Taurai Chiku ACP

Taurai Chiku
Spring 2016
ACP Flipbook

Table of contents 3
Syllabus Snapshot 4
Student Preparation Strategy 5
BOPPS Lesson Plan 8
29
Lecture PowerPoint Slides 30
Periodic Table 31
Group Activity Form 32
Participatory Exercise 33
Good Questions 34
Laboratory Report Rubric 45
Showcase presentation
Reflective assay

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Official syllabus: Lone Star College System, Cyfair
Course: General Chemistry 1 (CHEM 1411)
Instructor: Taurai Chiku, PhD ([email protected])

Required materials: Textbook: General Chemistry, by Ebbing and Gammon 10th edition; Lab Manual:
The Lab Connections by L. L. Cruz, 2nd edition and a scientific Calculator (no graphing calculators
allowed during exams)….again these are required materials for the course

Synopsis: This course constitutes the first half of basic college level chemistry (general chemistry).
Topics covered include chemical-based calculations and how to handle numbers, bonding, gases and
thermochemistry.

Activities: We will be meeting on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays in HSC2 249/252. Each meeting is
2 hours long and consist of a 1 hour lecture section and a laboratory section. Attendance in the
laboratory section is mandatory. Lectures may include activities such as group discussions, solving
problems on the board or impromptu quizzes.

Grading: Your overall course grade is drawn from the laboratory reports, 5 section exams, 4
homework assignments and the final comprehensive exam. In-class participation in the form of group
discussion, quizzes of working out problems on the board counts as extra credit.

Helpful hints: Be always aware of the events in the upcoming week….refer to the schedule in the
syllabus constantly. Come prepared for class…study the previous lecture materials
(notes/powerpoints/etc), make a list of questions, suggestions. Plan on coming to my office hours or go
for tutoring

FAQs: 90% of these are taken care of by reading the official syllabus on D2L. 9% of questions are
answered through very careful reading of the posted syllabus on D2L. Contact me concerning the rest
of your queries.

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How to Get Your Students to Come to Class Prepared

I will start my proposal on how to get students to start reading effectively by highlighting the major
points and arguments presented as the cause of this supposedly student inaction or inability with
regards to effective reading. McKeachie's Teaching Tips, Chapter 4 proposes two separate sets of
stumbling blocks as to why students in general would not read or read with comprehension. I will split
the two underlying causes as being either teacher or student related. However in both cases, as the
teacher I will propose a strategy to improve effective student reading.

The first problem as I understand the chapter is that for the majority of students, reading or reading
effectively is a skill they have not mastered. The chapter introduces a clear pattern to follow when
reading; the SQ3R (or the modified version, SQ6R). In general chemistry reading assignments may not be
an everyday thing and when they do occur, the material is almost always made up of qualitative and
quantitative data that is buried in the background of the story. For example, I will use the Chinese
drywall problem in the 2000’s as a real life chemistry problem. When one looks up literature on the
subject you will hardly find a purely technical writing on the problem. Rather what you would find is a
story that details the nature of the problem, the source(s) of the problem, investigations that were
undertaken and the eventual resolution of the resulting legal disputes. Buried in all this will be a few
hints here and there discussing the chemistry of sulfur compounds that could have been the culprit
causing the foul smell, blackening of walls and copper piping. From a chemistry standpoint I will
encourage my students not just to do the traditional SQ3R but to follow that with separating the science
form the story. That may take at least two rounds or reading. Fortunately most science linked articles
tend to be short. Once they get hold of the science content I will ask them to separate the qualitative
data from the quantitative data (numbers). It should be noted that some qualitative data actually infer
some qualitative description and the same can be said of quantitative data. Finally, they should be now
be able to summarize the information from a chemistry perspective.

The second problem why students will not read (effectively) whether they know or do not have reading
skills has to do with the relevance of the assigned reading material to course material. As clearly
highlighted I the chapter, students tend to come to class prepared when they know that is not only a
requirement and expectation but that there will also be consequences for not doing so. At a minimum I
will ask for feedback through fast short quizzes at the beginning of class. As an added incentive I will also
offer extra credit (toward an exam) for those earning top scores on the assignment.

