edited by PATRICIA J. SMITH United States Air Acadsrny High Schwl United States Air Academy. CO 80840
chemi~tryfor kid/ A "Chtynistry Set" Chemistry Course for klementary School Teachers James C. Fanning Clemson UniversiV Clemson. SC 29631 Sybil S. Fanning Pendleton High Schwl Pendleton. SC 29870 We have developed a course in chemistry for kindergarten through sixth-grade teachers to help promote the teaching of chemistry as an experimental science at the elementary school level. The course is taught during the summer, and the participants receive graduate credit in education. The teachers carried out a large number of short, safe, simple, and inexpensive chemistry experiments. We hoped they might draw from this collection and use some of the experiments in their own classes. The general topics explored were Purity Measurements Atomic Structure Periodic Table Gases Compounds Liquids Water Solids Changes of State
Solutions Colloids Acids and Bases Carbon Dioxide Oxidation and Reduction Electrochemistry Introduction to Organic Chemistry Soap Sugars Enzymes
The lecture component of the course was guided by the laboratory. A typical class period began with a review of the previous day's laboratory experiments, including how it might best he used in an elementary school classroom and adiscussion of the misconceptions that appear to he widespread in the laboratory reports. The discussion then progressed onto the day's lecture topic which is usually closely tied to the laboratorv to he carried out that day. Teachers were - exueriments . continually encouraged to question and to discuss their exueriences with chemical phenomena. All through the class period practical examplei are presented and stressed. The textbooks used for the course are referenced (1-3). The lnboratory work wasdirecred, in large meamre, hv high sch(r~lrhemhtry reachers. Participants carried out the experiments in pairs which led to a pear deal uf interaction and sharing. Through the experiments and laboratory reports, we emphasize observation-seeing everything. By requiring that Based on a talk presented in the symposium "Chemistry in the KindergaIten through Ninth Clade Curriculum," 188th American Chemical Society meeting, Philadelphia. Pa., August. 1984. Mullin. V. L., "Chemistry Experiments for Children." Dover Publications. Inc., New York, 1962. UNESCO. "700 Science Experiments for Everyone," Doubleday & Co.. Inc.. Garden City, New York. 1958. Cobb. V., "Science Experiments You Can Eat," J. 6. Lippinam Co., Philadelphia. Pennsylvania, 1972.
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explanations be given for observations, we emphasize that the experiments are not magic tricks, but phenomena which can be explained and understood. The general topics demonstrated in one laboratory segment of the course were Separation of Things Chromatography Popcorn Air Siphons Liquids Solids Changes of State Solutions and Colloids
Acids, Bases, and Indicators Carbon Dioxide Oxidation and Reduction Electrochemistry Soap Sugars, Starch, and Cellulose Enzymes White Solids
The most difficult part of the course is collecting the necessarv chemicals and eouiument. The teachers are vrovided with H typical freshman'chkmistry stocked drawer, dut we do have them uerform some of the exueriments usine. -. for example, Stem" instead ol hurnrrs, hoitles instead of flmks, and tumhlers instead of heakers. We obtain all of the chemicals and materials from neighborhood f w d stores, drug stores, and hardware stores. The teachers are told where thev " mav -uur. chase small amounts of chemicals and chemical equipment in our part of the country. While the course is far from perfect, we have had success with it. One of our early participants told us that she has just become the fourth grade science specialist in her school and was happy that she had our course. We started the course in order to meet a need for more science in our elementary schools. We had no direction other than that we wanted to do something. We hope others will improve on what we are doing in order to meet a growing national need for more science in the elementary grades. Acknowledament We would like to extend our appreciation to Diane Teal, Berea Hieh School in Greenville. South Carolina. for her helv with the course and to all of the elementary teachers who have so enthusiasticallv received the material of this course and inspired us so much by their devotion to the teaching profession.
