And now for the notes from the final day of APSI chemistry 2023.
1. The Nernst equation and deviations are primarily tested qualitatively on the AP exam. Will the voltage go up or down? Justify. Something like that.
2. Digital modelling and analysis gives students a safe place to be wrong. They didn’t “mess up” a lab. They aren’t wrong on a test. But they can work through their claims, evidence and reasoning out loud. This is a much safer place to take risks.
3. All predictions must come with reasons. Then focus on refining the reasons. Many choices are binary (it goes up or it goes down). It is the reasoning that builds their neural pathways.
4. This link is a good electroplating demo. It shows particle level analysis plus it forces the students to think about the direction of electron flow and what is actually happening.
5. Electron configurations that follow the Aufbau principle are acceptable on the AP exam. This means that an electron configuration for scandium would end with 3d1 despite the 4s2 already being full. I always thought it had to be in order by energy level for the exam. Might just be me!
6. Use the masses from the periodic table that they will use on the test. That way the students are internalizing the numbers from the exact periodic table they will have on the test.
7. The significant figure point on the AP test is “always” an add/subtract rule from a lab-based question. It was in 2023 as well.
8. Give the equation sheet and the periodic table from the exam on the first day of class (I laminate them) so that they are using the exact formulas the entire year.
9. After giving a practice exam in the spring (March) have the students do a self-analysis on the places they are weak and where they need to grow. Then after a second practice test (April) see how they did with their goals.
10. If you test on individual chapters from the AP chem book (about 20 chapters) you will use about 60 days. One day of review, one test day, and one day to talk it through. That is a lot of days. Consider making tests larger and having fewer. This could buy you a few more days in the spring which are so valuable.
11. On a single sheet of paper marked into four quadrants, have students think of the four most pertinent skills to passing the unit exam. They can fill that quadrant with equations, concepts, values and anything that will get them focused. If they save these throughout the year, they will have a wonderful AP Chem study guide.
I enjoyed sharing these highlights from the APSI with you. I hope that some of these might help you. Another way I could help you is by engaging your grade-level students with games! Try Up & Atom to learn about moles. Use CHeMgO to get great leveled practice in writing ionic formulas.
You could be just like Carol (not the Carol from the Flinn poster, the Carol who loves Up & Atom)
Thanks so much for this! I did this with my Honors class today -- and I was being observed by admin -- and things went really well. The kids were teaching each other. It was really impressive!
Carol S., teacher
Comentarios