Chemical Education Resources

What is Available To The Chemistry Teacher at This Web Site?

We gratefully acknowledge the following agencies for their support and contributions to these projects:

• The Mississippi NASA Space Grant Consortium
• The National Science Foundation under Grant No. 9911886
• The National Science Foundation under Grant DPE 84-70138
• The Education Committee of the Mississippi Section of the American Chemical Society

Laboratory Experiments for 7-12 Grade High School Science Teachers and Students. ALL TOPICS are in an Adobe PDF file format. 

Density:

• A Framework-Outline of Density Topics
• Kinetic Molecular Theory
• Density Varies with Temperature

Student Laboratory Experiments:

• Determining the Density of Prestone Antifreeze (with Teacher's Guide)
• Determining the Thickness of Aluminum Foil
• Making a Hydrometer From a Beral Pipet for use in Density Determinations of Sugar Solutions
• Using a Hydrometer to Determine the Concentration of Sugar(s) in Soft Drinks (with Teacher's Guide)
• Determining the Concentration of Sugar(s) in Soft Drinks on the Basis of Density Using a Time-of-Fall Apparatus (with Teacher's Guide)
• Determination of the Density of Pennies
• A Teacher-Directed, Guided Discovery Activity for Advanced Physical Science Students

Boyle's Law Experiment:

•      Student Version (PDF file)
•      Teacher's Guide (PDF file)
•      Data Sheet (optional) (PDF file)

Charles' Law Experiment:

•      Student Version (PDF file)
•      Teacher's Guide (PDF file)

Enzymes:

•      Student Version (PDF file)
•      Teacher's Guide (PDF file)
•      Data Sheet (optional) (PDF file)

Background Information

History
For 30 years, we have been involved in designing, developing, and improving learning activities in the physical sciences — especially in chemistry.  With the help of others, we have produced two books (Handbook For High School Chemistry Teachers and Teaching First Year Chemistry) and numerous instructional units for use by the science teacher.  Our objective has been to enhance the professional development of science teachers by introducing them to new laboratory activities along with suggestions for effective ways to present the material.  Conducting workshops in which teachers used and critiqued our materials has enabled us to revise and improve the original versions of the learning activities.

Distribution Of Instructional Materials
Until recently, we have made copies of our printed materials for science teachers available at no cost to Mississippi teachers who requested them.  With increases in printing costs, this free service is rapidly becoming prohibitively expensive; yet, as teachers retire and are relocated, there is a continuing demand by their replacements for the materials we have produced.  Of course, there are also the new materials that we are continuing to develop.  How will it be financially possible to put copies of these useful activities in the hands of all interested teachers?

We believe that the answer to our distribution problem lies in the tremendous capabilities of the Internet.  We plan via this Web page to list all materials we have available.  Teachers, at their computers, can view on-screen the details of each experiment or activity.  If it is material that they can use, viewers simply click on  “print” and print out the pages of the student’s version of that particular activity along with the teacher’s guide.  Using the printed student’s version as an original, the teacher can use a copier to make as many copies as are required for use by students in her or his class.

Advantages Of Using A Web Site To Distribute Learning Materials

• All shipping charges are saved.
• The teacher has instant access to all materials, can read them on-screen, and print only those items needed at the time they are needed.
• New materials can be accessed and used immediately as they are developed and posted on our Web page.  (The teachers’ current alternative is to wait until the materials are available at some workshop or possibly incorporated into a book in the distant future.)
• Teachers may contact us by e-mail or toll-free telephone if they have questions about any of the posted materials.
• Teachers can provide e-mail critiques of our materials once they have used them in the classroom.  This enables us to revise and improve the activity.  Teachers’ comments about the activity can be published on our Web site for others to read, just as Amazon.com publishes book reviews, and other Web sites publish consumers’ reviews of various items for sale.
• Through reviews and comments, we hope to establish an on-line “meeting place” for science teachers interested in learning about and evaluating new ideas for improving their teaching.

Disclaimer

This site exists to provide information only to qualified science teachers.  We believe that all the activities originated at this site are safe when conducted under the supervision of a science teacher who will enforce the conventional safety rules (eye protection, etc.) of a teaching laboratory.

Lay-persons (non-teachers) are asked not to engage in any of the laboratory activities described in the pages of this site.

An intensive effort has been made to minimize any possible hazards associated with the demonstrations and experiments described at this site.  Warnings of hazards appear, when warranted, throughout our instructional materials.  However, it is impossible to foresee each and every problem that could conceivably arise from the use of these materials.  No laboratory activity should be performed by a teacher or student unless he/she has a full understanding of the chemical or physical phenomena involved, adequate protective equipment, and a "feeling" of confidence and personal security in doing the activity.  If there appears to be ambiguity, lack of needed information, or lack of clarity in the instructions, don't do the activity.  If there seems to be any element of danger or risk associated with doing a demonstration or experiment, don't do the activity.  No laboratory activity is important enough to warrant risking the safety of the teacher or of the students.

The authors and sponsoring agency of this Web site accept no moral or legal responsibility for injuries that may result from demonstrations or laboratory activities based on information obtained from this site.

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