Yesterday, I used flame tests along with a two brief lessons in an effective block period. I have always felt that flame tests can get lost in the “oooooo, cool colors” caliber of chemistry. And then they don’t mean anything intellectually to the kids. This year I combined two short lessons and sandwiched the flame tests in between. I completed it all in one 90-minute block. It made a more powerful lesson. Here is how I did it. Plus, download the free lab write-up here

I was looking for a way to review the periodic table during the atomic structure unit. And I found it! A simple game of “Atomic Guess...

Chemistry students can struggle to connect with how the two classic atomic experiments worked, Thomson’s cathode ray tube and...

Beer’s Law is used all over chemistry. This week I used it in both AP chemistry and grade level chemistry. But in order for my AP kids...

Molecular polarity is an important concept. It’s also a concept that I have primarily described with words. This year, my teaching...

I taught density to my grade level chemistry class this week. Have they learned density before? Yes. Do they use the concept of...

To allow retakes on tests or not allow retakes, that is the question. This question stirs up a bunch of deep conversations about...

The first lab of AP Chemistry is special. New surroundings. New expectations. New challenges. Over the years, I have changed how I...

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End the Chemistry School Year with a Bang! Every year, kids always ask, “Are we blowing stuff up today?” My answer is always, “We will...

It’s review time. For those of us who teach AP, it’s the eve of reckoning day. But for all of us, the students have a final coming up. ...

There is something mystical about hot air balloons. Yes, the students can say they work because “hot air rises” but sheesh that’s not a...

Ideal gas law. Avogadro’s law. Boyle’s law. Combined gas law. Graham’s law. Charle’s law. Gay-Lussac’s law. Fred’s second cousin’s...

We as teachers largely use tests as the measuring stick of success for our students. By proxy, we are measuring the success of our...

Kid’s love solving mysteries. Kids love competing. I just tried a coffee cup calorimetry lab that did both! The kids got to solve for...

It's time to unwind a bit and recharge. Need some ideas? Try Spring Break Teacher Bingo! Extra credit if you black out the board. You...

Kids love a mystery. They also love uncovering a corporate “cheat”. Most don’t love stoichiometry as much. But, if you wrap...

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. Just a couple of weeks ago, my grade-level chemistry class was struggling knowing how to...

Predicting the products of chemical reactions and then balancing those same reactions can be intimidating for grade-level chemistry...

Quick Summary The Lost Labels Lab is an inquiry-based unknown identification chemistry lab where students use solubility rules and double displacement reactions to match three unlabeled chemicals to their identities. This lab works well after teaching solubility and precipitation reactions and requires minimal instructions, encouraging authentic scientific reasoning. What Is the Lost Labels Unknown Identification Lab? Many chemistry students complete labs by following step-