for education and positively impacting students’ lives.
Editorial | May 2024 Reflecting on the Three Cs
AACT President Michael Farabaugh reflects on the end of the school year, balancing emotions, and setting goals. He encourages his peers to continue embracing connection, collaboration, and contribution to enhance teaching and community engagement.
Nuts & Bolts | May 2024 Reflecting on ChatGPT in our Chemistry Classroom
In a follow-up to their September 2023 article, two high school chemistry teachers explore the integration of ChatGPT (a tool for artificial intelligence, or AI) in their classroom. While AI has helped the authors with instructional planning, they have also found challenges with its accuracy and the ways students use it.
Chemistry Fun | May 2024 ChemConnections
In this activity, students will complete a series of chemistry-themed word puzzles. Each puzzle provides 16 words which students must categorize into four groups of four items that share something in common without knowing what the categories are.
Editorial | March 2024 Teacher Leadership in Science and Chemistry
AACT President-Elect Martin Palermo discusses the concerning trend of STEM educator retention, particularly in chemistry. He highlights the benefits of engaging in teacher leadership and the role of organizations like AACT in supporting chemistry educators.
Classroom Commentary | March 2024 Experimenting with Standards-Based Grading in High School Chemistry
Two chemistry teachers describe their experiment with standards-based grading, sharing their reasons, methods, and challenges faced over the last two years. They hope to encourage teachers to use this practice themselves, and share their experiences.
Chemistry Fun | November 2023 Chemistry Pyramids
In this activity, students will use the periodic table, combined with math and logic to solve several chemistry themed pyramid puzzles. In a traditional pyramid puzzle, there is a relationship between the numbers, which is used to determine the missing numbers. In all of these chemistry pyramids, each element symbol is determined by the sum of the two atomic numbers of the elements directly below it. Students are challenged with determining the missing element symbols in each puzzle, but first must use a periodic table to find the atomic number for each element symbol appearing in the puzzle. This activity is a fun challenge for students and provides the opportunity to strengthen logic and reasoning skills.
Classroom Commentary | November 2023 Student Mental Health Matters... and so Does Yours!
Student mental health has gained greater focus over recent years, yet many teachers have not applied that knowledge to themselves. A discussion at ChemEd 2023, led by the author, introduced techniques for teachers to prioritize their own well-being.
Editorial | November 2023 Engaging Students Through Chemistry Research
AACT Governing Board SOCED Representative Don Warner explains how his career began with scientific research that changed his life. He implores educators to introduce their students to research opportunities and incorporate course-based research experiences into their classes.
Advice Column | September 2023 Dear Labby: Puzzled With Precipitates
A teacher from Texas asks about precipitates and Labby answers.