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"Kids and Chemistry  for Teachers"

June 9-13, 2008 (2 licensure credits or audit)
June 9-20, 2008 (3 graduate credits)
 

St. Ambrose University
518 W. Locust Street
Lewis Hall - Room 212
8:30 AM – 3:30 PM

Maximum class size:      12     

An examination of Science Trends data reveals:

• In Grade 8, roughly 30% of both male and female students are not proficient in science.

• From 2000-2004 the number of science-proficient students shows a steady increase but more can be done.

Teachers face many problems as they try to increase the chemistry in their science programs.

• Informal survey data gathered over the last ten years reveal that few teachers have taken a course in chemistry either at the high-school or at the college level. 

• Conversation with numerous local teachers who have participated in SAU sponsored Kids and Chemistry experiences reveal that they are not as comfortable teaching chemistry as they are biological science. 

• Teachers also mention the unavailability of materials needed to do chemistry with their elementary students and safety concerns. 

Still, teachers are enthusiastic about chemistry and recognize its need within the elementary curriculum and welcome opportunities to increase their own chemistry proficiency and to increase the amount of chemistry they could practically add to their curricula. 

Our course should help eliminate these two barriers that currently seem to keep teachers from exploring chemistry with their students, namely, lack of experience with chemistry topics and the difficulty of acquiring and assembling the necessary supplies, equipment, and reagents.

Course Description:  

Participants in “Kids and Chemistry” will perform a series of seven activities inspired by the American Chemical Society and developed by chemistry and science education faculty at St. Ambrose University: 

• Signs of Chemical Change – observing color changes, bubbles, temperature changes, and precipitate formation as evidence that chemical change is occurring
• Pirate Pete – investigating colored materials using chromatography
• Acid and Base Chemistry – experimenting with colored indicators and neutralization
• What’s in a Color – investigating color through mixing and chromatographic separation of inks and exploring the chemistry of Crayola Changeables markers
• Mystery Powders – identifying an unknown substance by noting chemical and physical properties
• Batteries – building batteries using fruits and copper and zinc nails and exploring electrochemistry
• Case of the Unsigned Letter – performing a culminating activity that requires application of chromatography and chemical tests

Participants will 'make and take' kits enabling them to perform these 7 activities with their entire class. Participants will also choose an additional activity from the ACS materials, prepare the activity, and present it to their peers.

These activities were modeled after activities developed for Kids and Chemistry, an out-reach program developed by the American Chemical Society (ACS) to enable chemists to do age appropriate experiments with children. 2006 would be the 6th year of Kids and Chemistry at St. Ambrose University. Read evaluations from previous participants here.

Outline of course content:

“Kids and Chemistry for Teachers” or EDUC 590 - Physical Science for Elementary Teachers: Focus on Chemistry  will consist of 10 days June 9-13 and June 16 - 20 (8:30 - 3:30) 

Week 1 - Content

Day 1:

• Activity 1 & 2
• Preparation of classroom kits and additional instructions

Day 2:

• Activity 3 & 4
• Preparation of classroom kits and additional instructions

Day 3:

• Activity 5 & 6
• Preparation of classroom kits and additional instructions

Day 4:

• Activity 7
• Preparation of classroom kits and additional instructions on safety and purchasing of consumable supplies
• Peer Teaching – each participant will choose and present an additional chemistry activity to the class

Day 5:

• Continuation of Peer Teaching
• Assessment of week 1

Week 2 - Practicum

(REQUIRED for graduate credit - OPTIONAL for audit or licensure credit - Volunteer help welcome!)

Teach these activities to children at the Kids and Chemistry Camp.  Mornings: Camp  Afternoons: evaluation, discussion of chemical understanding, and preparations for the next day’s practicum.

Implementation (Academic Year Following the Course):  incorporate activities from the course into your classroom science instruction and prepare final reflective reports including assessment of your students’ performance

1. Outcome:  Participants will acquire a theory base for understanding basic physical and chemical properties and reactions, paper chromatographic separations, properties and reactions of acids and bases, and simple principle of conduction and electricity in batteries.

Evaluation: Participants will use correct terminology in discussing the results of experiments and will complete written exercises designed to assess understanding of chemical processes involved in each activity.

2. Outcome:  Participants will acquire skill in manipulation of laboratory materials used in activities with chromatography, chemical reactions and testing, and  electrochemical change.

Evaluation: Participants will successfully complete all required laboratory exercises.

3. Outcome: Participants will demonstrate the ability to apply chemical strategies learned to the solution of a practical chemical problem.

        Evaluation:  Participants will successfully complete “design-your-own” investigations within each activity, which requires such application.  Participants will also self-select an additional ACS activity and present it to their peers.

4. Outcome:  Participants will make use of what they have learned in their own teaching of science to children.

        Evaluation: During the course of the workshop, participants will begin developing an action plan delineating the specific Kids and Chemistry activities to be used together with a time line for their use with students during the upcoming school year.  A completed action plan must be submitted within a week of completion of the workshop.   Participants will prepare reflective reports on implementation of their action plan (during the year following the course) to demonstrate how the action plan was carried out or what modification had been made to the original plan.

Student Impact:

Teachers will increase the chemistry content being included in their teaching of elementary science.  Children at the elementary level will be exposed to more chemistry than was previously the case.  This should increase student achievement in relationship to those science standards that involve an understanding of the physical world.

Back

Activities will be taken from:

Kids and Chemistry Hands-On Activities and Demonstrations

Publisher:  American Chemical Society.
Inquiry in Action
Publisher: American Chemical Society

Teachers will receive a copy of one of these books as well as instructional materials for the seven featured activities. Teachers do not have to purchase any materials.

• St. Ambrose University Graduate Tuition $225  for 3 graduate credits.
  Licensure credit: $140 payable to the AEA9.
  Audit at the AEA9 for IL CPDU and to reserve your seat for graduate credit - no cost

• Materials - no cost to participants - ($1000 value)  materials supplied by a grant from Dr. & Mrs. Stoffel and St. Ambrose University.

Register Online for St Ambrose University Graduate Credit
 

For any additional information contact Marge Legg LeggMargaretJ@sau.edu