Presents a variety of activities, assignments, and mentoring structures to address the challenges of teaching writing while at the same time delivering analytical chemistry content. Emphasizes the importance of students being able to communicate in the language of their chosen field. (Author/NB)

Reports on the development and implementation of an integrated forensic science unit. Students examine and test evidence from a mock crime scene. Addresses many areas of the National Science Education Standards. (DDR)

Points out the need for demographic information about the substance of chemistry instruction at two-year colleges, and reports the results of a study in which data related to faculty and curriculum was analyzed. (DDR)

Introduces Matriculation 2000, a 5-year-old project aimed at moving from the nationwide traditional examination system in Israel to a school-based alternative embedded assessment. Describes research conducted during the fifth year of the Project at two experimental and two control schools. Investigates students' learning outcomes in chemistry and…

Notes the readability level of many high school chemistry textbooks is far above students' reading levels. Conducts two separate studies, making every effort to keep the two classes as similar as possible in all aspects except text. Finds strong evidence that changing the chemistry textbook resulted in an increase in student achievement. Suggests…

Compares outcomes of open-inquiry and expository versions of a chemistry laboratory experiment at the university level. Investigates whether the two versions would result in different outcomes depending upon students' attitudes towards learning. Indicates that the open-inquiry version shows the most positive outcomes, and students with low…

Uses a new set of 14 open-ended problems to gain some initial insights into the way pupils solve open-ended chemistry problems. Emphasizes how concepts and linkages between concepts influence success in solving such problems. Suggests that creating links between "islands" of knowledge is an important skill in problem solving. (Contains 37…

Correlates high school chemistry curriculum with high school algebra curriculum and makes the case for an integrated approach to mathematics and science instruction. Focuses on process integration. (DDR)

Describes a method for teaching electronic structure and its relevance to chemical phenomena that relies on computer-generated three-dimensional models of electron density distributions. Discusses the quantum mechanical background needed and presents ways of using models of electronic ground states to teach electronic structure, bonding concepts,…

Describes an assessment scheme in Hong Kong and investigates the degree of implementation of school-based assessment for practical science. Identifies five dimensions of implementation and uses three measuring instruments: (1) a student questionnaire; (2) a teacher questionnaire and (3) an observation schedule. Comparative analyses resulted in…

Pictorial analogies that demonstrate concepts of amounts allow instructors to teach that in stoichiometric problems, the number--or moles--of molecules of a chemical is what matters, even though it must be measured in masses or volumes. Analogies to stoichiometric relationships include the ratio of four wheels to one body in making wagons and…

Because of the role it plays in physiology and neurobiology, there is a rebirth of interest in nitric oxide. It can affect enzyme and immune system regulation and cytotoxicity. Nitric oxide may represent a new class of signaling molecules--gases that pass through cells and vanish. Overactive neurons produce large amounts of NO which may be linked…

Illustrates the chemical resistance of polytetrafluoroethene to mineral acids using an ordinary Teflon-coated frying pan. The demonstration can also be used to lead to a discussion of the long lifetimes of fluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere and their roles in the breakdown of the ozone layer. (AIM)

Presents an activity that combines the concepts of quantum numbers and probability locations, energy levels, and electron configurations in a concrete, hands-on way. Uses model houses constructed out of foam board and colored beads to represent electrons. (JRH)

Investigates students' mental models of chemical equilibrium using dynamic science assessments. Reports that students at various levels have misconceptions about chemical equilibrium. Involves 10th grade students (n=30) in the study doing a series of hands-on chemical experiments. Focuses on the process of constructing mental models, dynamic…