Making Golden Rain - investigating solubilities

One of the reasons that I love teaching Chemistry is that you get to do so many awesome experiments.  Not only are they cool, but they provide a great hook for students as a means of introduction to a new topic.  The reaction between potassium iodide and lead nitrate is a great demonstration to introduce students to the idea of solubility.  They each start off as a colorless solution when dissolved in water, but when you mix them together you end  change.  This reaction also demonstrates a double replacement reaction.  The pricipitate of lead (III) iodide is insoluable in water, but when heated it become slightly soluable while allows that lead (III) iodide to dissociate and the solution turns colorless again.  Its a great reaction.

Below is a great image from Compound Chem that gives a vidual to the quick explaination I gave above.  This is a great site for any chemistry teacher to check out even if this demo doesn't fit it what you are doing.

Virtuali-Tee (Human Body Augmented Reality Tee)

How cool is this t-shirt? It's wearable augmented reality! You can view the circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems and even has a heart rate tracker to visualize your heart beat.

You'll need to download the app to your phone but then all you need to scan your shirt and tap to view the different layers of your body. It even works in selfie mode.

Take a look at the video below or use the demo page to check it our yourself.   The t-shirt itself is a little pricey, but it could make a fun gift.

Free Binder Labels for Science Lab and Lessons

Sometimes I feel that elementary teachers get all of the cute stuff and I want some of it for my classroom. :-)  I came across these editable binder labels from Kessler Science and I had to share them with you all.  You can get them for free from Teachers Pay Teachers.

Enjoy!

Cute Syllabus Template

Sharing your syllabus with your students is important, but it's often a very boring looking document.  I found this super cute syllabus template on TPT and it's free!  I had to share it with you.  I've linked it below.  I'd love to know if you end up using it or what other creative ways you have to share your syllabus. 

Chemistry in Videos (perfect for middle school students)

Chemistry can be a difficult topic for middle school students to grasp.  I know that grades always seemed to drop a bit when we got to the chemistry unit.  I always wished that I had more time to spend on it because I think it's such an interesting topic.  Because of the abstract nature of chemistry, it is really hard to for young students to grasp the concepts.  When I can find video clips that help to conceptualize the abstract I feel like it's a big win.  I found just those videos and there are ones on properties of matter, phases of matter, atoms, physical and chemical changes, acids and bases, elements and compounds, mixtures, the periodic table and energy and matter.  Each video also comes with an interactive quiz that you can do with the students.  These videos are similar to BrainPop without having to have a subscription.

Which videos will you use with your students? 

Creating lab setup diagrams with Chemix

I recently came across the website Chemix and found that it's a great way to create Lab Diagrams.  They recently came out with Chemix 3.0 which no longer needs flash.  Right now it's in beta, but it's an open beta that all can use.   I always do my best to explain in detail how certain lab setups should look.  I'm sure you know as much as I do that students don't always read the directions.  I really like that I can add in visuals to go along with my directions.  The chemistry lab can be a dangerous place and I don't want students making mistakes.

I used Chemix to create a quick diagram to show some steps in an experiment.  Of course it would make more sense with the directions to next to it, but hopefully you get the idea.

Here is a list of some of the equipment that you can find in Chemix.  According to their FAQ they will be adding more in the future.

Equipment: Test Tube, Beaker, Displacement beaker, concial flask, boiling flask, volumetric flask, round bottom flash, petri dish, watch glass, glass jar, thermometer, graduated cylinder, pipette, burette, balance, Bunsen burner, hot plate, magnetic stirrer, stiring rod, wire gauze, filter funnel, evaporating dish, crucible, dropper and timer.

Interactive activities to teach about Plants

I have always found plants to be an interesting topic because I've seen some schools who go into lots of detail about them and others who cover just the basics.  At the middle school level, I have usually taught about plants in the contexts of cells and photosynthesis.   No matter what you teach in reference to plants Scholastic has some interactive activities that might fit well into your classroom.  There are 11 activities to help students understand roots and stems, photosynthesis, gymnosperms, angiosperms, plants with seeds, plants without seeds, plant cells, plant adaptations, and more.

Each interactive includes a short video, a sing-along, and an interactive quiz.  I like that you can pick and choose which activities you want to use and be used as a whole class, at stations or as a homework assignment.

What topics around plants do you teach??