Chemical Education Today
Bring National Chemistry Week to Your School Chemistry Classroom with ACS Resources by Marta Gmurczyk* ACS Office of High School Chemistry, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C. 20036 *
[email protected] by Alvin C. Collins III ACS Department of Volunteer Support, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C. 20036
In 1987, the American Chemical Society (ACS) started a program called National Chemistry Day. Celebrated every other year, National Chemistry Day had the goal of reaching the public, particularly elementary and secondary school children, with positive messages about chemistry. In time, National Chemistry Day became National Chemistry Week (NCW), which is now a weeklong annual celebration with 98% of ACS local sections participating, countless hours of community service, and more than 6400 volunteers and 138,000 participants. Check Out ACS's Celebrating Chemistry Publications for NCW Resources The ACS Department of Volunteer Support and the ACS Committee on Community Activities provide support and products to help educators celebrate NCW. Among all NCW products, ACS's Celebrating Chemistry publication (also available in Spanish) is perhaps the best-recognized resource for planning and conducting NCW outreach events. The theme for NCW 2010 is Behind the Scenes with Chemistry, which aims to explore the chemistry behind the magic and the mystery of special effects, hair and makeup, and forensic science. To support this theme, the current issue of Celebrating Chemistry includes articles and activities on common special effects such as breaking glass, artificial snow, and ancient, invisible, and colored inks. The activities in this publication were developed for students in grades 4-6. NCW Poster Contest, Science Caf es, and Youth Activity Patch Another regular feature of NCW is a K-12 poster contest. This year the contest is titled “Where's the Chemistry?”, and it focuses on common yet little-recognized applications of chemistry. High school students are strongly encouraged to apply through their ACS local section. More information on this exciting contest can be found through ACS local section Web sites, in newsletters, or by contacting ACS local section NCW coordinators. The winners of the local contests are entered in the national contest; first and second place awardees receive a cash prize. High school teachers and students are also encouraged to participate in Behind the Scenes with Chemistry Science Cafes that may be organized by ACS local sections in their communities. A number of other NCW-themed educational resources are available for teachers to engage students with positive messages 894
Journal of Chemical Education
_
_
about chemistry at http://www.acs.org/ncw (accessed July 2010). For example, the Youth Activity Patch program encourages student and youth groups (e.g., 4-H Clubs, Boys and Girls Clubs, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the YMCA) to participate in chemistry-related activities sponsored at the local level. The goal of the program is to capture the interest of young people in chemistry through activities. Start an ACS High School Chemistry Club and Celebrate NCW! Additional NCW resources are also distributed to the advisors of ACS High School Chemistry Clubs (ChemClubs). Since fall 2005, more than 270 clubs have been established in 43 states and Puerto Rico. These clubs, which regularly receive a variety of resources from the ACS Education Division, are designed to provide fun, authentic, and hands-on opportunities for their members to experience chemistry beyond what is taught in the classroom, to learn about career opportunities in chemistry, and to provide service to their communities. Since their inception, many high school chemistry clubs have embraced NCW with overwhelming support and enthusiasm. In 2009, more than two-thirds of clubs participated in NCW in unique and exciting ways. For example, club members presented chemical demonstrations at science museums for children and parents, performed experiments at elementary schools with younger students, interacted with chemistry students at local colleges, organized science events for middle schools, sponsored poster contests, and much more. In fall 2010, ACS high school chemistry clubs will go Behind the Scenes with Chemistry! Preparation for these festivities has already begun. The April 2010 Web-based monthly feature (http:// www.acs.org/chemclub; accessed July 2010) was titled “Special Effects: How Chemistry Fools People” and contained a collection of activities, demonstrations, and background information designed to explore chemistry behind the spectacular special effects seen in movies. The first quarterly resource package for the 2010-2011 school year will be mailed to clubs in late August; it will provide clubs with copies of Celebrating Chemistry and additional activities and ideas on ways to celebrate NCW. All new ChemClubs that apply by August 15 will receive the 2010 NCW resource package and will join a growing family of ChemClubs that are reaching out to their communities during NCW with the joy of chemistry. NCW provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the many ways that chemistry improves people's lives. The hardest
_
Vol. 87 No. 9 September 2010 pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc r 2010 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc. 10.1021/ed100640z Published on Web 07/16/2010
Chemical Education Today
part may be in selecting one (or more) of the many activities in which to participate. We look forward to celebrating National Chemistry Week with you in October! If you are a chemistry teacher, consider starting an ACS High School Chemistry Club. It does not take many students to start an enthusiastic club. Membership in the program and its resources are free of charge through ACS. For more information about the ACS High School Chemistry Clubs program, please contact the ACS Office of High School Chemistry at
[email protected] or visit http:// www.acs.org/chemclub (accessed July 2010).
r 2010 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
_
For a complete list of books and electronic resources, as well as more information about the NCW 2010 Poster Contest, the Science Cafe Community Event, and the Youth Activity Patch Program, visit http://www.acs.org/ncw (accessed July 2010) or call 800-227-5558. Marta Gmurczyk is manager, ACS Office of High School Chemistry, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 20036;
[email protected]. Alvin C. Collins III is program manager, National Chemistry Week, ACS Department of Volunteer Support, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC 20036;
[email protected].
pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
_
Vol. 87 No. 9 September 2010
_
Journal of Chemical Education
895
