Chemistry for Everyone
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Classroom Nomenclature Games—BINGO Thomas D. Crute Department of Chemistry and Physics, Augusta State University, Augusta, GA 30904; *
[email protected] Games and puzzles can provide a stimulating alternative to noninteractive lectures. Games such as Relays (1), Chemical Squares (2), Jeopardy (3), and Odd Man Out (4 ), as well as numerous puzzles, have been reported in this Journal. BINGO has been applied to chemistry education for matching element names to symbols and compound names to formulas (5). Teaching and drilling chemical nomenclature can be particularly mind-numbing, and a game of Nomenclature BINGO can allow a bit of fun while providing instruction and practice. I have had success applying BINGO to simple alkane nomenclature, and many variations are possible.
dimethyl
methyl
pentane
cyclohexane
nonane
isopropyl
propyl
diethyl
cis
octane
trimethyl
cyclopentane
isobutyl
cyclopropane
FREE SPACE card 1
decane
t-butyl
hexane
sec-butyl
trans
cyclobutane
propane
heptane
butane
ethyl
Playing Nomenclature BINGO As in the traditional BINGO game, players mark cards to try to be the first to achieve 5 in a row. The BINGO card consists of a 5 × 5 matrix with a name fragment in each box. A sample card is shown in Figure 1. A Lewis structure is selected at random from a pile and viewed using an overhead projector. Students name the compound using IUPAC rules and match parts of the name to their BINGO cards. For instance, the structure shown below is properly named 4-ethyl-3-methylheptane. After naming the compound, the student would then mark 3 boxes on the BINGO card: ethyl, methyl, and heptane. The first person to get 5 in a row yells “BINGO” and the spaces are doublechecked against the proper name. H 3C
C CH H2
C C CH3 H 2 H2
C H3C H C CH3 H2
4-ethyl-3-methylheptane
A student might incorrectly name this structure 3-secbutylhexane, marking both sec-butyl and hexane on the BINGO card. Portions from incorrect names will, of course, not count. Since each structure can lead to as many as 3 or 4 spaces to fill on the card, often more than one person will achieve BINGO on the same structure. Thus speed counts as well as accuracy. At the end of each round, the correct names are uncovered and discussed. I reshuffle the used names with the unused for the subsequent round. The repetition is beneficial, especially for those students who named a structure incorrectly in the first round. During the game, all structures remain on the overhead to allow rechecking or to accommodate slower players. Constructing the Game Materials Using a “free space” at the center of the card means that 24 name fragments are required per card. With a master list of 24 name fragments, all cards would contain identical name
Figure 1. BINGO card for simple alkanes.
fragments. With a larger master list, some cards would contain items not found on others. For the simple alkanes, I used the n-alkanes and cycloalkanes through 10 carbons and small alkyl groups, including the common names for branched substituents up to 4 carbons, to develop a master list of 24 name fragments. In a word processor file I created enough blank 5 × 5 tables with borders for each student in my class. Using the copy and paste function, I pasted each of the 24 name fragments, one at a time, at random places in each table to assure that each card was different. Cards were numbered for identification purposes. To avoid the need for markers, students write directly on their cards using a unique mark for each round. Even though used cards are too marked up for reuse, new ones are easily printed each semester. Numbering the cards proved advantageous because I found that a particular card was winning frequently, presumably from the fortuitous positioning of the most common structural elements. Having the card uniquely numbered allowed it to be edited to remove the unfair advantage. The structures were developed using the master list of name fragments. Tracking the frequency of occurrence of each fragment assured that all were used and that overuse was limited to the most common (e.g., methyl). The correct name was placed next to the structure and printed on an overhead transparency. Several structures will fit on a single sheet and can be cut apart. The name is covered with a piece of paper taped on one edge, which can easily be folded away to reveal the correct names at the end of each round. I use a library of 18 alkane structures. Typically, about 5 structures are needed before someone achieves the necessary five in a row for a particular round.
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 77 No. 4 April 2000 • Journal of Chemical Education
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Chemistry for Everyone
Variations PO4
Cl
K2
Ca
Na
Cl2
NH4
O
SO4
Al
SO3
Li
Cl3
Al
K
S
(OH)2
Mg
OH
(NH4)2
Fe
Li2
Fe2
O3
The game can be applied to any set of 24 key words or symbols. The stoichiometry of simple inorganic compounds could be featured using a card such as that shown in Figure 2. In such a game, the clue “aluminum chloride” would require students to distinguish whether the formula has Cl, Cl2, or Cl3, all of which could be possibilities listed on the BINGO card. This differs from the previously described Chemical Bingo (6 ) in that the entire compound name or formula is not being matched. Instead, both the element symbols and the correct stoichiometry of the compound must be determined without matching it to a listed formula. Feedback After alkane BINGO was played, an informal poll of students indicated that it was a productive use of class time and provided good reinforcement of nomenclature. Although the game is largely drill, careful selection of structures can illustrate many of the most common errors, such as failing to find the longest chain in naming alkanes. Thus the game can reinforce important concepts at a teachable moment, when the students are actively engaged and more receptive to instruction. The game also provides a nonthreatening opportunity for feedback to the instructor on the students’ weaker areas, identified by incorrect marking of cards. The primary complaint from some students was the tradeoff of class time to play the game against using that time for lecturing on nomenclature rules. The expectation of learning the nomenclature from the textbook on their own is troubling to some students, although plenty of instruction is provided during the game. A request from students for an enticement such as candy prizes or quiz bonus points is not unexpected. In my experience this enticement, coupled with advanced notice of the game, was enough motivation for students to largely teach nomenclature to themselves from the textbook, with only a
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FREE SPACE card 2
Figure 2. BINGO card for inorganic nomenclature.
minimum of teacher assistance. Any activity that encourages student self-reliance is one that I want in my classroom. W
Supplemental Material
A set of 24 bingo cards and 18 structures representing the alkane BINGO materials are available in this issue of JCE Online. Literature Cited 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Crute, T. D. J. Chem. Educ. 1992, 69, 559. Schreck, J. O. J. Chem. Educ. 1992, 69, 233–234. Deavor, J. P. J. Chem. Educ. 1996, 73, 430. Armitage, G. M. J. Chem. Educ. 1979, 56, 609. Russell, J. V. J. Chem. Educ. 1999, 76, 481. Caldwell, W. E. J. Chem. Educ. 1935, 12, 393.
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 77 No. 4 April 2000 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
