Forums

I'm looking for advice on how to make learning nomenclature interesting! I know, this one will make you think, but I would love ideas on any interesting demos that could be linked to nomenclature or fun activities that have worked in your classrooms! I would also be interested to hear any opinions you have about how in depth to go with nomenclature and how you have assessed these skills in your class (and been successful)! Any insight you can offer would be appreciated! Thank you!

I haven't used this website but I've used a similar technique before. http://www.dhmo.org/ It's a gag-site that tells about all the amazing properties of a New and Dangerous (the capitals are important) called dihydrogen monoxide and how it should be regulated. You could have them do some quick research on it as homework, and then do the big reveal in class that it's just water. Or, you could do some very basic demos with period 1 or 2 elements (pun intended) to get them thinking about what to call the products of reactions. Maybe another way to approach it would be like looking at naming things like naming kids in a family? That might be a good mnemonic for kids to follow.

I do an activity called bond with a classmate. This is only for ionic nomenclature. But what I do is hand out one ion card to each student at the beginning of the activity. The ion cards are divided into 4 groups (each group a different color) 1. polyatomic ions, 2. Cations 3. Anions 4. Metal Ions with multiple charges (ie. Cu(II) where students practice using the roman numerals to distinguish the ion used in the bond). Students then walk around the room or outside if it is nice and make ionic bonds with any student that has an appropriate ion. They record the Compound made from the bond and the name of the compound. I like it because it gets students out of their seats for a part of chemistry where I find we are practicing over and over until they get it. Here is a link for the worksheet for this assignment: http://sciencespot.net/Media/chembondwkst.pdf I require that students will fill out their table using one card from each group and making four different ionic bonds with each card for a total of 16.

That's a neat activity! Now, I wish I taught high school chemistry instead of middle school science. I like that students move around to do the activity. It'd be a great way to reinforce dissociation in iconic compounds, too. The ions are 'dissociating' when they have to find another partner, and they're moving around the room like the ions in water. Now that I think about it, my middle school kids could easily handle this activity, and I can use it to explain some basic chemistry that my class has to work with.

I really like the idea about "bonding with a classmate". I try during the nomenclature unit to have mini-races with whiteboards. I have students sit with a partner and through a series of nomenclature questions, the students race to name/write the correct formula for the compound. I award points to the fastest team and also points to the other teams who at least got the correct answer, but may have not been quick in writing it. The students seem to like using the whiteboards because it gets them out of their seats, not using the standard paper/pencil, and it is competitive. I also do a lab that involves making ionic compounds (cations/anions/polyatomic ions/multiple charges) where the students combine each element, watch the reaction, and then determine both the formula and name.

I love formulas poker. This game was designed at North Caroline State Science House http://www.science-house.org/index.php/component/content/article/83-formulas-poker-experiment-26

I created this memory game to use in my review at the start of this semester. There are formula cards and name cards. The kids have to match the name of the compound to its formula. All of the cards are face down and they have to find the matches like the kids "memory" game. We decided it was a little simpler if they divided them into two different sections formulas and names to speed up the process a little. When they turned a card over, they had to verbalize the name or formula and then look for the match in the other pile. The kids enjoyed playing the game.

Attachments

Formula_Writing_Match_Game.docx (0.02 Mb)

Chris This is very creative. I like it! Thanks for sharing Pam