Chemical Education Today
Reports from Other Journals
The Science Teacher : Winter 2002 by Steve Long
TST Featured Articles
Chemistry-related articles published in The Science Teacher (TST) from May through November 2001 are included in this semi-annual review. Article topics of possible interest to this Journal’s readers include teaching activities, writing and literature connections, and integrated lessons. An integration of chemistry with both science literature and technology is presented in “Storybook Science”. The author, Trent Daniel, collaborated with a fifth grade teacher to have high school students “collaboratively produce a professional quality, multimedia, chemistry-oriented, children’s storybook CD.” To prepare for the project, the high school students read children’s books; learned technology skills including presentation software, Internet use, scanners, and digital cameras; and learned how to write short stories. The fifth grade students produced original artwork, critiqued the short story using a rubric, and recorded the completed storybook. Daniel determined that both elementary and high school students benefited from this mutual mentoring project, which was both a 1999 NSTA/Toyota Tapestry and a Disney Teacherrific 2000 Award winner. “Chemistry Rocks” applies redox chemistry to geology and to the color of iron compounds in rocks. Mary Sue Burns uses her interest in geology and interesting rocks to encourage students to “observe first-hand the abstract topics of transition metal chemistry, oxidation states, and oxidationreduction reactions.” The color of iron compounds in sedimentary rocks varies depending upon whether it was exposed to air or deep under water in a reducing environment. Students study known iron compounds to learn about the relationship between the oxidation states and the colors of iron compounds. Students then conduct activities to experi-
“Storybook Science” by Trent Daniel (TST 2001, 68 (5), 42–43) “Chemistry Rocks” by Mary Sue Burns (TST 2001, 68 (6), 30–33) “Concrete Inquiry” by Linda M. Bachta (TST 2001, 68 (6), 40–43) “Atomic Poetry” by Gil Abisdris and Adele Casuga (TST 2001, 68 (6), 58–62) “Building a Periodic Table” by Michael T. Ruby and Terrie Brueckmann (TST 2001, 68 (6), 80–82) “Teaching Technical Writing” by Jean Lummis (TST 2001, 68 (7), 28–31) “Dry Ice is Cool” by Susan C. Wells and Donna R. Sterling (TST 2001, 68 (7), 72, 74–75) “Quicksand Query” by Pamela Galus (TST 2001, 68 (8), 32–35) “Soil Studies” by Donna M. West and Donna R. Sterling (TST 2001, 68 (8), 36–40)
ment with iron. Finally, students observe sedimentary rocks to hypothesize about the environment in which the ironcontaining samples may have been formed. Another article, from this Journal, “Chemistry of Rocks and Minerals” (1), might provide additional resources for students interested in the integration of chemistry and geology. Also, “Test Tube Geology: A Slowly Developing Redox System for Class Study” (2) continues the study of redox chemistry as it relates to geology. Concrete is a common building material, yet Linda M. Bachta believes few students properly know about or appreciate concrete. In “Concrete Inquiry”, Bachta explains how she allows students to investigate the properties of concrete by producing and testing the samples they make. Students work in cooperative groups to see who can ultimately produce the strongest (compressional) sample with the smallest mass. Students form three samples—control, ingredient varied, and reinforced—using Portland cement, sand, gravel, water, and reinforcing material. With inexpensive, common materials students study materials science, practice scientific investigation, and evaluate their products. Scenarios for using the project in class, recipes for the control sample, and suggestions for evaluating the product are included in the article. For additional information on Portland cement, students and teachers may find both “The Story of Portland Cement” (3) and “On the History of Portland Cement after 150 Years” (4) of interest. “Reading and analyzing poetry about science concepts with students is an interesting way to enhance students’ understanding of scientific developments and the roles of individual scientists and their contributions to science.” Gil Abisdris and Adele Casuga use Robert Frost’s poetry to teach about Rutherford’s discovery of the nucleus in “Atomic Poetry”. The authors outline how they use this poetry as a vehicle for the study of the development of atomic structure. Sample student interpretations and suggestions for implementing the mini-unit in class are included. The authors also provide suggestions for additional Frost poems linking other chemistry topics such as the Millikan oil drop experiment, the quantum nature of atoms, and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. This integration of poetry and chemistry is unusual. The use of literary devices to help students relate to the history of chemistry was recently noted in this Journal in “Stories and Anecdotes in the Chemistry Classroom” by Folino (5). Often, students having trouble with the sciences may find the use of literature or stories helpful in making a connection with the science content. Other techniques by Journal authors to assist students’ understanding of Rutherford’s experiment include “Simulation of Rutherford’s Experiment” (6 ) and “Bowling Balls and Beads: A Concrete Analogy to the Rutherford Experiment” (7 ). continued on p 144
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Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 79 No. 2 February 2002 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
Chemical Education Today
Reports from Other Journals continued from p 142
