Chemical Education Today edited by
Classroom Activity Connections
Erica K. Jacobsen JCE Secondary School Editor
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Marbling Paper Postcards by Patti Duncan
Oodles of Uses!—Tell Us About Yours New JCE Classroom Activities continue to roll off the presses. Between now and August 2008, you’ll see six more original Activities. But what about the ones that you’ve already seen? Since the introduction of the feature in September 1997, through August 2007, 91 Activities have appeared in print. A complete list is available at JCE Online (http://www.jce.divched. org/hs/classAct/ClassActsList.html). How have you used these Activities inside and outside of your classroom? What extensions have you added? How have you customized a “Try This”
procedure for your particular situation? We’ll publish these ideas in the new “Classroom Activity Connections” feature during the odd-numbered months of the school year, from September through May. The author of our first column is Patti Duncan, a teacher from Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. She describes an extension to the procedure published in the April 2007 JCE Classroom Activity “Colorful Lather Printing”. We liked Patti’s idea so much that we plan to share it at the JCE booth during upcoming conferences. Erica Jacobsen
Postcards from Summer Camp Teaching chemistry to 7–15 year old boys at a summer print out the fronts of the postcards, then place those printouts science camp is both fun and challenging. The first question back into the printer to print the reverse side. Every printer is they ask every year is “When do we blow things up?” It can be different, so do a test run to determine how to arrange your difficult to find activities that not only interest the boys, but also pages to print correctly. allow me to teach them some honest-to-goodness chemistry. The boys marble the front of the postcard, so the “I made “Marbling Paper Postcards” was a great activity choice that really this…” words show through their design. Afterward, they lay hit “home”. The boys loved being able to mail home a brief note heavy books on the cards for about 15 minutes to prevent the written on something they created in chemistry class. paper from curling. Then, they write a message home. All they First, I created a Word document postcard template on my need after that is a stamp and their “chemistry postcards” are off ! computer. (This template, along with one created by JCE staff, They enjoy doing it and their families love the fact that the boys is available in this issue of JCE Online.W) The template can be learned a new artistic skill, along with chemistry! used to print four identical postcards on a 8.5 × 11 in. sheet of heavy paper, and can Patti Duncan teaches chembe customized with istry at Ramapo High School, your own text and Franklin Lakes, NJ; duncanp@ graphics. The front ptd.net. Featured Activity of my postcards say ◭ Extension to JCE Classroom Activity: #89. Colorful Lather “I made this postcard Printing by Susan A. S. Hershberger, Matt Nance, Arlyne M. Sarquis, and Lynn M. Hogue, J. Chem. Educ. in chemistry class at 2007, 84, 608A–608B. Camp Watonka”. The back has the return address, and lines for Place Look what I made! address and postage Stamp Journal of Chemical Education www.jce.divched.org stamp placement. Here Colorful Lather Printing. Hershberger, Susan A. S.; Nance, Matt; United States Postal Sarquis, Arlyne M.; Hogue, Lynn M. J. Chem. Educ. 2007, 84, 608A. Service guidelines require that postcards be between the sizes 4.25 in. × 6 in. and 3.5 in. × 5 in. Paper must be 0.007–0.016 in. thick. To print the postcards, I load my laser printer with 110 Sample of a marbled postcard. lb. cardstock, which can be obtained at office supply stores. Printer settings must be changed to reflect the use of cardstock. For example, after giving the initial “Print” command, click on “Preferences” and change the type of paper from “plain” to “cardstock”. I
www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 84 No. 9 September 2007 • Journal of Chemical Education 1407
