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Here’s the activity itself! Below is my commentary and explanations. Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution graphs are a way to represent the varying speeds of particles in a sample of gas. They are often tested on the AP Chemistry exam, and they get at the heart of a few important chemistry concepts: In previous years, I’ve used someContinue reading “Model Exploration for Maxwell-Boltzmann Distributions”

With my Bohr model cards being a hit, I wanted to create something fun for mass spectrometry. Unfortunately, some mass spectra are hard to find or not labeled exactly the way I want, so I made my own. I used a Google spreadsheet to input the percentages for each isotope, then added the graphs. TheContinue reading “Mass Spectrometry Card Hunt!”

Note: This lesson could totally be adapted for SASB titrations as well. Here’s the lesson I used for SASB this year. Before Class (introducing WASB Titration & pH Calculations) Before my students came to class, they watched this video I made and took notes on this notes sheet. In the video, I do pH calculationsContinue reading “Graphing WASB Titration Curves on Giant Graph Paper”

The Case of the Missing Data and the Dishonest Chemistry Students! In the past, I’ve lectured on this SASB titration pH calculations, then because of time constraints, students had little to no time to actually practice it themselves. This year, I finally got around to creating a flipped classroom video of how to do theseContinue reading “Strong Acid / Strong Base Titration pH Calculation Practice”

If you haven’t heard me talk about it enough already, some friends and I made a book! It’s a Memphis-themed anthology called Malfunction Junction: Memphis Stories of Stops, Starts, Wrong Turns, and Dead Ends. You can buy copies at Novel (see photo of Alondra and I posing in front of the display below), and we’llContinue reading “Designing the book cover for Malfunction Junction”

I hated English in high school. If there was one class I thought I’d never want to teach…it’s English. Reading was kind of boring, writing was a lot of work for little gain, and grading papers…no, no, no, no. Yet, here I am entering my 10th year of teaching at Collegiate, and I’m about toContinue reading “I’m a science teacher. Next year, I’m teaching a Science Fiction and Fantasy English class.”

A year ago, I sat in front of my computer, frustrated and on the verge of angry tears. The pandemic had become real a week earlier. My school closed its building, and we spent a week planning for fourth quarter “emergency online learning.” It was a fast transition, but one my school did well. WeContinue reading “A Year of Making Science Videos”

Yesterday was Pi Day, and as a high school science teacher, this is a big deal. Not as big of a deal as it is for math teachers, but until the practical but not-yet-widely-accepted Tau catches on, it’s the best mathematical constant we can celebrate during the school year. My wife Carol and I aboutContinue reading “Why You Should Always Buy the Biggest Pizza Pi!”

  A friend of mine shared this photo. It stirred up in me a lot of thoughts about disability (I have a complete L2 spinal cord injury, meaning I’m paralyzed from the waist down). Everything I wrote here applies to a non-disabled person thinking about a disabled person, or a disabled person thinking about aContinue reading “Can people in wheelchairs kick ass?”