Creative Chemistry with CoScine – Details, episodes & analysis

There are 3 places students get stuck in VSEPR:

• They never learn electron domain
• They get confused on how many electrons to put in the model
• They confuse electron and molecular geometry

If you'd like to know how to fix or prevent those, then listen to the episodes.

Intro to VSEPR worksheet

Big Red Science gives us so many tips, including

• Why you shouldn't teach safety at the beginning of the school year
• A way to save money with bath bomb labs and a variation that helps students understand what they are doing lab
• How to emphasize the purpose of lab with students
• Common mistakes teachers make with labs
• A faster way to grade labs through focused assignments

Big Red Science Website
Big Red Science TpT Store
Instagram @bigredscience

This week on the podcast we have a mother daughter duo. Angela and Ashley teach us:

Why as science teachers we should be open to changing our curriculum order
How chocolate soap will teach lab rules for us
What we should do to interest our students in chemical careers
How  PowerPoint will effortlessly translate your lectures
Why they start their chemistry course with thermochemistry

...and so much more.

Facebook groups Angela likes:
National Chemistry Teachers
NGSS Chemistry Teachers

Butterfly Pea Tea Lab

Are you looking for a fun way you can teach quantum numbers? One that requires nearly no prep on your part? This is it. We have students relate quantum numbers to a coffee mug.

Start by having students take out a sheet of paper and labeling n, l, ml, and ms along the left side. Then you'll use a coffee mug as a tangible analogy to describe the orbital the electron is in.

The best part of this lesson is when you walk around and tell students what their mug looks like and where it is. Don't forget to take a little creative license with this! ("Does your mother know you left your dirty cup in the sink for her?!")

It's interactive, engaging, and entertaining. Quantum numbers doesn't get more memorable than this.

Links mentioned that make teaching quantum numbers easy
Blog post on Quantum Coffee
Quantum Number Doodle Notes
Step by Step Quantum Number Worksheet
Quantum Numbers Charts and Diagrams
Quantum Numbers Digital Activity
FREE Quantum Numbers video

Why do chemistry students forget significant figures? Because they are so confusing to apply. But, not if you explain it using the word "specific" and break them down into 4 simple types of significant figures.

Sandwiched zeros (Not hostage or captive zeros. Why? Listen to the episode. )

•      These are specifically measured. Not ballparked or guestimated.

Trailing zeros with a decimal

•     These are specifically measured. Not ballparked or guestimated.

Trailing zeros without a decimal

•     These are estimated. An educated guess. So we can't know what the exact number was.

Leading zeros

•     These could have been measured or guestimated. No one knows because they are placeholder zeros. So we assume they are not specific and are not significant.

Labeling Significant Figures Worksheet and Activity <<<Teach students this effortlessly

Why do students mix up cations and anions? It turns out that if you start super simple, it will make more sense to students. Students need to learn cations are positive. And that anions are negative. Theeeeennnnn, jump into why cations are cations and why anions are anions.

Giving students the why too soon will confuse them.

Here's the blank periodic table and cation worksheet I referenced in the podcast.

You can see all the cation and anion images I was referencing in this blog link.

Cation Anion Doodle Notes

Periodic Table Doodle Notes

Have you ever wondered if there is another or better way to teach chemistry? Does everyone start school in August?

Stacy explains how science is structured in Australia and in Scotland. For example, there are 2 week breaks every 10 weeks in Australia, which Stacy explains helps with burnout. Australia also starts school in January.

Scotland also gets more breaks than the United States.

Stacy talks about the differences in teaching chemistry between the two countries. In Scotland, they start off talking more about the atom and periodic table.

8:30 Reference to the next interview in October
9:00 Stacy's science lab that uses cricket flour cookies
10:30 A lesson about seeing what does a mole look like in real life
13:30 Debunking a teaching myth in the US

Blog post on chemistry teachers including their hobbies to teach. Scroll down to 2/3rd the way down the page.

Stacy's Instagram Page ----> DM her sometime. She's super sweet and has so many great ideas.

Do you need a memorable way for students to learn how to find protons, neutrons, and electrons? So many students get stuck on not knowing where the numbers are coming from. But after this lesson, your students will know where the numbers are coming from AND be able to calculate protons and neutrons.

The best part is that this appeals to all of your students and not just those who "get" math.

This episode will help you use color coding as a strategy to help students remember the subatomic particle lesson.

Previous episode on color coding protons, neutrons, and electrons.

FREE DOODLE NOTES >>> As mentioned in the episode, you can sign up here to get the free 12 page packet of doodle notes that will help you save time teaching this lesson. And students will say it makes the most sense ever.

Do you need a fun way to teach protons, neutrons, and electrons? Something new and different? Something that students’ will remember. Something fun that isn't just a plain boring table in a worksheet they fill out across several rows?

This episode will help you use color coding as a strategy to help students remember the subatomic particle lesson.


FREE DOODLE NOTES >>> As mentioned in the episode, you can sign up here to get the free 12 page packet of doodle notes that will help you save time teaching this lesson. And students will say it makes the most sense ever.

Have you ever wanted teaching high school chemistry to be more fun or easier? In this episode you'll learn:

Why this podcast will help you become a better teacher each week
The REAL reason I created this podcast
How listening each week will help you save time lesson planning

In the meantime, if you want more teaching tips and inspiration, check out my website at www.coscinecreative.com.