A Large Lecture Hall Activity-Writing
Your Name "in Chemistry"
Karen Eichstadt Ohio University, Clippinger Laboratories, Athens, OH 45701
Chemistry teachers in lectures with over 100 students need to use special techniques ( 1 3 )to keep students focused and must look for ways to establish communication channels with students so that interchanges of more substantive ideas may be fostered. In a previous publication (4) we have discussed the use of a "creative quiz" for such a purpose, to link an activity in a small way to the grading scheme. Anew lecture game, which came about spontaneously, has provided a unifying diversion in a class of 160 students. One day, near the end of a lecture on equilibrium, the students in a large lecture hall appeared fatigued and although 10 minutes remained, clearly they were not ready to engage actively in more theory. It was a n ideal time to change pace and mood with a "creative quiz." The question was merely: Write your first name "in chemistry". Count the elements. You may need to omit a letter or two.
After a few laughs and astonished looks, the students began staring at the Periodic Chart and busily wrote what they could before leaving feeling somewhat rewarded. The success of the project was clear with the first glance a t the papers. Everyone who participated received a uniform but modest number of quiz points. The exceptional papers were recognized a t the next lecture by a round of applause and a chemical bookmark! They were classified into two categories:Honorable Mention for creative use of chemical symbols and Finalist for use of 3 or more elements with no
letters omitted. There were no students who did not have a t least one element. The results are summarized in the table. Honorable Mention Finalists
PAt LAuRa CIInTiN
Amy STaCeY FRaNCeSCa
BOB ReBeCCa NiCHOLaS
In the days that followed the quiz, new versions ofnames were in vogue. They may be grouped as follows: 1. The reversible names: LaUReN NeRuAl 2. The symbolic initials: Al, Ag, Br2 3. The unit names: mp, mm, mL 4. The historical narnr;. I'y'I'hAgORaS FR3NCIS BaCoN 5. The international symbolic nnmer: -1 tiodme in Euruwt.) 6. Compounds in names: H 2 0
This activity afforded more than a few smiles in the classroom with a real personalization of chemistry We felt that first names were much more "user friendly" than surnames. A lecturer may find numerous adaptations of this idea. Literature Cited 1. Cmsby, O.A. d. Chom Educ 1892,69,43&436. 2. Brooks,D. W. J Chrm Edue 19%.61,85%859. 3. R o w , M.B.J. ChemEduc. 19BS,60,954-956. 4. Eichstadt,K.E J. C h . E d u . 1989.66.326.
Volume 70 Number 1 January 1993
37
