Reflections of a Science Teacher: Bonds, Atomic Bonds

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by SkyEarth

Students created animated powerpoints today that illustrate how atoms bond and the difference between ionic and covalent bonds. This is the fourth year that I have done this project with my freshmen. It is a good way to "level the playing field" and to guide students who have never produced a powerpoint so they are not disadvantaged with skills and knowledge of tools. It also provides an enormous help to students in knowing the octet rule and grasping the idea of oxidation numbers. Each time I do it, I am surprised and pleased by the "Oh! I get it!" Surprised because we have completed the lectures and textbook work and worksheets. And while I believe they could be successful on a standardized exam after the lectures and textbook questions and worksheets, it seems that true understanding is not happening there. True understanding is happening during the creation of the animated powerpoint.

I am fortunate to have a technology teacher who leads the class in the explanation of how to create an animated powerpoint. She also knows chemistry and so is able to help the students while they are working.

4 comments:

Neil StephensonMarch 24, 2009 at 5:23 PM
Do you think you could share one of the completed ones? Id love to see how the final animated PPTs turn out. Thanks!
Neil StephensonApril 15, 2009 at 5:40 PM
Awesome... thanks for sharing - I will pass this along to my science colleages. Is it possible to record voice? That would be another cool layer to the thinking...
LindseyBApril 17, 2009 at 7:21 AM
Some of the students in the class did narrate the animated slide. As each student animates a different pair bonding, further consolidation of learning goes on when each animation is viewed by the whole class.
Reflections of a Science TeacherApril 18, 2009 at 10:24 AM
For a substantial number of these students this is their first powerpoint and the animating, and understanding of the bonding, is enough for this activity. Later in the year we encourage them to try voice over.

It is also useful to NOT have them voice over on this lesson because of the errors in their understanding, which are corrected on the IWB while they present.