Chemical Education Today
Reports from Other Journals
The Science Teacher: Summer 2000 Reading by Steve Long
tory anatomy and physiology, and diving dangers are discussed. The ideal gas law is used to calculate the number of oxygen molecules stored in a scuba tank; Dalton’s law is used to examine the composition of the diving mixture; Henry’s law is used to study the amount of oxygen dissolving in the blood. The article includes a student activity sheet. This opportunity for students to link the sport of scuba diving with multiple aspects of science is a model of best science practice as promoted by various national science standards. Another article using gas laws is Kimbrough’s on “cracking” knuckles (7). A different sport, football, is the vehicle for studying gas laws in an article by Bare and Andrews (8). A multicultural lesson focusing upon how energy shapes civilizations is the focus of “The Energy–Culture Connection”. Barbara Urban notes how history, cultures, society, and a variety of sciences merge into a unit of study. Students are invited to imagine how their lives would be different without electricity. Suggestions for extensions of the unit are included. There is an easy connection between this activity and the ChemCom lesson, “You Decide: The Good Old Days”, where students interview older people to understand the role of petroleum in modern life (9). Plastic wrap is the focus of “Chemistry Wrap Up” by Jeremy M. Lloyd, Jeffrey M. Pristera, and Steven E. Wheeler. Class activities and independent projects using different household, plastic food wraps are described. Testing for plasticizer and stress/strain with the plastic wraps are the primary activities included. Assessment of the activities is also included in the article. Csernica and Brown recently studied the effects of plasticizers on polystyrene films (10). This article may provide additional insight for students into three different plasticizers and their roles in plastics.
“Mother Nature’s Chemistry Kitchen”, by Pauline A. Lizotte (TST 1999, 66(9), 32–35) “The Electron Slide”, by Edward M. O’Connell (TST 1999, 66(9), 48–50) “We Are Family”, by Patricia F. Croft (TST 1999, 66(9) 56, 58) “Fun with…Series”, by Kevin K. Brown (TST 2000, 67(1) 68, 70– 71) “Scuba Science”, by Neil Glickstein (TST 2000, 67(2) 18–21) “The Energy–Culture Connection”, by Barbara Urban (TST 2000, 67(3) 33–35) “Chemistry Wrap Up”, by Jeremy M. Lloyd, Jeffrey M. Pristera, and Steven E. Wheeler (TST 2000, 67(4) 36–39)
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 77 No. 7 July 2000 • Journal of Chemical Education
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TST Featured Articles
Summer signals the time for another review of chemistry-related articles published in The Science Teacher (TST). This review covers articles published from December 1999 through April 2000. “Mother Nature’s Chemistry Kitchen” explains a lesson in biochemistry and polymers. Dressed as “Mother Nature”, Pauline A. Lizotte portrays a cook preparing the four basic biomolecules and converting them into everyday food items. Lizotte believes students need to visualize biomolecules before they can comprehend biological cells. Using children’s toys and familiar food items as models, she illustrates polymerization such as the condensation of sugars into starches. Student activities and extensions of the lesson are included in the article. The concepts of atoms, elements, and covalent chemical bonding are prerequisites for student success in this lesson. Helser (1, 2) created two word searches related to sugars and lipids that would be a challenging extension for students studying biomolecules. “Students ‘dance’ to the rhythm of the atom”, modeling electron behavior in “The Electron Slide” by Edward M. O’Connell. The author shares his kinesthetic activity to model electron behavior, simulating the energy levels in atoms. Limitations of this model and possible student misconceptions are discussed. Garofalo (3) previously shared an analogy he used to assist students’ understanding of the quantum-mechanical model of the atom. In Garofalo’s article, model houses with different rooms are employed to illustrate the Aufbau process. The Idea Bank column from December 1999 begins with “We Are Family”, by Patricia F. Croft. Ideas to learn elements and periodic families are incorporated into a writing-across-the-curriculum approach. Croft uses a variety of writing activities and projects to promote student comprehension and retention of elements and chemical families, including elemental “résumés” and sonnets. The incorporation of class presentations, puppet plays, and mobile sculptures provides students opportunities to learn at a variety of levels and through multiple learning styles. Denny, Lakshmi, Chitra, and Devi (4) use riddles to enliven the study of elements and their compounds. Vorndam (5) uses puns on the names of elements to make them more interesting. The Idea Bank in January 2000 provides another chemistry idea. Kevin K. Brown explains his “Fun with…Series” where he stimulates students with the mystery and joy of science. When students appear burned out with school, Brown surprises them with a day filled with fun and inquiry activities. The article focuses upon his Fun with Dry Ice day. Demonstrations and student activities with dry ice are briefly listed. Kohli, Luck, and Ohtamaa discussed the source of the cloud that is produced when dry ice is added to water in this Journal (6). “Scuba Science”, by Neil Glickstein, is an interesting article that integrates the study of gas laws with chemistry, physics, and biology. Kinetic theory, traditional gas laws, respira-
Chemical Education Today
Reports from Other Journals: The Science Teacher Literature Cited 1. 2. 3. 4.
Helser, T. L. J. Chem. Educ. 2000, 77, 480. Helser, T. L. J. Chem. Educ. 2000, 77, 479. Garofalo, A. J. Chem. Educ. 1997, 74, 709. Denny, A. D.; Lakshmi, R.; Chitra, H.; Devi, N. J. Chem. Educ. 2000, 77, 477. 5. Vorndam, P. E. J. Chem. Educ. 1999, 76, 492. 6. Kohli, M.; Luck, R. L.; Ohtamaa, V. J. Chem. Educ. 1998, 75, 60.
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7. Kimbrough, D. R. J. Chem. Educ. 1999, 76, 1509. 8. Bare, W. D.; Andrews, L. J. Chem. Educ. 1999, 76, 622. 9. Chemistry in the Community, 3rd ed.; Stanitski, C. Ed.; Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company: Dubuque, Iowa, 1998 pp 188–189. 10. Csernica, J.; Brown, A. J. Chem. Educ. 1999, 76, 1526.
Steve Long teaches at Rogers High School, Rogers, AR 72756;
[email protected].
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 77 No. 7 July 2000 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