While chapter 4 has clearly pointed me to some tools I can use to effect student reading, the most
significant take I have on it is that it places the burden of effective student reading on both the
instructor and the student: the student needs to acquire effective reading skills and the instructor needs
to build links between reading assignments and the day to day running of the course.

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LESSON PLANNING

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BOPPPS LESSON PLAN

COURSE: General Chemistry 1
Lesson Title: Classification of matter

Bridge:
1) Oral exercises in which students classify common household material as either mixtures or pure substances
(elements and compounds)
2) Point out the differences between compounds and elements; focus of today’s lecture will be on elements

Estimated time: 2 minutes
Course Student Learning Outcome:
Determine the basic nuclear and electronic structure of atoms

Learning Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will be able to
1. By the end of the lesson students should know the composition of the atom (Knowledge)
2. By the end on the lesson students should be able to compare and contrast the properties of protons, neutrons
and electron which makeup the atom (Analysis)

Pre-Assessment: Most introductions to the subject of matter usually include discussions on mixtures, elements and
compounds as well as the existence of atoms in all matter. A possible preassessment question might focus on the precise
definitions of terms associated with matter. The atom is central to all matter and my pre-assessment quiz involves the
definition of an atom.
Quiz 1: Pre-lecture (with Plickers)
An atom is defined as

a) The smallest indivisible part of matter (elements and compounds)
b) The building block of all elements and compounds
c) The smallest unit of an element that retains the chemical characteristics of that element
d) The smallest observable particle in an element
The answer is c
Estimated time: 1 minute
Participatory Learning:
 4 questions with Bloom’s level identified
 New instructional technology you are trying
 At least one classroom assessment technique (CAT)

Time Instructor Activities Learner Activities Lesson Materials

5 min Introduction on the classification of Students will be asked to give real life Powerpoint slides
5 matter in terms of purity and examples of uniform (homogeneous)
10 composition mixtures, non-uniform (heterogeneous Powerpoint slides
mixtures) and pure substances. Exercise is Student notebooks
Classification of pure substances as oral Periodic table
either compounds or elements. Define Worksheet handouts
atoms as the building blocks of Students will be asked to classify several
elements substances as ether elements or 6
compounds. This is an individual written
Students are organized into groups of exercise. Students will grade each other’s
work thereafter
Students fill in the missing information on

six and assigned worksheets the worksheet Periodic table
Handouts
10 Help group representatives present Each group’s representative presents
Periodic table
findings to the whole class before the class

Writing on the board
Post-assessment: A post-assessment quiz incorporation possibly some prior knowledge and today’s lecture
1) What subatomic particle number is unique for each element (Knowledge)
2) What is the relationship between the numbers of protons and electrons in any given atom (Comprehension)
3) Explain how life will be impacted if atoms were not mostly empty (Interpreting)
4) If you were to discover a new element today, propose an atomic composition for your discovery. Justify your
response. (Synthesis)

Estimated time: 5 minutes
Summary: Focus on the importance of understanding atom properties

1. Atoms are the basic building blocks of matter
2. Impure substances are mixtures and pure substances are elements and compounds
3. Chemistry involves the study of different atom rearrangements/combinations/redistribution (reactions) and the

properties of the resulting products (compounds)
4. Our understanding of atom types (elements) help us predict possible

rearrangements/combinations/redistribution (reactions)
5. Atoms consist of protons, electrons and neutrons
6. The number of protons (Z, atomic number) is unique for each element

Estimated time: 1 minute

Relevant materials:
Periodic table
Group exercise form
Questions slides

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8

Classification

(pure)

n of matter

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Mixture

A material that can be separated by p
substances

For example:
Italian salad dressing
Salt water

physical means into two or more

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Heterogeneous Mixture

A mixture that consists of physically dis
properties.

For example:
Salt and iron filings
Oil and vinegar

Phase

One of several different homogeneous
matter under study.

stinct parts, each with different

s materials present in the portion of

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Homogenous Mixture

A mixture that is uniform in its proper

For example:
Salt water
Air

Microscopic
level

rties; also called a solution.

Macroscopic
level

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(Pure) Substance

A kind of matter that cannot
kinds of matter by any physi
distillation or sublimation.

t be separated into other
ical process such as

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Element

A substance that cannot be
substances by simple chemi

For example:

Hydrogen
Carbon
Oxygen

decomposed into simpler
ical reactions.

