Wow, the school year is over for many of you.  Congratulations!  You made it!
 
Most departments are in the process of ordering materials for the 2016-2017 class year.  The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that could be useful.  You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. Check it out!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html
 
There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout. 
 
It will take a week or so to get to you, so Order Now!
 
*Some of you have purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
I wrote about your writing an End of Year Reflection on 06/14/2015.  I recommend it highly as your school year ends – things you want to remember to do or NOT to do  -- especially something for the beginning of the school year that you regretted not doing this year!  Maybe a topic that  you wanted to start earlier (not following your textbook order, perhaps?) 
 
If you want to change the order of topics, remember if your department has a specific order that you must follow (for labs for example).
 
Once reflection is complete, relax when you can.  You need to have this time to recover from the hectic work of the school year.
 
I will be continuing my focus on current scientific research developments.
 
*This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom.  Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
 
Also, Write To Me about your successes, challenges, or questions in the Chemistry Classroom.  Many thanks to those who have written to me this school year! 
 
Remember, buying a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget can be very useful to your Chemistry classroom with labs and class article ideas.


Congratulations on a great school year!
​

I know that it’s crazy-busy at this time of year, but do try to reflect on your school year before you get distracted with all of your summer activities.
 
*This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom.  Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
 
Also, Write To Me about your successes, challenges, or questions in the Chemistry Classroom.
 
Remember, buying a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget can be very useful to your Chemistry classroom with labs and class article ideas.

Have a good week!
​

Wow, it’s the second week of June!  The mad rush to the end of the school year has begun!
 
Most departments are in the process of ordering materials for the 2016-2017 class year.  The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that could be useful.  You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. Check it out!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html
 
There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout. 
 
It will take a week or so to get to you, so Order Now!
 
*Some of you have purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
Past blog posts that may be useful at the end of the school year include:
-Final Exams – End of Year Preparation dated 06/08/2014
- End of Year Activity – Lab Clean-up dated 06/15/2014
- Lab Practical Examination dated 04/30/2015
- Final Exams II dated 06/04/2015
 
China is a large country, with an area of 3.7 million square miles and a population of almost 1.4 billion people. 
 
“For many people in China, the most visible problem isn’t the country’s slowing economy, corruption or social harmony. It’s dirty air. China is home to some of the world’s most polluted cities, and when its thick blanket of smog blows into urban areas, frantic citizens pick up their mobile phones to check air-quality levels.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/choking-china
 
 
“Air pollution is killing about 4,400 people in China every single day, according to a new study.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/air-pollution-china-deaths_us_55cd9a62e4b0ab468d9cefa9
 
“The air in much of China is so bad the government has repeatedly declared "war" on it. The enemy are tiny particulates which spew forth from countless cars, coal-fired power stations and steel plants to create a dense, putty-coloured smog.
Beijing recently issued its first pollution 'red alert', closing schools, factories and construction sites, and ordering half of all private cars off the road.”
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-35351597
 
“…PM2.5 (particulate matter with diameters of 2.5 micrometers or less), which are found in smog and acid rain and originate from coal plants, diesel trucks, dust from construction sites, and other sources…are among the most dangerous, as they can embed in lungs and enter the bloodstream, leading to heart and respiratory problems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/12/10/as-smog-hangs-over-beijing-chinese-cite-air-pollution-as-major-concern/
 
“To put the problem into context, we took a look at pollution in Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul compared with two U.S. cities — the biggest, New York, and one of the most polluted, Los Angeles. When these Asian megacities' pollution is measured by the Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality Index, the numbers reveal the stark contrast between the air Asians are breathing in these cities and the air Americans breathe.”
http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/06/03/478796463/koreas-air-is-dirty-but-its-not-all-close-neighbor-chinas-fault
 
Here is a brief 1½ minute BBC video interviewing people about how they deal with the polluted air in Beijing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S27ycsxUtRM
 
China is not the sole source of air pollution on the earth.  The top five countries producing air pollution are China, the United States, Brazil, Indonesia and Japan.  http://www.activesustainability.com/top-5-most-polluting-countries
 
 
According to a New York Times article on March 30, 2015, there was a new study of air quality in five major cities by a team of researchers at Peking University.
“There was both good and bad news in the report, titled ‘Air Quality Assessment Report (2): A Statistical Analysis of Air Pollution in Five Chinese Cities’ and published online.
The team scrutinized three years of air quality data for the measure known as PM 2.5, the fine particulate matter that is especially hazardous to health. One source of the data was the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection. The other was the United States Embassy in Beijing and consulates in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chengdu and Shenyang. …
China began releasing PM 2.5 figures for hundreds of locations in 2013, five years after the United States Embassy began publishing readings from monitors on its grounds that drew wide attention among Chinese. Suspicions linger to this day about the reliability of the Chinese government data.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/31/world/asia/china-air-pollution-beijing-shanghai-guangzhou.html?_r=0
 
“The large costs of air pollution are driven by health impacts and loss of productivity…and rising as China's population becomes more urbanized and productive. … [The top three proposals to reduce air polution are:]  replacing coal with natural gas for residential and commercial heating, replacing half of China‘s coal-fired electric power generation with renewables or nuclear power, and scrapping highly polluting vehicles .
 
The recurring annual costs of replacing coal with natural gas for residential and commercial heating could run from $32 billion to $52 billion, and replacing half of China‘s coal-fired electric power generation with renewables or nuclear power would run about $184 billion, for total recurring costs ranging from $215 billion to $235 billion annually.”
http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR861.html
 
One homework assignment your students could complete would be to:
-list the top five gases that compose the atmosphere
-list five gases considered components of air pollution
For each gas:
-list its chemical formula
-list its electron dot diagram
-list the physical effects on humans
- sources of the gas in the atmosphere
This activity may be good for a first week homework assignment.
 
*This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom.  Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
 
Also, Write To Me about your successes, challenges, or questions in the Chemistry Classroom.
 
Remember, buying a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget can be very useful to your Chemistry classroom with labs and class article ideas.

Have a good week!
​