Laura Slocum has been teaching chemistry and AP^® Chemistry for the last 38 years and loves the laboratory side of chemistry classes.

When I was asked to transition back to teaching AP^® Chemistry, I was initially not very happy. I had moved away from AP^® Chemistry and had been teaching the first-year high school course using Modeling Instruction (MI) in both my honors and general/college-prep classes. My students had become more engaged and showed clearer understanding with this new teaching style—they liked the idea of exploring first and then learning concepts based on their exploration.
 
It was hard for me to think about a textbook for my AP^® Chemistry class that would match my new style of teaching. Then a colleague introduced me to Chemistry: An Atoms-Focused Approach, and I knew this book, with its atoms-first organization and the visual program incorporated in it by Stacey Bretz, was just what I was looking for in a textbook.

Modeling Instruction is hands on, student centered, and data driven. American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA) describes MI as follows: “Modeling Instruction organizes the course around a small number of scientific models, thus making the course coherent.” The order of the topics is carefully chosen so that each model builds on the next, helping students to integrate new ideas into an increasingly complex and nuanced framework of thought.

In chemistry, modeling instruction can be difficult because processes are happening at a microscopic level and students can’t see what’s going on during chemical interactions. The MI approach to teaching opened my eyes to the value of using particle diagrams to help build models that students can use as visual learning tools. Whether we are talking about particle diagramming matter or discussing and diagramming a particular ionic compound dissolving in water, particle diagrams really help the students think about what is happening even though they cannot actually “see” the particles. In An Atoms-Focused Approach, the consistent use of particular colors and shapes scaffolds the student’s learning.

I incorporate many of the visualization images in the textbook into my class lessons to consistently remind the students how important particle diagraming is to their learning and understanding of chemical concepts. While it’s helpful to have such clear and consistent images in the textbook, what my students have really found valuable are all the resources I can use in class.

The ChemTours and Stepwise Animations have been particularly helpful for them because the ChemTours focus on individual concepts and ask thoughtful questions. Some of my students’ favorite ChemTours have been Simplified Mass Spectrometer, Interacting Polar Molecules, Buffer Systems, and Selective Precipitation. The images help students focus on one particular topic at a time rather than a whole unit. For example, in the Interacting Polar Molecules, students are guided through the dissolving process of an ionic compound in water and then asked some follow-up questions for review. Having students understand how to clearly diagram particle representations, much like what is done in the visualization aspects of this textbook, has helped them gain clarity and understanding. This has also helped raise the overall student scores on the AP^® Chem Exam.

My students have ranked Chemistry: An Atoms-Focused Approach as one of their favorites among the textbooks they have used.  They especially like the diagrams and pictures that help them understand concepts at the particle level, and as an instructor, I really appreciate the scaffolding this book affords my students.

Learn more about how Chemistry: An Atoms-Focused Approach, AP^® Edition can support your AP students by clicking here.

AP^® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.

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