Chemistry Everyday for Everyone edited by
Chemistry for Kids
John T. Moore Stephen F. Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX 75962
Promoting Chemistry at the Elementary Level
David Tolar R. C Fisher School Athens, TX 75751
A Low-Maintenance Program of Chemical Demonstrations Larry L. Louters* and Richard D. Huisman Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
The rudiments of chemistry are first introduced in the elementary school curriculum, most often at the fifth- or sixth-grade level. However, there are a significant number of elementary teachers who, being somewhat intimidated by chemistry, shy away from teaching chemistry-based science units. Colleges, with their flexible academic schedules, are in a unique position to provide some support for these elementary teachers. For these reasons, we have established a chemical demonstration program designed for fifth- or sixth-grade students. Other successful programs designed to support elementary science education have been previously described in this Journal. Some of them bring demonstrations into the elementary classroom (1, 2), some provide summer enrichment for elementary students (3–6 ) or additional laboratory experience (7, 8), and others provide training courses for elementary teachers or for teachers in training (8, 9). In contrast to these programs, our program was specifically designed to bring the students to the college campus. The campus setting allows us to run an effective program with a low investment of time and effort. Over the past nine years, more than 4000 fifthand sixth-graders have been introduced to chemistry at the Calvin College Chemistry Department. The purpose of this program has been to (i) promote the discipline of chemistry to students at an age when they are very interested and enthusiastic, (ii) provide a community service by encouraging and enhancing science education through early active participation, (iii) instill in some of the students the possibility of pursuing a college education, and (iv) promote Calvin College and its chemistry department. The program described below could readily be adapted and instituted by other colleges. Program Overview The program is run and maintained by two staff members: a professor who presents the program and the laboratory steward who prepares materials for the demonstrations. It is presented each spring during the last week of college examinations. This is a time in the academic calendar when it is easy to get a free classroom for an entire week, and the professor’s schedule is relatively unencumbered. Two demonstration sessions are run each day, with about 40 to 50 students in each session; with this number of students, we can keep the enthusiasm and interest at a high level and maintain active involvement in the entire group. An invitation letter is sent to local elementary schools a few weeks before the program, informing them of this *Corresponding author. Email:
[email protected].
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opportunity and indicating that requests to participate will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis until the week is filled. The week’s sessions are invariably filled within a few days. In nine years only one invited school has opted not to participate, while many others have heard about the program and asked to be included. One measure of success is that this program could easily grow to become a distraction from other duties. We have resisted the temptation to allow such growth by limiting the program to one week. There are several distinct advantages to running the program on campus. First, the program runs very efficiently, with minimal time and effort. The room is set up only once, and it takes but a few minutes to reset the demonstrations for the next group. We avoid the problems and extra time associated with transporting materials and equipment to a site off campus. Second, having the program on campus provides optimal control of the experimental or demonstration conditions. This is an especially important advantage in our control of safety factors. Moreover, having the program on campus allows for a greater selection of demonstrations that can be performed. For example, one of the more popular demonstrations is the burning of liquid methane (10), which could not be easily performed safely in other settings. Another advantage to the campus setting is that it is less familiar to the students than their own classroom. This makes classroom control and maintaining a good teaching environment much easier. It also gives the students coming to campus a sense of adventure. This is an outing for them, and they anticipate having a great time. The initial anticipation, coupled with the excitement generated by the demonstrations, creates a contagiously enthusiastic atmosphere—ideal for generating interest in chemistry, as well as initiating the process of learning proper chemical