Many chemistry teachers seek methods of visually portraying the periodic table for students. Ruby and Brueckmann adapted a unit on the periodic table for a blind student and found that the modification also engaged other students. “Building a Periodic Table” uses plastic construction toy blocks to model the periodic table visually and physically. The authors report increased interest and involvement from all students in studying the periodic table when using this process. A model of the periodic table constructed from paper ribbon is explained in “The Periodic Building of the Elements: Can the Periodic Table Be Transformed into Stereo?” (8). Marshall prefers a “living” periodic table with samples of the elements that was featured on a cover of the Journal in “A Living Periodic Table” (9). “Teaching Technical Writing” explains how Jean Lummis switched students from traditional lab reports to conceptbased lab reports. Lummis remarks “This type of lab report addresses two needs of the high school student: to learn and practice technical writing skills and to focus on the concept behind the lab instead of on the procedure.” The author used her industry experience and background to shape the format of the concept-based lab reports. She uses a three-paragraph format to guide the students’ reports. A writing checklist and a report-grading rubric are included in the article. Lummis states “the lab reports students write have become my best teaching tool for gaining deep insight into students’ understanding of the lab.” In “Using Journal Articles to Teach Writing Skills for Laboratory Reports in General Chemistry”, Tilstra presents her strategy for improving student writing skills (10). For an activity to assist students with making and recording accurate observations on lab reports, check out “Putting It All Together: Lab Reports and Legos” (11). In “Dry Ice is Cool”, Susan G. Wells and Donna R. Sterling share their ideas for using this popular material for chemistry demonstrations and activities. They begin with safety precautions and then explain uses for dry ice in several density demonstrations, pH demonstrations, and miscellaneous uses. Many of these will be familiar to veteran teachers, but the authors’ applications and style of presentation may bring new insights. Additional information on dry ice can be found in the Journal article “Handling Dry Ice in a Grade School Setting” (12). Using common fallacies and misconceptions about quicksand, Pamela Galus teaches density concepts in her lesson, “Quicksand Query”. Students perform activities on fluid density, irregular solids, and simulated quicksand. Then, they predict whether a human would sink (based upon density) in quicksand. Suggested data tables and activities are included in the article. “Beyond Density: An Inquiry-Based Activity Involving Students Searching for Relationships” (13) explains another lab activity with density that may serve as a companion activity to the quicksand. The use of multiple
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versions of a similar activity may allow students to gain mastery of concepts. “Soil Studies” provides everyday environmental applications for studying acid–base chemistry. Both first- and second-year chemistry students can apply the acid–base chemistry of soil and rainwater in an environmental and authentic setting. First-year students begin by studying how the pH of rainwater changes as it moves through soil. Activities for collecting and testing water samples as well as how to assemble and test for changes as the water moves through soil columns are described. Second-year students design a more in-depth pH experiment after a background research on soil chemistry. Donna M. West and Donna R. Sterling include possible resources, procedures, sample student data, and analysis of the results. Two additional articles from this Journal on soil chemistry that may serve as extensions of West’s and Sterling’s article include “Chemical Analysis of Soils: An Environmental Chemistry Laboratory for Undergraduate Science Majors” (14) and “Humic Acids: Marvelous Products of Soil Chemistry” (15). The article on humic acids cites many other articles that might serve as excellent references for high school students wishing to investigate soil chemistry in greater depth. Perhaps one or more of these brief summaries of articles will encourage readers of this Journal to investigate the full article in TST or a referenced article from JCE. Literature Cited 1. Pezaro, P.; Mazor, E.; Samuel, D.; Ben-Zavi, N. J. Chem. Educ. 1978, 55, 383. 2. Cortez, J.; Powell, D.; Mellon, E. J. Chem. Educ. 1988, 65, 350. 3. Ryan, J. J. Chem. Educ. 1929, 6, 1855, 2128. 4. Daugherty, K.; Robertson, L. J. Chem. Educ. 1972, 49, 522. 5. Folino, D. J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 1615–1618. 6. Bishop, C. J. Chem. Educ. 1990, 67, 889. 7. Lorenz, M. J. Chem. Educ. 1988, 65, 1082. 8. He, F.; Li, X. J. Chem. Educ. 1997, 74, 792–793. 9. Marshall, J. J. Chem. Educ. 2000, 77, 979. 10. Tilstra, L. J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 762. 11. JCE Editorial Staff. J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 1192A– 1192B. 12. Berger, B.; Tomas, G.; Mellon, E.; Bare, W. J. Chem. Educ. 1991, 68, 868. 13. DeMeo, S. J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 201. 14. Willey, J.; Brooks, Jr., G.; Manock, J.; Skrabal, S. J. Chem. Educ. 1999, 76, 1693. 15. Davies, G.; Ghabbour, E. J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 1609– 1614.
Steve Long teaches at Rogers High School, Rogers, AR 72756;
[email protected].
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 79 No. 2 February 2002 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
