SECOND-YEAR CHEMISTRY FOR HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS WARREN J. HARMAN Senior High School, Bend, Oregon
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HE need for a sound second-year chemistry C. Basic principles in d e t a i l 4 weeks Kinetic theory, gases and solutions, equilibrium and ionicourse in our high schools is becoming more detail. imperative each year. At present our students D, zation in great weeks are literally exposed to a great mass of chemical facts Properties in general. Study of oxygen, hydrogen, and which are not assembled in any logical order and which halogens. do not require abstract thinking. Complete memori- E. Periodic law and t a b l e 2 weeks Value, use, properties of outer and inner groups. Conzation of facts is the general practice in most first-year sideration of different tables. courses in high-school chemistry. Due to this condiF. Detailed study of g r o u p s 1 0 weeks tion, in the main, a large number of otherwise promising Differences between metal and non-metal. Metallurgy, research and general chemists are lost to the proproperties, uses of metals. Consideration of non-metals. fession. These students never really find out whether G. Colloidal s t a t e 1 week they wish to continue the further study of chemistry. H. Carbon compounds4 weeks Rather detailed introduction. While i t is true that colleges would rather have students untrained in chemistry than filled with the I. Introduction to qualitative a n a l y s i s 3 weeks Review ionization and equilibrium. mass of unrelated facts usually offered, the second-year J. chemistry in industry-l week course would enable the superior students really to find Introduce electrochemistry. themselves and would send much better prepared chem- K. General review of course--2 weeks istry students to the colleges. A solid foundation in the theoretical principles of chemistry and a training in The above course as detailed in outline has proved a abstract thinkmg would be a boon to the sorely tried success. The students have provided the justification college professor. of such a course in their mastery of advanced prinThe writer was confronted with the problem of ciples in chemistry and their ability to link theory with furnishing instruction in advanced chemistry to a laboratory work in the interpretation of experimental group of high-school pupils who had previously taken findings. the regular course in high-school chemistry. Here was Interest in the second-year course has become so provided an opportunity to test out the value of ad- great that a class of fifty would be possible if time and vanced chemical study in a secondary school. Each of space permitted. There is no better recommendation these students was exceptionally well grounded in of the course than this great desire for the inclusion of mathematics and far above average mentally and an advanced class in high school. scholastically. The cost of this class has been next to nothing. A suitable textbook of college grade was selected, a The students paid a deposit to cover breakage and course of study mapped out, and instruction started. supplies. The deposit more than covered the cost, It was an experiment, so the course was shaped to ac- thus necessitating no increase in the departmental commodate this particular group which was planning to budget. make chemistry a life work. Tradition has continually defeated the inclusion of The course was outlined into units, several weeks more than one year of chemistry in high school, albeing devoted to each unit. Laboratory work four though two or more years of most other subjects are hours per week and lectures of one hour three times per offered in the curriculum. Because of prejudice in this week were made the time base of the course. advance in high-school subject matter, the writer was forced to conduct the advanced class after school under A. Review-3 weeks Valence, equations, oxidation-reduction, chemical arith- adverse conditions, still further proving that, given a metic, and types of reaction. regular place in the curriculum of the high school, B. Atomic and molecular weights-2 weeks second-year chemistry would become one of the most HOW determined, stmctwe, electron theory, findingformupopular and useful courses in high school. las of compounds, how used.
