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It is widely accepted that organizing the curricula of introductory chemistry courses around a short list of fundamental concepts is beneficial; significant examples include the “Big Ideas” of the College Board CED for AP Chemistry, and the “Core Ideas” of the NGSS Science Standards. A principal justification for such organization is that it can help simplify the course content for the students, and give them insight into how the core ideas are linked to each topic covered. This workshop is focused on helping chemistry teachers develop and refine strategies to organize their curricula in such a “top down” fashion. The overarching theme of the workshop is SIMPLICITY; simpler ideas are easier for students to remember and apply (and easier for teachers to teach!). Each of the central concepts (listed below) for this workshop is designed to be presented to students as early as possible in the school year, so that conceptual connections can be built and strengthened, spanning as broad a range of topics as possible. During the workshop, each concept will be introduced by the presenter, with detailed suggestions on how to tie it to relevant topics, and how to encourage students to incorporate it as a top-level problem solving strategy. There will also be 3 breakout sessions (one for each pair of ideas) for participant-driven discussion and brainstorming about how to incorporate specific ideas and topics into attending teachers’ curricula.

List of Central Ideas:
1) Chemistry is Counting
2) Chemical Compounds are “Elements being Noble”
3) Chemical Reactions exchange Particles
4) Chemical Reactions exchange Energy
5) Chemical Reactions involve Collisions
6) Chemical Reactions proceed toward Equilibrium

Cross-cutting Thread(s):
Organizer 1

David T. Moore

Organizer 1 Email
dmoore@shp.org