language. Additionally, for many students, this excursion represents their first exposure to a college campus. We hope this positive experience will give them a desire to go to college. One classroom teacher has made this an explicit goal of the day and has linked the demonstration program with additional time to explore the campus and eat a picnic lunch on the grounds or in the campus dining hall. Demonstrations The content of this demonstration program was designed in consultation with several area elementary teachers. In most of the local area elementary schools, the formal start to chemistry education, as defined by the introduction of concepts such as atoms, molecules, and the periodic chart, occurs in the fifth grade—occasionally, in the sixth grade. Therefore, depending on the school, either the fifth or sixth grade is invited. Also, since our program always occurs late in the
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 76 No. 2 February 1999 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
Chemistry Everyday for Everyone
academic year, we are assured Table 1. Typical Demonstrations Used in Program that most of the students Topic Demonstrations Reference have a rudimentary concept Physical properties Properties of liquid nitrogen: cannon; shrinking and expansion of chemistry. Nevertheless, of a balloon; freezing of various objects each demonstration program Properties of acetone: odor; feels cold; dissolves styrofoam begins with a lively, illustrated Chemical reactions: redox Acetone burning Hot and cold running methane 10 review of atoms, molecules, Nonburning towel 12, p 13 and the fundamental nature of Penny fountain 13, p 83 chemistry. This leads to the 13, p 41 major activity of the pro- Chemical reactions: acid–base Rainbow of colors 13, p 92 Ammonia fountain with indicators gram, a series of demonstra11 Colorful acid–base extraction tions in which students be- Reaction speed: kinetics Oscillating reaction 14, p 113 come engaged and actively inCatalyst: decomposition of hydrogen peroxide 15, p 41 Reaction of oxygen and cellulose versus nitrocellulose 15, p 105 volved. For a few of the demCombustion: hydrogen versus hydrogen plus oxygen onstrations, some students even serve as assistants. A typical series of demonstrations used in the program at five to seven minutes so that each one experiences all of the Calvin is outlined in Table 1, although the actual demonstrathree sites within the department. tions performed change somewhat each year. Most of these are It should be emphasized that the educational component adapted from demonstrations found in this Journal (10, 11) or of these demonstrations is considered of primary importance. other conventional sources (12–15). A conscious effort is made No demonstration is performed without discussion or throughout the presentation to unite concepts from demonexplanation of the results—this is not chemical magic! The stration to demonstration and to relate the chemical concepts explanations are made as simple as possible, but proper chemito the students’ own experiences. Some demonstrations work cal language is always used and explained. As a result, fifth especially well in doing this. For example, the explanation of graders are exposed to terms such as atoms, molecules, acids, why a towel soaked in 50% isopropyl alcohol does not catch bases, indicators, redox reactions, combustion, exothermic, fire (evaporative cooling) is associated with why the acetone endothermic, and catalyst, as well as the proper names of felt cold on their skin (demonstrated earlier) and why the some of the chemicals used. The idea is not to overwhelm evaporation of sweat cools them in the summer. The penny them nor to hold them responsible for memorizing these fountain demonstration primarily teaches the students that not terms. It is, rather, to expose them to chemical terminology all redox reactions involve flames, but it also reinforces the used correctly in a highly visible and engaging context so they concept, presented earlier, that gases expand and exert pressure, can begin to learn the language associated with this disciand it serves to introduce the color changes associated with pline. Even though chemical concepts can be difficult, it is acid–base chemistry, which is the next concept explored. surprising how many thank-you notes we receive from students One final example of relating the demonstrations to the who correctly use the chemical language in their notes. students’ own experiences involves the last demonstration— a dramatic explosion of a balloon containing hydrogen and Evaluation oxygen. After the excited “buzz” subsides somewhat, the Although no systematic effort has been made to evalustudents are told that they are actually marvelous chemists, ate the success of this program, a large volume of positive performing a multitude of chemical reactions just to live— feedback has been received from teachers, students, and