My chemistry students need twelve molecular model kits.
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I teach chemistry to primarily 10th & 11th grade students in a rural, East TN high school. Our school is 64% economically disadvantaged, and the area in general is economically depressed. Our classroom supply budget is limited, at best.
One of the greatest challenges in chemistry is visualization. In particular, students have difficulty understanding the shapes of molecules, primarily because they cannot SEE a molecule. Currently, we have two molecular modeling kits to share between two chemistry teachers & three biology teachers. Students do not get an opportunity to "play" with the modeling kits to gain a real understanding of molecular geometry.
I can clearly envision pairs of students working through a list of molecules, learning how the bonds they make determine the shape of the molecule, gaining a real understanding of the 3-D structure. I can see them making their own molecules. Of course, I could just show pictures or tell them about shapes, but hands-on learning is a much more meaningful experience than looking at pictures in a book, or, even worse, listening to me talk about pictures in a book. With these molecular model kits, students could have an opportunity to be creative, to visualize, to explore.
I can clearly remember sitting in my high school chemistry classroom putting together organic molecules, then asking my teacher to name them. He knew the value of an active imagination. Please help my students make their own positive memories of school in general and chemistry in particular.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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