-grandmother died recently
-funeral + memorial in my home town
-many relatives staying with us
-my favorite cousin homeschools her kid, staying at my place for the next 10 days, asks me to help out with chem+sci
-never did any sci electives in school, auto-didect for 4 years then tertiary education in chem for 2 years til now.
The kid is 13 years old, kinda tomboyish, lives in a VERY remote area of Australia, and I'm unsure her previous education til now. She seems very
bright though.
I've got about a week and a half to give her some kind of meaningful idea of what chem/science is and why it might pique her interest.
I'm thinking of just running through the basic Na2CO3 + CH3COOH volcano fun, with a little theory behind it, then just WOW her with a few fun thermite
and redox demo's. Rockets may be involved.
I want to give her an idea of what makes chemistry fun, without turning it into a farce. But I also want her to learn something regardless.
I'm generally pretty bad with kids, and I only acquired an appreciation for chemistry in my mid-late 20's so I don't know how kids are taught.
EDIT: Forgot to mention, I have approx 24-30hrs of university lectures/labs/tutorials per week to go to. So emphasis on efficiency of time
management.
I just want to give the best impression I can on WHY she might like to learn more. I don't have the time or resources to do more than that
[Edited on 5-8-2018 by Mesa]VSEPR_VOID - 5-8-2018 at 08:31
I would start with learning about the periodic table and notation. After you know about notation and what atoms can have what charges you can write
reactions down. WGTR - 5-8-2018 at 09:23
I guess a good part of where to go from here involves what your's and her interests are, and what types of projects that you're capable of doing
comfortably on a short timescale.
If she's already interested in science, and is learning things on her own, she may be craving interaction with someone smarter than her to answer
questions. I sure was at that age. My older cousins were like Rock Stars to me. One was an electrical engineer, and another one was a physicist.
My grand dad was a garage tinker, and he was always so full of fun and ideas, building model airplanes, woodworking, failed perpetual motion machines
(ha ha), etc.
In my unprofessional opinion, I suggest that she'll be more impacted by remembering the fun projects that she did with her older cousin than whatever
theory that you managed to cram into her head in a week and a half.
I'll throw some ideas out there from things that I've done in the past. Although I'm not suggesting that you copy them, perhaps it'll help jog the
thought processes.
When I was in high school I got permission from the physics teacher to perform a class demo at the end of the year. I got several other classmates
involved in the demo and it was a lot of fun. Basically, I got the lens from a magnifying glass, a small photocell, a very dark (overexposed) piece
of color photographic negative, and an old analog multimeter. The film is optically black, and blocks visible light...but it doesn't block the
infrared spectrum. An image is focused onto the photocell, and noting the meter fluctuations it is possible to visually observe motion as moving
objects pass through the sensor's field of view. Sun has a large infrared light component. It is possible to demonstrate this by covering the
photocell with the film, and noting that it is still possible to observe motion when using sunlight as illumination. Fluorescent bulbs have very
little infrared. The photocell will detect movement when it is uncovered, but when covered with the film it becomes blind in fluorescent lighting.
You can try different light sources to show how much infrared they contain. With an infrared light source (maybe a bunch of infrared LEDS) it can be
possible to see the movements of animals as they walk through the yard at night, etc.
When I was much older I did a demo for a robotics class at a local private school. The ages ranged from middle school to seniors in high school. I
had never done something like that before as an adult, and it was a different experience. I'm not that accustomed to being around children either.
I did a quick, hour-long demo on how to etch a pattern onto a circuit board. I showed how to laminate the copper board with dry photoresist film,
expose the image with artwork, develop the image, and etch away the exposed copper with ferric chloride. It's such a fascinating project because you
can visually see at each step the changes that are occurring. Some of the older students were excited and wanted to try it later on their own. The
youngest students (maybe 11-12) watched everything that I did with the same intensity that a puppy watches your every hand movement as you eat steak
at the dinner table. That was the most unnerving part of it. Kids that age will believe most everything you say without question if you are "the
expert", especially if you sound smarter than their parents. Of course, that means that everything I said had to be completely accurate, and that was
intimidating.
Black and white photography may be a fun project. The chemicals aren't so expensive. There are a lot of things to photograph in the remote areas of
Australia. You might end up creating a monster.