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Compound

A substance composed of tw
chemically combined.

For example:

Water (H2O)
Carbon dioxide (CO2)

wo or more elements

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Class exercise 1

Quiz 1: Pre-lecture (with Plickers)
An atom is defined as
a) The smallest indivisible part of matter
b) The building block of all elements and
c) The smallest unit of an element that r
that element
d) The smallest observable particle in an

r (elements and compounds)
d compounds
retains the chemical characteristics of
n element

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Atoms and elements

All matter is composed of atoms.
An atom is an extremely small pa
smallest part of an element that c
properties of that element.
Each atom is made up of protons
The Periodic Table of elements lis

article of matter. It is the
can exist as still retain
s, neutrons and electrons
sts all the known elements

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Class exercise 2: Oral

Middle rows to back: circle all pure subs
below

Argon epsom salt rad

Cesium baking soda lim

Ethyl alcohol limestone c

stances that are elements in the list

don zinc

me titanium

caustic soda helium

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Atoms : neutrons, protons a

and electrons

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Electron

An extranuclear particle hav
to that of the proton and a m
that of the proton.

The number of electrons eq
in a neutral atom. When an
becomes negative. When an
becomes positive

ving a negative charge equal
mass less than 1800 times
quals the number of protons
atom gains electron(s), it
n atom loses electron(s) it

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Proton

A nuclear particle having a p
that of the electron and a m
that of the electron.

The number of protons in an
number, Z.

An element is a substance w
number of protons and thus
Z.

positive charge equal to
mass more than 1800 times

n atom is called the atomic

whose atoms have the same
s the same atomic number,

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Neutron

A nuclear particle having a mass a
proton but no electrical charge.
The mass number, A, is the total
in the nucleus.
Isotopes are atoms whose nuclei
(number of protons) but different
number).

almost equal to that of the
number of protons and neutrons
have the same atomic number
t numbers of neutrons (mass

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Nuclide

An atom characterized by a c
and mass number, A.

Nuclide symbol

Examples: 7 L
3
2131Na
Lithium
Also read as Sodium -23

certain atomic number, Z,

Li 13 C
6

m-7 Carbon-13

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Remember this is the format for a nuclide symbol

A Chemical s
Z

Write the nuclide symbol for
protons and 20 neutrons.

Atomic num
The element is
Mass number: A

The nuclide

39
19

symbol

r the atom that has 19

mber: Z = 19
s potassium, K.
A = 19 + 20 = 39

e symbol is

99 K

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Isotopes and isobars

•Isotopes are nuclides having the same nu
numbers (A)
•A set of isotopes implies the same eleme

Cl37 Cl35

17 and 17, also written as

• isobars are nuclides with the same mas

numbers (A)
•Isobars are therefore nuclides of differen

Xe120 Te120

54 and 5, 2

umber of protons (Z) but different mass

ent

Cl37 35 Cl
and

ss number (A) but different atomic

nt elements

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Class exercise 3: PARTICIPA

Group 1: Write the nuclide symbols for
Oxygen-17, oxygen-18, calcium-40, an at
atom with 6 protons and 6 neutrons

Group 2: List all the mass numbers and
(Group 1 problem).

Group 3: Consider the list Fe, Fe3+, O, F-,
List all atoms in which 1) electrons excee
electrons

ATORY LEARNING

tom with 7 protons and 8 neutrons, an

atomic numbers for the atoms above

Xe, P3-, N, Br-, I, Na+, Mg2+
ed protons and 2) protons exceed

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POST-ASSESSMENT QUIZ

Quiz 3: At the end of the lecture
1) What subatomic particle number is un
2) What is the relationship between the
given atom (Comprehension)
3) Explain how life will be impacted if ato
(Interpreting)
4) If you were to discover a new elemen
for your discovery. Justify your response

nique for each element (Knowledge)
numbers of protons and electrons in any
oms were not mostly empty
nt today, propose an atomic composition
e. (Synthesis)

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Summ

Classification of matter by purity
Homogenous mixtures
Heterogeneous mixtures
 Pure substances

Pure substances are
Compounds
Elements

Atoms
 the basic units of elements
Contain protons and electrons (in equ
The number of neutrons is variable

mary

ual numbers) and neutrons

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The Periodic Table of Elements

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