Print+resources

1) Science Misconceptions- Formative Assessment Page Keeley's __Uncovering Student Ideas in Science__ (vols. 1-4)

2) Misconceptions in Biology

3) Misconceptions in Science- Physical and Earth

4) Science Notebooking __Teaching Science With Interactive Notebooks__ by Kellie Marcarelli

5) Easy chemical reactions

Here are some chemical reactions that use common ingredients. Teachers are reminded and urged to examine safety related issues before doing any of these reactions.

• You could try chalk and vinegar. Students can see the bubbling. How about Polident and water?

· http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~ucfcasio/pdfiles/rid.pdf This site uses calcium chloride which is a dessicant and can be purchased in hard ware stores (Quick Joe – ice melt is one form) It works best when kept dry and releases heat (exothermic) as it dissolves. Try mixing this in equal amounts with baking soda in a water or phenol red solution. Wash your hands if you handle the calcium chloride! If can damage sensitive membranes.

· http://www.inquiryinaction.org/classroomactivities/activity.php?id=26 This experiment will work but varies greatly depending on how much water is associated with the calcium chloride. The molar heat of solution can be determined if appropriate and that is a characteristic property.

· http://www.inquiryinaction.org/classroomactivities/activity.php?id=24 This endothermic reaction is fun for younger students and fairly benign. Students can investigate limiting factors by asking after the bubbling stops "Why did the bubbling stop?” The reaction either ran out of acid or baking soda. How can we find out which one was used up? Separate the reaction into two containers and add more vinegar to one – if bubbling begins then the reaction ran out of vinegar. Make a prediction about the second container: If you add more baking soda to it, what do you think will happen? (students should make a prediction or claim and use the result of the last experiment as their evidence) Nothing should happen in the second container since all the vinegar was consumed in the reaction. This series of reactions can be used in middle level chemistry to develop the idea that there are set amounts of reactants that work together. This is sometimes called the law of definite composition. E.g. H20 for every oxygen there are two hydrogens.

· Test 5 different household (read: cheap) products using purple cabbage juice, goldenrod paper, and/or pH paper. You can make indicator test strips from cabbage juice and blotting paper or use in a liquid form. I have used boiled and blended purple cabbage juice and prefer the blended: Put about 1/8 of a purple cabbage head into a blender and add water to about 2/3 full. Blend and then strain the material. Throw out the solid and keep the purple liquid. You might wish to further dilute this liquid until you can just see through about 10 cm of liquid. This liquid can be placed in ice cube trays and frozen into cubes for future use. pH range is from about 4 to 11 in my experience. Try the juice with house hold acids like vinegar, soda water, juice straight from an orange, cream of tarter. Try the juice with household bases like clear hand soap, sudsy ammonia. · http://www.teachersource.com/Default.aspx Provides a clearinghouse of inexpensive material. Use the search engine and grade of interest to find chemical experiments and demonstrations.

Making Chemical Precipitates Using Common Ingredients
Dissolve washing soda (found in the laundry detergent aisle at the grocery store--it is a detergent "booster") in water. The process of dissolving releases heat energy & if students do this by shaking it up in a test tube, they can actually feel the solution getting warm.

Dissolve Epsom salts in water (found in various places in the grocery store--you can use this solution to soak a sprain, so you might find it in the health section). The process of dissolving absorbs heat energy & again, if students dissolve it by shaking it up in a test tube, they can feel the solution cooling down.

Pour one solution into another & a white precipitate forms.

Depending on how much time you want to spend on this, you can do this as a demo or have students dissolve the solids in the water in a test tube--you need stoppers for the test tubes & googles for the students.

If you wanted to invest more time, you could have students measure both the liquids & the solids (graduated cylinders & balances), dissolve the solids, & measure the temperature change.

Kip Bollinger- As described to me by my more learned chemistry teacher buddies, the dissolving of the solids & resulting temperature changes are exothermic & endothermic processes & not evidence of a chemical reaction...but how far you want to go with that explanation would depend on the level & background knowledge of your students.