Implementation of organic chemistry in the high school curriculum

Daniel S. Meyers, M.S., M.A.T. Chemistry Teacher

Portage Central High School, Portage, MI

Outline

• Background • Cardinal Ritter High School, Indianapolis, IN • Portage Central High School, Portage, MI • Summary

Student Perceptions

Student Perceptions

• Organic is difficult, challenging, and competitive

• “Weed out” course for pre-professional programs

• Not easily mastered • Thinking and learning processes generally

unknown to undergraduate chemistry students; requires thinking different from general chemistry

Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 2008, 9, 93-101

High School Organic Chemistry: Why Not!?

• What purpose does this allow? • Start students early, expose to organic sooner,

develop unique thinking skills earlier to permit future success.

• An objective of secondary science education • Prepare students for collegiate studies, not only

in content but with appropriate study skills as well

• Develop scientifically literate citizens

J. Chem. Educ., 2012, 89, 850-853 Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 2008, 9, 157-162

High School Organic Chemistry: Why Not!?

Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 2012, 13, 201-208

“Organic chemistry is a rich, vibrant discipline and given its

central importance to science, it is imperative that students develop

a sound, conceptual understanding of the subject”

(Grove 2012).

High School Organic Chemistry: Why Not!?

Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 2008, 9, 157-162

“Modern organic chemistry is a rich, vibrant, and diverse field

situated at the heart of the global economy” (Grove 2008).

Central Indiana High Schools

Focus on Indy

Aims at Cardinal Ritter High School

Year-long course for 11th and 12th grade

students – advanced science elective

Prerequisites: B in Honors Chemistry or B- in AP Chemistry

Mimic CHEM-C341 course at Indiana

University.

Utilize networking from IU, GVSU (alma

mater), and later IUPUI to design

curriculum.

Aims at Cardinal Ritter High School

Promote rigorous course requiring

students to write, draw, and think.

Assess with short-answer based

problems rather than MC questions.

Build a culture that requires students to learn and think

rather than regurgitate information

J. Chem. Educ., 2012, 89, 850-853 Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 2012, 13, 201-208

Aims at Cardinal Ritter High School

• Course emphasis placed on • Structure • Functional groups • Nomenclature • Acids and bases • Conformational analysis and stereochemistry • Important classes of organic reactions

• Alkenes, alkynes, alcohols, substitution, elimination • Synthesis • Spectroscopy*

* Not achieved

Aims at Cardinal Ritter High School

Labs at Cardinal Ritter High School

• LABS!!! – more of them, more often • Block schedule = slow pace (2 or 3 classes/week) • Very few undergraduate labs correspond to 1st

semester content • Unable to order lab materials through private

donor until 2nd semester

Labs at Cardinal Ritter High School

• Used Flinn’s Vial Organic Lab series (cis-trans isomerization, oxidation of benzaldehyde, tie-dye, esterification)

Portage Central High School

Lab Concerns at Cardinal Ritter High School

Portage Central High School

Lab Concerns at Cardinal Ritter High School

• Chemistry 3 – Organic Chemistry is a one semester course

• Offered to 10th-12th grade students who have had Chemistry 1 and 2 or Honors Chemistry 1 and 2

• Elective course; not required for graduation • Course format depends on instructor • IB Chemistry students have 10-week organic

chemistry component which is more intensive

Aims at Portage Central High School

Aims at Portage Central High School

Course emphasis placed on: • Structure

• Lewis Dot Structures • Orbitals • Bonding • Drawing structures • Resonance

• Functional groups • Nomenclature • Stereochemistry

Labs at Portage Central High School

• Myriad of equipment available allows for technique-based experiments

• Experiments include: • Melting point (2 days) • Recrystallization of N-phenylacetamide (3 days) –

vacuum filtration and melting point • Aspirin synthesis (3 days) • Ethanal/acetone (2 days) – Ag Mirror and Benedict’s

Test • Distillation (2 days) – Essential Oils

Labs at Portage Central High School

Labs at Portage Central High School

Summary

• Why? – Helps build critical thinking and problem solving skills

earlier; builds confidence in a “tough, weed out” type course

• How? – Depends on instructor; focus on structure and basics or

dive into broad scope of reactions – Labs can encompass techniques and reactions

• Improvements? – Will depend on future class sections and scope of

students’ abilities – Introduction to orbitals, bonding, and resonance still

beneficial – Labs need to be maximized as much as possible to meet

desires of the administration

College/University Professors

• Be available and willing to assist high school teachers who may seek you out for resources

• Resources include: – Advice – Syllabi – Worksheets – Old tests/exams – Links to helpful websites including your course

website, if available

Contact

Dan Meyers • Chemistry Teacher • Portage Central High School • dmeyers@portageps.org • dmeyers.site.portageps.org • @MeyersChemistry