| The purpose of this project was to determine whether experiments involving common household materials would help increase student understanding and retention of main chemistry concepts. Throughout the year, beginning chemistry students performed various experiments, some involving food chemistry and others involving standard chemicals. All of the experiments that involved common household materials were introduced into three units: Unit 1: Introduction to Chemistry and Measurement; Unit 2: Matter, Solutions, and Energy; Unit 3: Chemical Naming and the Mole Concept. The developed labs contained twelve in-class experiments and three take-home experiments. At the end of each semester, the students were assessed on concepts related to the fifteen experiments. Overall, the experiments were well received by the students. The grades and surveys showed the experiments to be effective in helping students learn and remember certain chemistry concepts. |