parreactions that are in many ways similar to the exploding ents in the form of thank-you notes, letters, and personal comhydrogen balloon. Cells continually carry out redox reactions ments. Some area teachers have used either a writing assignin order to supply the energy needed to support life. However, ment, such as how to write a formal letter, or an art assignwe burn foods such as sugars, not hydrogen, as our fuels. The ment as an avenue for the students to respond to the prostudents are then asked to do an imaginary activity. They are gram. When we receive the results of these assignments, asked: “Suppose there is a sack as wide as this room filled we are quite impressed with the conceptual accuracy of the with chocolate candy bars and you may come up and take as responses. many chocolate bars as you think you need to produce the After eight years, a solid and comfortable relationship with same amount energy as you just saw released in the hydrogen the elementary teachers has been forged. We have consulted with explosion. How many chocolate bars would you get?” The staff at local elementary schools regarding the place of chemstudents are very surprised and impressed to learn that they istry in the elementary curriculum and presented workshops would get only a tiny nibble from one chocolate bar. for elementary teachers at regional teachers’ conventions. Often, the demonstration portion of the program is The long-term educational success of this program is followed by a brief tour of the chemistry department. This is anecdotal and therefore more difficult to assess. In addition done by dividing the students into three groups. With the to receiving thank-you notes containing correct chemical help of other staff and college-student volunteers, one group language, the professor has been approached by students, is shown the importance of computers in modern chemistry, sometimes years later, who still recall much of what they saw as illustrated by models and dynamics of macromolecules back in fifth or sixth grade. The program has also become an shown on a Silicon Graphics workstation. The second group excellent recruitment tool for our summer chemistry camp. This is shown the laser laboratory, where some of the principles is a week-long, hands-on activity program that does have a of light are demonstrated. The third group is given a brief pre- and post-camp test to assess teaching effectiveness. tour of the instrument room. 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This program has been a good way to provide community service as well as good public relations for Calvin College. It has received attention from the local television and newspapers. At Calvin College, one of the expectations for faculty and staff is active participation in student recruitment and the establishment of good community relationships for the college. This program has been a low-maintenance and invigorating way to participate in these college efforts. The benefits to the directors of the program have been twofold. First, we have become more aware of what is happening in local elementary science education, and second, the enthusiasm and excitement of the elementary students and teachers have been refreshing and rejuvenating. The program outlined here is not intended to replace hands-on or laboratory-based teaching. Rather, it supplements these teaching methods by promoting enthusiasm for the discipline and by providing an exciting introduction to the language of chemistry. Literature Cited 1. Waterman, E. L.; Bilsing, L. M. J. Chem. Educ. 1983, 60, 415.
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2. Tracy, H. J.; Collins, C.; Lagevin, P. J. Chem. Educ. 1995, 72, 1111. 3. Giachino, G. G. J. Chem. Educ. 1984, 60, 743. 4. Schreck, J. O.; Betts, G. T.; James, M. L. J. Chem. Educ. 1984, 61, 714. 5. Gabel, D. J. Chem. Educ. 1985, 62, 702. 6. Carlson, B. L. J. Chem. Educ. 1988, 65, 58. 7. Duerst, M. D. J. Chem. Educ. 1990, 67, 1031. 8. Greco, T. G.; Greco, C. R. J. Chem. Educ. 1987, 64, 537. 9. Hill, A. E.; Berger, S. A. J. Chem. Educ. 1989, 66, 230. 10. Stamm, D. M. J. Chem. Educ. 1992, 69, 762. 11. Kelly, R. T. J. Chem. Educ. 1993, 70, 848. 12. Shakhashiri, B. Z. Chemical Demonstrations: A Handbook for Teachers of Chemistry, Vol. 1; University of Wisconsin Press: Madison, WI, 1983. 13. Shakhashiri, B. Z. Chemical Demonstrations: A Handbook for Teachers of Chemistry, Vol. 3; University of Wisconsin Press: Madison, WI, 1989. 14. Summerlin, L. R.; Ealy, J. L. Chemical Demonstrations: A Sourcebook for Teachers, Vol. 1, 2nd ed.; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1988. 15. Summerlin, L. R.; Borgford, C. L.; Ealy, J. L. Chemical Demonstrations: A Sourcebook for Teachers, Vol. 2, 2nd ed.; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1988.
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 76 No. 2 February 1999 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
