For today’s Electron Configuration Gizmo activity, complete the following steps:

1. Go to the Explore Learning website.
2. Click the Login/Enroll button (upper right).
3. Select Chemistry from your list of classes.
4. Launch the Electron Configuration Gizmo.
5. Complete the “Electron Configuration Gizmo” worksheet with a partner.

For students who have not yet created an account:

1. Enter the class code (written on the white board).
2. Click the Enroll in Class button.
3. Choose “I need to create…” option.
4. Enter your First and Last name (not email!)
5. Use your student numer (s-#######) as your username.
6. Enter birthdate as password (MMDDYYYY)
7. Click “Submit”
8. Launch the Electron Configuration Gizmo.
9. Complete the “Electron Configuration Gizmo” worksheet.

Our learning about electrons culminated today with Lesson 24, in which students understanding of electron shells was expanded to include the concept of subshells.

To launch the lesson, we began with the Crash Course chemistry video below:

Next, we worked through the Lesson 24 PowerPoint, and students also received a copy of the Lesson 24 Worksheet.  For homework, students should complete textbook questions 1-13 at the end of Lesson 24 (page 121).

Want more?  There is a follow-up Crash Course video (#25) that picks up where this one left off and takes the content to a whole new shell (sorry, chemistry humor):

For Thursday, October 19, we began class with a refresher from yesterday and extension (ionization energy) via Mr. Anderson of Bozeman Science:

We reviewed at length the connection between the periodic table and electron configuration, working through parts of the Lesson 24 worksheet handed out yesterday as a class.

After taking yesterday to review our learning of ions through the first six lessons of chapter 4 (in the form of a quiz), today we learned about how to name compounds that involve transition metals.  To help launch the lesson, students watched a video by Tyler DeWitt titled Writing Ionic Formulas with Transition Metals:

Students are encouraged to watch the follow-up video titled “Naming Ionic Compounds with Transition Metals Introduction” as review:

After watching the first video, students worked through the Lesson 23.1 worksheet.  For homework, students should complete Lesson 23 problems 1-5 on page 115 of the textbook.  Students should also read Lesson 24 in the textbook in preparation for class tomorrow.

For lesson 22, students continued to explore ionic bonds, this time in the context of polyatomic ions.  We worked through the Lesson 22 PowerPoint and then students used the class period to practice creating and naming polyatomic ions and their chemical formulas using the Lesson 22 worksheet.  For homework, students should complete questions 1-6 on page 111 and read Lesson 23 in advance of Monday’s lesson.