Laboratory Chemistry for Elementary School Teachers Linda M. Woodward University of SouthesternLouisiana
Lafayen*. LA 70504 There has been considerable interest and concern recently about the role of science in general, and chemistry in particular. in the elementarv school classroom. Too often we find "unqualified teachersire passing on unacceptable attitudes towards and understandine of science and mathematics" ( 1). Yet studies have shown t h i t thc olrmentary student is more oven to and excited by science than middle and hiell school students despite the lack of knowledge of many elementary school teachers (2). Volume 62 Number 6 June 1985
527
Chemistry Experiments for Elementary Teachers and Students Exoeriment The Scientific Method
Measurement and the Metric System
Density
Paper Chromatography
Making Soap Crystals
Activities Determining the number and shape of objects or the location of barriers in sealed boxes. Using me scientific method to study the rate of dissolving of sugar cubes. Measuring mass, length, and wl~me in metric units and comparing them with English units. Determining the density of wood . and metal samples. Comparing densities of colored salt solutions by layering. Observing physical properties and homogeneous and heterweneous mixtures. Learn ng sooratory lechnlques Designing a separilllan scheme and using it to separate a mixture. Separating cream into butter and buttermilk. Using primary colors to make mher colors. Se~aratinafood calorina an0 colored inr oy paper chromatography Comparing separations using dllferenl solvents and papers. Observing chemical changes while making soap. Crystallizing sugar, alum, and Epsom Salts from solution. "Growina" a crvstai . oarden. " Stdymg crystal shapes, 901.0 Ies. and supersa1.ralion O b s w ng the dea Gas La* and Charles' Law. Proving that gases have mass and occupy volume. Observing physical and chemical properties of carbon dioxide gas. Determinino + the color of red cabbage indicator at various pH's. Using this indicator and turmeric indicator paper to find the pH of a variety of common substances. Identifyingfats and oils, proteins, starches, and reducing sugsrr. Observing me effects of hydrochloric acid and salivary enzymes an starches and nonreducing sugars.
Primary References 15, 16
.~~ . ~. ~
17
18
19, 20
21 22, 23
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Gases
Acid-Base Indicators
~
24
25
16, 21, 25
One annroach to the ~roblemof inadeauate teacher training has been 'for chemists,kspecially college teachers, to go into the elementarv classroom and work with the students (3-10). These presentations create a memorable and positive impression of chemistry in the young minds and such programs should be expanded. Another approach deals directly with the preparation of the elementary school teacher in science. A number of chemistry departments have developed specific classes for their education majors (11,12).Here a t the University of Southwestern Louisiana, elementary and nonscience secondary teachers have heen reauired to take a two-semester-hour lecture course in chemistry,which gave them a good theoretical background, I t did not, however, provide the type of actualexperience that would help elementary teachers to do chemistry with their own classes. This lack of experience in the fundamental observational and manipulative skills of laboratory science is very common (13,14). Consequently, the chemistry and education departments decided jointly that a one-unit chemistry 528
Journal of Chemical Education
laboratory should be added to the curriculum of the elementarv education major. The labs not only provide hands-on experience, hut the experiments also deal with the topics an elementary teacher is expected to handle in the classroom. While this idea is not in itself new, the laboratory manual written for the course does have some unusual features. A review of the elementary textbooks used by the local public schools, magazines, and journals dealing with science for and chemistrv books for kids resulted - - - children. ~ ~ ~ - nooular ~ ~ ~ in a list of experiments commonl;used with children. We eliminated those that did not work well. those that reauired expensive or difficult-to-obtain equipment or supplieb, and those that might be dangerous in the elementary classroom. The 10 sets of experiments that remained are descrihed in the table. Each experiment is broken into sections, some common to most lab manuals and others unique. The introduction to each lab gives a brief description of the theory behind the particular experiment. While these introductions are written with the college student in mind, little or no previous knowledge is assumed. This is followed by a list of equipment and chemicals needed for the experiment. We use the equipment normally available in a college chemistry laboratory, but suggestions of alternatives for &e in the elementary classroom are also given. Only those chemicals that are readily available a t the grocery, hardware store, or pharmacy are used. Where appropriate, alternate, more commonly encountered, names are pr&idt.d. The ..Advance Preparation" section deicrihes procedures that are normally done by our stockroom and that the teacher would have to d o outside the classroom before using the experiment. The experimental procedure is then descrihed and auestions are included to reinforce observations and stimulate thought. Next comes an "Additional Experiment" section which describes related exercises a t a variety of levels of sophistication. In several cases, this section is longer than the rest of the descrintions combined. As manv as
