During this time away from the routine, I hope you’re able to explore and to catch up on various! What do they say, the Summer starts slow but ends fast…
For inexpensive chemistry lab ideas to expand your repertoire, buy my lab book Chemistry on a Budget for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com.
Chemistry on a Budget contains several labs that are great for the beginning of the school year! Topics used include Significant Figures, Density (2 labs) and Physical Separation techniques are very handy for the beginning of the school year.
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 and use the rest of the summer to determine how you will use the labs!
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
I realize that during the school year it’s very difficult to keep up with research topics. During the next few weeks, I will talk about some current research going on in the science community.
Students memorize the symbols of the elements and usually focus on using the first 18, Hydrogen (H) through Argon (Ar).
I require my students to memorize 50 element names and symbols – correctly spelled and correct format for symbols (first letter capitalized and second letter lower-case). Like any language, it helps to have a cursory knowledge before learning it more in-depth.
More information has been discovered for the element Astatine (At) – atomic number 85, a halogen -- as discussed in this article:
http://www.internetchemistry.com/news/2013/may13/astatine-properties.html
Here is another news report about this element:
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Scientists_uncover_the_fundamental_property_of_astatine_the_rarest_atom_on_Earth_999.html
This is a more technical article about the recent discovery regarding Astatine (At):
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v4/n5/full/ncomms2819.html
*This is a simple article about Astatine (At) that could easily be assigned to students to read:
http://www.sci-news.com/physics/article01098-astatine-cern.html
Some of the terms used refer to topics discussed in Atomic Structure and Nuclear Chemistry, such as alpha particles, half-life and atomic spectrum. It might be useful for a review assignment.
A quick assignment (or extra-credit opportunity) is to have your students list 10 facts from the article. I require it to be a handwritten assignment to prevent a “copy and paste” approach. Also, you could require a quick summary or opinion with the 10 facts.
Astatine (At) is the least reactive Halogen, and this article could be used as a springboard for reviewing The Periodic Table, metals vs. nonmetals, Groups I, II, VII and VIII.
It is always useful to show the ongoing research being pursued and that the body of scientific knowledge is constantly expanding.
This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom. Remember, you can check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
Keep enjoying July and remember to order my book!
For inexpensive chemistry lab ideas to expand your repertoire, buy my lab book Chemistry on a Budget for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com.
Chemistry on a Budget contains several labs that are great for the beginning of the school year! Topics used include Significant Figures, Density (2 labs) and Physical Separation techniques are very handy for the beginning of the school year.
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 and use the rest of the summer to determine how you will use the labs!
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
I realize that during the school year it’s very difficult to keep up with research topics. During the next few weeks, I will talk about some current research going on in the science community.
Students memorize the symbols of the elements and usually focus on using the first 18, Hydrogen (H) through Argon (Ar).
I require my students to memorize 50 element names and symbols – correctly spelled and correct format for symbols (first letter capitalized and second letter lower-case). Like any language, it helps to have a cursory knowledge before learning it more in-depth.
More information has been discovered for the element Astatine (At) – atomic number 85, a halogen -- as discussed in this article:
http://www.internetchemistry.com/news/2013/may13/astatine-properties.html
Here is another news report about this element:
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Scientists_uncover_the_fundamental_property_of_astatine_the_rarest_atom_on_Earth_999.html
This is a more technical article about the recent discovery regarding Astatine (At):
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v4/n5/full/ncomms2819.html
*This is a simple article about Astatine (At) that could easily be assigned to students to read:
http://www.sci-news.com/physics/article01098-astatine-cern.html
Some of the terms used refer to topics discussed in Atomic Structure and Nuclear Chemistry, such as alpha particles, half-life and atomic spectrum. It might be useful for a review assignment.
A quick assignment (or extra-credit opportunity) is to have your students list 10 facts from the article. I require it to be a handwritten assignment to prevent a “copy and paste” approach. Also, you could require a quick summary or opinion with the 10 facts.
Astatine (At) is the least reactive Halogen, and this article could be used as a springboard for reviewing The Periodic Table, metals vs. nonmetals, Groups I, II, VII and VIII.
It is always useful to show the ongoing research being pursued and that the body of scientific knowledge is constantly expanding.
This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom. Remember, you can check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
Keep enjoying July and remember to order my book!
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