Hendrik - 5-8-2018 at 09:24
I'd say it's impossible to teach both organic and inorganic chemistry in only one week. After one week of intense exercise, one pupil may get a
glimpse of how inorganic chemistry works. It depends on how much do you want to prepare her. Simple precipitation reactions and with thermites would
be great for demonstrations. Show her the basic inorganic reactions: simple and double displacements, syntheses and decomposition. Some separation
techniques like filtration, and distillation would be great as well. Another good idea would be to talk on the first day about atoms, ions, molecules,
subatomic particles, ion exchange and orbitals. On the second day, talk about types of chemical reactions and perform a demonstration on each
reaction. Try to obtain beautifully colored crystals (copper, iron II and III, chromium III etc.). Corrosive Joeseph - 5-8-2018 at 12:54
Just do what this guy does.......... Best chemistry teacher........... Ever
You don't need to cover the ground. You need something that will capture the imagination and point her in the right direction where she can get more.
Whet the appetite. Don't saturate. Have fun with it.
If she is a good learner (as it seems) then she will devour anything that piques her interest. So watch her reaction rather than worry about the
chemistry.
I agree that elements and their properties might be a good place to start. But it might be that she is fascinated to discover that her coke bottle and
her jumper are made from the same material. Colour change and fire are the big visual attractors and so redox is a good place to start. I have also
known kids to be fascinated by titrations. And it is something they can do themselves once it is set up. "I wonder how acidic your orange juice
is?..."diddi - 5-8-2018 at 21:57
i gave an interested young person my copy of theorore gray's book and then over a period of time we went collecting samples of elements from all over
the place. we looked for ways to test for elements. eg carbon - try burning it and see if its black at the end. asked what elements might be in a
material or item and collected quite a few. bits of copper pipe and quartz and just everyday items. iron nails etc. i had some acids available so
dissolved a bit of Cu and then plated an iron nail. then we found that same blue colour in a garden path weeding product. turn around to read the
label and what a surprise, it was Cu based. so conclusion: everything everywhere is made up of the elements in the book i gave. we never did any
maths or writing or theory apart from what come out of noting element symbols which are reinforced in the book, but developed some good chemistry
basics and some student driven learning.Herr Haber - 6-8-2018 at 03:00
I totally recommend watching RI's videos though I personnally prefer Chris Bishop.
Anyway, both are excellent at captivating an audience. Notice how none of them, or anyone in any other videos goes the VSPER route.
You're not gonna teach anything if your student is bored to death.AJKOER - 7-8-2018 at 04:36
Getting people interested in chemistry could lead to self studies. However, advancing ones knowledge is likely only possible if they had the
underlining skill set.
No progress on passing exams without the required MATH background. Basic arithmetic skills, more advanced math requirements likely includes
manipulating and understanding logarithms (pH related) including the antilog, some basic algebra, like solving equations, also would be good (related
to balancing reactions).
Fortunately much of the latter knowledge can be obtained online via the Internet. I would recommend you just find the appropriate sites and assign
homework assignments to develop her skill set. In other words, you supervise and she puts the work in to learn.
While real world experimenting is good for developing interest in chemistry, unfortunately even some simple reactions can go off the chart in
complexity. This came produce problems, in my estimation, when someone starts asking why something happens or not, and the answer is dumb down to BS,
which suppresses the search for the truth and the learning that could potentially unfold in that endeavor.
For some knowledge is its own reward. For kids, some rewards of importance to the child, may help the process to get started!
[Edited on 7-8-2018 by AJKOER]j_sum1 - 7-8-2018 at 05:02
You don't work with kids much do you AKOJER.
It needs to capture the imagination and be fun. Then you stimulate the motivation that drives the whole exercise.
You also need to stimulate the curiosity, inquisitiveness and promote good questioning. It matters little if some of the questions have complex
answers. What matters is that at least some questions yield a bit of gold with a bit of probing. In any case, you would be surprised what difficult
concepts can be explained to a young enquiring mind without dumbing down. You just need to get in their head and connect to what they already know.
At 13 and in this context, I would not be forcing anything. Just finding out what floats her boat. Just have some fun. It may be that she has no
enduring interest in chemistry but instead has a passion for comouter science or physics or has a bent for creative writing or whatever.
