Chemical Education Today
Especially for High School Teachers
by Laura E. Slocum
Books, Books, and More Books Summer is really here though it seems like school just Secondary School Featured Articles ended, and I just finished going through the turmoil of choosing textbooks once again this year. My school changed its on◭ Crime Scene Investigation in the Art World: The Case of the Missing Masterpiece by Katharine J. Harmon, line book vendor, so each instructor had the option of making Lisa M. Miller, and Julie T. Millard, p 817. changes in course textbooks. Perhaps “turmoil” is not the best ◭ Marangoni Flowers and the Evil Eye: Overhead word, but it sure feels that way to Presentations of Marangoni Flow by Donald W. most of us at the end of the school Mundell, p 833. year. I decided to stay with the same textbook I have been using in my first year chemistry course. Earth Day Update Selecting a book for my Introduction to Organic and Introduction My first-ever classroom Earth Day celebration to Biochemistry course is more went well. As I mentioned in my Take on the Issue difficult. For this course, I look column in February 2009 (p 141), I decided to for a book that is descriptive but save the topic of gas laws until closer to Earth Day not too detailed. For example, I do this year (2). It seemed odd to do gas laws so late not teach mechanisms of reactions in the year, but I am glad that we celebrated Earth in my organic course, so the book Day at my school. My students seemed to like the does not need to include mecha100th JCE Classroom Activity: How Heavy Is the nisms for organic reactions. Balloon? (3), but the students did not continue Thus, you might wonder why talking about it as I thought they might. The school Beautifully colored Marangoni flow am I still on the topic of books? did re-start our school-wide recycling program and patterns are generated on top of a floral Books captivate me—they also it is going well. I am grateful for the resurgence of motif background. provide a wonderful place to esthis program and the enthusiasm the students seem cape to when I am tired of all the to have for ensuring that everyone is participating “noise”. By this time of year, a bit of quiet is satisfying and very in the recycling program. much needed. If you feel the same way, this month’s issue offers Erica’s Take on the Issue great resources to find a book for your own quiet escape. The Summer Reading issue remains one of my favorites. JCE staff and friends are heading to Radford, VA. We’ll be Summer Reading has appeared in the June or July issue of JCE there Sunday, August 2 through Thursday, August 6 as part of for many years, and you can search the JCE online index for the ChemEd meeting, hosted by Radford University. We hope past lists using Summer Reading as the title. Each typically conto see you there! Look for us in the exhibit hall Sunday night tains at least two or three books that I add to my own Summer as well on as Monday and Tuesday. We’ll be staffing booths for Reading list, and I have never been disappointed. The honest JCE, the ChemEd Digital Library (ChemEd DL), the ACS and open manner in which the summer book reviewers share Exams Institute, and ICE (the Institute for Chemical Educatheir insights causes me to ponder and want to explore further tion). Stop by to start or renew a subscription (and get a piece of the books suggested. For example, I really like Oliver Sacks’s free JCE Software), find out about great ChemEd DL resources, Uncle Tungsten, and his book, Musicophilia, that Cheryl Frech discuss publication ideas, and more. We’re also leading several describes sounds very interesting (p 793). I am always trying presentations about helpful resources you can take back to your to learn more about why so many of my students seem to be classroom and use this fall. For a listing of JCE-related presentaequally motivated by music and chemistry, and I am beginning tions, see “News from Journal House” on p 803. to learn more about the underlying connections between the Literature Cited two disciplines (1). Unfortunately, I cannot completely escape my professional 1. Slocum, Laura E. J. Chem. Educ. 2007, 84, 1897. responsibilities and I have added Hal Harris’s recommendation 2. Jacobsen, Erica K. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 141. Measuring Up (p 795), to my summer list as well. My world 3. Johnson, Bettie Obi; Milligan, Henry Van. How Heavy Is a Balwas consumed by assessment this year more than any other to loon? Using the Ideal Gas Law. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 224A– date. Until this year, my school did not have to do state-wide 224B. subject testing; however, if we want to remain in the high school athletic tournament brackets, we have to include end-of-course Supporting JCE Online Material assessments at appropriate places in our curriculum. This did http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2009/Jul/abs781.html not impact my classes this year, but it will soon. I am looking Full text (HTML and PDF) with links to cited JCE articles forward to any additional insight Measuring Up might provide in regard to student assessment. Blogged at http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/chemeddl/ © Division of Chemical Education • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 86 No. 7 July 2009 • Journal of Chemical Education
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