For inexpensive chemistry labs to expand your repertoire, buy my lab book Chemistry on a Budget for $21 at amazon.com or $23 at 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.
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!
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
*Some of you have purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
Now that you’re deep into your school year, you’re starting to enter grades into your records. I expect that many of you use, or were taught to use computer grading programs as mentioned earlier.
You have started to give Tests and Quizzes. Past blog posts that you might find useful right now are Quizzes & Tests (General Info & Test Generation Programs) on 9/5/2014 and Unit Objectives on 10/15/2014.
I started giving multiple versions of Quizzes and Tests (Q/Ts) to combat cheating in the classroom. It prevents it – once the word gets out, students stop trying to glance at a neighbor’s paper; and, it rewards the student who is prepared and focused on their own work.
I didn’t have access to Test Generation Programs (TGPs) until later in my teaching career, but with word processing it was pretty easy to scramble multiple choice questions and to change numbers for longer, mathematical questions.
I do recommend labelling the Q/Ts with “A” and “B” – many of the TGPs do that automatically.
Without a TGP, you write “A” and “B” on the masters before photocopying. If you’re so inclined, you can put pictures or cartoons in the top or bottom margin (or left and right margins) -- it’s a more subtle way of labelling the two versions.
Here are a few sites with chemistry cartoons and pictures that may be useful:
http://www.graphicsfactory.com/search/chemistry-p1.html
http://www.clipartpanda.com/categories/chemistry-clipart-black-and-white
http://www.gettyimages.fr/detail/illustration/chemical-and-scientific-innovation-black-illustration-libre-de-droits/180421841
https://mchumor.com/thekomic/chemistry-cartoons-pg1.html
When going over the quiz/test in class to answer student questions, you will have to share the fact that there are two versions of the Q/T – students will have to identify the question as being from the “A” or “B” (or “top” and “bottom” or “left and “right” when asking the question.
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.
The lab book Chemistry on a Budget is very useful to your Chemistry classroom with labs and class article ideas.
Order Soon!
Also, Write To Me about your successes, challenges, or questions in the Chemistry Classroom.
I hope you’re having a great September -- have a great weekend!