Whet her appetite, show her something she might be interwsted in and see where it takes you.
Edit: stray pasted text taken out.
[Edited on 7-8-2018 by j_sum1]AJKOER - 7-8-2018 at 05:22
Well, I can speak to my personal experiences after having been given a chemistry set at age 7. My knowledge of children is that they can, even from
the same parents, be very different and unique.
At age 8, I was taught chess by a friend (which I would greatly recommend to any child as it develops ones analytical thinking). In months, I so
readily defeated him at chess, he challenge me to play his mentor, his father. I did play his father and in time defeated him as well!
Later in life, I was in a Chess Club, and have the pleasure of playing the former (then albeit 70 year old) Ontario Chess champion! In a match, I did
play him to a draw and, as a consequence, my team won!
At age 11, I was reading college chemistry books, and acquired basic background stuff as my underlining skill set was still limited (no
calculus,....).
[Edited on 7-8-2018 by AJKOER]j_sum1 - 7-8-2018 at 13:54
No arguments with any of that.
And yet if someone was drilling you with chess theory and getting you to memorise openings before you saw the beauty of the game, it would have
crushed the life out of it.
Good teaching is always a personal matter: getting to the heart of the learner as well as to the heart of the content.diddi - 7-8-2018 at 14:21
every kid is different. the skill of a teacher is working out how the kid works so you can impart learning.Endo - 8-8-2018 at 04:41
One approach is to set things up in such a way that she can experiment on her own. Example copper thermite, you mix a stoichometric amount of CuO
and Aluminum before hand and light off a gram. Explain how you need to have the mixture just right to have it work as well as the example you light
off. Then let her try with ~ a gram of mixture a time or two... try to light the guess mix, using a scale and logbook. Then explain molar masses
ect... and show her how her attempt with some understanding of chemistry works! It is hands on, allows experimentation, and even though some material
may be wasted it explains a core concept... Plus FIRE.
Sulaiman - 8-8-2018 at 08:25
My only thoughts are;
Nitrogen tri-iodide, pyrotechnics and 'chemical magic'
(coke&Mentos (pressure, force, momentum, velocity, I know you really want to try),
bicarbonate&vinegar bottle rocket, acid+base=salt+water and pH,
invisible ink, pH, heat, shadow photography,
iodine clock, kinetics
ammonium dichromate volcano
....... see YouTube for details)
Other than cooking, the only 'chemistry' that interested my daughter was soap making,
maybe 'slime' or similar,
especially if the ingredients can be easily obtained without parental control.
i.e. do something that you personally would enjoy
as your enthusiasm may be contagious.
If what you show or discuss bores you then you are less likely to stimulate interest in others.
(use as an excuse to do those experiments that are otherwise difficult to justify)
or
intense memorising of previous exam questions&answers.
===================
On reflection, possibly the best path would be to encourage some sort of small business attitude (e.g. monopolise the local 'slime' market)
The financially-secure via education path is getting narrower and narrower,
self-employed and self-confident is one option.
[Edited on 8-8-2018 by Sulaiman]clearly_not_atara - 8-8-2018 at 13:57
Ferrioxalate!
You make it from very OTC materials -- oxalic acid, sodium or potassium carbonate, iron oxide -- and yet it has all the right properties to be
interesting: it's brightly colored, it has a complex molecular structure, it's very obviously different from a mixture of the reactants (whereas
sodium acetate looks like nothing), and it's even photosensitive!
So I think making ferrioxalate salts and decomposing them might be a good way to show off some "cool" chemistry with minimal equipment. You should
still wear gloves & goggles. CobaltChloride - 8-8-2018 at 14:20
The reaction isn't really doable with OTC iron oxide. Pigment Fe2O3 is calcined and thus dissolves extremely slowly in acids unfortunately. Iron (III)
hydroxide can be easily made though (2FeCl3 (PCB etch) + 3Na2CO3 + 3H2O = 2Fe(OH)3 + 3CO2+ 6NaCl), but actually recovering the iron hydroxide is quite
difficult because filtration doesn't work and you need to greatly dilute the reaction mixture, let the iron hydroxide settle and then decant the
liquid. Doing this multiple times take a lot so isn't feasible to do if the amount of time for teaching chemistry is so small.
