Secondary School Feature Article

• Determination of the Universal Gas Constant, R. A Discovery Laboratory, by David B. Moss and Kathleen Cornely, p 1260.
• JCE Classroom Activity: #37. Putting It All Together: Lab Reports and Legos, p 1192A

Basic Skills

With increasing frequency, I hear comments by both high school teachers and those who teach introductory college courses decrying the lack of observational skills among students. Although the National Science Education Standards and revised state curriculum frameworks emphasize greater use of learner-centered instruction, including hands-on experience with chemicals, materials, and manipulatives, the problem does not seem to go away. My purpose here is not to criticize anyone--pre-chemistry science teachers, the students, or their parents--but to suggest some resources that can be integrated into the first chemistry course and perhaps the physical science courses that precede it. Even if your students have good observational skills, these resources are valuable.

One approach is to have students record observations in writing. Outside the classroom, students experience little that requires them to practice this skill. For example, writing observations while learning an action-oriented computer game is probably a waste of time--perhaps even counterproductive to mastery. Even if the students gained experience in pre-high-school classes writing about observations, the skill may need refreshing. This issue contains a JCE Classroom Activity (p 1192A) that confronts students with the need to record observations, but does so in an engaging approach that I believe students will enjoy. Everyone likes Lego blocks. Students are shown variously shaped objects made from Legos. After examining one of the objects and setting it aside out of sight, the student chooses blocks from an unassembled set and tries to construct an identical object from memory. In most cases the resulting object does not resemble the original. The student then reexamines the object and writes instructions for its construction. The object is again set aside and the student reconstructs it using the written instructions. As with every JCE Classroom Activity, this one is supported with questions, addresses of Web sites containing additional information, print references, and a page for the instructor.

The activity also involves spatial perception skills, although this is not a stated objective. As a high school student, I learned a great deal from the drafting component of required 7th- and 8th-grade "shop" classes. Unfortunately, only half of my classmates had that experience because shop classes were all male. A way for all students to reap the benefits of such learning is explained in an article with the intriguing title "From the Wood-Shop to Crystal Engineering: Teaching Three-Dimensional Chemistry" (p 1195). The author explains how students can benefit from learning to draw two-dimensional projections of simple objects such as cubes. Although his purpose is to prepare college chemistry students to comprehend complex crystal structures, the discussion applies to simpler structures as well. Published accounts of three-dimensional modeling approaches to developing spatial perception, specifically with regard to crystal lattice models, include using pom pons to illustrate crystal lattice structure (1) and making unit cell model kits (2, 3). An economical and versatile kit for constructing unit cell models is also available.¹

Skill in making and testing hypotheses can be developed in many ways, and, like all skills, cannot be achieved by a single activity. One approach is described in the article titled "Ob-scertainers^TM: A Cooperative Activity on Hypotheses" (p 1193). Although the paper is written in the context of college teaching, the approach could be used in high school with little modification. Many readers who teach high school science are familiar with the Ob-scertainer device. It offers some advantages over variations in the home-made black-box devices that have been in use since Chemical Bond Approach days, not the least of which is eliminating the time consumed in collecting materials and assembling the boxes.

Specific Examples

Looking for inspiration and encouragement? Be sure to read the interview with 2001 Conant Award winner Barbara Sitzman (p 1151). Sitzman provides insight into how she has dealt with the daily challenges and opportunities that a high school chemistry teacher faces.

Looking for humor to use in the classroom? A collection of humorous skits written by Rubin Battino has been placed on the HS CLIC Web site . Each skit relates to a chemical concept or a body of chemical knowledge through word play and funny situations.

Looking for great National Chemistry Week 2001 resources on Chemistry and Art? Watch for the October and November issues of JCE. For more details about what to expect see pages 1158 and 1194 of this issue.

Note

1. Solid State Model Kit. Available from the Institute for Chemical Education, Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Ave., Madison, WI 53706-1396; phone 608/262-3033; fax 608/265-8094.

Literature Cited

1. Cady, S. G. J. Chem. Educ. 1997, 74, 794.

2. Laing, M. J. Chem. Educ. 1997, 74, 795.

3. Mattson, B. J. Chem. Educ. 2000, 77, 622.